Better Business Bureau
BBB Does Not Make Complaints Public and Closes Files as Resolved
- 09-20-2001
- 24
Submitted: 9/8/01
Modified: 9/8/01
The Better Business Bureau enjoys a reputation for being a consumer organization, a reputation that is undeserved. In reality, the BBB is funded by fees paid by member-businesses, and they protect those businesses, not consumers, and not non-member businesses. The BBB does not act on behalf of consumers, whether the business they complain about is a member of the BBB or not. Oftentimes the consumer doesn't find this out until they have a consumer complaint and try to follow up on it. Here are some of the things we found out when we filed a complaint with the BBB:
The BBB does not necessarily make complaints publicly available. We have a letter from the BBB stating this, which they sent us after we complained that the BBB was not making our complaint available. In this letter, the BBB stated there were other complaints about the company we complained about, too, which were also unavailable to the researching public. Perhaps we could've avoided buying from a bad company if the BBB had made these complaints available when we were doing research, before buying... What a concept!
The BBB does not assist consumers. Again, they protect the member businesses who are buttering their bread.
If the BBB misfiles a consumer's update letter, or a consumer fails to update every 30 days, or the BBB simply decides the complaint is something they can't do anything about, they close your file and call it "resolved." Be aware that "resolved" complaints with the BBB or any agency does not necessarily mean the customer was satisfied. This is information I got from several agencies, including the BBB and our state's attorney generals office. Consumers should never assume a "resolved" complaint, (if they can even find out if there are complaints), means the problem was taken care of.
Consumers cannot rely on the BBB for company reliability reports, nor can they expect the BBB to assist them in any way. The BBB is part of the problem for consumers, because they even withhold valuable information. The Better Business Bureau is a joke, and the faster the public is made aware of it, the better.
#6573
Company: Better Business Bureau
Country: USA