How useful is the Better Business Bureau?
 

People often refer to the BBB on this web site as a source to identify a good or bad contractor or business. But, I have found the BBB to not be helpful. When you search their web site, you find that almost every business listed is rated as A or A plus. They also state that a business is either accredited or not accredited. But, apparently, the accredited businesses are those that pay accreditation dues, and if they don't pay the dues, then they are listed as not accredited. This seems very deceptive to me. In fact, their most recent IRS Form 990, required for all non-profit charities, indicates that almost all of their annual income, about $6 million, came from the accreditation dues. And, almost all of their expenses were for employee salaries, about $5 million. To me, this sounds like a clear conflict of interest. Can anyone say that they have benefited from using the information or assistance provided by the BBB?

I’ve had luck with them. Many years ago the first time I joined a gym I paid for the whole annual fee up front with my credit card. Two months later, I noticed that my credit card had been debited over and over again, once every week, for the whole annual fee by the gym. When I called the bank they said they were legitimate transactions. I had to deal with the gym owner who kept telling me it was a computer error they could not reverse etc. I checked with BBB and this gym had alerts all over it. Many complaints. I knew I was in trouble.

The owner worked out on the same floor as everyone else sometimes twice a day. I would work out at the same time far away from him. As I was on the treadmill I would yell across the floor, “Mitzy, when am I getting back the money the gym owes me?” I also made friends at the same time with some “heavy weights”. It took 6 months but bit by bit the money was returned to my account and I stayed a member of that gym for many years, always paying in cash.

Always checked BBB after that.

That’s really unfortunate, but if I’m reading this correctly, the BBB didn’t really take any action on your behalf to recover your unauthorized payments.

I wonder what the gym’s rating was? I haven’t found BBB to be very valuable for anything other than complaint taking.

I might check with them but wouldn’t make a decision based on their ratings.

Seniors vs. Crime would have contacted the gym and made efforts to recover. I know you probably weren’t in Florida.

Not in USA and you’re right BBB did nothing.

They would not have helped resolve the problem and I did not ask. The gym’s rating was so low they did not give it a rating, just a warning. The reason why I check BBB ratings now is because the really bad business have complaints on their records usually. The first thing the bank asked me at the time was: did you check the gym’s BBB rating? We have google reviews now too etc and I’ve learned to read “between the lines” on all reviews.

I was not yet a senior those days.

Virtually worthless. Just Google "BBB extortion". A business that pays their dues gets a good rating even when facing or having lost numerous lawsuits; those that don't pay get mediocre ratings.

BBB is just one place to check complaints on companies. Google is better