yeah.but
United States of America#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, July 01, 2011
There is a whole lot of misconception about the Better Business Bureau and I hope that some of the reasonable people reading this post will also read this and get a good idea of what they are about.
The Better Business Bureau is and has been a private organization since it's inception in 1912. They have never claimed to be affiliated with the government. People assume that on their own, I think just because the word bureau is in the name. If you call the BBB and ask any employee, they will tell you, without hesitation, that they are a non-profit organization.
The fact that there are fees for a company to be accredited does not in any way, shape or form, mean that the BBB is not a legitimate and much-needed organization. They are, as we all know, a non-profit organization but the people that work there are not volunteering their time. They are making a living just like any other employee of a for-profit or non-profit. The fees also, of course, pay for the cost of running the organization, rent for their building, phone service, office supplies, etc.
Not all companies can be accredited. If the company has unresolved complaints, if the company is not licensed properly, if the principals are involved with another company that has a bad rating, if there are lawsuits against the company, the WILL NOT be accepted, period. They could try and give the BBB any amount of money and the will not be accredited. There are many, many companies that have tried to become accredited and were turned down.
Being accredited does give a company a slight step up on their rating. If they were a B then accreditation brings them to a B+, a C would be a C+, etc. The reason for that is that there is a background check done on the company before they are allowed to be accredited. The BBB has a whole lot more information on that company than a non-accredited company and that is the ONLY reason it brings the grade up at all.
There are also many people that are not happy with the complaint process because the BBB is an impartial party in resolving complaints. A lot of consumers think that they are automatically going to win any dispute but the BBB gets the company's side of the story and based on the information from both parties, they make a decision on what shoud be done. This can also make for a very unhappy business owner. They also seem to think they are going to be given some sort of advantage in the arbitration process, especially if they are accredited.
The dispute process is what makes the BBB extremely valuable. Unlike this site and others like it, a competitor or an unreasonable customer cannot ruin the company based on unproven claims. The BBB will get the other side of the story before that information is made public.
Because I am farmiliar with the process, I check the BBB rating before I do business with anyone. I know that the information that I get isn't an emotional rant from a crazy customer that could never be satisfied and I also know that it isn't a flat out lie that an unethical competitor decided to post to give themselves an edge.
#30
Tue, December 05, 2000
Since Sylmark, Inc. (Ab Slide) is a member of the BBB, you can look up info and file a complaint online at http://www.bbbsouthland.org/. Use the "find a member" link, and enter "Sylmark". There's a listing of their various addresses/phone numbers, and email contact.
According to the BBB:
"The company has a pattern of complaints alleging non-delivery of merchandise, and various billing problems and disputes. The company has responded to most complaints by shipping orders or issuing refunds. Some complaints were closed as disputed meaning the customer was not satisfied with the company's response."
Once again, my thanks to www.ripoffreport.com, without which I wouldn't have been able to find this info!