by Kathy Ritchie
You've found a terrific online company and you'd
like to do business with them...but, you're just
not completely sure the company is all they
claim. How can you find out if they are
legitimate?
Investigate! You owe it to yourself to make sure
whichever online company you're dealing with is
legitimate. This small bit of effort could save
you hundreds or thousands of dollars later.
Questions to ask:
-
Is the company certified, approved or
licensed for the type of service or
products offered?
-
Do they have a business license?
-
If credentials are listed, can they be
verified?
-
If former client comments are posted, can
they verify them?
Are the questions you ask of the company answered
in a forthright manner?
Continuing with our online theme, there are many
online resources available to help you determine
if companies are legitimate. These resources
don't replace basic intuition, however. If your
instinct says don't work with this company, then
don't.
Whoix--this
Website tells you the owner of a domain. Type in
the domain, then enter, and first it will tell
you if the domain is available or not, then
you'll see a button to push to find the owner of
the domain. This is important when checking the
certifications, licenses, and approvals for a
company operating inside a given state.
For information related to state requirements,
and in some cases to find out if a business is
licensed in that state go to
Piper
Resources Online which has state, county, and
city information on all states.
Pay For Search resources available online
include
Knowx
and
Discrete
Research both of which offer accurate results
for affordable fees.
The end result should be one you are comfortable
with. If you still have doubts, or your
suspicions are confirmed don't use the
company.
Spending time or a small amount of money now can
save you many hours and much more money later. Be
smart, be careful--and be informed!
© Kathy A. Ritchie, 2001
Kathy Ritchie is a professional virtual
assistant and owner of Ritchie Secretarial
Service. She has over 12 years experience in
office assistance and successful operation of a
Virtual Office Assistance practice since June
1996. Visit her award winning website at
www.thebestva.com
or E.Mail
kritchie@thebestva.com
for more information.
