Make Moving Simple

This is part 2 of our series on how to read a BBB report.
To read part 1: How to Read a BBB Report – Part 1

What a complaint resolution really means:
Resolution of a complaint does not necessarily mean that the complaint was resolved. It only means that the company that received the complaint made an effort, no matter how slight, to resolve the complaint.

Let me explain. Let’s use the example from above. The company received several service issue complaints. Maybe a customer said that they were rude. For this to be resolved with the BBB, the company only has to acknowledge the complaint with the BBB and agree to work something out.

Now, if this customer does not respond back after a certain amount of time, the BBB automatically “resolves” this complaint. The customer may not even be happy… it doesn’t matter. In the eyes of the BBB, the complaint is resolved. Even if the customer doesn’t agree with the resolution the company proposed, after a certain amount of time, it too is resolved in the eyes of the BBB.

In both cases the customer may not feel that the case was resolved in any manner and still be ticked off. Doesn’t matter with the BBB; it is resolved.

Here are the actual definitions that one BBB uses for complaint resolution:

COMPLAINT CLOSURE TYPE DEFINITIONS

RESOLVED
Response from company addresses disputed issues. Consumer has verified (either orally or in writing) that the complaint has been settled to his/her satisfaction or consumer has not verified that the complaint has been settled, but has not contacted BBB again to indicate dissatisfaction or to request further assistance.

UNRESOLVED
Consumer indicates (either verbally or in writing) that the company’s response to the complaint does not settle the matter and the BBB believes that the company’s response does not adequately address all the issues or make a good faith effort to resolve the dispute.

ADMINISTRATIVELY CLOSED
The BBB determined the company made a good faith and reasonable effort to resolve the issues, although the complainant was not always satisfied with the outcome.

NO RESPONSE
Company failed to respond to BBB after receiving the complaint.

Look at the second half of the “resolved” definition and the definition of “administratively closed” to see further clarification on my points above. Unfortunately, just because the company has “resolved” all of its complaints does not necessarily mean that it made the customer happy.

Averaging out the complaints with the size of the moving company:
In my example above I pointed out that this moving company had 11 complaints filed against them within the last 12 months. That is a lot of complaints. But what if this company is a large company, with a large volume of business? You should look at the number of complaints that a company gets against the size of the company (if available) for a better figure.

For example, a moving company that does 5 moves a month and gets 10 complaints a year versus a moving company that does 100 moves a month and gets 10 complaints a year. Which would you rather hire? I would go with the latter.

Every moving company is going to get a complaint at one time or another. It is inevitable. But look at the size of the business versus the amount of complaints, and that will give you a better determination of the quality and performance of the company that you are researching.

In the case with the moving company above; yes they are a larger moving company, but the number of complaints against them is still above industry norms.

Using the BBB to validate the mover’s address:
To be an accredited company with the BBB, you must provide your company’s information, such as the owner, address, phone numbers, and the amount of time that you have been in business. This is all very important stuff when looking at the moving company you may hire. A non-accredited business can provide this information to the BBB as well. This information is usually verified by the BBB for accuracy.

In the case of a moving company; if you find a company on the internet and they give a different address than what is listed with the BBB, this should raise a red flag. This is also useful information to have as you can then drive by the company you’re thinking about hiring and see how their premises look and the neighborhood they are in.

You may find that the company is in a bad part of town and would not feel safe going there, or you drive by and see that the building is in disrepair. Having that address prior to hiring the company is very useful. Most BBBs also have the address linked to both Google and Yahoo maps.

Conclusion
I believe in the BBB in general. I think it is a great organization. But don’t believe everything they have to say. There are flaws with their system, and it is open to corruption and manipulation. However, it has a lot of useful information like the BBB report, which if read correctly, can give you the story behind a company. Of course you can always call the BBB to get more information, and I have found them to be very helpful.

Use the BBB and its reports, but avoid making any decision about any moving company without thoroughly reading their BBB report and consulting others information sources.

Like G.I. Joe would say, “Know before you go. Because knowing is half the battle.”

The Better Business Bureau, better known as the BBB, is a non-profit organization that operates as a third party overseer of businesses. The BBB is supposed to protect you, the consumer, from frauds and scams. While you should always look to the BBB as a source of information when researching moving companies, it should not be regarded as the be-all end-all of any decision.

The BBB is far from perfect and there are flaws in its reporting system. However, if you know about these flaws you can better arm yourself against fraudulent moving companies out there. Knowing how to read a BBB report is your first tool. The BBB report is full of useful information that you can utilize to better understand a company’s performance and quality of service.

So let’s take at look at the BBB report.

What the report grade really means:

The letter grade is the first thing that you see when you look at the BBB report. Unfortunately, this is where many people stop their research. The letter grade simply means that the company has fulfilled its obligations to the BBB’s specifications. As you will see, an “A” rating does not necessarily mean you are looking at a good moving company.

The difference between accredited and non-accredited businesses

One of BBB’s qualifications is whether a company is accredited or non-accredited. Being an accredited company means that the company has a paid membership with the BBB. A non-accredited company means that it does not.

The BBB is completely voluntary. A moving company can elect to be a member or not. No company can be forced by the BBB to follow its standards or guidelines. Even if a non-accredited moving company chooses not to be a member, it still may follow BBB standards and guidelines if it so chooses. However, to get a better grade with the BBB you must be a member.

Different types of complaints (and which ones you should be concerned with):

There are many kinds of complaints that one can file with the BBB about a company. They can range from a company not fulfilling its warranties or being rude, to breaking things or outright theft and fraud.

Here is an example of complaints that one moving company has gotten within the last 12 months (They have an “A-” rating… you be the judge.)

• Billing and Collection Issues
• Customer Service Issues
• Delivery Issues
• Guarantee and Warranty Issues
• Selling Practices
• Service Issues

This particular company has had 11 complaints in the last 12 months, 6 of which were “Customer Service” and “Service Issues”.

This means 6 people have objected to the way they had been treated by this company to the point where they felt it was necessary to complain to the BBB. That is significant. You should be aware of this. It does not look like this company treats its customers very well.

They only had 1 incident with “Selling Practices”. That could mean that this company sold this particular customer a little too hard, or it could mean that they fraudulently misrepresented themselves. The BBB does not tell us this, but based on the above complaints I would not be surprised if it was the latter.

Look at all the complaints together and then make a decision on whether this moving company is a good company or not.

Continue to Part 2: How to Read a BBB Report – Part 2