Is Door-To-Door Minnesota Company Really Helping Troops?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A Minnesota company that says it's helping troops overseas is coming under scrutiny from the Better Business Bureau.
Patriot Packaging Sales goes door-to-door soliciting money to send care packages to service members.
It's a for-profit company that claims to be based at an office building in St. Paul.
But when we went there on Wednesday, they weren't listed in the directory.
And the company that was there, Answer America, said they have never heard of them before.
"I would say any time a company lists an address and the business is not at that address, obviously that's a concern," said Bill Smith, an investigator with the Better Business Bureau in St. Louis, Missouri.
That was just the first problem we found.
The company has been questioned for their solicitation practices in Missouri, Iowa and South Dakota, and for working without a peddler's license.
When a solicitor knocked on Michelle Carlson's home in Sioux Falls, she didn't know what to think.
"If it feels wrong, it's probably wrong," she said. "I asked him a lot of questions and asked where they were from and if they had a website and if I could give online, and he said, 'No.'"
Patriot Packaging is a for-profit company. In Sioux Falls and many other cities, it's illegal to go door-to-door asking for money without a permit.
When reached by phone, a spokesman for the company named John said door-to-door salesmen get 20 percent commission and that 900 care packages had been sent to troops, but he couldn't provide proof.
"It's kind of a nice thing that we are doing," he said. "Some places the cops don't mind if you don't get a permit or if you don't have one."
But Smith said by operating as a for-profit company, Patriot Packaging doesn't have to abide by the same restrictions and regulations as non-profits do.
"They don't have to say how much people are paid or what their overhead fees are," Smith said. "And exactly whether one package a month or one package a week is going to the troops overseas -- or none [are going]."
There are tips to follow when talking to solicitors:
- Ask for identification.
- Get a phone number and address.
- If permits are required, ask to see one.
- Research a company for reviews before giving donations.
