Better Business Bureau - Promoting ethical relationships
The Better Business Bureau (also known as the BBB), is a national organization that can help alert you, as a consumer, to complaints against companies and businesses in your area. They offer public services related to ethical practices and dispute resolution. If you want to exercise your rights and take action and complaint to file against a company for yourself, or you would like to check on a certain company to see if they have had any complaints registered against them, you want to pay them a visit.
An easy way to research a company with the Better Business Bureau is by visiting their website at www.bbb.org. You can get what’s called a “Reliability Report” just by entering in a company’s name and state. You may find that you’ll get more comprehensive results by typing in just the partial name of a company. If you are not given any search results, it’s safe to assume that no complaints have ever been registered against the organization. If there have been any complaints registered with the Better Business Bureau, the results are displayed and you can view them by clicking on them.
Often times, if you have had an unsatisfactory with a company, you may want to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. You can do this in privacy on their website. They take complaints involving all types of businesses including online businesses, offline businesses, Better Business Bureau members, and BBB non-members. They also accept complaints against charities and non-profit organizations and handle complaints relating to transactions including advertising claims. To file a complaint, use the link to the specific type of complain you would like to register, whether it’s a “general consumer complaint”, “complaints about Lemon Law/Auto Warranties” or “complaint about Identity Theft.” You will then be asked to complete specific information about the company you are filing the complaint against.
Before you file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, they recommend that you attempt to contact the company directly first. Although it’s not required, it’s recommended. You should try to make certain to have the company’s name, address and phone number as well.
After your complaint is filed with the Better Business Bureau, they will forward the complaint directly to the company and the company is asked to respond directly to the council. The company has the option of trying to find a resolution or else they can ignore the complaint, which will result in the policy of a negative mark being filed on their company report.
The Better Business Bureau has over 120 independent local bureaus that work with businesses and consumers to help resolve complaints. You can locate your local Better Business Bureau by clicking on “Find a BBB” on their website and entering in the city, state or zip code of the area where you would like to find one. You will be given the name and contact information of the Better Business Bureau that serves the immediate area you are located in.