What is the Importance of BBB Accreditation for Consumers?
Obtaining and presenting the famous ‘BBB Accredited’ seal can turn out to be a sound long-term investment for any business.
To the potential customer, it means that the business has been thoroughly vetted by a reliable, objective, independent, third-party consumer organization, and it deserves their trust and confidence.
Additionally, businesses that have been successfully approved by the BBB are committed to making an effort of good faith to resolve any consumer complaints directly with the customer.
If that effort fails, they are obligated to answer to the organization and participate in a BBB dispute arbitration and resolution process which helps consumers to resolve problems with businesses.
Why Does It Matter From The Consumer’s Perspective?
Since businesses are under no obligation to seek accreditation from the agency, those who do apply know that they will be under the lens of the BBB’s microscope.
They fully understand that if they’re not a genuinely legitimate business that complies with each and every one of the organization’s strict rules and guidelines, they will not be certified.
That’s why in most cases, only truly decent companies have the incentive to go through this process.
Poorly-run companies, and especially scammers and fraudsters, have no real motivation to seek an accreditation.
After all, as far as they’re concerned, it will be a total waste of time and money.
They know they will not be approved – so why even bother in the first place?
In the digital age, most consumers do their homework before contacting and eventually selecting who they’ll do business with.
Online research often includes checking the company’s BBB rating and other information that exists on their public report.
Finding out that a certain business has received Better Business Bureau accreditation is a significant indicator that it meets high ethical standards in the marketplace.
In addition, consumers who are familiar with the way the organization works can restrict their search only to businesses that were approved and certified by the agency. This helps to save time and consider only trustworthy companies.
To sum up, dealing with a company that has passed the BBB’s scrutiny substantially minimizes the chances of falling victim to fraud, scams, rip-offs, unethical behavior, or any other criminal, illegal, unethical or dishonest acts.
For the customer, it’s a great way to reduce risk and increase confidence that they’re making a sound choice.