BBB of the Mid-South News: Research Businesses Before Purchasing

Research any business before you buy

By Randy Hutchinson
President of the BBB
Reprinted from The Commercial Appeal and The Jackson Sun 

I was prompted to write this column by a solicitation I received in the mail with a very attractive offer. While I had no need for the service, an occupational hazard of my position is that I always check out the company’s BBB record. In this case, consumers who accepted the offer without checking did so at their own peril. It had a bad record for not delivering on its promises to customers.
 
There’s nothing more disheartening for us than to get a complaint from a consumer about a poor experience with a company that already had a bad record with the BBB. Had the consumer only taken a few minutes to check with us, he or she might have avoided the grief. We could provide a list of BBB Accredited Businesses that have committed to our standards for trust. It’s quick and easy and doesn’t cost anything thanks to the good businesses that support the BBB.
 
And no news isn’t always good news. We also receive complaints on companies we had no record of. That’s a red flag for many types of businesses, including home improvement and service companies, auto dealers and repair shops, and movers. They might be newer companies that will deliver on their promises or fly-by-nights that will take your money and run.
 
You can check out a company anywhere in the country at bbb.org. We’ll tell you what we know about them and whether they’re a BBB Accredited Business. If they’re a BBB Accredited Business, we’ll have verified that they have any required professional or competency licenses (we encourage you to verify that information for companies that aren’t members of the BBB). You’ll be able to read the text of any complaints and customer reviews the company has received and its responses.
 
We issue a grade from A+ to F if we have enough information on a company to do so. BBB Accredited Businesses must respond to complaints and maintain at least a B rating. Companies that don’t respond to complaints at all or not in good faith or have other problems, such as being known to operate without a required license, will have a poor grade.   
 
There was a time when the BBB was one of the few resources for checking out a company’s reputation. Now there are many websites that provide reviews and/or ratings for companies in different industries or in a specific industry. We encourage you to consult them as well as the BBB, recognizing that some do more to verify their information than others. The bigger the transaction, the more research you should do.
 
The BBB offers these additional tips for ensuring a company is reputable:

• If it’s an online retailer, check its website for privacy and security protocols and be sure there’s contact information beyond just an email address or contact us page.
• Look for trustmarks in ads and on the website such as the BBB seal and industry certifications.
• Be sure you thoroughly understand any terms and conditions.
• Be wary if you can only pay with cash, a wire transfer, prepaid debit or gift card, cryptocurrency, or other payment method that doesn’t provide any recourse if something goes wrong. Credit cards provide some recourse.

 
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.