lilkat-ja66

I just recently had a company that unlawfully obtained my account information through an affiliated company and then proceeded to charge me under the pretence that I somehow had an account with them. I got the whole thing taken care of with my bank and have changed all of my account information and have reported them...but what now? I googled the company and there are literally thousands of reports of people who were victims of the same scam and they date back several years. So it makes me think...why hasn't BBB done anything to stop them? (btw, the company is Privacy Matters)

JuanBond

For the most part, the BBB only compiles these complaints. It is up to the consumer to check with the BBB before they deal with a company they're not sure of. Additionally, a business cannot be "BBB approved" if they have complaints.

pkz69968187

BBB is a business membership organization. Businesses that are members pay dues to the BBB. Now if you were the BBB and you get money from business to join your club, would you want to really make your business members look bad?Would you bite the hand that feeds you?

LauraG

I don't know how much they actually do. But if the company cares about their reputation sometimes a letter to BBB is enugh to get the problem solved. If this is the type of company that has lots of complaints and no change in practice. It is time to contact legal advice instead of BBB. I think of BBB as a nice start. The fact is, if people will still work with this company dispite all the complaints then they probably won't stop until legal means are taken(or at least threatened). There is this company pre-paid legal. It has a low fee and they will write a threatening letter or make a phone call from their attorneys on your behalf. That might be enough to get this company to straighten up. That is, if it is that important to you. Hope it helps!

caffeyw

The BBB is not a regulartory authority. All they function as is a central location for posting comments/complaints. If something is illegal then the police must be notified.

whitefangz1

The Better Business Bureau does nothing to stop them for the simple reason that the Better Business Bureau CAN'T stop them. There is a popular misconception that the BBB, when contacted about a dishonest business, will step in to get your money back and then try to shut the company down. They won't. They can't. They are not a government agency. They are a private organization and they lack any power or authority to take any action against any company.If you complain about a company to the BBB, they will forward your complaint to the company and forward that companys response back to you. They will not get involved beyond relaying the communication back and forth. To be honest, they a pretty much worthless in helping to resolve a problem and they even acknowledge that fact. Instead, the primary function of the BBB is to provide a database of complaints against various companies. You are supposed to check with the BBB before doing business with someone to find out if they are honest and reliable. When someone says, "I'm going to report you to the BBB!" most companies just laugh and laugh because they know that the BBB does not get involved and has no authority to get involved. It's a little like someone getting mad at you and threatening to report you to Better Homes and Gardens. Who cares? What are they going to do about it? Nothing.The only people with authority to do anything are people who work with government agencies. Police, FBI, Postal Inspectors, etc. are the ones to call if a crime has been committed. (The Secret Service handles credit card fraud.) You can also report things to the FTC, FCC, or whatever regulatory agency oversees the type of company that has violated state or federal regulations. You only report things to the BBB as a way of warning other people about a ba business. That is the sole function of the BBB.

GodsOfThunder

From what I have read of their Vision, Mission and Values on the website, I do not see it as being their responsibility to do so, UNLESS the business who scammed you was a member!

LARRYJ7

In short, the BBB is an entity in business that receives complaints from consumers about businesses that have in some way "displeased" the individual in some manner. They, in turn, contact that business and give them the short form of the complaint and ask for their response to it.... and, give them a certain amount of time in which to reply. All that business has to do is respond to the complaint.... it really doesn't matter WHAT that response is.... and, they go on record as.... having responded to the complaint..... There is no legal action initiated or carried out BY the BBB on any complaint or abuse of consumers..... they simply keep a record of the complaints and the responses.....The primary use of the BBB by individuals is expected by the BBB... to be a place where individuals that are thinking of doing business with a particular company.... can check and find IF there are complaints about them.... how many.... IF they "respond" to complaints that are made.... ect....And, alot of good that does one... if the company in question was someone that you never initiated business with to begin with.... huh ?AND, in most cases, businesses that are into scamming people KNOW how powerless the BBB truly is.... and, that most people NEVER think to check with the BBB about such matters before hand..... and, therefore, couldn't possibly care less ! Let alone the business that go after people by such means that you have mentioned herein !One's best choice for a manner in which to "go at" a company such as this.... is through your state's Attorney General's office..... These are people who are not interested in a company's "paperwork responses" to complaints.... nearly so much as the actual legal processes that can levy large fines.... and even jail terms for "scam" operations !!