It is amusing at times to see how misinformed the general public is on what the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is. Truth be told, the Better Business Bureau is more or less a club. In order for a business to be listed in the Better Business Bureau’s directory for complaints, the business has to pay a recurring monthly fee. So, if I was running an unscrupulous business, I would simply not pay the monthly fee to the Better Business Bureau so unsatisfied customers cannot report me as my business would be unlisted in their directory.

Additionally, the Better Business Bureau is an organization, nor a government entity. If I were to decide to continually rip-off customers, the Better Business Bureau cannot take any action against me as they do not have the legal authority as an organization. However, if I were a paying member, they may be able to fine me, but very few unreputable businesses would join the Better Business Bureau to begin with.

So what are the Better Business Bureau and their purpose then? They are an organization that acts as arbitrators between their paying members and dissatisfied customers. However, the Better Business Bureau is ineffective at dealing with some of the unscrupulous businesses in the United States as they have no legal authority. And, worse yet, customers cannot find out that a business is unscrupulous through the Better Business Bureau's website (http://www.bbb.org) unless that business is a member.