BBB Houston

Make sure to establish a realistic budget before going to look for a new car. The general rule of thumb is to not spend more than 15% of your monthly income on car loan payments, which may still be on the high end for some people.

Take charge of organizing the financing for a used car before shopping. Each used car dealer may run financing a little differently.

Learn from your mistakes.

We should all be skeptical of online retailers. Here are five ways to ensure an online business is legit.

Be careful about posting vacation pics while still on vacation – they can alert criminals that you’re away from home.

Keep your computer clean! Keep operating systems, software, browsers, and anti-virus protection up to date.

Grow customer trust with BBB Accreditation. bbb.org/get-accredited

Smart consumers are skeptical when a deal sounds too good to be true. Take your time, do your research, and verify whether the deal is genuine before buying something.

Prepare for change. Running a business requires a great degree of flexibility. Employees, technology, clients – even the company's goal, many of these factors can change over time. Be prepared and ready to adapt to succeed.

Do your research!

Three different types of financial documents are commonly involved in fake check frauds: regular checks, cashier’s checks, and money orders.

Stay in the loop when hiring a contractor to remodel.

Do the research on the used-car dealerships before going. Check BBB’s directory and read the dealer’s business profile and customer reviews to determine what to can expect from that dealer.

Get a vehicle history report on any used car before purchasing. Vehicle history reports can reveal vital information about a car, including whether it has a flood-damage title or salvage title.

Be cautious and avoid falling victim to government imposters!

We use BBB Complaints to assist in developing BBB’s Business Reviews. Whether a business responds and how they respond to a consumer complaint can significantly impact its rating.

There are numerous tax scams, all with a different spin. The main theme is scammers posing as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), trying to trick people into either paying up or sharing personal information. Protect yourself and read these BBB tips. bbb.org/article/tips/1…

Want to blow off steam or tell others about an experience with a business? Writing a BBB Customer Review may be easier, faster, and just as effective as filing a BBB Complaint.

Real estate deals can be nerve-wracking. Use BBB’s Accredited Business Directory to find real estate agents you can trust. bbb.org/near-me/real-e…

From better visibility to increased consumer confidence, BBB Accreditation is good for your business. Apply for Accreditation today! bbb.org/get-accredited