Bogus Awards - Businesses and Consumers be Aware.

It's pitiful that some companies actually have to pay a company to receive an award. Interesting article below by Tim Berry.

Scam Alert: Best of Business Awards for Local Businesses

December 10, 2013 by Tim Berry 2 Comments

Yet another wave of scammers are taking advantage of local businesses with their “Best of Business” awards or similar equivalents.
We have suddenly had an influx of client businesses that have received awards for being the “best” in their local market for their industry.
While we think all of our clients are the best, some are brand new and have done little yet to earn such “prestigious” awards.  We have also heard stories of businesses with 1 star ratings and an ‘F’ in the BBB who are receiving these awards, not to say that star ratings or BBB scores are necessarily accurate.
Most of the emails from this new wave started going out again about 2 months ago from what we can tell.  In fact, we received our first ever award just today – unless it is real…  Take a look:
———————–
Poobah Marketing has been selected for the 2013 Denver Awards for Marketing Agency.
 For details and more information please view our website:
 2013 Denver Awards – Marketing Agency
 If you are unable to view the link above, please copy and paste the following into your web browser:
 LINK OMITTED
 Best Regards,
 Denver Business Recognition
———————–
Once you follow their link, you are immediately offered a free digital award, such as a customized Press Release.  The goal is for them to keep pulling you in deeper and sell you on physical awards and trophies, etc.  Once they find a sucker, they take advantage of it.
Here is what they offered us for being the BEST:

Here are a couple of additional articles describing this type of scam:
Local Businesses Scammed with Fake Awards
Business Awards Email Scam Alert
The difficult thing with this scam tactic is the scammers use a variety of domains, so it is tough to track how many scams are occurring at any given time.  If they were simply using one domain, you could find a lot of complaints online, including sites like Rip-off report.  Most of the domains we have seen have been .net, .org, and .us, but we assume the use more.
So, what do you do if you get such an award?
First, look to see if it is from a reputable company or organization that you are familiar with.  Not all awards are fake!
Next, use your instincts. If you have look at the examples above, including the stories in the links, then you should be equipped to recognize potential scams
Once you suspect or recognize the scam, there still might be a dilemma for you.  By receiving such an award stating that you are the best business in your category in your market, you could use this for promotional purposes.  Or you may need some bling for your office desk or wall.   The scammers understand this; in fact they count on it.
Even if you figure out that it is a scam, you still may want to leverage it for the “credibility.”

We are the Best!!!

Is there anything wrong with that?
It really is up to you.  If you choose to go down this path, be careful about providing payment information, such as credit card numbers, for their tangible gifts.  I would not give the scammers anything, personally, and do not recommend you do.
If you want to use the “award” for credibility purposes, you could just reference it.  There is a fine line here.  If you know without a shadow of doubt that it is a bogus company and award, I would not use it.  On the other hand, if you are unsure and don’t have the time to do the research, you could reference it.
Example: Awarded Best ___________ in ___________ in 2013
If you choose to do this, save the email you received as proof that you received this recognition from the sending company.
Final thoughts…  
Unfortunately, a side effect of good marketing and local SEO, is that businesses are listed in lots of online directories, internet yellow pages, and review sites.  It is very easy for scammers to “scrape” these sites and pull your business data.
This means you will get a lot more spam emails, scams, and telemarketing phone calls, and this is expected to increase greatly over the upcoming years.  You need to have a policy in place so that you can filter these distractions appropriately.  Most of our clients simply forward all emails and telemarketers to us, so that our team can review and make recommendations.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with as many people as you can.  Not only will you be helping them, but they will get to see our shiny new blue award!

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Filed Under: Marketing News Tagged With: award, best of business, local business scam, scam

About Tim Berry
Tim Berry MD is the Co-Founder and the Grand Poobah of Marketing at Poobah Marketing in Denver, CO, providing comprehensive digital marketing solutions, local SEO services and reputation management to small and medium businesses, as well as franchises.

What's below your synthetic grass is critical

3/8" CLEAN Crushed Gravel = permeable

Dream Turf has now installed over 3000 successful artificial grass projects. Over a twelve year time span, we have not received a single complaint about drainage. The majority of our customers had poor drainage before they installed Dream Turf and we have solved that problem for them. Proper install techniques as well as using  permeable gravel for the sub-base on which our turf is laid is critical to the long term drainage for synthetic lawns.

Unfortunately, we have seen some of our competitors use the WRONG gravel for their base. These companies are cutting a corner that should NEVER be compromised. I'm referring to them using a gravel called 5/8" Minus.



5/8 MINUS = Impervious surface


The 5/8" Minus (photo on left) has clay fines that when compacted, will be hard as asphalt and won't drain. This will create a "dam" effect in your yard and will not allow for proper drainage. If you have a dog that goes potty on the turf, where is the urine going to go? You will have odors!

I'm not sure why some of our competitors use this gravel. There may be a few reasons including:
1) Ignorance
2)  More readily available
3) Cheaper
4) Lack of experience
5) Their distributors suggested this without knowing the climate in the northwest. This might work in Las Vegas or Phoenix but certainly not in Seattle.

Another important factor for consideration is local building codes. Properties cannot contain more than 50% impervious surface. When you add your driveway, foundation and backyard patios, many lots are already at their maximum allowed impervious surface ratio. Adding 5/8" MINUS to your property increases your impervious surface and may put your property out of municipal code.

Our gravel has actually been tested for permeability and is NOT considered impervious.


Closeup photo of our permeable gravel.



There are a lot of things to consider when performing your due diligence when hiring a contractor to install synthetic grass. Ask what gravel they use, if they say 5/8" Minus, that is a red flag that they are either unethical or very uninformed. If they try to upcharge for Clean permeable gravel, that is also a red flag as they should know better to not even offer a poor substitute in the first place.

Dream Turf will never compromise a job just to save a little money or due to the inconvenience of sourcing the proper gravel. We inventory large quantities of permeable gravel at our 7 acre facility that is trucked in 2-3 times weekly from Granite Falls. Competitors don't stock gravel and therefore choose locations closest to their jobsite; unfortunately many of those gravel sources don't inventory clean permeable gravel. Yes, it is an inconvenience to find the right gravel in many cases but this is a poor excuse to compromise any customer's project.

In closing, please remember that your gravel base that you don't see, is equally if not more important than the synthetic grass that you do see. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Warranties Explained

It has come to my attention recently that a few companies that are middle men distributors are extending the original manufacturer's warranties. This is a very dangerous and risky gamble on the part of the middle man. They are basically self insuring a warranty that for all intents and purposes was given a specific warranty for a reason. On a recent poll, I verified the majority of the domestic turf manufacturers and found they all offer either a 7 or 8 year warranty, standard for the industry. Since some of these manufacturers are not fully integrated, many of the warranties only cover the actual turf yarn by the yarn producer. All of these warranties cover UV fading and some loss of pile height. It is EXTREMELY rare to hear of a warranty issue as the turfs do not fail in 8 years.

One company that has only been in business for just three years is offering a 20 year warranty on their turf. Yes, they are buying turf with an 8 year warranty and are self insuring an additional 12 years! Ask yourself if this makes sense? Is it to good to be true? What happens when this little company goes out of business? The original turf manufacturer will not handle a claim if it is beyond 8 years. Please do your due diligence and do some research on any company offering a turf warranty over ten years. All the manufacturers will tell you fading may start after ten years yet it may not be noticeable. After 15 to 20 years, it could be very noticeable and the turf may need replacing.

In summary, CAVEAT EMPTOR and please don't get fooled by a desperate sales pitch of a warranty that is not even covered by the original manufacturer. Instead, look for an installer that can provide the longest WORKMANSHIP warranty as if there is a problem, it is likely going to be the workmanship. Also find out how long the installer has been in business and how many installations they have performed. If your installer goes out of business, then you really have a problem if your turf installation fails. I have seen many from now defunct companies and we don't fix other turf companies problems. The bottom line is ... your warranty is only as good as the company that installed the turf. Please perform your due diligence.

Time to Come out of Hibernation



Look at those pale legs!!

It's been over 60 degrees now for 5 straight days! Are we in for an early spring? We can only hope so but be reminded we are in a La Nina Winter. We've seen a lot of activity these past few days with the gorgeous weather. People are wandering out in their backyards only to find that their real grass lawns really got punished this winter. For dog owners, you are probably tired of dealing with the mud. That is of course not the case if you have a free draining, mud free Dream Turf lawn.

Golf courses are enjoying the weather and finding people ready to trade their skis for their Pings and Titleists. We can assist you with your backyard and your golf game by installing a custom synthetic    putting green in your yard. They look and play great and are fun for entertaining guests.

       
We will be exhibiting at the Seattle Golf Show this weekend, February 10-12 at the Century Link Event Center (formerly Qwest) in booth 1018. We will have a 20' x 20' putting green and of course one of our turf covered VW Beetles aka TurfBug on display. The show this year now includes the Travel Show featuring many exhibits to give you ideas for your next vacation. But "Stay-Cations" are also becoming popular and with a new putting green in your very own backyard, you might not want to leave home.

See you at the show!

Seattle Golf & Travel Show  

www.seattlegolfshow.com

Domestic vs Foreign

Buying foreign vs domestic products is a sensitive issue. It is also somewhat confusing considering so many domestic companies manufacture overseas. There are numerous reasons why companies choose to manufacture goods overseas and surprisingly, price is not always the main reason.

It is also interesting that many products are viewed as American made yet include components manufactured overseas. We see this a lot in the synthetic turf industry as a lot of the grass blade yarn is made in Europe, China and Saudi Arabia. This is also the case with many consumer products as well as cars and even airplanes ... yes Boeing manufactures a lot of parts overseas.

Dream Turf has a fleet of Ford and Dodge trucks and some of these are assembled in Canada and Mexico. You see, we do our best to support American jobs but we live in a World Market with a true global economy. We employ American workers who speak English and we only hire legal citizens.

If you consider all the possessions we have, you have to ask yourself how could we not survive without a true global economy. If you own a cell phone, Ipod, computer, tv, clothes, appliances ,etc ... you are supporting a global economy. You are also supporting American jobs because many of these companies like Apple, Nike, HP, Cisco, etc.,  are headquartered in the USA. And here in Washington, companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Nordstrom and K2 (just to name a few) manufacture products overseas. I believe all of these companies are known for very high quality goods.

Dream Turf custom manufactures most of their turf overseas. We have sold over 2 MILLION square feet in the past five years with little to no problems. The reason we decided to manufacture our own turf is that we had constant quality control issues with the domestic manufacturers. I personally made several trips visiting all the domestic mills and really did my best to support these companies. Unfortunatley, I found that continuing down this path would be compromising the overall quality we could offer our customers. Our clientele typically is well educated, upper middle class to very affluent and expect high quality in their home improvements. We have had the luxury to develop our own in house designed turf to meet the criteria of our customers and to replicate grass grown in the northwest. Our synthetic grass is truly a cut above all the competition.

If you like our company and experience but insist on buying domestic turf, we certainly can provide American made turf for you at the same price. Unlike Dream Turf, the local competition does not keep any turf in stock and simply orders turf when they receive an order. We keep a large inventory of our own custom made turf but we are also happy to special order domestic turf if you like. Once you compare the two, I think it will be an easy choice ... kind of like comparing a Lexus or BMW to a Buick. In the end, you will get a great looking lawn installed by Americans that are licensed, bonded and insured. You can also rest assured Dream Turf is the leader in synthetic grass for landscaping in the northwest (over 2000 installations) and stand behind their products and workmanship.

Buyer Beware

As we enter winter, we want to offer a friendly reminder to all prospective customers to do your due diligence before making a decision on who to do business with. In our ten years of business, we have seen over a dozen new synthetic grass installation companies start a business, only to fail and shut down usually in 12-24 months. Your warranty is only as good as the company that installs your turf. Does the warranty cover workmanship? Dream Turf's warranty covers materials and labor for 7 years.

Business is seasonal in Seattle so many companies have a difficult time in the off season. We believe this is why so many companies that have tried to compete in Seattle have failed. Dream Turf's advantage is that we were first to market and pioneered synthetic lawns in Washington. We also have built a robust wholesale distribution business that helps our bottom line year round. We ship our turf all over the country and sell about a half million square feet annually.

Some of the questions you should ask when considering hiring a turf installer are:
1. Are they licensed, bonded and insured in the State of Washington? Their credentials should be on all their marketing materials by law.
2. If they have employees, are they covered by L&I insurance? If not, you are liable if an employee get injured on your property. Both questions 1 and 2 can be verified online at http://www.lni.wa.gov/
3. How long have they been in business? Do you want to trust your install to a company that may not even be in business next year?
4. How many installations have they done? We have over 2000 to our credit.
5. What is the scope of their warranty? Does it cover workmanship? The turf is unlikely to fail, workmanship on the other hand is critical.
6. Do they use sub-contractors to install? If so, look out because they may not be punctual, accountable or experienced. Some companies use subs because they can't afford to hire their own employees or they don't do enough work to justify having employees.

We have seen numerous bad installations performed by inexperienced or unethical contractors. We typically don't repair other contractors sloppy work. Many installers also use the wrong gravel base material. Dream Turf only uses permeable gravel and we have had this lab tested for drainage. We have not had a single complaint regarding drainage in ten years with over 2000 installs ... and we have transformed countless yards that previously had very poor drainage.

Please consider your choices carefully. We don't mind good competition, its good for the industry. Unfortunately, there are some bad apples out there that can't be trusted and it is important to do your homework so you won't be disappointed.

Dream Turf is proud to be charter members of the ASGI and John Davidson, President of Dream Turf also serves on the ASGI Board of Directors. We honor the ASGI Code of Conduct listed below:

Code of Conduct
Statement of Business & Ethical Practices

Each ASGI Member and ASGi Certified Builder Member Company agree to abide by the
ASGI Code of Conduct and Statement of Business and Ethical Practices:
The Association of Synthetic Grass Installers members recognize their obligation to serve our industry,
our public, our employees and our communities by striving to deliver the very best, always. They are
committed to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility in the ethical conduct of their
businesses. A member’s conduct in all matters should reflect positively upon the industry. No member of
ASGI should engage in any action that might bring the Association and its members into disrepute/dispute.
Each ASGI Certified Builder Member Company Agrees to:
Demonstrate and maintain the integrity of the synthetic grass and artificial turf industry through fair, ethical
and honest conduct in all situations and in a manner that complies with local, state and federal laws;
Properly, effectively and professionally serve the needs of the ultimate user or consumer of the company's
products or services by providing the best in products and services, on time, on budget and as promised;
Advertise or communicate to all, by conversation, correspondence, newspaper, magazine, radio,
television, or any other means of communication by providing:
* True and proper representation of all policies, products, pricing and any other services rendered
by the company
* Ethical consumer advertising, to avoid any misleading claims including false comparisons;
untrue, unproven, or exaggerated statements; trick photography; or omission of pertinent facts;
* Factual information only concerned with the growth of the company or its number of operating
outlets at the time of communication;
Never, in any way, copy or represent the trademark or other distinguishing marks of other companies or
associations with intent to mislead the public;
Use sound accounting and business practices in financial reporting and comply fully with contracts and
agreements; and
Assume the obligation to conduct continuing research, education and training in order to increase their
knowledge with respect to all phases of their business operation and to achieve better performance, quality
and successful transactions.

Dream Turf Donation at Seattle Aquarium

Otter Turf

Dream Turf recently donated some Dog Turf to the Seattle Aquarium for use in their River Otter exhibit. As it turns out, the River Otters love their new turf! We look forward to helping the Seattle Aquarium, a nonprofit organization on any future projects.

We encourage you to visit the Seattle Aquarium as it is a fun and educational attraction for the entire family. You can learn more about the Seattle Aquarium by visiting http://www.seattleaquarium.org/