Better Business Bureau

Once again ill state government /​state funded I gave my opinion on how I am disatisfied with the way the bbb handles an issue presented to them … its a waste of time and energy to contact them and present them with a consumer issue on a business… what a waste of once again government/​state funding for thisNoN PrOFiT organization… funded by government /​state monies…

UPDATE: I recently found this Time article on the deceptive and dishonest practices of the BBB:
Everyone should read that article, consumers and businesses alike. I know that if I’m ever stuck between choosing two businesses, I will purposely go with the one that is not accredited.
And something worth mentioning, a contractor I hired who is BBB accredited and has an A+ rating refuses to give my money back for thousands of dollars in services not rendered. Meanwhile, his subcontractor, who is not BBB accredited, refunded all of my money.
REVIEW:
There should be an agency that keeps tabs on the BBB. They are incredibly dishonest and completely useless. I’ve contacted them on two separate occasions. The first was for when I stayed in a hotel with horrid conditions (no running AC or fan mounted to the window, blinds were broken, etc etc) and combative innkeepers who blamed me for everything. I filed a complaint and the business responded with a letter that offered no reasonable explanation for the conditions or their behavior. Brenda Escobedo from the BBB found it in the innkeeper’s favor stating «the business was able to address the issue and offer a return visit discount in which you did not accept. We are not a legal or government agency and we are unable to force the business to respond to your desired resolution. As for the complaint we are unable to pursue the issue any further therefore it was closed administratively.»
Ok, so let’s go over that. First she stated that the business made «a good faith effort» because they offered a return discount?! Whhhhy on earth would I even want to go back!!! Second, she admitted that the BBB has no power to do anything anyways. Well, that’s nice.
The second time that I contacted them was for mediation. I constantly had to call Irma to set up an appointment with the other party. Three months later and I’m still waiting to hear back. My guess is that I won’t be hearing from her.
I would like to also add that my father has a business, and he received a complaint on the BBB website. You can’t read it, because the BBB for some reason does not provide a summary on most of the complaints. Anyways, he never responded to it, and of course, it was found in his favor. I love my father, but even I’ll admit that that’s just wrong. When I told him what I had been through, he told me that the BBB tries to seek out fees from businesses in return for «accreditation» but does absolutely nothing. It’s like a gold star that you can buy and proudly display it as if you’ve actually achieved something. Think of it as a ploy to give a false sense of security to customers. That’s so shady that it should be illegal. Close this place down already!

Filing a legitimate complaint against a business affiliated with the BBB is a complete waste of time and effort. They are in no way trying to protect the public from unethical businesses and have no intention of anything being fairly resolved. Just to be clear, I was never rude to anyone during the entire process. We filed a complaint against a BBB accredited business in Feb. 2014. The company chose to respond once to our complaint. That response came months after it was filed and had nothing to do with the complaint. The BBB agreed the business did not address the complaint. I continually followed up with the BBB to enforce their own rules and policies. They did not. The only time they contacted the business was when I contacted them. They would update the timeline but if I hadn’t followed up, they would not have made the small effort they did. They closed the case as unresolved by the business in July 2014. I had been working with one person and decided to send a note to the President/​CEO. How interesting that just a few days later my case was closed. A business accredited by the BBB knows that all they have to do is refuse to answer questions or respond to a consumers complaint and the BBB will just close the case. I’m confused as to what the BBB actually does. They are protecting a business that pays to be on their A list. How does that protect a consumer from unethical business practices? The BBB is just as corrupt as the shady businesses they are choosing to protect. They do not hold businesses accountable to their own published standards. As far as I’m concerned the BBB is a sham and only out to protect businesses that pay to be on their list. They are definitely not there for the consumer! From now on I will check the BBB list of businesses and go elsewhere. I believe the only businesses accredited are the ones with something to hide. Probably not fair to an ethical business but blame that on the BBB’s questionable standards of operation.

Some BBB’s post business complaints and the resolution process online. The Fresno BBB doesn’t. There are some credible BBB’s in other places, just not in Fresno.
I have made two complaints to the Fresno BBB. One (a service charge by an air conditioning company) was dropped without a resolution or even telling me. The other (an auto buy back) was so miss handled that I gave up.
This is not a consumer protection agency (as many people think.) It is a business itself that makes a half hearted effort to mediate if you’ve been cheated by some unethical business practice. They sell their badges and DEFLECT complaints against their members.
In short don’t waste your time trying to get the Fresno BBB to correct a problem. That’s really not their purpose.

There needs to be a Better Business Bureau for the Better Business Bureau.
I just can’t figure out if they want to be more of a BUSINESS, or if they want to be more of a regulatory agency to protect consumers as was originally intended; it’s just not entirely clear to me.
My main gripe with them, is the questionable tactics they use to get businesses to become accredited, and the fees they charge your business annually just to stay a member. The thing is, I have no problem with a business trying to make money, but I always believed them to be more of a regulatory agency than a business… right? If you’re a business owner who has yet to become accredited, you will see exactly all the little ways they try to make money off you through all the bullshit spam they send to your fax machine and mailbox. Some of the events actually seem worthy and good for promoting your business, oh but of course you have to pay a fucking left NUT to attend them. This Fresno branch even has flyers that outright say such things as «we’re trying to build a bigger facility, please donate!» Sometimes it’s amusing because you have to ask yourself where the fuck the tact and humility went as you see some of the shit they send you, and how blatantly they’re trying to take your money.
Sure, the trusted BBB badge puts you in good standing with consumers, but at the same time, I feel like all you have to do is simply PAY for that badge if it came right down to it. I’ve heard a fair amount of negative press on how they extort businesses for good standings, and how they can erase complaints against you. In all honestly, I’ve never had a complaint filed for my business, so I can’t really attest to how accurate this is. I am however positive that they’re ARE worse branches than Fresno’s, and that we’re actually not too bad compared to the stories I hear from around the country.
However, it’s a constant love /​hate relationship for me and the BBB. My conflict exists because I’ve admittedly gotten a lot of new business from the BBB and have created accounts from it – I can’t deny this. It’s just the part when you become an actual member, you start to see the ‘ugly’ side of them; you start to question the genuine motivation basically.
Overall, I love all the BBB has done for businesses and protecting consumers over the years, but it seems they’ve lost their path, and have just become very financially motivated in recent years. I just wish they acted more like the regulatory agency they are supposed to be, versus trying to squeeze every dollar out of their existing members at ANY chance they get. It’s starting to become very similar to a mafia racket.
I’ve thought about giving them at least 3 stars for all they’ve done in bringing me new business, however when it comes right down to it, I feel what I just said above on how they’ve «lost their path» is the main reason I can’t. Plus, reviewing them from the business owner angle wouldn’t be right; but rather as a consumer.
The BBB has good intentions, and ironically, is facing the same hurdles as Unilocal was /​is facing in terms of ‘extorting for good standing’ (or reviews), but like I said, they just need to get back on the path that is more beneficial to the consumer. I think at this point, their positives still outweigh their negatives — but it’s only marginal and will continue to decline and lose credibility if something is not done very soon.