New college students everywhere would love an extra hand, but if you aren’t careful you could end up losing an arm and an leg.With the popularity of online shopping, many students get caught in the traps of crooked landlords. Public Relations Director Peggy Penders at the Better Business Bureau understands the issue.
“It’s very easy these days to create an experience online that looks so legitimate and it just unfortunately isn’t true,” said Penders. “Someone gets a hold of pictures of something that looks like it’s the ideal place, the rents really low, you can’t make those decisions based on online information alone”.
Penders suggests talking directly to the landlord at the apartment and taking pictures before moving in. She said having a written agreement is key.
“You want to have something to fall back on. Handshakes are great but they aren’t going to work if you get into a situation where you are in trouble,” said Penders.
The same applies for students using moving companies to ship their belongings. She said paying attention to the fine print ahead of time can help avoid a scam on moving day.
Research is what Penders encourages all students to do when seeking out the services they need to get their semester started. Students can save themselves a wallet full of hurt by seeking out ethical places of business, as well as insisting on contracts and face-to-face communication.
