The Better Business Bureau, or the BBB as it is more commonly known, is a consumer protection agency running throughout the United States and Canada. It works to compile and gather information about various businesses, and uses that data to create reports for each business. These reports are then made available to the public to ensure a more trustworthy business community. The following are 3 ways to check a business.
1.) Checking The BBB Report
Starting by ensuring you know the correct spelling and name of the business, visit the BBB website, and select your residential country. Enter your postal code or city and state and search for the company that you want to examine. This will involve typing the name of the company into the form, and selecting the location of that business according to zip code or city.
Click the "search" button, and you'll be able to look through various results until you find the one that is right for you. Clicking on the name of the business will bring you to their profile page, allowing access to information of varying natures. From the profile, you can file a complaint, submit a review, or read the report that the agency has given this business.
2.) Examine The BBB Business Rating For The Company
If you're interested primarily in what kind of rating the Better Business Bureau has given to your chosen company, then you can look at the rating – a score that will range from F to A+. This score should be located towards the top of the profile page, and you'll be able to click a link below that is titled "Reason for Rating", to learn a little more about the various factors that determined that score. In some rare cases, a business may be listed on the website for the Better Business Bureau without a rating, and this simply means that the bureau has not yet collected enough information to issue an appropriate rating.
Keep in mind that the score provided is based on various aspects of the business, including: the amount of time it has spent within the industry, the number of complaints it has received through the BBB, its ability to engage with transparent practices, any known advertising issues, failure to honor commitments, and government or licensing actions brought against the company.
3.) Consider Customer Complaints And Reviews
It is possible for consumers to file official complaints against companies through the Better Business Bureau, and these complaints will be available for you to view from the profile page. Simply click on the complaints tab to see the complaints and their status for the last three years.
What's more, reading customer reviews will help to give you a more intimate insight into a consumer's personal experiences with a particular business. Reviews are a perfect solution for learning more about how certain businesses deliver services to their target audience. Remember that in addition to providing customer reviews, the agency's website also allows consumers to leave a rating based on their experience.