The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a non-profit organization that provides information about businesses and charities to consumers. The BBB also helps to resolve disputes between consumers and businesses.
The BBB was founded in 1912 by a group of mytravelmagazine businessmen who were concerned about the growing number of fraudulent businesses. The BBB’s mission is to advance marketplace trust by promoting ethical business practices and providing consumers with information they need to make informed decisions about businesses and charities.
The BBB offers a variety of services to consumers, including:
- Business profiles: The BBB maintains business profiles on over 5 million businesses in the United States and Canada. These business profiles include information about the business, such as its contact information, hours of operation, and customer reviews.
- Charity reports: The BBB also maintains charity reports on over 12,000 charities. These charity reports include information about the charity’s mission, financials, and governance.
- Dispute resolution: The BBB helps to resolve disputes between consumers and businesses. This service is free to consumers and businesses.
The BBB also offers a variety of services to businesses, including:
- Accreditation: The BBB accredits businesses that meet its standards for ethical business practices. Accredited businesses receive a number of benefits, such as a listing on the BBB’s website and a BBB seal of approval.
- Consulting: The BBB offers consulting services to businesses to help them improve their ethical business practices and customer satisfaction.
- Education: The BBB offers a variety of educational resources to businesses on topics such as ethical business practices, customer service, and dispute resolution.
The BBB is a valuable resource for both consumers and businesses. Consumers can use the BBB to learn more about businesses and charities, and to resolve disputes with businesses. Businesses can use the BBB to improve their ethical business practices and customer satisfaction.
Here are some tips for using the BBB:
- Check the BBB’s website before doing business with a company. The BBB’s website contains business profiles and charity reports that can help you to learn more about a company before you do business with it.
- File a complaint with the BBB if you have a dispute with a company. The BBB can help to resolve disputes between consumers and businesses.
- Choose a business that is accredited by the BBB. Accredited businesses have met the BBB’s standards for ethical business practices.
The BBB is a valuable resource for both consumers and businesses. By using the BBB, you can help to protect yourself from fraud and make informed decisions about the businesses and charities you support.