Paulette Scarpetti, President/CEO, Connecticut Better Business Bureau | Consumer education is the goal

The Better Business Bureau has released its list of the top consumer complaints in 2008. Cellular phone service and new car purchases top the list. What does the BBB do, if it can do anything, to make things better for consumers in these and other areas?  

Consumer education is a significant core service provided by Better Business Bureau. The more consumers know the better choices they will make. It is part of our mission to help these consumers avoid issues which result in complaints. Should a consumer file a complaint, CT BBB has conciliation, mediation and/or arbitration services available to help both the consumer and the business reach a resolution. 

In the first quarter of 2009, CT BBB has seen cellular phone service fall off the top ten most complaints received list while new car purchases remain in the top 10 in sixth place. In the top five spots respectively, CT BBB sees buying clubs and group purchasing services in the top spot followed by mailing services, Internet shopping, publishers, and fuel-oil companies.

How long has the Better Business Bureau been in Connecticut? What keeps it going? Does the name still have the strong cache it always did?  

Connecticut Better Business Bureau is a non-profit organization that has been serving consumers since it was established in 1928. The charge of BBB is to be a leader in advancing trust, and creating an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other.  BBB does this by helping build a community of like-minded accredited businesses that believe in honesty, transparency and upholding BBB standards for trust. 

BBB continues to be a well-recognized organization by both businesses and consumers, funded by accreditation fees of companies that meet and maintain our standards for trust.   We continue to see a positive trend in the complaint settlement ratio of accredited vs. non-accredited businesses. This trend shows consumer satisfaction with accredited businesses at 99.84 percent compared to 83.91 percent with non-accredited businesses. 

You mention complaints not keeping pace because consumers may not be as vigilant as they should be about quality issues. Do consumers get more vigilant in a down economy? Or, do some things never change? 

ACTUALLY what was said is: “The reasons for the increase may simply be the result of consumers being more vigilant about issues such as quality of workmanship and service, advertising and other business practices they are concerned about.” 

BBB consumer education is an ongoing effort due to new types of businesses, the changing nature of customer services, new purchasing venues such as the internet and other emerging technology. Unfortunately, individuals and criminal organizations that pose as legitimate businesses use every tool they can find in an effort to cheat consumers and steal their personal information, which can subsequently lead to identity theft. 

The increase in consumer inquiries in 2008 over the previous year may indicate consumers are being more careful about with whom they do business, and are checking out companies’ reputations and marketplace practices before making decisions about which goods and service providers to use.

The most inquiries BBB received were for contractors and mortgage brokers. How is 2009 trending for those two fields? Have they both slowed appreciably?  

Here in Connecticut, in the first quarter of the year, home improvement contractors remain the most inquired-about type of business, as people in this economy are choosing to fix-up their homes rather than sell them. Whereas, mortgage brokers are now ranking as the 14th most inquired-about sector, a by-product of how the real estate market has declined.

What’s a common misperception folks have about BBB? Do most people think you are a government agency of some sort?  

Over the years consumers have often assumed that BBB was part of the government.  However, with our new national branding campaign in 2008, that has begun to change. Ninety-five percent of inquiring consumers are now visiting our web site for finding company reports, filing complaints, and visiting our media center. It is there that they can see that we are a non-profit, independent organization dedicated to helping consumers and business do business in a fair and balanced marketplace.