If you’ve ever shaken your fist at the sky in outrage over getting charged extra fees or higher rates for a rental car, you’re not alone. And while the Better Business Bureau can’t punish companies itself, it’s asking four states to go after the rental car industry after a flood of complaints about one company. [More]
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9 Things We Learned About Why Better Business Bureau Ratings Don’t Mean Much
By 9.30.15
In a lengthy nationwide investigation of Better Business Bureaus across the country, CNN interviewed businesses, consumers, and watchdogs, ultimately learning that how consumers see the organizations as something different, and a good grade from a local Bureau doesn’t guarantee that a business is trustworthy. [More]
Ad Watchdog Group To Comcast: Stop Saying Stuff That Isn’t True In Your Ads
By 1.28.15
Comcast, like every other company on earth, likes to advertise about how great they are. They run commercials all over about how their internet is better, faster, stronger than the next guy’s. Except, a business group that checks in on badvertising says, Comcast isn’t really as great as Comcast claims it is, and needs to tone it down a bit. [More]
Walmart Employees Defy Own Coupon Policy, Basic Logic
By 6.19.13
Walmart has a coupon policy, but doesn’t do a very good job of educating its employees about it. That, or the employees don’t do a very good job of remembering how it’s supposed to work. Shelly has been at war with her local Walmart since January over four air fresheners and a relatively small amount of money, but it’s the principle. [More]
Better Business Bureau Gives Boot To Southern California Chapter Over Pay-To-Play System
By 3.12.13
You may remember how the Better Business Bureau took a lot of heat in 2010 when it inexplicably gave an “A-” rating to a bogus business named “Hamas,” as in the terrorist group, because it paid a $425 membership fee. Now, nearly three years on, the chapter responsible for that cock-up and others is no longer part of the BBB. [More]
Consumer Reports: "Still Reason For Concern" About BBB Ratings
By 7.12.11
Citing examples such as the Better Business Bureau’s A- ratings for Publisher’s Clearinghouse and coin-dealer Universal Syndications, Consumer Reports says there’s “still reason for concern about the accuracy” of the BBB’s ratings, despite recent changes made by the agency. [More]
The Top 5 Consumer Complaints About Satellite TV Providers
By 8.6.10
After seeing our story from yesterday about a DirecTV subscriber misled into believing he was signing an 18-month contract, the folks at the Better Business Bureau sent us their recent research on the complaints they’ve received about DirecTV, Dish Network and other satellite providers. [More]
Watch Out For Amazon Scam Making The Rounds
By 7.20.10
The BBB says people are reporting seeing a new phishing scam going around that masquerades as an Amazon order alert. It arrives as a confirmation email with a product description, price, and Amazon logo. Naturally, if you click the provided account link to cancel the order or see whether you were actually charged for the item, the login screen you’ll be taken to won’t be Amazon. [More]
Don't Count On That Rebate From MSI
By 3.22.10
My advice on mail-in-rebates is to ignore them when you’re trying to decide on a purchase. They take too long to receive, during which time you’ve paid a higher amount on the product. Even worse, it’s easy for a company to deny a claim and refuse to cooperate with you, and it’s hard for consumers to get misbehaving companies to play fairly. [More]
Freescore.com Sues Yahoo To Reveal Blogger's Identity
By 9.28.09
Freescore.com is one of those online companies that offers a free trial, and then attempts to enroll its customers in a $30/month subscription service. Now they’re suing Yahoo in an attempt to reveal an anonymous blogger who quoted a Reuters article when criticizing the service, and who pointed out that Freescore is owned by a company with a reputation for billing customers without permission.
So You Want To Sue The Company That's Screwing You Over
By 9.18.09
Jon wants us to recommend a good lawyer to sue HP for screwing him over on laptop repairs. We do not offer legal advice like that. We do, however, believe strongly in the power of small claims court.
Reader Uses BBB To Retrieve Gold From Classmates' Clutches
By 9.8.09
Remember Kelly, the one who couldn’t get her money back from Classmates after she canceled her automatically renewed gold membership?
Missouri Bridal Shop Of Doom Might Actually Hate Brides, Bridesmaids
By 8.18.09
A funny story from KSDK in St. Louis looks at the bridal store “I Do I Do”—now under new management—and some of the more colorful complaints received by the Better Business Bureau over the past few years. (The store has an F rating with the BBB.) It’s quite likely, based on these complaints, that “I Do I Do” was employing a chimpanzee to make alterations.
Sleepy's Exec Says Bedbugs Come From People
By 8.17.09
Buried in the controversy surrounding the exit of consumer reporter George Gombossy from the Hartford Courant was his article that looks at complaints against mattress company Sleepy’s. We though this bit of wisdom from Sleepy’s COO was worth repeating:
Better Business Bureau Kicks Out Four Businesses
By 7.9.09
What can you do if you’re too small to have a shot in our Worst Company In America contest, but too awful to not earn some sort of notoriety? Well, you can get your BBB membership revoked and earn a big fat F ranking. It’s no golden poo, but it’s a start.
No, You Can't Get Rich Quick Via Twitter
By 7.7.09
The Better Business Bureau warns job-hunters and other money-seekers that no, you can’t earn massive amounts of money through secretive Twitter tricks.
NY Attorney General Fines, Closes Down Infamously Scammy Camera Stores
By 7.1.09
If you bought cameras or electronics from any of these stores recently you were probably scammed: Best Price Camera, Foto Connection, 1 Way Photo, 86th Street Photo, Broadway Photo, Camera Whiz, and Sonic Photo. Or perhaps you bought something online from one of their astonishing array of alter egos and websites (see full list).
That Probably Isn't Really Michael Jackson's Stuff You're Buying, BBB Warns
By 7.1.09
We know how it is. As soon as a big star dies, you feel the immediate urge to buy his old stage-used sweat rag on Craigslist.
