Blog for hpHosts, and whatever else I feel like writing about ....

Monday 11 November 2013

Info: BBB misrepesentation (fraud)

Not normally a fan of media sites, but this one I thought deserved attention. Not least because the sheer volume of misleading or otherwise malicious sites, that have had "good" BBB ratings over the years, meant we already knew they were meaningless;

The Better Business Bureau, one of the country's best known consumer watchdog groups, is being accused by business owners of running a "pay for play" scheme in which A plus ratings are awarded to those who pay membership fees, and F ratings used to punish those who don't.

To prove the point, a group of Los Angeles business owners paid $425 to the Better Business Bureau and were able to obtain an A minus grade for a non-existent company called Hamas, named after the Middle Eastern terror group.

"Right now, this rating system is really unworthy of consumer trust or confidence," said Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal in an interview to be broadcast as part of an ABC News investigation airing tonight on 20/20.

In an official demand letter sent to the national headquarters of the Better Business Bureau Thursday, Blumenthal called on the BBB to stop using its grading system, which he said was "potentially harmful and misleading" to consumers.


Read more
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/business-bureau-best-ratings-money-buy/story?id=12123843

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