And I've said so for years.
Think about it: An organization with about 2500 employees develops a nationwide reputation for being able to judge ("rate") businesses on a scale from A to F based on...what, exactly? Well, as I suspected all along- and has been proved through good old fashioned investigatory journalism- the ratings are based on how much money businesses are willing to shell out to get that coveted "A+" rating. And this method is so successful, that A+ rating is flaunted by the very worst car "warranty" companies, Tax "relief" services, Medicare-ish "insurance," etc. etc. etc. If Ox Car Care and Home Defender have A+ ratings despite literally thousands of complaints, class action lawsuits, and entire pages on RipoffReport.com exposing their deceptive garbage, who CAN'T get an A+ rating? Oh right- small companies who aren't willing or able to pay for it.
This pay-for-play scam used to be associated with big-city political machines, the Mafia, and corrupt cops. "You gotta nice business here....be a real shame if anything happened to it" being met with a fat envelope filled with cash representing a certain percentage of the proprietor's take for the week. Today it's much more subtle- sure, your business is doing ok, but how good is it going to do if your competitor has an A+ rating and yours doesn't? Even worse- what if your competitor has an A+ rating and yours is lower Because Reasons? This is a problem that can be handled with a sum of money- and all the Better Business Bureau knows about your company is that it paid up. That makes it worthy of that A+ rating.
All of this is why I call the BBB the biggest scam in advertising- "the Better Business gives us an A+ rating" has the same level of legitimacy as "you can trust me, I'm a good Christian" as far as I'm concerned. The biggest scam in advertising- and a Modern Protection Racket. The BBB won't break your legs, just your reputation with the buying public. Hey, it's up to you, but as I said before, sure'd be a shame if....
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