Center for COVID Control under investigation by Oregon, BBB

CHICAGO – The Oregon Department of Justice and the Better Business Bureau have launched investigations into an Illinois-based company that runs coronavirus testing sites across the nation.

The Oregon agency opened a civil investigation into the Center for COVID Control this week on suspicion of Unfair Trade Practices Act violations, spokeswoman Kristina Edmunson said.

The company operates testing sites across the nation – some of them “pop-ups” run out of sheds and mobile storage units. Many Americans have rushed to the sites amid a surge of COVID-19 cases driven by the omicron variant and a national shortage of tests. But dozens of people nationwide have reached out to USA TODAY expressing concerns about the company.

Many said they discovered the sites by searching for nearby testing options on Google and were surprised by how the sites were run. Some said they received their test results later than promised or not

Read more
Cleveland BBB issues COVID-19 pop-up testing site warning

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission are issuing a warning about pop-up COVID-19 testing sites that are leaving some local consumers waiting weeks for official test results they still haven’t received.

Barbara Bachtell, of Cleveland Heights, and Kristin Hudak of Rocky River, both filed complaints with the BBB after waiting nearly a month for official COVID-19 test results from Chicago based company Center for COVID Control LLC. Bachtell received her test from a pop-up site in Parma, while Hudak was tested at a company pop-up site at Great Northern Mall on Dec. 20.

“Well I was actually pretty shocked, I didn’t expect to see a small trailer in a strip mall parking lot, in fact, I drove by it the first time,” Bachtell said.

“The advertisement said they do free PCR testing, but when I went there she said we don’t do PCR tests

Read more
Arkansas BBB warns of COVID-19 testing scams

There have been many complaints from Arkansans from various testing sites who got tested and never received their results, or had to pay a high price for them.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark — As new COVID cases continue to climb, so does the demand for testing in our state. With that, comes concerns over possible testing issues. In North Little Rock, the Rose City Neighborhood Association received complaints about one location. 

“It has come to our attention that the drive thru COVID testing site at McCain Mall has a history of not giving results to their clients. We personally are aware of at least 2 who tested last week at this site that has not been able to get their results.”

The site is run by a company called Covid Clinic, that told us that the location opened back in October.

With the omicron surge, they’ve gone from two to

Read more
BBB Column: Tips for happy holiday returns | Business

The holiday season is coming to an end and many may be heading back to stores for refunds or exchanges. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF) Retail Security Survey, the retail industry will lose an estimated $3.5 billion to retail fraud during the 2021 holiday season. Better Business Bureau serving Central East Texas (BBB) reminds consumers that in Texas, refund and exchange policies are not required by law so it’s best to know before heading to the counter.

“Returning an item can be inconvenient and frustrating,” Mechele Agbayani Mills, President and CEO of BBB Serving Central East Texas said. “However, becoming familiar of the company’s return policy beforehand can help alleviate some of the stress.”

BBB offers the following consumer tips for hassle-free returns and exchanges:

Read the product warranty. The retail store may not be liable if the product turns up defective or damaged. You may be required

Read more
BBB tips to get car ready for winter | Community

As we move into 2022, one important goal is to make sure the vehicle gets through the upcoming winter weather. The Better Business Bureau always get complaints after the first big winter storm. Consumers are unhappy with the towing service they used, or the repair needed on their car after it froze on the highway.

Here are some simple BBB tips to make sure your car is ready for that first blizzard.

1) Have a local repair shop winterize the car. Make sure the hoses, wires and belts are in good shape. If the car is older, replacing the rubber parts makes sense because, regardless of your mileage, they deteriorate with age.

2) Consider installing winter wiper blades.

3) Check all fluids. The antifreeze, of course, but also the windshield wiper fluid reservoir should be full and the oil and power steering fluids should be topped off.

4) Check the

Read more