What exactly does the BBB do?
When you think of the Better Business Bureau, the first thing that comes to mind is complaint handling.
Those who know to call the BBB are sometimes confused about its purpose and powers. Most people have heard of the BBB – but what does it do and how can it help your business, employees and customers?
Here’s a few interesting figures. Your BBB provided more than 766,000 instances of service to businesses and consumers in 2001. Of those service requests, over 746,000 were requests for Company Reliability Reports – that’s 97.4 percent. The other 2.6 percent, or 19,000, were people asking for help with a problem. We do much more than handle complaints.
BBBs are non-profit organizations primarily funded through the membership of more than 270,000 businesses across the country. The BBB mission is to promote and foster the highest ethical relationship between businesses and the public through voluntary self-regulation, consumer and business education, and service excellence. And although the BBB greatly helps businesses and consumers through information, dispute resolution, and business self-regulation programs, it is not a government agency, nor does it have law enforcement powers.
The BBBs provide many valuable services, both nationally and at the local level, that are of benefit to businesses, their employees and customers, including:
• Business Reports: Information on a business’ performance in the marketplace, which can alert you to an unblemished record, or a pattern of unresolved complaints, pertinent law enforcement actions, or advertising violations.
• Dispute Resolution: The BBB works with businesses and its customers to resolve complaints at minimal or no cost to consumers through dispute resolution services, such as conciliation, mediation, and arbitration.
• Charity Reports: The BBB system develops information on charitable organizations that solicit donations from the public. Wise donors check with the BBB to find out which charities meet the BBB’s voluntary ethical standards.
• Consumer Information: The BBB publishes a wide variety of consumer information publications, public library videos, and Internet advisories to assist you in making wise purchasing decisions.
• Fighting Fraud: The BBB alerts you and law enforcement agencies about current marketplace scams and frauds.
As you can see, your BBB does much more than handle complaints! When you see the BBB member plaque, that means the company displaying it has committed to customer satisfaction and the highest ethical business practices. They support the BBB’s services to the public and meet our membership standards.
If you would like more information, contact your Better Business Bureau at (615) 867-0032 during regular office hours and 24-hours a day on our information line at (615) 242-4222 or toll free at (800) 989-4222. Visit our website at www.middletennessee.bbb.org for more information.