Question about Better Business Bureau

[Vash01]

I know BBB is not a government organization, and I don't know how helpful it is when you need to find information on a certain company that you suspect is cheating you.

I am in Arizona, and I am dealing with a firm in Florida. I have suspicions about them, so I went to the BBB FL site. I was hoping to do a search to see if there were complaints againt them, but I did not see a way to do a search.

It sounded like (from the FAQs) a company has to be a member of the BBB for you to find information on them. If they are not a member, then it's no use. Am I correct in this assumption?

What other ways are available to check on a company that you suspect is not being honest with you?

Sorry, I cannot give specific details of the situation, for personal reasons. Any help/suggestions will be appreciated.

[Prancer]

I am in Arizona, and I am dealing with a firm in Florida. I have suspicions about them, so I went to the BBB FL site. I was hoping to do a search to see if there were complaints againt them, but I did not see a way to do a search.

Try the main site: http://www.bbb.org/us/Find-Business-Reviews/

It sounded like (from the FAQs) a company has to be a member of the BBB for you to find information on them. If they are not a member, then it's no use. Am I correct in this assumption?

Not according to this: http://www.bbb.org/us/bbb-faqs/#faq16

Some recommendations for checking out a business: http://www.kiplinger.com/basics/arch...8/story01.html

I find that state attorney general's offices, as recommended in that article, are usually good resources.

[Meredith]

Try Googling BBB Florida. You will see a list of BBB's throughout the state. Two that I clicked on had a "check out a business" option.

Good luck!

[MOIJTO]

BBB---try Angie's List instead!

[heckles]

I know BBB is not a government organization, and I don't know how helpful it is when you need to find information on a certain company that you suspect is cheating you.

In my experience, the BBB is gutless organization, helpful only about 25-30% of the time. The BBB is run by the businesses, and, IMO, a large part of what they do is distract the consumer into not taking the complaint to the Attorney General, Small Claims Court or another entity that will actually have some teeth.

If you're researching a business via the BBB, be aware of the way that the BBB marks a case as "resolved" and therefore the way a company is classified as having no black marks against it. A company only has to reply to the BBB about a customer's complaint in order for the case to be marked as resolved. They can say, "Hahaha, we ripped him off, tough luck!" It will be marked as resolved. Many companies are aware of this, and often reply in variations of this.

[manleywoman]

BBB---try Angie's List instead!

Agreed 100%

[CynicElle]

I've noticed recently that if I Google a local company name, I find reviews that were posted on yelp.com. The majority of the Yelp reviews are geared to dining and entertainment, but the site seems to be branching out now. (I found good reviews for my current dentist there when I was researching his office.) Might be worth a try.

[barbk]

Vash --

What kind of firm? I had troubles with a travel agent located there, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Tourism (what a combo, eh?) had a very effective complaint mechanism that got a positive result within two days. I was impressed.

Similarly, I had a problem that I'd tried to resolve for months with my insurance company, and within two weeks of filing a complaint with our state insurance commissioner they sent the company a letter requiring an explanation and within a week after that my problem was resolved.

[woodstock]

I found the BBB to be very helpful. I lodged a complaint with them against my home warranty company (they refused to cover a repair). Countless letters to the warranty company yielded me nothing, one quick report to the BBB...said warranty company cut me a $1500 check within the week. I'd use the BBB again.

[Vash01]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. It's going to take time to do all the research, but I am definitely going to pursue this.