• 09
  • February
    2012

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a national organization with chapters across the country, including one here in Dallas, Texas. Consumers turn to the BBB for information about businesses' trustworthiness.

Consumers may also bring complaints about businesses to the BBB, so it can have an impact on businesses' credibility and profitability. Accordingly, as a business owner or executive, being aware of the BBB and its accreditation system can be important.

The BBB states its mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust, and it aims to do that by:

  • Creating a community of trustworthy businesses
  • Setting standards for marketplace trust
  • Encouraging and supporting best practices
  • Celebrating marketplace role models, and
  • Denouncing substandard marketplace behavior.

The BBB also states that its network of national and local BBB chapters allows it to monitor and take action on business issues that may affect consumers, including business litigation.

Importantly, though, the BBB is not a licensing organization, and businesses are not legally required to meet its standards or to seek BBB accreditation, but evidence that a business meets BBB standards or is accredited by the BBB could be useful if the business ever encounters allegations of inappropriate behavior in conducting its business.

Although the BBB is neither the only resource available to consumers for information on the quality and trustworthiness of a business, nor the only judge of businesses' behavior, consumers may find it a reputable voice. For this and other reasons, it may be beneficial for business owners and executives to pay attention to it, too.

Source: Dallas Better Business Bureau