Better Business Bureau

I personally think that the Better Business Bureau should be mandated by each state that they do business in to make sure that they are also following «THE RULES». The BBB wants to give bad and incorrect information about businesses but who gives information about the BBB. NO ONE! Each State should mandate how much the BBB should have to pay to do business. Then lets see how they rate the business in their area!

I had a complaint open with them for quite some time. Initially they just closed it as ‘resolved’ based on the response from the business who I assume told them it has all been dealt with. It wasn’t actually true and I have to admit I was surprised how the BBB took the response at such face value without looking into things. They certainly closed the case faster than they re-​opened it but eventually they realized nothing had or was being done and they re-​opened. They gave the business more than their standard two weeks to respond to the idea the case was actually open, allowing for the business to take six weeks. For my response to their response, the case was again ‘closed as resolved’ without any notice while I was reviewing the businesses case and wording my own response. I learned from this that the expectation is that both you and the business respond in two weeks, or the matter is considered resolved. This was an early sign that the BBB was being more flexible with the business, always giving them more time to act.
I’m not really sure beyond that point what they actually did. They didn’t really appear to do anything to assist or mediate, then again I didn’t see their communication with the business.
The truth is however that I think they went out of their way to make sure that whatever they did, they didn’t upset the business in question who I understand was a paying BBB member. They left the complaint open and changed the businesses status to ‘has no relationship with the BBB’. This hid the BBB rating of the company, which I assumed (if visible) could no longer have been an A due to the complaint being open and unresolved over such a long period. Either way, while the business couldn’t hold an A rating they appear to do just about everything to hide that fact from the public.
I provided lots of updates to the BBB, mostly out of courtesy but sometimes on request. Some of the ‘on request’ ones were provided quite soon after I’d sent a courtesy update and given they were asking questions answered the week before it was suggestive to me that they were ignoring any updates they didn’t solicit, weren’t tracking the case, or didn’t really care. I don’t think I ever got a response to any update, either those I sent or those that they requested.
In the end, three of six complaint items were still unresolved. One had a planned resolution, one a promised resolution (with 18 months of obvious delay tactics from the business) and one never had a response at all. Despite this, the BBB changed the complaint to being resolved on the basis that the business had agreed to a resolution and despite not doing the actual work, that was enough for their definition (yes I was told this was standard). They did say that if the business didn’t complete the work they would re-​open the case and adjust the grade awarded to the business.
I accepted this, albeit reluctantly as I felt the business motivation to resolve the issues would drop. I continued to keep the BBB updated regardless. The business left the planned resolution work incomplete actually refusing to do a few final things. The unanswered complaint is still unanswered. The dates for the promised resolution came and went with nothing done. Despite being notified of this and the idea that requests for the business to provide new dates had been ignored, the BBB continued to just ignore communication.
So contrary to what I was told, the BBB has not re-​opened the complaint nor adjusted the rating of the business. Emails to the BBB in this regard continue to be ignored.
The BBB has come under a lot of fire from time to time, including recently. It has been accused of being little more than an extortion on businesses and the process is said to be easily gamed. It’s difficult for me to say anything positive. I have to acknowledge that the idea of having a case open with them may have helped the complaint move along but in my case with a clearly still unresolved case it seems all they have done is their best to not penalize and instead keep a paying customer and have prematurely closed a case and awarded the business an A rating in order to do that.
Yes…despite the prior website note during ²⁰¹³⁄₁₄ that the BBB had no relationship with the business, the businesses entry has now reverted to saying ‘accredited business since 10/​29/​2008′ and now has an A rating… despite the business dragging a complaint out over two years and not resolving it.
With the BBB in full awareness that the complaint has not been resolved, themselves now electing to not respond, covering up/​lying about the businesses accreditation and membership status, being fairer on the business then the customer, bending rules for the business, going back on their word and so on… it’s difficult for me to speak up positively. In fact, I would go as far as saying that I have found the common criticisms of the BBB appear to hold up.

I want to give them a good rating. They gave a rental company I had problems with a D. I realize that I am followed by a lot of negative reviews for them. However, I had a problem with Granite Properties and I asked BBB to find out when I moved out from Granite if they had charged me for a new carpet or the depreciated value of the carpet. Granite Property refuse to answer and BBB closed the case gave them a D rating. I guess I asked the right questions. On the whole I have found BBB to help me more than the Austin Tenants Council. All ATC does in my experience is give you answers from the Texas Property Code and are unlikely to be critical of rental companies. And they blocked me off their face book wall. Read my critique of them. I can not respond to the complaints listed below on BBB. I just found them on the whole to be more helpful. And their giving Granite a D has given me the courage to take Granite to Small Claims Court. Thanks BBB.

Better Business Bureau is useless. Yes, businesses pay them to be on their list. We had the worst nightmare kitchen remodel and finally had to hire a lawyer. BBB got a worthless and totally unacceptable reply to my complaint from the business and closed the file. That company still has a good rating. RIDICULOUS. Don’t waste your time with BBB.

No help at all. I got screwed by an appliance company — they said they went out of business even though they had the same inventory, employees, website, etc… Since the business went belly up the BBB just dropped the complaint.
Everybody knew what went down. BBB gave a bureaucratic /​policy answer. Useless.
Help protect the consumer? Not here. Business owners — don’t bother. Unilocal and the like are more powerful. BBB makes its money from businesses themselves. Fox guarding the hen house. These kind of outfits deserve to fade in history.

Finally a place where one can complain about the place that is supposed to be the place to complain. The BBB is the most high pressured sales racket I have ever come across. I had been a member for years. When I added a second brand under my business, I was told that they would provide all the docs. to support both companies. They totally botched it and refused to fix. I cancelled my subscription and they hounded me for months to renew. Finally a «Manager» contacted me, I explained my issues and he assured me if I signed back up he would fix things for me… well, I fell for the bait and signed up. only to find that I had the same problem, that yes again… they would do nothing to fix. I cancelled again! They call an email me constantly but I will never be fooled again. The BBB has just become the «Bad Business Bureau» in my book. I would warn any consumer or business to avoid them at all cost. It’s a crumbling concept getting over run by the likes of Unilocal

I had a problem and contacted the BBB. I sent them a written report with a very negative report. I received a letter saying they had sent a letter to the business and they would contact me. There was never any follow-​up. The company that I complained about still has a positive rating from the BBB. This place is not where you need to go for information on businesses. Stick with Unilocal or Angie’s List.

I had been a member of the BBB for a few years. It is an obsolete, rogue franchise. Yes franchise. They side for the paying member and when I canceled they call 6 – 8 times a year. I explain how they do no good for my business and how it is a waste of money. I say don’t call again. They still call. Now I just hang up. As a member I recieved not one good refrence from anyone using the site. Mostly time wasters out of the area and spam calls from other businesses trying to sell things to my business. The BBB is a rogue and obsolete organization. Their rating system is skewed and biased. My advice for businesses and consumers is stay far away from the BBB. Sites like Unilocal,local ratings sites, and A**ies List are the future… no they are the present. BBB is in the bin with the Atari, pong, and paper phone book. A complete waste of time.

After having a hellacious time with a contractor, I decided it was time to report them to the Better Business Bureau. As you may know, business pay a fee to be members with the BBB. When I complained about the business in question, who do you think they’re going to defend? Me… or the business that helps keep the lights on? All hail Unilocal!The future is Unilocal,the past is the BBB. Please do your part to end the BBB.