Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/05/2025

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On April 02, 2025, I received a request for assistance via email from **** ********, owner of Ridgewood Design, from whom I occasionally bought wreaths over approximately ten years; I do not know her personally, but she had been reputable and conscientious during transactions over those years. She asked me to help her purchase a $400 DoorDash e-gift card for an ailing friend, and that she promised to reimburse me. She not only refused to reimburse me but also ignored my emails requesting payment. I've been scammed by her, and she used our business connection to dupe me.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2025

  Dear BBB Representative:
  
  I received a postal letter from you a few days ago, and I am attempting to respond to the complaint regarding my business, Ridgewood Designs. The complaint was filed by ******* ******. 20 ******** **. ******, **. *****. If I am responding to the wrong section of BBB, please let me know ASAP so I can respond to the correct representative/section.
  
  I will describe the situation as to how it evolved regarding my business:
  
  On April 2, 2025, my PERSONAL Email account was hacked by obviously some fraudulent person or operation. On that date, I began receiving texts and phone calls from friends telling me that my email account had probably been hacked as they had received a strange email from me. As soon as I received the first text regarding this situation, I immediately changed my password. I also sent an email to people on my address list saying that my account had been hacked and please disregard the fraudulent email.
  
  Again, let me state that this email account is my personal email, not my business email.
  
  I am the sole owner of an online business, Ridgewood Designs (or on ****, it is known as RidgewoodDesignsCo). My business is on two platforms: **** and *******. Approximately 99% of my business is from ****; the remaining is from *******. ******* ****** has been a customer of mine for a number of years, even prior to my joining ****. I believe her orders have come through *******. For some reason, my ******* Email ******************************* has not been a working email for a number of years. I have tried to contact ******* and change my contact email, but to no avail (my ******* account is the least expensive type of account, and basically, you, as a seller, get no support). For all of my **** customers, I respond to them via the Etsy Message programnot via my Email address.
  
  When ******* ****** has recently placed an order with my business, in some cases, I have contacted her via my Personal Email (because my Shopify Email was not functioning). Therefore, she received this fraudulent email that was distributed on April 2, 2025. I dont know if she received my email telling people on my address list to disregard this fraudulent email because my account had been hacked.
  
  Although I did not see the fraudulent email, someone told me that the scammers were asking for $400 in gift cards to be purchased. Obviously, ******* ****** purchased one of these gift cards.
  
  I would suggest that ******* contact her credit card company/bank that issues her credit card and ask to be reimbursed for the $421 that she was scammed. I, personally, and my company Ridgewood Designs, did not receive any funds or money or gift cards through this transaction. The scammers are the ones who received the funds/money.
  
  I am truly sorry that this situation occurred. There are many creative ways that these scammers operate through the internet, and unfortunately, this is an example of how they prey on people and are ultimately the recipient of funds/money.
  
  Please let me know that you received this email, and I would appreciate hearing any input you can suggest as to how to resolve this issue.
  
  Thank you.
  **** ********
  Ridgewood Designs

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/09/2025

   
  Complaint: 23281100
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  - I don't believe her. Ms. ******** received followup emails (April 9 and 24) from me requesting payment, and they were ignored. That was her opportunity to plead innocence and apologize.

  - I was not alerted by Ms. ******** that her email account had been hacked.

  - She learned of the amount of the DoorDashe-gift ($400) because I included them in my emails to her, not "someone told me," as she says in her letter to you.

  - We know the email address of the recipient of the e-gift card: *********************** The account is for a residential address, not a business. Perhaps this lead could be investigated.

  - I purchased merchandise from Ms. ********** website for over 12 years, and from **** for 6, and yet she ignored my emails and apologized to you, BBB, because she was caught.

  --I'm attaching an additional email to her and the recipient from me, dated April 27. Ms. ******** had all of April and May to make amends to me, which she did not.

  Sincerely,

  ******* ******

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 06/18/2025

  I am responding to the most recent correspondence from my customer, ******* ******, to ********************. I received a postal letter from BBB on Saturday, June 14, 2025, which included the information/correspondence from ******* ******, in which she has rejected my former response to this situation.

   First of all, I apologize to ******* ****** and am truly sorry that this situation occurred.  I certainly understand that she is upset about the $421 gift card purchase; I am also upset about it since it was the result of my email being hacked by cyber criminals on April 2, 2025,  and those criminals sending the email requesting a $400 gift card purchase.  

  On April 2, 2025, I received several texts and phone calls from friends on my email list who had received this "strange" email from me. They contacted me because they wanted me to know that my email account had been hacked and that the criminals were asking for a $400 gift card purchase---that is how on April 2,  I learned about the criminal activity/hacking and the amount of the requested $400 gift card purchase.  I did not learn that information from my customer ******* ******.  After hearing from friends about the hacking, I immediately went into my email account and changed my password.  I also sent an email to people on my email address book list telling them that my email had been hacked and to delete/disregard any email requesting a gift card purchase.  

  I did not ignore ******* ******** emails---I did not receive them.

  I am seeking a solution to this situation----the criminal loss of $421 that ******* ****** suffered.   I would like ******* ****** to be reimbursed for that amount.  As I stated before in previous correspondence, I (**** ******** and Ridgewood Designs) did not receive any funds or money or gift cards through this transaction.  I had nothing to do with the email requesting $400 gift card purchase.  The cyber criminals/scammers sent the email and received the funds/money/gift card.  Since both ******* ****** and I are seeking resolution to this cyber criminal attack for $421, why aren't we going after the criminals who hacked my email account and subsequently duped ******* ****** out of $421?  But this resolution has to be done through ******* ******** credit card company.

  This is a clear case of cyber crime which the BBB should be very familiar with.  As a BBB agency, shouldn't you be going after the cyber criminals?  

  I suggested that ******* ****** contact her credit card company and report this criminal activity. I also told her hat I would be completely cooperative in supplying any documentation she would need to plead her case to her credit card company.  This seems to be the direction this case should be going---seeking to locate the criminals who hacked my account and received ******* ******** funds/gift cards.  If this situation is deemed a cyber crime by her credit card company, ******* ******** credit card company should refund $421 to her credit card.  That is the solution we need.   I'm sure that the credit card companies are very familiar with this type of cyber criminal activity, and if ******* ****** describes the situation to the credit card company, they should identify this as cyber crime and refund her $421.

  I would be most cooperative in supplying any information that ******* ******** credit card company might need to resolve this case. In her most recent correspondence with you/BBB, she said, "We know the email address of the recipient of the e-gift card:  *********************************. The account is for a residential address, not a business. Perhaps this lead could be investigated."  

  I don't know how ******* ****** received the above information/email address.  I don't know if she has  contacted her credit card company at all.  She has not given any information in these correspondences that she has contacted her credit card company.  Can we please find out if she has contacted her credit card company, and if she has, what have they told her?  This investigation needs to to through her credit card company to see if they will deem this a cyber crime and refund her $421.  

  Again, I am extremely sorry that this situation occurred, and I apologize.  But can we please try to go through the credit card company to get some resolution?  If I were able to contact her credit card company and report this situation, I would gladly do that, but I do not have any authority to contact ******* ******** credit card company----that has to be done by ******* ******.

  I want ******* ****** to be refunded $421 via her credit card company.

   

  **** ********

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/22/2025

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* ******