A business bureau is a nonprofit membership organization that helps consumers find trustworthy businesses. It also rates them based on their reliability and performance and serves as an intermediary when they have complaints.

BBBs have been in operation since 1912 and are dedicated to promoting marketplace trust. They publish ratings and Reliability Reports on businesses and BBB Wise Giving guides on charities.

It collects information on businesses

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a network of local chapters throughout the United States and Canada that collects and shares information on businesses. These bureaus rate businesses based on their reliability and performance, and help consumers resolve complaints against them. Consumers can file a complaint online or by phone, and the BBB will send it to the business, which will respond to it. The Bureau also maintains a database of business listings, including the name, address, phone number, and website of each business.

The Bureau also conducts an annual survey of small businesses and business owners. The survey collects data on selected economic and demographic characteristics of business and owner respondents. The survey focuses on ownership types, including minority-owned, female-owned, male-owned, and veteran-owned businesses. It is the only regularly collected source of this kind of information in the United States. The survey is authorized by Title 13 of the United States Code. It contains demographic information and other data, such as employment numbers.

It publishes ratings

A business bureau is a nonprofit organization that promotes marketplace trust and helps consumers avoid poor-quality businesses. It publishes ratings on companies based on reliability, performance, and their history of handling customer complaints. It also provides consumer education and facilitates the resolution of disputes between businesses and their customers.

The Better Business Bureau was formed in the early 20th century to fight against the abusive practices of local business owners who often ignored or mistreated customers. In the years that followed, BBB grew from a small group of volunteer advocates to a large membership organization that serves customers throughout North America and the world. However, the BBB isn’t without critics, and some say that its rating system is vulnerable to pay-for-play schemes like the one that led to the resignation of former Los Angeles CEO William Mitchell in 2011. The organization’s main value to consumers lies in its ability to publicize businesses that engage in unfavorable practices, but it doesn’t provide reliable information on every business.

It offers mediation

The business bureau offers mediation to help resolve disputes between consumers and businesses. Consumers and companies are often at odds over a service or product they have purchased, and mediation is an effective way to settle these disputes without going to court.

In mediation, a trained mediator guides the parties through the dispute resolution process. They will discuss each side’s position, share information and seek to develop a solution that will both satisfy the parties.

A mediation session typically lasts about an hour. At the end of the session, both parties will sign a written agreement.

BBB staff can also help a business and a customer resolve their dispute in an informal manner called conciliation. They work to present the consumer’s viewpoint and the business’s perspective in a neutral way. This usually results in settlement of the dispute quickly and simply.

It offers arbitration

The business bureau offers arbitration, which is a procedure that can be used to resolve disputes between businesses and their customers. This process is free to the public and has helped settle thousands of consumer complaints over the years.

Arbitration involves a hearing in which the parties present their cases to a neutral third party, known as an arbitrator. The arbitrator weighs the evidence presented to make a decision that is legally binding.

BBB maintains a pool of individuals who have volunteered to serve, at no pay, as arbitrators. They have been trained to conduct hearings and to make decisions in accordance with these Rules.

After a hearing is completed, each party receives a written decision, which is signed by the arbitrator and mailed to them. The decision may order an action to be performed, money to be paid or a combination of these remedies.

If you think a decision is wrong, you can request that the arbitrator reconsider his or her decision by sending BBB a written statement. If the arbitrator agrees, the decision and its reasons will be modified.