Christmas shopping might be as close as your keyboard, but buying what looks easy could become a headache if consumers do not check out the company’s reputation before placing an order.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a public warning about a Columbia, Mo., company, D & S Giftware, after receiving nearly 300 complaints from consumers in 44 states about online sales problems with the firm.

D & S Giftware bills itself as a specialty mail order company. It sells novelty, household and children’s items on three Web sites: mookiegifts.com, peanutgallerygifts.com and itsagirlyworld.com.

 Complaints focused on the company’s failure to ship orders or provide refunds. It was also extremely difficult to contact the company, consumers reported.

The Daily Journal called the phone number listed on two sites, but no one answered the phone. A message left at a phone number provided by the BBB for the company went unanswered by press time, as did e-mails to the three contact addresses provided on the sites.

 Scott C. Thomas, trade practice investigator for the BBB in St. Louis, said the agency has received 237 complaints asking for resolution, as well as complaints from people who either resolved the issue on their own or did not want the BBB to take action. Only complaints that ask for resolution are included in the public report, he explained.

The BBB tries to contact a company three times per complaint before marking that company as not responding, Thomas explained.

“Out of the 237 reportable complaints, they failed to respond to us 139 times,” he related. “It looks like it’s hit or miss which ones they respond to. It’s a very confusing pattern. They might ignore six, then answer three in a row, then ignore the next complaints.”

Some of those complaints could have been resolved without the company or customer letting the BBB know, Scott admitted.

The BBB has reported the company to Attorney General Jay Nixon’s office.

“First, we try to work to resolve an issue with a company,” Scott said. “Then we inform the public. When there’s a case this egregious, we’ll let the various agencies be aware of this and we can provide copies of the complaint if they request.”

As of Tuesday, Nixon’s Web site  (http://www.consumer.ago.mo.gov/search/complaintSearch.cgi) listed 13 unresolved complaints to the office about D & S Giftware and its three Web sites.

According to the Secretary of State’s Web site , http://www.sos.mo.gov/BusinessEntity/soskb/Corp.asp?1918861, D & S is the fictitious name for a company owned by HBM, LLC, with Daniel Corkery as registered agent.

When shopping online, the BBB offers several suggestions to reduce the likelihood of a bad experience.

 • Ask the merchant for the company’s physical location and phone number, if not listed.

• Determine the company’s refund and return policies before you place an order.

• Don’t be duped by professional looking Web sites. Look for trustmarks or seals from trusted third-party organizations, like the BBB’s Online program, indicating the business has met high privacy protection and other safe e-commerce standards. 

• Be cautious if you’re asked to supply personal information, such as your Social Security number or personal bank account information, to conduct a  transaction. 

• Print out a copy of your order and confirmation number for your records.                                            

• Know your rights. The same laws that protect you when you shop by phone or mail apply when you shop in cyberspace. Under the law, a company must ship your order within the time stated in its ads. If no time is promised, the company must ship your order within 30 days after receiving it, or give you an “option notice.”                                           

• If you pay by credit card, your transaction will be protected by the Federal Trade Commission’s Fair Credit Billing Act. If you’re not comfortable entering your credit card account number online, call it in to the company’s 800 number or fax it. 

If you are not familiar with the company, contact the BBB at 314-645-3300 or http://www.stlouisbbb.org for a customer experience report.

Paula Barr is a reporter for the Daily Journal and can be reached at 573-431-2010, ext. 172 or at pbarr@dailyjournalonline.com.

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