Better Business Bureau

[Optimistic Paranoid]

So I've been hunting for a vehicle using all the usual suspects - craigslist, ebay, autotrader.com, WantAd Digest - without much luck as far as private sales go.

I did find a couple of interesting vehicles at a dealer about 50 miles away, and I was all set to head over there to take a look.  On a whim, I decided to check for any online reviews of the place.

Wow!  Numerous complaints to the Better Business Bureau, of which the dealer was NOT a member.  Lots of negative reviews on Yelp.  Turns out this place photoshops the pictures they put online, the vehicles almost always look worse than the online ads.  Plus all vehicles are sold As-Is, no warranty.  When it breaks, your on your own.  Plus they add some very high "dealers fees" to the advertised price. 

Needless to say, I won't be going over there.

I did find one vehicle at a different dealer.  That dealer is a member of the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating from them.  Only two complaints in the last year, and both settled to the Bureau's satisfaction.  No negative reviews on Yelp.

I was wondering if anyone else here has any experience in dealing with Better Business Bureau - well, "approved" isn't the right word, I guess, but you know what I mean.  How reliable is a good rating from them?

Regards
John 

 

[jimindenver]

We use to be part of the BBB and can tell you that it's not what it use to be. Back when I joined you had to be open for years without complaints to get a A+. Now it's a pay to play business and complaints have nothing to do with the rating system anymore. We dropped to a B rating as soon as we stopped paying even though we never have had a complaint. A business that pay can have many complaints and retain their A+ rating as long as they respond to the complaint. In the case of a roofer I complained against that didn't finish parts of the job that were in the contract, he responded by saying we had a verbal agreement that he didn't have to do it. The roof was a sieve and not finished but the BBB considered it "resolved"

 

[GotSmart]

Just like Angie's list. (and the IOC)

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

yep, pay to win. yelp is a different story tho, as it is user powered.

 

[masterplumber]

I echo the thoughts on BBB and Angie's List. A history of complaints are one thing, but I don't put a lot of stock in one complaint, or the fact that a company isn't a member. My company isn't a member of either, and I see no cost benefit for me to be one, since I do my best to never leave a job until even the pickiest customers are satisfied. You even have to be careful of Yelp, as I've seen cases of companies having employees go on and write positive reviews just to up their ratings. It actually happens even on places like Amazon. Unfortunately, the best bet is still good old word of mouth.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I'm now operating on the theory that a GOOD reputation doesn't necessarily mean anything, but a BAD reputation is probably fairly accurate, so I won't do business with the ones with a bunch of complaints.

Regards
John

 

[masterplumber]

I think that is a good way to look at it.

 

[SoulRaven]

yep, pay to win.  yelp is a different story tho, as it is user powered.

Yes and no.  It take customer reviews with a huge grain of salt because frequently all of the negative posts are actually posted by the competition.
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