B U S I N E S S - PROMOTING THE MARKETPLACE
Better Business Bureau celebrates more than 100 years
For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has served businesses and consumers by promoting honesty and fairness in the marketplace, Robin Guenard, local vice president and operations director of the BBB said.
Former President Ronald Reagan once said, “Down through the years the Better Business Bureaus have resolutely stayed the course, showing themselves to be the best friends American consumers have ever had.”
That friendship started in 1906, Guenard said, when the Coca-Cola Company went to court over a dispute about company advertising. The charges against the beverage company were determined to be unfounded, she said, but the idea of “truth in advertising” was born from that episode. In 1912, the BBB became a sort of vigilance committee to make sure what advertisers claimed was true.
“Their purpose was to correct abuses in advertising,” Guenard said.
Over the years, she said, the BBB has added programs to increase marketplace integrity to build consumer trust. “We believe that the business community should be committed to ethical practices.”
She added that each BBB is a not for-profit and operates entirely by self regulation. “We’re not government regulated. That makes a big difference,” she said.
That independence and being able to adapt its services to the changing marketplace is why the BBB has been around so long, according to Guenard.
The local office was incorporated in March of 1947.
BBB services are offered to the public in the interest of education and information. Among the services the BBB offers besides reviews of businesses and complaints about businesses are reports on charities, complaint resolution reports, arbitration, advertising reviews, scam warnings and general information on businesses.
All businesses are rated by the BBB, which has grown in the past century to include offices in 116 locations across the United States and Canada. Guenard said businesses are rated whether they are BBB accredited firms or not. Each business is graded on 16 different factors and the ratings are regularly updated to keep them current.
“If a complaint is filed against a business through the BBB, we forward it to the business, we make every effort to get in touch with them and let them know there is an issue,” she said. “We believe in resolving those marketplace problems and our goal is to try to resolve them as quickly and as fairly and as honestly as we can. A very large percentage of those problems are resolved through the BBB’s process.”
To be an accredited member, there are specific standards that businesses have to meet. Accreditation comes only through invitation and businesses have to maintain BBB standards to keep their rating.
“They are behind the standards that the Better Business Bureau works for because they believe in the standards,” Guenard said.
“Through the years, consumers have really begun to realize that [BBB accreditation] means something.
Businesses can belong to many organizations. But, I believe – and this is my opinion – the BBB name gives instant recognition to a lot of people.
It’s a synonym for credibility. And the plaque and the decal [businesses are allowed to display indicating their achievement] are instant introductions to the public, too.”
Guenard said the BBB would continue to provide new programs and services as the marketplace evolves. “Advancing marketplace trust is our primary goal. If there is an issue, we are here to help try to resolve that issue. Once those issues are resolved, the consumer is happy, the business is happy, everybody’s happy.”
