Rating System and Accreditation
Until 2008, the BBB rated companies "satisfactory" or "unsatisfactory". On January 1, 2009, the BBB moved to a new system based on a school-style A+–F rating system. The 16 factors have been posted on each business review since the program’s inception and the details on the points awarded as well. Initially there was a 17th factor worth 4 points for businesses that were Accredited and paid a fee to BBB. That process was changed in November 2010 in response to criticism in the media and from the Connecticut attorney general who accused BBB of using 'pay to play' tactics. There are currently over 625,000 companies rated "A+" that are not accredited and pay no fees to BBB and almost 300,000 accredited firms with an "A+" rating that are paying annual fees.
If a business chooses not to provide basic information about his/her business, such as size and start state, the BBB does not have sufficient information and may assign a Not Rated (NR) rating. A low rating due solely to a company not providing information would read: "BBB does not have sufficient background information on this business."
A business is eligible for BBB Accreditation if it meets, in the opinion of the BBB, the "BBB Standards for Trust" There are eight BBB Standards for Trust that the BBB expects its Accredited or Member businesses to adhere to: Build Trust ("maintain a positive track record in the marketplace"), Advertise Honestly, Tell the Truth, Be Transparent, Honor Promises, Be Responsive (address marketplace disputes), Safeguard Privacy (protect consumer data) and Embody Integrity.
The Attorney General of Connecticut demanded that the BBB stop using its weighted letter grade system, calling it "potentially harmful and misleading" to consumers. Responding to the Attorney General of Connecticut and others, the BBB has since modified its letter grade system.
Read more about this topic: Better Business Bureau
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“We find ourselves under the government of a system of political institutions, conducing more essentially to the ends of civil and religious liberty, than any of which the history of former times tells us.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)