Our good friends at RemodelConnect have shared with us a part of their interview with the Director of Business Development for the Southern Colorado BBB. We’ve condensed it down to 10 Questions and Answers. Hopefully these can help answer some of the questions and misconceptions you may have about the Better Business Bureau and what Accreditation means. Stauffer & Sons Construction is a BBB Accredited business with an “A+” rating, and we’re happy to say that we have zero complaints against us.
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Question 1: How exactly is the BBB structured? Is there just one Nationwide Better Business Bureau Database, or do you have local offices?
Answer: The Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado is governed by the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB). The CBBB governs all the BBB’s in the US and Canada. Colorado has four locations. The Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado services 25 counties in southern Colorado.
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Question 2: Is the BBB run by the government? Or are you a nonprofit?
Answer: The BBB is not affiliated with the US Government. Contrary to popular belief, the BBB is not a regulatory or legal agency. Your second guess was right–the BBB is a nonprofit, neutral, third party organization whose mission is to create confidence and trust in the marketplace for both consumers and businesses.
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Question 3: What is it exactly that the BBB is looking for when checking on a contractor?
Answer: When a business applies for BBB Accreditation, they must meet certain qualifications and commit to upholding the BBB Code of Business Practices. Our staff then verifies that the company has been in business for a specified length of time, has a physical location, maintains their industry’s required licensing, and can substantiate their advertising. The BBB team also checks the company’s references they provide. The final approval of BBB Accredited Businesses is given by our local BBB Board of Directors who actually live and work in the community.
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Question 4: Just about everyone knows that the BBB is a “complaints center” for consumers with bad business experiences, but what is the “BBB Accreditation” you’re referring to?
Answer: It is true that consumers and businesses can file complaints businesses with us. However, we’re not just looking at the fact that a company has a complaint filed against them–we’re interested in how that business handles it. One of the factors that distinguishes a BBB Accredited Business from an unaccredited business is that a BBB Accredited Business has committed to working through these issues with consumers or other businesses. If a BBB Accredited Business is concerned that someone is going to file a complaint, they can proactively contact the BBB. When that happens, we will call the consumer, as a neutral third party, and can sometimes get to the bottom of a conflict before a complaint is even filed. We are often able to re-open lines of communication between parties.
