Better Business Bureau - largest fraud out there. ENRON continues to this day to have SATISFACTORY ratings. WHAT THE BBB DOESEN'T TELL YOU ..An inside investigation of questionable sales tactics and training Orlando, Florida Nationwide Internet

WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU AT THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU:

An inside investigation of questionable sales tactics and training at the Orlando, Florida Better Business Bureau revealed that the BBB accuses business of violating the same policies they themselves practice. Fraud-racketeering and deception to consumers and businesses alike.

There is an old adage, if you repeat a lie often enough, it will eventually be perceived as the truth. Such is the case with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a franchise operation that pretends to hold sway over the reputation of local businesses.

The BBB has done a masterful job of playing do as I say, not as I do, in that they accuse businesses of violating the same policies they themselves regularly violate in advertising and marketing their memberships. Lack of supporting evidence, high pressure sales and inflated value are just a few of the myriad problems plaguing this and many other BBB franchises.

A BOILER ROOM SALES SCRIPT
Our sources, current and former employees at the Orlando BBB, have supplied us with complete sales training script that looks like something out of the movies Glengarry Glen Ross or Boiler Room.

They use the hardest closes, take-aways, and do it now techniques, instead of giving the customer time to think about it or gather more information. In fact, in the training manual salespeople are told to say NO when a customer asks to have information faxed over about the bureau to help make a decision.

JUST LIKE THE POLICE?

In the introduction to their training guide for Business Relations Representatives, (i.e. salespeople), they compare themselves to the police department. If a customer objects to paying their membership fee, saying I don't need the BBB, the salesman is instructed to respond that it's like saying I've lived in this city for 30 years and I've never had to call 911.' So I'm all for getting rid of the Police Department. With no regulatory power (in fact they claim to be against more government regulation) and their discriminatory policies of reporting complaints for members versus non-members, the BBB are hardly the police. They're more like the accomplice driving the getaway car.

PLAYING BOTH SIDES OF THE FENCE
The BBB often touts its close affiliation with government agencies in enforcing laws and cracking down on unscrupulous businesses. In many government press releases from watchdog arms like the FTC and IRS or state Attorneys General, the BBB is prominently thanked for assisting in the investigations.

Yet in their documents they attempt to convince the business owner that they're just the opposite- a pro-business, laissez-faire advocate, AGAINST government intervention.

The bottom line is this, if the consumer loses [sic] confidence in the marketplace all business would suffer. I'm sure you'd hate to think about what would happen in the Government stepped in to police industries. More laws would be passed to regulate your business, probably drawn up by someone with little knowledge of your true needs. Licensing costs would skyrocket, compliance could be a nightmare and your cost of doing business would rise sharply.

STEALING QUOTES
In another section entitled What's In It For Me, the BBB has the audacity to take credit for coining the phrase, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Never mind that this is a modern variance of the Latin phrase caveat emptor, or Let the buyer beware.

An internet search of quotes pulled up no such link to the BBB as coining the phrase, nor was any proof offered by the BBB.

LIE TO GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR
Just like the sleazy telemarketers they target, the BBB uses the same tricks of the trade in teaching its salespeople how to get past the gatekeeper or receptionist who won't connect the salesperson to the decision maker.

Not only are they instructed to ask for the owner, but they're told to LIE their way in if need be.

Specific untruths in their sales script include:

Gatekeeper: I should be able to help you.
BBB Salesman: It's bureau policy that I speak to the owner of the company, so it'd be a great help if you would pass my message on to the owner.

No policy preventing the salesperson from talking to another person in the company exists according to current staff. This is only said because if a person wants to resist joining, they can use the objection well, I have to have the owner's approval. So getting the owner on the phone eliminates that objection.

The authors of this report have spoken to numerous member and non-member businesses, all of whom said the BBB salesman was more than eager to race over to pick up a check regardless of who they had to talk to. One can imagine the BBB in Redmond, Washington asking to speak to Steve Ballmer or Bill Gates at Microsoft. If you can authorize a check, you're THE ONE the salesman really wants to speak to. There is NO policy that says if a salesman DIDN'T speak to the owner, the check won't be cashed. It's merely a LIE to get past the secretary screening calls for the owner.

OBJECTIONS AND THE ONE CALL CLOSE-high pressure
Just like the stock pumping sharks in Boiler Room, BBB Salespeople are told THERE IS NO TOMORROW, and in a line straight out of Glengarry Glen Ross, one of the pages of their training manual exhorts them to ABC-ALWAYS BE CLOSING.

In addition, they are taught to focus on the bigger local business community whenever a business owner has an objection. The faulty logic is that somehow by policing' the community (although as we've shown earlier, they are against those government folks who have little knowledge of your business), the BBB benefits all businesses. Nowhere is it explained how reporting complaints on a telemarketing scam helps the local carpet store down the street.

THIS IS A TOTAL RED HERRING.' There is no proof or examples given of how reporting complaints on one type of company could help' a company in a completely different industry. Not one single piece of evidence from a company whose members must abide by the laws of fair advertising.

HIT YOUR NUMBERS- OR ELSE
I know I must make at least 100 calls today to be successful. I won't waste time beating up dead leads. I will not attempt to qualify or pre-judge leads as this is impossible. A good lead is any company in our territory who is not currently a member.

I realize that it is an honor and tremendous benefit to any company to be invited into the Bureau, and I truly believe this. I will work on the basis that there is no tomorrow. In other words, I must close the membership now. Call me tomorrow or next week is no good. It doesn't work. I need it NOW!
(all emphasis in the original)
Taken directly from the BBB Phone Relation's Mission Statement

If you had been told this mission statement was from a now out of business, shut down-by-government-regulators stock pumping company, you probably would have believed it. Yet it is taken verbatim from the BBB sales training guide.

I MUST CLOSE THE MEMBERSHIP NOW. Call me tomorrow or next week is no good. It doesn't work. I need it NOW! These are not techniques of a business that is concerned about making sure its clients are satisfied. This is the BBB.

MEMBERS VS. NON-MEMBERS- APARTHEID 2003

One would think that regardless of membership status, the Bureau, by its own high ethical standards, would fairly and accurately report complaints on members and non-members.

Hardly. There is a double standard for members who get complaints that is reminiscent of the apartheid laws in the old South Africa.

A member of the BBB that receives a complaint does NOT get that complaint reported UNTIL they have had an opportunity to satisfy the customer. That is, if they are able to satisfy the complaint within the member's allotted grace period, THE COMPLAINT IS NEVER REPORTED.

However, a NON-member that receives a complaint has that complaint AUTOMATICALLY added to their file. Even if the business then completely satisfies the client, it does not matter. The complaint REMAINS ON THE NON-MEMBERS' RECORD FOR 3 YEARS.

Again, members get a grace period to fix any complaints without them ever being reported. Non-members get the complaint reported immediately, negating much of the reason to try to fix the complaint since it will still be on their record for 3 years.

THE CUSTOMER'S ALWAYS WRONG!
In what has to be one of the most blatant examples of its focus on closing the sale by any means necessary, under daily goals for the salesperson Our Ideas to Improve Our Sales is #10- NO FAXING. In other words, if a customer simply wants to get faxed over some information (because mailing would negate the CLOSE THEM TODAY mentality that reigns at the BBB), the salesperson is NOT supposed to fax any information. After all, the customer might then have MORE questions and MORE questions keeps me on the phone longer when I should be talking to other potential sales victims/customers. It's all about the numbers..no matter what you have to say or do. NO FAXING.

UNFOUNDED CLAIMS

Basic BBB Facts- a few selected entries

1. The BBB deals only in facts.
3. The BBB is not a consumer protection agency.
4. The BBB is the un-government bureau.
5. The BBB is governed and funded by business but is not dictated to by business
10. The BBB is totally impartial

Point #1- the BBB only deals in facts.
The BBB takes every single complaint against a non-member (see section above) and treats it as if it is the truth. Absolutely no checking of facts is made. Cases have been brought to their attention where a complaint was from a customer who bounced a check for the item purchased or gave the merchant a wrong phone number, wrong address, refused to accept delivery, etc. Even complaints from employees of COMPETITORS are accepted as legitimate.' No matter, a complaint is a complaint is a complaint (unless you're a member of course, in which case you have a few weeks to get it fixed so it doesn't hit your report).

The Bureau makes up values to what its membership is worth that have no basis in fact or reality. While there is no argument that BBB Mediation/Arbitration (or ANY mediation/arbitration) is usually far cheaper than going to court, none of the BBB's other claims have a shred of supporting evidence to back them up. Sounds like the BBB doesn't believe in playing by their own rules of maintain[ing] fair advertising and selling practices.

Again quoting from their sales training guide:
What is One Worth?
One New Customer from our Type of Business List: Every day at the Bureau we receive calls like this; I'm looking for a good company to come and fix my roof. Who do you recommend? Well, the BBB does not endorse or recommend any company, but what we can do is send you a listing of our members in that industry and you can choose from that. Every time that happens, your company name will appear on that list. It's like bidding a job without ever leaving the shop. What is this service worth? $1000.

Note- no evidence of where the $1000 came from (certainly for a roof repair this is reasonable- but what about a restaurant, a convenience store, a bookstore or any of 100 other types of business that are solicited every hour by the BBB salespeople- how do they justify $1000 in sales at these establishments?) Further, even if it results in a small sale, you and every other business in your industry are listed. Not only is NOT like bidding a job where you can impress the customer, it's EXACTLY like something else- ADVERTISING. It's just like when someone opens the yellow pages to look for a bookstore or restaurant. The difference is, in advertising you can create an ad to stand apart from your competition, not merely be a listing among 20 other competitors. Also, because the Bureau CHARGES EXTRA for using its logo online, when someone pulls up your website, unless you shelled out hundreds extra for the online logo, there is no mention of your membership anywhere!

The sales guide also claims a value of $500 for one sale that is gained by displaying the BBB Plaque and Decal. You don't have to point it out, people look for it. What is one sale from this plaque worth? $500.

Again, not a shred of evidence. Nothing to support their claim. If it was any other business making this unsubstantiated claim the BBB would call them out for false advertising. But the BBB doesn't have to play by its own rules. Ask the restaurant owner if his AVERAGE check is $500. Only car salesman, general contractors and a few SELECT businesses can say they AVERAGE $500 a sale. To the vast majority of potential members, these so-called savings will never be realized from a single sale or even 20 or 50 sales.

PLAYING FAST & LOOSE WITH THE FACTS
Myth: The BBB is the un-government bureau.
Myth: The BBB is governed and funded by business but is not dictated to by business

Fact: The crme de la crme of false advertising is the $50,000 value the BBB generously gives itself for self-regulating' business as the un-government' bureau.

With tongue planted firmly in check the BBB claims: The plain truth is this: Business will be regulated. The question is, who will regulate it? Will you and your peers, working with an organization that you created called the Better Business Bureau, continue to support and further the cause of self-regulation in business? If not, the government is more than happy to step in and pass more rules and more regulations that can make it extremely uncomfortable, unprofitable and just about impossible to do business. No where [sic] else in the world has any organization of business done so much for so many for so little. ONLY IN AMERICA! What's it worth? $50,000.

REMEMBER, THE BBB CLAIMS THAT IT IS NOT DICATED TO BY BUSINESS! Why would it care if there is more regulation in certain industries? If anything, more government oversight and stiffer penalties might DISCOURAGE some sleazy operators from getting into certain industries. How can they claim they are not dictated to by business when they say the BUSINESS community is the one who must self-regulate?

Has the BBB ever fought AGAINST government regulation? Have BBB officers ever been called to testify before Congress that it was their view, as a non-profit organization created by businesses, that it would be detrimental to have more government intervention? You wonder what the folks in charge of maintaining the BBB's non-profit status would think if they saw how the BBB positions itself as a pro-business lobbying firm??

Are we to believe that when their big brother' the FTC, state Attorneys General or other government regulators say jump, the BBB doesn't ask how high?

Myth: The BBB is totally impartial:

Fact: Members are given a grace period to satisfy complaints. If complaint is satisfied during grace period, NO RECORD OF THE COMPLAINT IS KEPT. It is as if it never was sent.

Fact: Non-Member complaints are counted for 3 years regardless of whether it is baseless, sent in by a competitor, or whether the business fully satisfies the customer. The Bureau will update the file to show it was closed satisfactorily or not, but the complaint stays for 3 years. The BBB has allowed complaints from customers who, it was proven, bounced checks or stopped payment or refused delivery, only to claim later they never got their product.

Fact: The BBB claims that it is Bureau policy to only talk to the owner of the company when in fact numerous salespeople report that anyone authorized to sign a check is just fine with them- they want to get paid.

Fact: The BBB offers not one shred of evidence to support its outrageous advertising claims of how much a membership really' should cost. Numbers are gathered out of the air with no documentation or phone numbers of current members to substantiate claims- in violation of their own membership policies that prohibit false advertising.

Fact: The BBB doesn't like to call itself a sales organization, but without membership dues it would cease to exist. Its training materials are old' type sales training of the worst kind, straight out of movies like Boiler Room. Close the sale today. There is no tomorrow. Strange words from the kind and caring BBB, no?

Fact: The un-government' bureau does not lift a finger on behalf of business nor does it vocally object to any additional government regulations, in contradiction to its advertising once again.

Fact: Companies such as ENRON continue to this day to have SATISFACTORY ratings. The company is bankrupt for billions in fraudulent activities but that doesn't bother the great watchdog BBB. Adelphia, another bankrupt firm, also is listed as having satisfactory ratings. There are numerous examples of fraudulent businesses that operated with Satisfactory BBB ratings long after other REAL regulatory agencies had files full of complaints. Thousands of consumers were burned by relying on outdated or just plain wrong information. BBB membership provided the cover these companies needed to dupe thousands more customers. It is akin to blood money- taking a payment to overlook a killing- only this time the killings' were innocent consumers duped by the BBB's ratings.

Fact: The BBB pretends to represent all businesses when in fact, MAJOR companies from Disney to 99% of the Wal-Marts, Targets, Sears, McDonalds, Burger Kings, to Borders and Barnes and Noble Bookstores to Calvin Klein and Kenneth Cole, and dozens of other LEADING companies are NOT members of the Bureau. Why not if the value' of a membership is, in the BBB's own words, $76,000?

THE HARD, HARD CLOSE

Taken directly from BBB sales training guide. (emphasis in the original)

Always

Be

Closing

Everything you say should be leading toward closing on a new membership NOW with MONEY.

You have the sale until you open your mouth, then it's up to you.

You don't want to make a new friend-
You want a new customer.
__________________________________________________

Don't you feel special as a BBB member' after reading that? Realize you are nothing more than a commission check to the salesperson. To the heads of the franchise you are nothing more than a quarterly bonus goal they're hoping to hit to keep the franchise owner happy, just like the manager at your local McDonald's gets a bonus for selling more fries this quarter than last.

The BBB is pure and simply a HARD SELL, ONE CALL- ONE CLOSE SALES ORGANIZATION. They play the buddy to the government to get their names on government press releases when some fraudulent business gets caught, yet play up their independence' to potential members, implying that they'll go to bat' to keep those pesky government regulators at bay.

They practice the takeaway or reverse sale, where they make the client practically beg to get accepted, when all one needs is a check to cover the fees and a clean complaint history (not 0 complaints, simply that all complaints have been resolved with no pattern of problems). If the BBB had to limit its membership to companies with no complaints prior to joining it would be out of business. And they know it.

Mike
Deltona, Florida
U.S.A.

STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!