BlueHippo Has Consumers Feeling Blue
Computer Finance Company Leaves Consumers Hanging
Austin, TX – May 8, 2009 - Most consumers will tell you that owning a computer is a pricey, but necessary purchase. In these tough economic times, some are looking to layaway plans in order to finance their PC. Unfortunately, for those with bad or no credit history, some stores will not provide a financing plan, forcing consumers to look for alternatives.
Many are turning to BlueHippo LLC because of their advertised claim “Your Approval is Guaranteed! Regardless of your credit.” on the front page of their Web site. But consumers complain to BBB they are not getting the computers they ordered.
Bashie Anderson of San Antonio says she was “watching the infomercial on TV and they were saying you could get the computer fast with minimum payments.”
The offer seemed like a good deal, but after making several payments and not receiving her computer, Anderson called BlueHippo customer service only to be assured her PC was on the way.
“Off and on I kept calling and I would get the same story again and I was frustrated because I didn’t have the computer… it had been over a year and I still didn’t have the computer so I decided to cancel.”
Glenda Williams-Mims of Mexia, TX can relate to Anderson’s story.
“I got myself into a lot of trouble that messed up my credit…when I saw their advertisement I called to get details to get a laptop for my kids.”
After paying for the laptop but not receiving it, she called BlueHippo to find out what was going on with her order.
“Everything was going good but it was an issue of getting my merchandise…they kept saying I’d get my merchandise but then it would never show up.”
When Williams-Mims cancelled her order, BlueHippo told her she would have to accept a store credit. That allowed her to purchase items from their Web site for equal or lesser value than her original purchase. Williams-Mims placed an order but got another surprise.
“They let me pick something else but I could only get 1 item per shipping…so I said ‘Do I have to pay shipping for every item I ordered?’ nowhere does it say you have to pay shipping for every item.”
She ended up paying extra shipping charges for a couple of items but has still not received them.
“I don’t even think I can get my money back because everything I’ve tried hasn’t worked,” Williams-Mims says.
Blue Hippo has a BBB rating of F due to failure to comply with an arbitration decision or mediation settlement, failure to respond to complaints, the company’s overall complaint history and government action against them. The Attorneys General in West Virginia and Illinois both filed suit against BlueHippo.
In the past 36 months, BBB has received 3,575 complaints regarding BlueHippo with 1,898 of these resolved in the past year. Almost all response letters received regarding these complaints were sent by a company called Official Response, who markets itself as a third-party customer service outsourcer.
BBB research indicates Official Response owns Blue Hippo and the two companies are located within the same building in Baltimore, MD. Also the domain names for each company are registered on the same account through domainsproxy.com. Click here to view BlueHippo's BBB report.
BBB offers the following tips when shopping by phone or online:
Protect your private information. When shopping online, look for the retailer’s Web site privacy policy and never provide your Social Security number, birth date, or mother's maiden name.
Don't wait for paper statements. Check your credit card and bank statements for suspicious activity by either calling your bank or visiting your financial institution’s Web site.
Check the company’s refund policies. Some merchants set a deadline for returns or charge a fee to accept returned merchandise.
Pay with a credit or debit card. For extra protection enroll your card in anti-fraud programs.
To check the reliability of any business, visit www.bbb.org.