While it's great to have this format to rant about our consumer experiences, as a retired entrepreneur/business-owner I must say that I NEVER found the Better Business Bureau to be other than just an insider joke. All of my business owner friends and I would laugh aloud about how all BBB ever cared about was getting MONEY.

 

 

They're worse than just a waste of time to deal with – they feed on peoples' hopes and that's unforgivable. Do you know of ANY case(s) where BBB either did anything positive for just one consumer or made the world a better place in any way? I certainly don't. It's never happened. They're just another LARGE corporation with one goal in mind - lots of $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $.

Thrifty60:

While it's great to have this format to rant about our consumer experiences, as a retired entrepreneur/business-owner I must say that I NEVER found the Better Business Bureau to be other than just an insider joke. All of my business owner friends and I would laugh aloud about how all BBB ever cared about was getting MONEY.

 

 

They're worse than just a waste of time to deal with – they feed on peoples' hopes and that's unforgivable. Do you know of ANY case(s) where BBB either did anything positive for just one consumer or made the world a better place in any way? I certainly don't. It's never happened. They're just another LARGE corporation with one goal in mind - lots of $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $.

 

 

I agree completely.  Our small business has been a member of the San Diego BBB for four years, and this will be our last year.  They are just a big (and not very professional) advertising sales organization.  

 They just botched our ad in their BBB Yellow Pages for the second time in the past two years.  They have failed utterly in responding to my complaint about this latest failure, so I have filed a BBB complaint...  WITH them, ABOUT them.  It probably won't accomplish anything, so then I'll escalate to the national BBB, which probably also won't do any good, but I'll also escalate to the media.  Perhaps that will produce a little entertaining action(!)
 

 

 

 

 

I just want to report that the Better Business Bureau successfully persuaded Rite-Aid to look again at my rebate situation, & R-A has now paid me the full rebate that I had owing to me.  It took only a few weeks.

I have a 2nd case goign, about a magazine that won't take No for an answer about a renewal.  (It's the Creative Home Crafts Club.)  On anothjer thread, we discussed how it & its sister clubs try to cheat people.  I'll report to you on this thread how the BBB case on this turns out.

I on the other hand, have found the BBB to be very helpful. I have filed many of complaints with them about stores or companys, and have wonderful success. As well as several people I know.

Sometimes they can give a person the run around, but other than that. I will continue to use them when the need arises.

I know that the BBB can be of help in certain cases if the procedures are followed exactly.  So, in order to get help with the doctor's billing mentioned in another thread, I called them and talked with them first and was assured that yes, they would be glad to help me.  So I filled out all the proper forms, taking my time and making sure everything was correct only to receive a phone call saying they would be unable to help me with this and click and my paper work was returned.  Thank you very much mam, tongue in cheek.  You are right, it was a waste of  valuable time and I got no where.

Purrfect quilts, I wonder whether the physician's office or teh HMO or PPO or insurance company -- whoever is responsible for the bill -- is NOT a member of the Better Business Bureau.  In that case,the BBB would lack jurisdiction & would have its hands tied ....

I've used the BBB to help me try and recoup costs from a $2200 transmission repair job that didn't get performed sucessfully.  The did act as a "mediator" of sorts between myself and the repair shop.  They did try and help me, and also got the repair shop to agree to fix my car as they said they would.  The repair shop didn't, but that wasn't the BBB's fault.  They did at least try in my situation.

Our local ABC News Affiliate did a story on the BBB. Anyone can pay to become a member to join and use the BBB logo to advertise. At one time the BBB had a good reputation but like anything else they can be subject to fraud themselves and they have little power other than mediation. The best thing you can do if you have a serious complaint involving a store or service is to contact your states Attorney General's Office. They have the resources to tell you which agencies have the ability to solve your problem or they will go after them on your behalf. Its good to become acquainted with the laws and services the AG's Office can provide. I did my college internship as a Consumer Service Rep. with the NYS AG's office. Best experience I ever had.

True story:  a furniture store owner, now deceased, had a habit of repossessing items and then putting them out on the sales floor and selling them as new.  He was caught several times, and more than one customer threatened him with a complaint to the Better Business Bureau.  His response--"Go ahead and file a complaint.  Do you know who the president of the BBB is?  I AM!"

I've gone through the process in other cities, with no results.  Best bet is Consumer Affairs, city/county/state, State Department of Commerce, State Attorney, Ripoff Report, and your local media, not necessarily in that order.  Add US Dept of Commerce and FCC to that list if it's an Internet business.