Is the Better Business Bureau a Clown Show or What?

From what Ive dealt with and heard- YES!

 

I personally don't rely on BBB ratings much any more. I think that, while some of it is legit, there is too much wrangling by companies to get in the good graces with the BBB. It seems more like a marketing gimmick these days. Oh...look at us...we have an "A" rating. Whoopy freaking doo! I'd much rather rely on Angie's List.

 

Could they be better, absolutely, but it's an organization that is inherently ripe for buyoffs and potential corruption. I personally have never had an issue with a BBB approved business.

I guess I'm saying it's as good as you can realistically expect it to be, not that it doesn't have issues.

 

BBB, Yelp, Angie's List, etc. have no actual governing power. It's mostly a flashy customer service report card that some businesses may or may not care about.

 

That's pretty typical.

It's an organization with ZERO enforcement ability. Honestly, its time is long past being done. Maybe in the 1970's when people actually cared about their reputations it was good. But now you might as well complain to your dog. It will be just as effective.

 

BBB is basically a scam organization now.

 

With the advent of online reviews everywhere you look, the BBB has become totally irrelevant. And like others have mentioned, ripe for corruption.

I don't use anyone I can't google reviews for, and even then I take the reviews with a grain of salt.

Good luck. There's really nothing worse than dealing with scummy contractors, and there are a TON out there unfortunately. I had a plumber no-show an appointment that I took a day off work for. I found out later that he was addicted to horse tranquilizers (yes, I said HORSE tranquilizers), so probably a good thing he no-showed.

I try to only use ones that have been recommended by people I actually know.

 

I encourage a lot of companies I work with to pay for the BBB certification. It helps to establish credibility. In some cases I'll even pay to advertise in their directory.

When the complaints come into the business dashboard it's pretty easy to appease the BBB review board (probably some 14yr old intern) and maintain the A+ rating. BBB is a marketing company not a consumer affairs company.

If you file a complaint with the BBB as a consumer it is a temporary nuisance to the company, but not much else.

 

Good to know. . . never gave it much thought but good to know

Rocket River

 

Which is why it is a monumental joke.

If you are in a business that caters to over 55 might be worth purchasing a good grade.

 

BBB is not a regulatory agency of any kind. Unlike dispute resolutions in auction sites or marketplaces, the BBB's process is "non binding", unless going in both sides agree otherwise. At its best it was a highly compromised review aggregator/summarizer.

 

Was the BBB ever been reputable? I always thought they were just a gimmick - what can they honestly do to businesses?

 

The BBB is an advertising company, basically.

 

Officially issue you one of these:

Spoiler

 

I once had experience with them on the opposite side. I worked for a company the BBB had a beef with. They were trying to punish us with their rating because we had disrespected them. My first thought, like many here, was 'does anyone care what the BBB says anymore anyway?' We tried to play nice and mend fences but they wanted their pound of flesh. No respect left for them at all. Their graces -- good and bad -- are not in any way tied to the complaints they resolve. Yelp is a much more reputable and transparent organization, and I effin' hate Yelp too.

To @CometsWin's problem, I'd say it's up to the company itself. If they care about their reputation, they'll try to resolve complaints whether they come directly, by BBB, or any other way. If they don't care, BBB won't make a difference. And even if you convinced BBB to trash them, it won't do much anyway. It might be more effective to complain on twitter where people will actually see it.

 

BBB is toothless. All they got is their rep and is no different than have a secretary making calls for you.

You're better off bribing a rando social media influencer to put your target company on blast

 

If you work for the BBB your job is probably cold calling businesses to get them to join for an annual fee.