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What does the Better Business Bureau do?
What doesn't the Better Business Bureau do?
How do Better Business Bureaus serve their communities?
What are the benefits of membership in the Better Business
Bureau?
What does membership in the Better Business Bureau offer?
How do I join my local Better Business Bureau?
How will my membership in the BBB make a difference to my
customers?
How does a BBB membership help my image in the community?
How can the BBB help with a difficult customer?
What are most of your calls about?
As a business member of a Better Business Bureau, why can't
I advertise the fact of my membership?
Isn't the BBB part of the government?
Isn't the BBB the same as a Chamber of Commerce or Board of
Trade?
Can the BBB help me collect past due accounts?
If a member 'goes wrong' what happens?
Why don't your companies have gradings like 1, 2, 3 or A,
B, C as to customer service?
What is a BBB reliability report?
Can any business have the BBBOnLine seal on their web site?
How can I be certain that a BBBOnLine seal is authentic?
What are the benefits to a business for having the
BBBOnLine seal?
How can the Better Business Bureau assist in resolving
disputes?
What does the Better Business Bureau do? Collects
and reports information about businesses and charities to help callers make
informed decisions. Answers inquiries about business' reliability and gives
general consumer information. Receives, conciliates and attempts to resolve
written consumer/business complaints and report the results. Educates
business and consumers through news releases, TV and radio releases, guest
speaking, tradeshow presentations, and solicitations. Works with other
agencies, associations, police, and all levels of government to maintain an
ethical marketplace.
What doesn't the Better Business Bureau do? The BBB
does not: ·
endorse,
recommend or depreicate any product, service or company. ·
give legal
advice or provide legal services. ·
pass
judgment on prices, fees or product quality unless misrepresentation is
indicated. ·
act as a
collection agency. ·
collect or
report personal credit information. ·
accept
complaints already processed by another agency. ·
participate
in joint complaint resolution. ·
assist
with employee / employer disputes. ·
accept
verbal complaints for action. ·
create
laws.
How do Better Business Bureaus serve their communities? Better Business Bureaus: ·
Provide
reports on business firms that will be helpful to you before making a
purchase. The BBB system responds to millions of such inquiries each year; ·
Provide
information about charity groups and organizations; ·
Help
resolve consumers' disputes with businesses through conciliation ·
Promote
ethical business standards and voluntary self-regulation of business
practices.
What are the benefits of membership in the Better Business Bureau? The
number one benefit of Bureau membership is increased consumer confidence in
your business. Time and again, surveys have shown that most consumers prefer
to do business with Better Business Bureau members.
What does membership in the Better Business Bureau offer? ·
Allows
your company to display BBB membership decal, which proudly identifies your
firm as a BBB member (MIP) ·
Shows the
community that you are taking an active role in the promotion of ethical
business practices. ·
Provides
you with participation in programs that offer pre-approved use of BBB logos
and seals in advertising, such as BBBOnLine, and the BBB Membership
Identification Program. ·
Provides
business reliability reports that identify you to the public as a BBB member,
confirming your good reputation. Such reports also provide information on
member and non-member business alike, alerting you to any consumer complaint
histories, law enforcement actions, and advertising practices. ·
Provides
listing in printed and online member rosters and opportunities to participate
in BBB co-op advertisements and to sponsor websites, publications and events. ·
Offers a
direct member only phone line dedicated to prompt service for our members. ·
Provides
complaint assistance to provide for prompt notification of customer disputes
and mediation services. ·
Offers
customized seminars and workshops developed to meet your specific training
needs as well as information brochures to educate your employees or customers
about important issues.
How do I join my
local Better Business Bureau? Better
Business Bureaus are independently supported by the business communities
within their designated service area.
If you have a business in a BBB's service area and qualify under the BBB
Membership Standards, your support is encouraged. Your BBB membership dues
are tax deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses.
How will my membership in the BBB make a difference to my customers? Each
month, hundreds of prospective customers call us before making their buying
decisions. Four out of every five callers prefer to do business with a BBB
member. Our next caller could be your next customer!
How does a BBB membership help my image in the community? When
callers to the BBB learn that you are a member of the Bureau, or when
customers see your BBB decal, they know that you stand behind your product
and/or services. They also know that you are a good corporate citizen and
care about promoting ethical business practices in our community.
How can the BBB help with a difficult customer? As
a BBB member, you are notified immediately if a formal complaint is filed
against your business. This gives you the opportunity to resolve the problem
quickly. Businesses can request the Bureau's assistance to help deal with a
difficult customer. We also offer mediation and arbitration services than can
help you avoid lengthy and costly public court action.
What are most of your calls about? Although
the Bureau does help customers with complaints, 70 to 80 percent of the calls
to the BBB are pre-purchase inquiries. In other words, most calls are from
people checking on a business prior to making their decision on where to do
business.
As a business member of a Better Business Bureau, why can’t I advertise the fact of my membership? Better
Business Bureaus could not exist without their business members. Their dues
and volunteer support provide the means for the BBB to maintain its programs
and services. However, to maintain their neutrality, BBB's do not endorse or
recommend businesses or their products/services. The BBB is concerned that
allowing members to advertise their membership may result in the public
erroneously taking that as an endorsement by the BBB of the company. Companies
that participate in special Bureau programs, such as MIP, which promote
customer service and satisfaction, may advertise their participation. BBB
members are encouraged to display membership plaques or decals in their place
of business, but advertising local BBB membership outside of one's place of
business is against BBB policy.
No.
While the BBB is supported by the dues paid by member firms, it remains
impartial and does not take sides in disputes between customers and
businesses, whether members or not.
Isn't the BBB part of the government? No.
The BBB is a private, not for profit organization developed to monitor and
report marketplace activities to the public. BBB's are licensed by the
Council of Better Business Bureaus, and governed by their own local Boards of
Directors. Funding for BBB activities is primarily derived from local
business support.
Isn't the BBB the same as a Chamber
of Commerce or Board of Trade? No.
Bureaus work closely with Chambers of Commerce and the Board of Trade in
their communities, but have different purposes. Chambers are designed to PROMOTE
their communities through economic development and other activities. Better
Business Bureaus exist to PROTECT the citizens and businesses in the
communities they serve, and to work to promote an ethical marketplace.
Can the BBB help me collect past due accounts? Although
some Bureaus have specialized programs to help resolve complaints that result
in non-payment of bills, BBB's do not operate as collection agencies for
individuals or businesses.
If a member 'goes wrong' what happens? The
member will be immediately reported to the Board of Directors who review the
facts and can suspend, expel or impose terms on the firm's membership. An
expulsion becomes a reportable fact to future inquiries.
Only
businesses with good records of performance, no outstanding complaints, and
properly licensed, will be approved for membership by the Board of Directors
who rule on every applicant.
Why don't your companies have
gradings like 1, 2, 3 or A, B, C as to customer service? Better
Business Bureau standards for reporting require only ratings of
"satisfactory", "unsatisfactory", and "no
rating." A
business with a satisfactory rating has been in business for at least one
year and has voluntarily provided the BBB with all information requested
about the business and its product or service. If any complaints have been
received about the business, its number has not been considered by the BBB to
be extreme. If the business has been contacted by the BBB regarding its
advertising or selling claims, it has modified or substantiated its
practices. And finally, a business with a satisfactory rating has not been
the subject of any recent law enforcement actions concerning dealings with
its consumers. A
business will have an unsatisfactory rating if it has unresolved or
unanswered complaints, or it consistently does not resolve complaints in a
timely manner, or it has developed a pattern or volume of complaints. Also,
if a business fails to pay an arbitration award or fails to arbitrate when it
is pre-committed to do so, it will receive an unsatisfactory rating. In
addition, a business that fails to substantiate or modify advertising claims
will have an unsatisfactory rating. If
a company does not meet all the criteria necessary to qualify for a
satisfactory rating, or its file does not contain conditions requiring an
unsatisfactory rating, the BBB does not use either term, thus it is a
"no rating."
What is a BBB reliability report? BBBs
maintain files on many companies in their area and even some outside their
service area. A BBB report can help you determine if a company you are
considering dealing with has a good record with the BBB. These reports will
tell you how long the company has been in business, how long the BBB has
known about the company, what the BBB files show about complaint patterns,
and whether the company is pre-committed to a dispute resolution program. If
the company is a member of the BBB, the report will indicate that fact. The
report may also contain general information about the nature of the company's
business. The report where possible covers activity for the past three years. The
BBB reports on all companies that have generated sufficient inquiry or complaint
activity, whether or not they are members of the BBB. If the Bureau does not
have a report, it usually means the firm is new, or has not generated
previous activity, or has not been the subject of any unanswered complaints.
A
distinctive web site seal provided by the Better Business Bureau to help web
users identify reliable, trustworthy businesses on line.
The
BBBOnLine Reliability program was launched in April 1997 with the support of
11 major corporations: AT&T, Ameritech, GTE, Hewlett Packard, Kodak,
Netscape, Road Runner, Sony, US West, Visa USA and Xerox. As of January 2001,
over 8500 distinctive web sites across the US and Canada are covered by the
BBBOnLine Reliability seal and the standards it represents.
Can any business have the BBBOnLine seal on their web site? No,
Bureau members must apply to use the seal and then they must meet very strict
standards before they are considered. To obtain the BBBOnLine seal, a
business must be at least one year old, provide bank and customer references,
and disclose the names and backgrounds of company owners. It must also pass a
background check that looks for evidence of fraud or action by government
regulators.
How can I be certain that a BBBOnLine seal is authentic? The
BBBOnLine seal is "clickable". When a web site visitor clicks on an
authentic BBBOnLine seal, they will be hyperlinked to the BBBOnLine
Reliability database where the company's participation in the program will be
confirmed. Falsified BBBOnLine seals will either not be "clickable"
or will not be authenticated by a hyperlink to the Reliability database.
What are the benefits to a business for having the BBBOnLine seal? According
to a survey conducted by Greenfield Online, 84% of web shoppers agreed that
the recognition of companies on the web by a reputable third party would make
them more confident about buying from companies they do not know. The
BBBOnLine Reliability seal helps increase consumer confidence in the Internet
as a safe place to shop. Having this distinctive seal on their web site helps
distinguishes a company from online competitors, legitimate and otherwise.
How can the Better Business Bureau assist in resolving disputes? The
Bureau can assist through various ways, including conciliation.
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