Better Business Bureau

Better Business Bureau is one of the best known self-regulatory trade associations in the US. Its purpose is to create an environment of trust between buyers and sellers. However, The Better Business Bureau, one of the country’s best known consumer watchdog groups, is being accused by business owners of running a “pay for play” scheme in which A plus ratings are awarded to those who pay membership fees, and F ratings used to punish those who don’t. As a result, his rating system is really unworthy of consumer trust or confidence and is potentially harmful and misleading to consumers. Not only does this exhibit a lack of confidence in their own product, it makes it impossible for anyone to complain about the Better Business Bureau to the organization. Besides, The BBB is funded by memberships paid for by businesses. This rightly or wrongly gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. These seem to have been easily deflected by the BBB as just being momentary aberrations of a regional nature, and not something to concern, or come under the purview of, the CBBB.

All BBB system stakeholders include BBBs, corporate partners, agencies/vendors, Board of Directors, and consumers. BBB’s stakeholder relation is primarily with corporate businesses because businesses that earn BBB Accreditation contractually agree and adhere to the organization’s high standards. BBB provides objective advice, free business BBB Reliability Reports TM and charity BBB Wise Giving Reports TM, and educational information on topic affecting marketplace trust.

The BBB’s responsibility to its primary stakeholder is to approach all business dealings, marketplace transactions and commitments with integrity by means of setting standards for marketplace trust, encouraging and supporting best practices, celebrating marketplace role models, and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior. Furthermore, All BBB accredited businesses and charities agree to live up to BBB's Standards for Trust, which are...