What is the BBB and Why Are Their Ratings Important?

As you search for a company for any work on your house or business, you look for the Better Business Bureau seal of approval or rating.

But what is the Better Business Bureau? And why do they get to decide whether business is good or bad at what they do? are they really better than the advice I get from my cousin Ronnie who’s been doing this for a long time?

Yes, they are the most reliable source of information about any business worth working with in your community. Even better than your cousin.

What is the BBB?

The Better Business Bureau has set out to accomplish a massive and important mission, as they spell out in their mission statement:

BBB’s mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. We do this by
● Setting standards for marketplace trust
● Encouraging and supporting best practices by engaging with and educating consumers and businesses
● Celebrating marketplace role models
● Calling out and addressing substandard marketplace behavior
● Creating a community of trustworthy businesses and charities
How do they try and accomplish this mission?
1. They ask businesses to apply for the BBB seal by registering with the BBB.
2. They collect information from consumers about every business, whether or not they are members of the BBB.
3. They provide best practices to businesses and consumers, with the goal of creating a satisfactory interaction every time.
Because they work diligently to collect information about every company in a given area, the Better Business Bureau naturally comes to know more about every business. By examining a set of criteria that they have developed over many years, they help companies run more ethically and effectively.
This helps consumers in a variety of important ways. First, if you are looking for a particular service, the BBB can provide a list of trusted providers in your area. Second, they can let you now if there have been any or many complaints against that provider. Third, if the company you hope to work with is a BBB member, you can trust that if there is some sort of dispute, you will get wise advice and a helper in creating a fair and equitable outcome.
This is why it is wise to always search for the Better Business Bureau seal at the website of a company you hope to hire.

Ethical companies will have that seal and proudly display their affiliation and rating. This helps you be confident you are making the right choice when you make a significant investment in your home or business.

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