People often think of the Better Business Bureau as a local organization to call when a complaint is to be lodged against a company. Local Better Business Bureaus are actually part of a national system providing a wide variety of services to businesses and consumers. To help you understand who we are, and how to use us, here is a primer in the major programs of the BBB system.
114 U.S. Better Business Bureaus (BBB): Each BBB is a 501 ( C ) (6) non-profit membership organization that is locally managed and funded by annual dues from its business members. The Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) is an umbrella organization that audits BBB operations to ensure compliance with 24 Standards and licenses each bureau to use the well-known BBB Torch logo. With oversight from a Board of Directors, BBB's have autonomy to provide programs of specific interest to their community. These programs commonly include business and consumer education; review of local advertising; reliability reporting on charities and business; and, dispute resolution. Business members are committed to customer satisfaction and identified in their BBB reports and (in most areas) may identify themselves as BBB members. Bureaus will expel members who do not comply with membership standards. Individual BBB's may have additional programs. Better Business Bureaus make their reports available online in a national database at search.bbb.org/search.html. To find the Better Business Bureau nearest you, please visit: lookup.bbb.org.
BBBOnLine Reliability Program: Members of a local BBB may register their Web site with the BBB to get a BBBOnLine Reliability seal. Committed to meeting all of the standards of regular BBB membership, Reliability members are given a special logo to place on their Web site that, when clicked, identifies them as part of the program. This identification helps consumers recognize credible online companies and encourages their confidence in shopping. There are more than 38,000 Web sites with the BBBOnLine Reliability logo. For more information and a list of these members, please visit: www.bbbonline.org/consumer.
14 Canadian Better Business Bureaus: BBBs in Canada operate similarly to those in the United States. Canadian BBBs can also be located at lookup.bbb.org.
Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB): The CBBB Mission is set and uphold high standards for fair and honest business behavior. In addition to being the umbrella organization for U.S. Better Business Bureaus, the CBBB operates a number of national advertising, charity and dispute resolution programs. The CBBB is a 501 ( C ) (6) non-profit organization funded by national companies supportive of industry self-regulation; dues from local BBBs; and fees derived from its programs. It is a force in national and international marketplaces for industry self-regulation. Founded in 1971, the Council is located in Arlington, VA.
Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU): A division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, CARU monitors and reviews national advertising directed toward children and works with companies not meeting CARU standards to revise their material. Funding is provided by advertisers who work with CARU to ensure their ads and web sites comply with CARU standards. CARU also offers an online seal for companies that comply with government regulations for online marketing directed toward children. For more information, please visit: www.caru.org.
National Advertising Division (NAD): A division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, NAD has been called "A model of self-regulation… the crown jewel," by Tim Muris, Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. NAD is a dispute resolution forum and alternative to court when there is a dispute regarding truth and accuracy in national advertising. Its process is faster and significantly less expensive than court and its rulings are traditionally upheld by courts and government agencies. NAD cases are published ten times a year in print and an archive of the cases is available online in a searchable database. For more information, please visit: www.nadreview.org.
Wise Giving Alliance (WGA): The WGA is a 501 ( c ) (3) non-profit organization and division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. It was formed in 2001 by the merger of the CBBB's Philanthropic Advisory Service and the National Charity Information Bureau. WGA evaluates national charities according to 20 Standards to give donors a basis for choosing credible charities. Compliance with these Standards are distributed quarterly in print and available online at www.give.org/reports. The WGA has recently begun issuing a seal to charities meeting its standards. This seal will indicate to potential donors that the charity meets the WGA's standards. The WGA is funded by the CBBB, individual donors, foundations and seal holders. For more information, please visit: www.give.org.
AutoLine: BBB AUTO LINE is the Better Business Bureau system's national program for the resolution of automotive disputes. The BBB AUTO LINE program is the largest program assisting consumers in the resolution of vehicle warranty disputes and is free to consumers. Commonly referred to as Lemon Law complaints, calls are answered at a center located in the offices of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. If arbitration is required to resolve the complaint, the consumer is directed to one of 141 hearing centers located around the country. National auto manufacturer participants include Audi, Acura, General Motors, Honda and Volkswagen. For more information, please visit lemonlaw.bbb.org.