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      AN INVESTIGATIVE NEWS SERIES
    ON THE STANDARDS AND PRACTICES   
    OF THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
       
         START WITH TRUTH


  V 1.5  Nov 2010
NATIONAL BBB TO INVESTIGATE LA BBB IMMEDIATELY
A tale of a few hours.  Here's the relevant portion of the copy from the original Steve Cox's Message from the President of CBBB at 11:53 AM PST on November 18, 2010: 

  • BBB will engage an independent third party to assist us in our review process.

We are moving ahead with implementing changes right away. Some are immediate, others will take longer to complete. All will support our commitment to help consumers easily and quickly find trustworthy businesses.

Here's the same portion of the copy from the revised copy of Steve Cox's Message from the President of the CBBB, publishing date and time unknown.  Best estimates are some time before 10:00 AM PST, November 20, 2010. (I've bold faced the change so it stands out):

  • BBB will engage an independent third party to assist us in our review process.
  • Finally, BBB will launch an immediate investigation into the Los Angeles-area BBB.

We are moving ahead with implementing changes right away. Some are immediate, others will take longer to complete. All will support our commitment to help consumers easily and quickly find trustworthy businesses.

This story was first reported by George Gombossy at CTwatchdog.com at 9:10 PM PST, November 20, 2010.

Earlier, on November 19, 2010, the LA Times published a fine article by Sharon Bernstein for the Business Section leading with the news that the BBB stated they will change their rating system.  Weighing in on the mounting criticism of the LA BBB were the advocacy groups Consumer Action and Small Business California. 

If it had been me dealing with the situation, I would have announced the investigation of the Los Angeles BBB a lot louder instead of sneaking it in there after the story had been covered.  It also raises the question of "Should this investigation also concern itself with Gary Almond's role, if any, in what happened at the LA BBB during his tenure there.  You may remember, Mr. Almond is the newly announced head of the Sacramento BBB.
Editor's note:  There is a need for a consumer advocacy group that the public can turn to, and it used to be that the Better Business Bureau fulfilled this role adequately.  No longer.  It is obvious the Better Business Bureau does not now, nor ever will have, the resources to fully investigate the four million businesses in their database, much less grade them with any sense of accuracy.  It's an impossible job, and to think otherwise is a mistake that the BBB should acknowledge so they can get back to their reason for existence--protecting the consumer.  There's an old saying, "who will watch the watchers" and it applies here as the BBB has set themselves up to be above the law.  We are simply here to help the Better Business Bureau do a better job so that they may properly serve the consumer, the business community and themselves.  If they refuse to reform, then they must bear the consequences.
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