BBB Scam

10fingers

The BBB contacted me and wants me to join. Never asked for their assitance. Sent me a PDF doc with all the blanks signed and a spot ready for my signature. They say Im pre approved. I am to fill out and fax the PDF to them. I thought I would do a little research on this company and find out my business is posted on their web page. All my business specs are there including the fact I am not a BBB member. So now people researching my name find out I dont belong. I did not ask them to post my company information. What the F&*^! is this all about. I work in a very small place, so small it's not even called a town it's a hamlet. My name is mud if I dont keep my customers happy. Am I right in thinking that this is a pressure sales technique and goes against the whole spirit of the BBB???

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Tom Struble

i dont understand what being listed but not a member has anything to do with your customers being happy?

Jer

I tried BBB membership just to see what the benefit might be.The first year I sold two jobs that the HO said one reason they chose me was because I was BBB accredited. I thought, alright those two jobs more than paid for the yearly membership so I'll stay put with them.
Pretty much the same story for the next two years then I get a letter from BBB saying I was using their logo on my website unauthorized and I had to remove it. I called them and said there must be some mistake because I was a paid up accredited member and they said it didnt matter, if wanted to use their logo I had to jump through some hoops and ante some more money. I told them to kiss my fanny goodbye.
They now show me on their website as a non member but they also show on their report of my company that there have been no registered complaints on my business in the last three years so I am calling it even.

10fingers

In regards to customer satisfaction, the purpose of the BBB from a consumers point of view is to be able to research a company. Any complaints on them, issues unresolved etc... If you research my company name you get zero info other than company contact info, stuff you already know. So that would lead me, the consumer, to think why is it I can research everyone else but nothing on this company? The company is posted but has no info. Why does it state he is not a member of the BBB and why post a company if he is not a member? I would say at this point my company is not being put in a positive light and my opportunity to secure a customer just went down the drain.

nEighter

From what I have learned.. it is nothing more than show. BUT if you happen to have a bad customer, now your company name is on the line, and they strongarm you to do whatever the customer wants.. in the name of having a spot free record. I had them pursuing me for quite some time and finally told them to Eff off. They are just another entity that feeds off business' and don't really do squat for them. Kinda like your local chamber of commerce. I have stories about mine

Tom Struble

i see your point

jcalvin

They called me a while back and I asked kindly explained that I needed to defer the call to a later time, which I truely needed to. I was interested in whatever it was that they were offering, so I did as you are here. The more I talked to people, the more I found out that it is a money racket. Sure, you can be BBB accredited. But, I know of few people that calls the BBB to check for GOOD references. The only thing that shows up is usually nothing or bad stuff, never any praise reports. If you have a truely bad customer that no one could satisfy, all they would have to do is call up and complain a little and the next thing you know, you are having to fight some bogus claim from an unhappy HO to retain your BBB accredation.

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Cal


You hired WHO

ckppr76

You know what is funny the BBB told me more or less that if I don’t become a member than I am not a responsible business owner. Screw them I asked what is it that you do for me. I got well if there is a problem with a customer than they will help to resolve the problem. The problem is that they could not explain how! Go on there website and look up some of the BIG window installing companies. They will have hundreds of complaints and yet still stay very busy. It is just a scam to get money.

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Peter Berkey

10fingers

So you get no good reports like how hard you work to support your customer so they may be a repeat and only bad commenrs in your file? Where is the balance here? I get 1 bad complaint on file and all the hundreds of good ones are not visible? This kind of reminds me of my high school report card. Shop class was good though, always did well in shop. So again I go back to the consumer doing the research. Would it not be better to offer all information to the consumer so they can make an informed decision? The more thinking and feed back I get the more holes I'm finding in this BBB. Wonder what it's going to take to get them to remove my identity from their web page?

d-rez

I joined just a couple weeks ago. The guy that called me to ask me to join was nothing short of a salesman. It is a racket, but my view is that the $400 fee is an advertizing expence, and I will treat the BBB as such.

RidgeWalker

The BBB is a business period, I'd send them a letter demanding that they remove your company information as you did not authorize the publication of your business information on their web site.

They won't stop calling me even after I've asked them to kindly remove my phone number from their list, my next step is to log a complaint against them with the BBB.

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Grumpy

The BBB is a scam, and you'd be suprised to find out how many of your customers think they are a government agency.

When I tell customers all they do is report disputes and have no power to force anyone to do anything people look at me shocked and amazed.

It's a big friggin joke. You can have a complaint if you are a member or not, so why become a member? Because it gives customers that warm and fuzzy feeling, they assume since you are a member you are providing good service. LOL the truth is, alot of the companies who are members have pages of complaints. The BBB doesn't give a phrick about the consumer, it's all about their PROFIT, even through they are technically a non-profit.

Publisher1

The BBB story is complex. For a few years I served on the board of directors of the local BBB (Ottawa/Eastern Ontario). I'm satisfied everyone involved truly upheld the principals of highest integirty -- but we were dealing with fall out from the much larger Toronto BBB which, apparently, had been taken over by crooks!
In Ottawa (and I expect other regions) BBB memberships are 'sold' by commissioned sales reps. Not a problem if they are honorable people looking for a little post-retirement income (like in Ottawa). But I can imagine in other areas (Toronto?) sleazebags got involved.
We did some positive things during my tenure, including operating an Integrity and Ethics Award. Membership wasn't required -- but the publicity for the winner really helped the business. I remember co-ordinating press coverage and the contractor telling me the news of his success in the previous year generated about $500,000 in business! We didn't charge for entries, and the judging panel truly was independent.
I think overall the BBB movement is positive and healthy, but undoubtedly it has been abused and some readers here may be victims of this type of abuse.

10fingers

Well, overwhelming majority feel the BBB is a business and is more interested in collecting money than working at creating a sense of trust with consumers and businesses. I see very little in the way of acting in a manner that supports consumers so they can be better informed and even less action as an advocacy for business. I have can't buy something that portrays a sense of false trust. I think the BBB logo has developed into a powerful symbol and I have a hard time buying faith.

RidgeWalker

I agree with you Grumpy and I've maintained that you can easily get a free membership with the BBB by getting a complaint. = )

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JonM

And if you have a customer who complains to them, they will tell you, you must anti up nearly 400 dollars to use their arbitration service. If you say no, you imminently lose and you are graded as a D-. I had a BBB Representative tell me to my face she lied to me, just to get me to jump through her hoops.

IHI

I was a memeber for a few years a looong time ago, and then it dawned on me...WHY??? WTF are they doing for me, 99.9% of our work is word of mouth, 90% of the jobs are presold before i ever show upto measure, so why pay some company "dues" just to say i'm a member when it has zero bearing on my business other than saying i'm in da club So once i pulled my head out of my azz, i did research on well known repeat offenders in my area, the worst i read, "normal inquries based on nature of this business"

which read to me, Hey, we're the BBB, we want you to pay us money to be a member of our club, and if something bad happens, dont worry, we wont report it since we dont want to lose the money your sending us to keep printing marketing broshures/plaques that make you fell warm and fuzzy hanging it on your wall.

Nope, they can eat a dyck up till they hiccup, i'll save my $500/yr fees for hookers.

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scourt11

i had BBB it a waste

Flatrooferstl

10 fingers i had the same experience with them

RidgeWalker

Hey who reports on the business practices of the BBB? Is it the BBBB?

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