Arlington, VA, September 4, 2001 - The Better Business Bureau system released for the year 2000 its annual Top 15, a listing of business categories with the most inquiries and complaints to the nation's BBBs. In total, Better Business Bureaus (BBBs) in the United States and Puerto Rico provided more than 25 million instances of service to consumers and businesses around the world in 2000.
Information Services
Most requests to the nation's 128 BBBs are pre-purchase inquiries from the public seeking to check out the reliability of specific businesses before making purchases or investments, or the accountability of soliciting charitable organizations before making a giving decision. In 2000, almost 10 million consumers and businesses contacted the BBB to request reliability reports on businesses or charities; another 2.6 million accessed BBB reliability reports online through the www.bbb.org Web site. BBBs report on member companies, as well as businesses that are not BBB members but have generated inquiries or complaints from the public.
Other contacts to the BBB in 2000 were for counseling or general information to assist in making a purchasing, investment, or charity donation decision. Such general information requests - both online and offline -- totaled close to 10.3 million.
Complaints and Dispute Resolution
Customers of businesses across the country also rely on the BBB more than ever before for assistance in resolving disputes. BBBs assisted with 2.7 million complaints in 2000 by offering complaint counseling or referrals that enabled consumers to pursue finding a resolution to a dispute. More than 410,000 complaints, originating from either consumers or businesses, were formally processed by the BBB. The overall resolution rate for all processed complaints in 2000 was 68.7% - a four percent improvement from the previous calendar year. BBB AUTO LINE, a special warranty-related dispute program for the automobile industry, assisted 31,741 consumers in 2000.
Advertising Review and Trade Practice
Since its founding, the BBB has worked for "truth in advertising," asking businesses to voluntarily change or halt advertising or selling claims that appear to be false, misleading or deceptive, or that cannot be substantiated.
In 2000, BBBs advertising review experts at the national and local levels reviewed 4,625 advertisements.
BBB SYSTEM'S "TOP 15" FOR 2000
Following are rankings of the 15 types of businesses that generated the most inquiries and complaints to Better Business Bureaus in 2000.
2000 RANKING OF INQUIRIES
| Rank |
Type of Business |
Number of Reports |
| 1. |
Work-at-Home Promotions |
270,517 |
| 2. |
Roofing & Guttering Contractors |
266,838 |
| 3. |
General Contractors |
228,345 |
| 4. |
Home Remodeling Contractors |
168,442 |
| 5. |
Moving and Storage Companies |
163,321 |
| 6. |
Automobile Dealers - Franchised (new & used sales) |
156,324 |
| 7. |
Mortgage & Escrow Companies |
145,784 |
| 8. |
Auto Repair (except transmission) |
115,135 |
| 9. |
Home Builders |
107,781 |
| 10. |
Plumbing Contractors |
106,862 |
| 11. |
Air Conditioning Repair Contractors |
90,352 |
| 12. |
Swimming Pool Service & Supplies Contractors |
89,450 |
| 13. |
Credit Card Offers & Plans |
83,699 |
| 14. |
Pest Control Services |
77,775 |
| 15. |
Windows Installation & Services |
77,736 |
2000 RANKING OF COMPLAINTS
| Rank |
Type of Business |
Number of Complaints Processed |
| 1. |
Automobile Dealers-Franchised (new & used sales) |
17,431 |
| 2. |
Mail Order & Catalog Shopping |
9,725 |
| 3. |
Home Furnishing Stores (exc. mattress, windows, floor coverings) |
8,532 |
| 4. |
Telephone Companies |
7,964 |
| 5. |
Computer Retailers |
7,890 |
| 6. |
Credit Card Offers & Plans |
7,373 |
| 7. |
Auto Repairs (except transmission) |
7,048 |
| 8. |
General Contractors |
6,424 |
| 9. |
Banks |
5,825 |
| 10. |
Used Car Dealers |
5,520 |
| 11. |
Long Distance Telephone Companies |
5,081 |
| 12. |
Work-at-Home Promotions |
4,940 |
| 13. |
Moving & Storage Companies |
4,912 |
| 14. |
Internet Services |
4,608 |
| 15. |
Credit Collection Agencies |
4,451 |
The CBBB 2000 Annual Inquiry and Complaint Summary offers data on 1,050 business categories, which are ranked by number of report requests and complaints to BBBs.
