BBB Under Scrutiny

Link: http://www.bbbroundup.com

It appears that after four years of ignoring the warning signs, the Better Business Bureau may finally be due a come-uptance beyond their worst nightmare.

The firestorm started with articles around the country questioning the new grading system put in place by the BBB on January 1st.

David Lazerus of the Los Angeles Times quickly grabbed the spotlight with his piece about the disparity between the grades of world famous Spago Restaurant (B- and non-member)and little known Cafe Santorini(A+ and member). His column reiterated what many Los Angeles business owners have griped about for years....that the BBB gives good grades to its members and lousy grades to non-members, especially if the non-member rebuffs their high powered sales pitch for membership.

What makes all this interesting is that it was the BBB of the Southland, Inc. (Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County) who spawned this albatross of a grading system. The CBBB (Council of Better Business Bureaus) likes to say they spent four years developing and testing this new system. They specifically ignored several lawsuits filed against the BBB of the Southland, Inc. brought by non-member businesses seeking redress for unwarranted bad grades, rather than investigate them. In a coincidence that is too strong to ignore, it is interesting to note that the Los Angeles BBB is the largest contributor of membership dues of any regional BBB office. The lack of due diligence displayed by the CBBB in rolling out their new grading policy makes it appear that CBBB's pursuit of ethics was not as strong as their pursuit of membership money.

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Link: http://www.bbbroundup.com

In a five to four verdict, the Supreme Court today found the Better Business Bureau guilty of causing the current global economic crisis. Writing for the majority, Supreme Court Justice William Bergermeister said "While there is plenty of blame to go around, the facts in this case demonstrate a pattern of corruption and abuse of the public trust that is shameful. The court rejects the BBB's central argument that the blame be laid at the doorstep of the Los Angeles BBB who pioneered the BBB's new A through F grading system. The National BBB had plenty of time to scrutinize the new grading system before implementing it nationwide and failed to do so. This court finds the BBB, as the national oversight body in charge, guilty of improperly supervising the conduct of their franchised regional members, and as such, they must be held liable."

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Link: http://www.bbbroundup.com

Editorial

The motto of the Better Business Bureau is "Start with Trust." The motto of bbbRoundUp is "Start with Truth" for we believe you cannot have trust without first having truth. Actions, not words, inspire trust, especially when the words themselves are contradictory.

Expecting trust without earning it is symptomatic of the Better Business Bureau's arrogance towards the very group they seek to attract as members--small businesses. Trust must be a two way street. The BBB appears too focused on establishing and maintaining consumer confidence at the detriment to the trust of the businesses they are attempting to woo as customers.

If I were a businessman and doing my due diligence prepatory to making a decision on whether to join the Better Business Bureau I would have noted the following:

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