I wish I had taken the name of the lady whom I had spoken to at the time. We discussed World Patent Marketing for a period of 5 to 10 minutes. I had an invention I wanted help with development, marketing and patenting which they advertised as being experts in that field. After her recommendation I contracted with WPM. We now await the settlement of a class action suit where we will be lucky to get back pennies on the dollar.
I am thinking about some type of litigation against the BBB. March 6, It's like a bad April fools joke. Unfortunately, it's unwitting consumers who end up getting hurt by believing the letter grade actually means something. March 3, Seems that years maybe decades ago BBB raitings used to mean something. Now it appears their credibility is shot. Having said that, you might as well try a BBB complaint.
I have had at least one instance where it worked out in my favor and a few where I learned they are a business membership org. March 2, Also non-accredited businesses grades tend to be lower because they do not respond to complaints one of BBB's grading factors.
So either BBB doesn't have the correct info to contact them or the business does not care to respond. Consumer complaints may not be resolved every time but most BBB's work with local agencies and refer customers to the appropriate place if resolution fails. If not, it's just like anywhere, a poor employee. I wish that these investigations, reports, blogs, etc. I worked there for several years.
March 1, Kidding aside, sampling related forums can be a good way to get an idea about a business and their practices. Oftentimes having more detailed information to share than what an emotional or compelled review may give. It's also interesting to see how a business replies to reviews both negative or positive as a litmus test for how they may treat customers of every experience.
February 28, I don't believe in the BBB. I was a member and it is not difficult to get accredited. In fact it was super easy. The BBB claims they are a service that protects consumers but nothing is farther from the truth.
They are in the business of selling monthly memberships. I left the BBB and closed 2 business accounts over another members account being incorrect. That profile lead me to do business with this contractor under false information.
In fact, Denver has the business listed as closed, has the wrong address listed and wrong website. I reported this multiple times and they have not corrected it yet. That was 6 months ago and the company had been closed for almost a full year! Beware trusting the BBB symbol. To add to this A few months later he closed the business and opened another. He then did that again. All of this was missed by the BBB even after a detailed report! I don't trust them. I've filed complaints and later asked the BBB if the company had any complaints filed against them.
BBB said none. With this experience would you trust them? Yelp seems less subject to "bribes". You should do can you trust reseller ratings. The bureau also provides consumer education and offers several programs aimed at helping businesses adopt best practices.
The BBB collects revenue through corporate memberships, which allows it to provide consumers access to its directory of business profiles at no cost. Through its website , individuals can look up specific businesses or browse providers in a particular industry. Each profile contains basic information about the company, including its address, phone number, and number of years in operation. These ratings are based on a variety of factors, with some components being weighed more than others.
Each business is awarded or deducted points for its performance in 13 distinct areas, with a total possible score of The most heavily weighted factors include the number of unresolved complaints and unanswered complaints for the business, the type of business, failure to honor mediation or arbitration, and the presence of any government actions against the company.
The numerical score is, in turn, converted to a letter grade. BBB recommends that consumers consider a business's BBB rating in addition to all other available information about the business. While these ratings are intended to help users make better consumer choices, the BBB does not actually recommend specific businesses.
Another important role of the Better Business Bureau is to act as a facilitator for disputes between consumers and a given business. Alternatively, they can write to their local BBB chapter with the relevant details of the case. Accredited businesses must respond to complaints in a satisfactory manner in order to maintain their designation. For nonaccredited entities, responding to complaints is voluntary. However, doing so helps improve their BBB rating, which can be a powerful incentive in its own right.
Once a consumer files a complaint, the business is expected to respond within 14 days. If the initial request does not prompt a response, the bureau sends a second notice to the company. The BBB informs consumers when the business responds to the complaint, or if it does not receive a response. Depending on the circumstances, the BBB may recommend mediation or arbitration to resolve the dispute. Upon closing the complaint, the bureau marks it with one of five designations: Resolved, Answered, Unresolved, Unanswered, or Unpursuable in cases where the BBB cannot locate the business.
In theory, such membership fees should not affect the rating that it gives to a particular company. Due in part to this business model, the BBB has gotten itself into some big trouble through the years. The BBB is not above reproach by any means: Some consumer watchdogs say that it is unethical for an organization that accepts money from its members to objectively rate them.
In , William Mitchell, the CEO of the Los Angeles chapter of the BBB resigned in the wake of a pay-for-play scandal in which local businesses — including some fake ones created by critics — received good ratings after paying for membership. Here are a few Better Business Bureau alternatives that can help consumers gauge the quality of a business:.
In return, members get to flaunt their membership with the BBB, use its name and logo in advertising and gain access to free dispute resolution services. While many people view the BBB as a consumer watchdog or even a government agency, the BBB itself says this is a misconception.
Instead, it views itself as a mediator between frustrated consumers and the companies they do business with, receiving nearly 1 million complaints each year from consumers hoping to achieve resolutions like refunds and repairs. These complaints are handled by more than independent bureaus across the country, which are overseen by the national Council of Better Business Bureaus.
The BBB touts its work with law enforcement agencies to shut down fraudulent companies and insists that money has nothing to do with the grades it gives to paying members. It is also proud of the complex algorithm it uses to grade companies -- the inner workings of which it closely guards. While some businesses likely deserve their bad ratings and others are worthy of their A grades, even the BBB will admit its rating process isn't perfect.
It says that its ratings are not endorsements and that they don't mean that a business' products or services have been evaluated. Instead, the organization told CNNMoney in a written statement that the ratings represent the "BBB's opinion about a business's trustworthiness and how it is likely to interact with its customers.
Yet, millions of American consumers are counting on them to be reliable and reputations of businesses all over the country are depending on them. He notified the BBB about the ruling but says the organization still did nothing to help or warn other consumers by including the ruling against Jack's on its website or factoring it into its grade.
So DiPiero turned around and sued the BBB itself, alleging that the nonprofit violated consumer protection laws by allowing paying members to retain membership and high grades even when they broke the organization's own rules.
But judges threw out his case because no consumer transaction took place between DiPiero and the BBB, and the state supreme court declined to hear the case. The owner of Jack's, Jack Tilka, blamed a personnel issue and said he regrets that Jack's didn't do more to resolve DiPiero's grievances sooner. But he says he tried to offer DiPiero a full refund during court proceedings. The BBB has come under fire for allegations of unfair ratings and unethical practices in the past.
In , the Connecticut Attorney General likened its membership program to a "pay to play" scheme after a local bureau gave an annual award for business ethics to a company that was under investigation by his office. Around the same time, the BBB's biggest bureau in Los Angeles was accused of selling its top ratings. Nearly three years later, the national council shut down the L. The bureau has not been reopened. In the lawsuit it filed in June, the BBB claims he illegally used the nonprofit's funds to pay for personal expenses -- including his mortgage, pool cleaner, credit card bills and "to support a hidden gambling habit.
While not all bureaus have had such scandals, CNNMoney analyzed hundreds of complaints filed with state attorneys general across the country and interviewed dozens of consumers and business owners who have their own problems with the organization. Like the pinball machine salesman who says his rating fell to an F after he canceled his BBB membership and says the organization is like "a mobster telling me to pay. In order to keep their BBB accreditation and stamp of approval, paying companies must resolve all complaints -- one of the most heavily-weighted factors that goes into a company's rating.
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