CBS 11 Investigates: Door Delivery Notice May Not Be What It Seems
NORTH TEXAS (CBS 11 NEWS) - It's that time of year when deliveries and delivery notices become Christmas decorations around the front door. But CBS 11 News has learned the State of Texas is investigating one of the notices you may find.
It may look like any other "Sorry We Missed You" notice. Your name, address and a confirmation number are handwritten on it.
"I thought it was like a FedEx or a UPS notice saying 'Hey we didn't drop off a package for you because you weren't home," Arlington resident Jeanne Lyons said.
She thought the same thing Ryan Smith of Allen did... something didn't seem right. "Nobody knocked on the door. Nobody rang my doorbell. If it was UPS they would have really tried to get a hold of me," Smith said.
Both homeowners looked up the web address on the flyer nuhomeowner.com. They say a box popped up asking them to confirm their name and number. If they clicked on the privacy policy, it showed several names for the company.
CBS 11 found dozens of angry homeowners complaining on websites calling the notices "bogus" and "deceptive."
Some police departments and realtors are now issuing warnings raising questions about the notices.
But the man behind the mysterious notices says don't worry. Matthew Willes is in Arizona and owns the companies distributing them. He said he has handed out tens of thousands of notices in Texas.
Willes tells CBS 11 the purpose of the notice is "to survey new homeowners for products or services they might be interested in."
CBS 11 learned Willes also owns an alarm company in Arizona. Some people have complained about being offered home security systems when they responded to the notices.
Chris Russell with the North Texas Alarm Association said if the notices are being used to offer alarms, "they could be a violation of state law."
Jeannette Kopko with the Dallas Better Business Bureau confirms the Arizona BBB has been looking into the advertising practices of the companies issuing the notices since July.
"It's prepared very carefully and sort of skates the line," Kopko said.
Since we began investigating, the Texas Department of Public Safety tells CBS 11 it's also looking into the alleged violations in Texas. We've also learned the attorney general's office has received several complaints.
Meanwhile, Willes maintains that he's doing nothing wrong and he would like to talk to anyone who feels deceived.
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