Since starting the Watchdog column two years ago I have been touting the Better Business Bureau as an excellent tool (a tool, NOT THE ONLY TOOL) for consumer.
But unfortunately the more I study how the bureau handles complaints the less faith I have in the organization.
The latest nail in the coffin comes from the consumer columnist for our sister paper - Los Angeles Times - which makes a compelling case that the bureau is giving easier grades to members who pay yearly fees than to non-members (the total column is at the end of my blog).
My first serious doubts began developing last year when the Connecticut BBB put out a press release slamming a sport ticket agency operating in Connecticut. When the company complained, the BBB quickly threw up the white flag, took the press release off its web site, but said it stood by what it said in the release.
I told BBB officials to stop sending me press releases that they refuse to fully back. Their response was to threaten to stop sending me all releases. Fine by me, I told them.
Then I started to notice that companies could outsmart the BBB by responding in any fashion to a consumer complaint. The BBB would then report that the company responded, but the customer refused to accept the offer - even if the offer simply said the company would talk to the customer, sort of putting the blame on the consumer for the unsatisfactory outcome.
I will still tell people to report issues to the BBB, but until the bureau has an independent investigation of how it responds to complaints and how it rates companies, consumers should be real leery.