Better Business Bureaus February 2020 Market Monitor includes stories on Cocky's Bagels - the 2020 Spark Award Winner, census scams, the purchase of BBB's new building, and more!

1. N E W S F O R B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U A C C R E D I T E D B U S I N E S S E S
MARKET
MONITOR
THE
B E T T E R B U S I N E S S B U R E A U S E R V I N G
G R E A T E R C L E V E L A N D
B2B DISCOUNTS FOR
BBB ACCREDITED
BUSINESSES
Intellicorp Records, Inc. offers
online criminal checks for
$17.07 each. Other reports also
discounted. Call (800) 539-3717.
Office Depot discount on office
supplies and printing. Contact
Jessica Samp at
(248) 842-7514 or jessica.samp@
officedepot.com. Use SPC Account
#8012 380 6671.
PartnerShip®
offers discounts on
select FedEx®
services including
express packages, ground
packages, and residential delivery,
on both new and existing FedEx®
accounts. Also save at least 70%
on standard and guaranteed LTL
freight shipments with UPS Freight,
YRC Freight, Con-way Freight, and
other reputable carriers, including
competitive pricing on truckload,
expedited, and tradeshow
shipments. Call (800) 599-2902.
Company 119 launched an app
to help you easily get customer
reviews that are sent to your BBB
Business Profile. This is offered free
only to BBB Accredited Businesses.
To sign up, go to maxfeedback.
com/bbb.
Some member discount programs
generate revenue which BBB
reinvests into the organization’s
operations.
INSIDE: SparkAwardWinner•MeetNewDirectors•LocalPoolContractorLeaves
CustomersHighandDry•CensusImposterScams•Age-FriendlyCertifiedBusinesses•
BBB Announces Winner of Second Spark Award
Cocky’s Bagels, a food truck turned brick and
mortar business in North Olmsted, is the winner
of Better Business Bureau Serving Greater
Cleveland’s second BBB Spark Award. The
winner was announced on January 25, 2020 at
the LaunchHouse Bootstrap Bash, presented by
LaunchHouse and the Cleveland Jewish News
at Red Space. Cocky’s Bagels, known for their
massive bagel sandwiches, will also be honored
at BBB’s Celebration of Integrity in April 2020.
Cocky’s Bagels received a $2000 cash prize and
a one-year flex membership to LaunchHouse. Two
finalists, NoBasis Co. and Milia Marketing, were
also recognized and received one-year flex memberships to LaunchHouse.
The BBB Spark Award is a unique recognition of young business leaders who
demonstrate a high level of character, generating a culture that is authentic about
its mission, and embedding social impact into their business model to support their
community.
Applicants each submitted a written application as well as a short video outlining
how their organization demonstrates character, culture, and community.
“BBB is excited to support our local entrepreneurs,” said BBB President and CEO,
Sue McConnell. “Greater Cleveland is home to a strong entrepreneurial network
replete with young passionate leaders who are building a marketplace focused on
trust and a spirit of giving back to the community.”
Save the Date! BBB’s Celebration of Integrity
BBB’s Celebration of Integrity is right around the corner! Our annual breakfast will
be held on April 16, 2020. RSVP to join fellow Accredited Businesses and meet our
Student of Integrity scholarship winners, recognize the Champion of Integrity, and
congratulate BBB’s Spark Award winner.
This event benefits BBB’s Educational Foundation which helps educate older adults
about scams, provides financial literacy training to teens, and provides education to
military service members, veterans, and their families.
If you are interested in supporting this event and our Educational Foundation
please contact Pam Anson at pam@cleveland.bbb.org or 216-413-5232 to learn
how you can help!

2. ®
Followusat:
BBB Warns About Local Pool Contractor
Who Left Customers High and Dry
BBB Cleveland has received complaints from consumers who have paid tens
of thousands of dollars to a local contractor for pool installation work that
was never completed. Perfect Inground Pool of Eastlake is owned by Allan
Gulliford. Consumers tell BBB that Gulliford took payments in advance for
subpar or incomplete work.
A Summit County couple filed a complaint after they signed a contract for a
handicap accessible pool. The contract with Perfect Inground Pool specified
the pool would be constructed between September 15 and October 15, 2019, but
no work was ever completed. They paid $31,619.50 upfront on a $63,239 project.
Guilford has stopped responding to the couple, leaving them to get the work
finished by another contractor.
Others have reported situations with pool
installations, referencing poor workmanship
including concrete cracking and paint bubbling.
A Shaker Heights man reported that ”paint was
splattered over my brick pool deck, onto the pool
railing and out to the driveway… Debris from their
work still remained on site although [Gulliford]
promised to have it carried away. I moved the
debris myself and finally had to pay a separate
contractor to haul it away.”
Gulliford has also stopped responding to complaints that BBB has sent to him resulting
in an “F” rating. BBB provides these tips when choosing a contractor as you prepare
your pool for the summer months:
Research and gather information. You can search for a contractor’s BBB Business
Profile at BBB.org for free information on their history of complaints, read Customer
Reviews, and to see if they are a BBB Accredited Business.
Get it in writing. Always get estimates in writing and never let any work begin without
a written and signed contract. Do not be pressured into signing an agreement before
you are ready and make sure you read and understand everything before signing.
Keep a copy of your contract for future reference or if an issue arises.
Arrange a payment schedule. Never pay in full upfront. Stagger your payments so
your final payment is not due until the work is complete and you have fully inspected
it. Do not pay cash; make sure your check is written to a company, not an individual, or
that you use a credit card. Paying with a credit card will provide some recourse should
the job not be completed as stated in the contract.
Meet Your New Directors
Dr. Batula Akhtar-Zaidi is the founder and CEO of Science First
Partnerships. Dr. Akhtar-Zaidi has a decade of proven experience in
creatively and rapidly driving organizational growth by finding new
revenue streams and then leading C-Suite Executives and Science
teams to work together to close record-setting opportunities. She holds
a PhD in Bioinformatics from Case Western Reserve University.
Rick Lowe is Vice President, Senior Client Advisor at Huntington National Bank. Rick has
an extensive background in private banking and wealth management which he utilizes at
Huntington to help higher net worth clients with all financial needs. Rick
also holds extensive experience in institutional
equity sales, trading, and development.
He holds an MBA from John
Carroll University
and enjoys
traveling.
The Short List
Protecting Yourself,
Your Business, and
Your Employees From
Tax Scams
Here are BBB’s suggestions
for keeping your tax
information secure and
avoiding tax related scams:
• Protect personally
identifiable information
(PII) such as birth date,
Social Security number,
bank accounts.
• Only deal with
trustworthy tax
preparation services.
Check them out at
BBB.org
• Make sure you are
accessing the real IRS
website (irs.gov).
• Treat electronically
delivered tax
information carefully.
Download it onto a
password-protected
computer.
Reports issued on companies/charities:
1,681,767
Customer complaints closed 8,475
Customer reviews submitted: 6,652
BBB.org/cleveland visits: 2,709,160
Advertising review cases initiated: 108
SERVICE TO THE
COMMUNITY
Greater Cleveland BBB Activity
Report: January - December 2019

3. MARKET
MONITOR
THE
FEBRUARY
2020
Become a BBB Age-Friendly Certified Business Today!
BBB can help your business better attract and service these older consumers
through our Age-Friendly Business program. Created in partnership with
the Cleveland Department of Aging and launched in May 2019, this program
promotes age-friendly business practices and certifies Cleveland businesses
as age-friendly to their older consumers.
Recently, BBB accompanied two Accredited Business owners, Hilary
King of Creative Moves LLC and James Engler of Homework, (pictured
at right) as they completed their Age-Friendly Certification training.
The training was led by Cleveland Department of Aging Director
Mary McNamara and other fellow Department of Aging employees.
Through the training process, business owners experience firsthand
some of the difficulties older and disabled adults face while
patronizing a business or during other everyday tasks that may seem
easy to younger or abled adults. King and Engler were given a walker
and asked to navigate through multiple doorways with shopping bags, as
well as asked to count change and medication with their fingers rubber
banded together to simulate arthritic hands.
Age-friendly businesses receive an identifying window cling, a certificate
to display, and a logo for your marketing materials. Your business will also
be featured on BBB’s website in the Age-Friendly Business Directory and
receive recognition at City of Cleveland senior events. Apply now at: bit.ly/
AgeFriendlyBusinessCLE. Questions? Call Pam Anson at 216-413-5232.
Inside The Census:
How to Avoid Census
Imposter Scams
April 1, 2020 is National Census Day, a day that
occurs once every decade. This year, census takers will be going
door to door to retrieve information and BBB is anticipating that scammers
may be out in full force, in an attempt to take advantage of those responding to the
census.
There are only three ways to reply to the census; phone, mail or online. The official website of the Census Bureau is
census.gov. The homepage for the 2020 Census is 2020census.gov.
The Census Bureau may request information through almost all communication outlets, including phone, email, mail,
fax and in-person. And yes, some of the information they ask for can get pretty personal. But the Census Bureau
states that they will never ask for your full social security number, money, donations, anything on behalf of a political
party, your full bank or credit account numbers, or your mother’s maiden name.
BBB has the following tips to help you avoid Census Bureau Imposters:
Never give out your social security number. Census takers will never ask for your social security number, bank
account number, credit card number, money or donations.
Make sure you respond to the census through Census.gov, the official website they provide. Your regional Census
Bureau may also be able to help.
Ask to see their ID Badge. Census takers must present a field badge that includes a photograph of themselves, a
Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date.
Census workers will be carrying a Census Bureau laptop or cellphone, as well as a bag with a Census Bureau logo.
If you still have questions, call 800-923-8282 to speak with a local Census Bureau representative. If it is determined
that the visitor who came to your door does not work for the Census Bureau, contact your local police department.
James
Engler
Hilary
King

4. The Market Monitor
Better Business Bureau
200 Treeworth Boulevard
Broadview Heights, OH 44147
Periodicals Postage Paid
We’ve Moved!
Better Business Bureau Serving Greater
Cleveland officially has a new home! Our
BBB offices have completed the move
from downtown to our new location at 200
Treeworth Boulevard in Broadview Heights.
The freshly remodeled building features an
updated 50-seat conference room equipped
with state-of-the-art professional audiovisual
capabilities. BBB Accredited Businesses can
rent the conference room for business or
social events for a nominal charge. We’re
excited to continue supporting our Accredited
Businesses and help consumers find businesses,
charities, and brands they can trust from our new
location!
Stay tuned for announcements with new
information on the building, including ribbon-
cutting, open-house, and more.
FEBRUARY2020
The Market Monitor (ISSN 1085-5122). February 2020. Volume 16 No. 1. Published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October and December by the Better Business Bureau, Inc. 200 Treeworth Blvd,
Broadview Heights, OH 44147, Periodicals postage paid at Broadview Heights, OH. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Market Monitor, 200 Treeworth Boulevard, Broadview Heights, OH 44147.