Does having a high Better Business Bureau rating matter? What are the ramifications of having a low rating for a business owner?

For many years I considered them to be a complete scam. I never used them. I didn't check on businesses or report bad experiences.

We own a small internet based software business. The BBB called us every year for years and I told them no thanks. Three years ago in March, my boss (wife) told me that she had decided we were going to try it for "just one year".

I thought $600 per year was insane just to put that logo on our web site. Needless to say, I did what the boss said and added the logo to the web site. In the remaining nine months of that year, we sold twice as much software as in any twelve month period in the past 20 years.

See: loansoftware.com Click on the BBB logo in the upper right corner of the site then click on the "BBB Report on Business" button. This evades the original question about consequences of a bad rating because I don't know the ramification of a low rating. It does address the question: Does having a high Better Business Bureau rating matter?

It sure mattered to me. "Who actually checks with the BBB before doing business with a company? " Apparently over half of our customers checked it.

As a business owner (well, I'm the execute director, I don't really "own" the company) and for someone who has contacted the BBB regarding questionable and downright poor business practices... I'm wondering the same thing. I don't think the BBB puts any effort into marketing themselves as a place to go for information. The BBB might want to think about educating consumers and making it THE place to go (other then Yelp or something like that).

Perhaps that's another reason people aren't going to the BBB. There are other sites that do the same thing... only better.

If I was going to hire a contractor to remodel my house, I would be likely to call them, because in that case I think that I would get good information. If I was going to buy a car, I would not bother, because I don't believe that they are honest when it comes to major retailers in town.

When we still dealt with local merchants and didn't deal with the litigious whiny types, you could go to the store/company and work it out. So far you're with me right? Even then, if the two parties couldn't find a fair and impartial resolution....a BBB rating could be wrong due to ONE mad customer.

Now we deal with the internet age and complaints can be made without facing the merchant. In turn, the merchant most likely has to deal with buyers using credit and we all know we can have charges challenged if we know how. I don't see where it matters, but older generations buy it more and some people were trained to use it for reference.

Life has always been Caveat Emptor. No one can change that.

I don't know. I have never called them in my life. I don't know if it would help or hurt.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.