BBB issues alert on Dalton company generating complaints

The Better Business Bureau shares tips and information on a regular basis to help consumers and businesses make sound buying decisions about products and services they need. Much of this information comes from BBB’s business profiles. BBB serving Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia receives on average more than 50,000 views of our profiles for companies operating in the 21-county service area every month.

We encourage individuals and businesses to check BBB business profiles before making a purchase, to serve as a helpful research tool. Profiles include a company’s BBB rating, complaint and customer review activity, length of time in operation, contact information and more.

BBB profiles may also include alerts, which are issued under a variety of situations, such as when a company develops concerning patterns within complaints and reviews. In these cases, BBB reaches out to the company first and offers assistance in working to resolve underlying issues; however, some companies choose to be unresponsive or to not take steps to eliminate the causes of complaints.

Following an investigation of numerous complaints and reviews, BBB serving Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia has issued a consumer alert about online seller Dean Stair Treads.

While Dean Stair Treads lists an address of 3056 N. Dug Gap Road SW in Dalton on their website, BBB’s team has confirmed by visiting the location that the address no longer exists. BBB staff was also unable to locate a physical location for the company nearby.

BBB’s investigation indicates another online site, Stair Grippers, is associated with Dean Stair Treads. A receipt recently sent to a customer after they placed an order with Stair Grippers lists their address as 1323 W. Walnut Ave., Suite 2-283, in Dalton. BBB noted a UPS Store is located at 1323 W. Walnut Ave., Suite 2, in Dalton, which offers the rental of private mailboxes.

BBB has received 88 complaints and more than 20 one-star reviews for Dean Stair Treads and its related entities during BBB’s current threeyear reporting period. Twentyfour of the complaints have been filed since Jan. 2, of which eight are pending.

BBB has not received company responses to complaints or customer reviews. In a few cases, complainants reported they were successful in disputing their order payment with their credit card company, which resolved their complaint.

Customers are consistently reporting they have ordered and paid Dean Stair Treads or a related business for stair treads order, but the product is never received. Many customers also shared that initially when they contacted the company to gain details on their delayed order, they were told the product is on backorder.

Eventually, their calls and emails go unanswered, prompting them to reach out to BBB for assistance. Some customers have also sent messages to the company through their social media sites but have indicated attempts to reach Dean Stair Treads are also met with silence.

Complaints and negative reviews submitted to BBB allege that orders are submitted online, and payment is charged to the customer’s credit card at the time the purchase is placed. Customers wait for their order based on the timeframe given at the time they purchased their items, but they consistently report non-delivery of the products, even after allowing for extended delivery times given by company personnel.

The companies’ websites at deanstairtreads.com and stairgrippers.com remain active; however, a customer shared the following concern in a customer review submitted for Dean Stair Treads on Feb. 5: “Website wasn’t working to place the order. I called and was directed to pay via PayPal through an email they sent me. Received an order number placed Jan. 9. It is Feb. 5, still havent received shipping confirmation or the treads. I’ve called multiple times, no answer, left voicemail, no call backs, their voicemail is now full. I have sent probably over a dozen emails, with only two generic replies from them stating, every order is custom made and will receive shipping information shortly. I’m extremely upset. And will contact PayPal to cancel order. Per Dean’s website, it states all sales are final.”

BBB serving Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia is reporting an “F” rating for Dean Stair Treads due to the volume of complaints and the company’s failure to respond to 77 disputes. The company has also earned a one-star review rating from over 20 customer reviews submitted to BBB.

Consumers with outstanding concerns may want to consider contacting the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, which offers an online complaint form at consumer.georgia.gov.

BBB offers the following tips to help ensure safe shopping:

› Before you place an order with an online seller, check for their BBB business profile and rating at BBB.org. You can read reviews and complaints that have been submitted by customers and look for the company’s responsiveness.

› Search online for consumer feedback on other sites about their experiences with the seller.

› Pay by credit card, which offers extra purchase protections that other forms of payment typically do not.

› Before submitting payment information or other personal information, verify the website is secure. You can do this by making sure the URL starts with “https://” (the “s” on the end is the key), as well as the padlock symbol in the address bar. These verify that there’s both a secure connection and encryption of your data.

› Be sure that an online seller’s site offers contact information to reach the seller, and then take a few minutes to verify the authenticity of the information. You can use an online map service like Google maps to gain an image for the company’s address. It’s best to confirm that the signage and/ or other information matches what you’re seeing on the seller’s site.

You can reach your BBB at 423-266-6144 or by email at tngabbb@chattanooga.bbb.org.