final word on BBB!

[Oppresearcher]

if you really think that a good rating cannot be bought from the BBB then check this out. video professor has 804 complaints in the last 36 months (thats as of this am - it was only 774 yesterday) and he has an A rating and is a member in good standing. he has 3 times as many complaints as WALMART! there is no way any of you people who defend the BBB can look at this and say its legit - what a joke!
http://www.bbb.org/denver/business-r...enver-co-15503

[nomaxim]

The total number of complaints is only one factor in the overall BBB rating. The major factor is how a business responds to the complaints and the nature of the complaints. In this case,

These complaints were closed as:
775 Resolved
278 - Company resolved the complaint issues. The consumer acknowledged acceptance to BBB.
494 - Company addressed the complaint issues. The consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.
3 - Company offered a partial (less than 100%) settlement which the consumer failed to acknowledge acceptance to BBB.

29 Administratively Closed

You are aware that the BBB is not a law enforcement agency of any kind, they cannot force a business to do anything. They can not, nor do they attempt to, handle legal matters.

Here is a link to the grading system used bbb.org/business-reviews/ratings/overview. 'Complaint Volume' is worth 20 to 2 points and only comes into play if the number of complaints changes drastically. Also as long as a business responds to complaints in a reasonable matter their rating won't change.

Originally Posted by Oppresearcher

(thats as of this am - it was only 774 yesterday)

A Google cache taken 12AUG shows,

BBB processed a total of 759 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 759 complaints closed in 36 months, 434 were closed in the last year.

BBB Report today (18AUG) shows,

BBB processed a total of 804 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 804 complaints closed in 36 months, 482 were closed in the last year.

The number of complaints between 18AUG and 12AUG only show one more complaint then last year.
482-434= 48 complaints were closed in the last 6 days from a year ago.
804-759= 49 new complaints received in the last 6 days.

Even the numbers over a 3 year period don't change much in that 6 day period. The average number of complaints per month over a 3 year period has only increased about 1.2% in the last 6 days.
804/36= 22.3 complaints per month.
759/36= 21.1 complaints per month.
The numbers from last year,
482/12= 40.2 complaints per month.
434/12= 36.2 complaints per month.
A increase of 4% since last year.

And per the WhoIs info for Videoprofessor.com the website has been active since 26DEC1995, almost 14 years.

Originally Posted by Oppresearcher

he has 3 times as many complaints as WALMART!

Which Walmart?
Wal♦mart's appear to be listed separately, by location. The BBB search page lists 200 of them (I don't believe that the BBB search can list more then that number) and a majority of those are not 'Accredited Members' of the BBB.

Have you ever seen the BBB Report for 'Best Buy'?

BBB processed a total of 11778 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 11778 complaints closed in 36 months, 3600 were closed in the last year.

That's about 327 complaints a month or ~11 complaints a day. Yet they have a BBB rating of A-. There is only a 4 point difference between a 'A' and a 'A-'.

Also, note the part at the bottom of the 'Video Professor' BBB report about 'Free Trails'.

Industry Tips
FREE Trial Offers
A very prevalent practice seen in the marketplace today is using the "FREE Trial" method to sell products. This allows a potential customer to preview a product at no charge with the idea that the product will sell itself and the participant will end up purchasing the product. There are plenty of offers that have no strings attached; however, your BBB is here to educate you about the strings that are attached in many cases.

Then look at the 'Refund or Exchange Issues' complaint numbers of both the 'Best Buy' and 'Video Professor' BBB reports. The number of complaints about 'Refund or Exchange Issues' at 'Best Buy' are ~15% of their total complaints. 'Video Professors' complaints are ~40% of their total complaints.

The BBB has lowered this business's score for 'Advertising Issues',

BBB Rating
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of A.
Reasons for this rating include:
* Advertising issue(s) found by BBB.

The BBB should not be expected to penalize a business's rating because a consumer did not read or understand the purchasing agreement. All they can do is warn the consumer about it.

[Oppresearcher]

The BBB should not be expected to penalize a business's rating because a consumer did not read or understand the purchasing agreement. All they can do is warn the consumer about it.

What you just wrote above is a complete joke. the BBB gives companies bad ratings ALL THE TIME based on the fact that they do not like their advertising - you can defend them all you want but when you have over 800 complaints in a 36 month period it is OBVIOUS that something in their advertising is NOT being presented in a way that people are comprehending it - in other words its hidden or very inconspicous. if a company that was not a member did this and had all these complaints they would have an F!

yes i know they are not a government agency but that is only in small print on their website and most people think they ARE!

[nomaxim]

Actually, I've seen companies have there BBB Membership revoked.

Abe's of Maine about 2 years ago, resellerratings.com-abes-maine-run-away-fast got booted out for displaying a 'BBB Accreditation' logo they were not entitled too. The have since regained membership.

And Alienware right after they were bought out by Dell but before Dell took over, resellerratings.com/forum/merchant-discussion-shopping-advice/118227-stay-away-alienware.

Originally Posted by nomaxim

Membership Status: This company is not a member.
The Bureau processed a total of 675 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 675 complaints in the last 36 months, 393 of those were closed in the last 12 months.

The Bureau's report on this company is being updated. As of April 18th, 2006, this company's membership in the Better Business Bureau has been suspended, pending revocation by the Board of Directors.

Original post for that one.

Originally Posted by Oppresearcher

OBVIOUS that something in their advertising is NOT being presented in a way that people are comprehending it - in other words its hidden or very inconspicous.

Only 96 complaints in the last 3 years are for 'Advertising Issues' in the last 3 years, about 11%. So it does not appear "Obvious" to me. If you feel that way then that would be a legal matter and you can file a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General, which is where this company operates.

Colorado Sectary of State Business Registartion,

ID Number: 19951045044
Name: VIDEO PROFESSOR, INC.
Registered Agent: JOHN W. SCHERER
Registered Agent Street Address: 12055 WEST 2ND PLACE, LAKEWOOD, CO 80228, United States
Registered Agent Mailing Address:
Principal Street Address: 12055 WEST 2ND PLACE, LAKEWOOD, CO 80228 , United States
Principal Mailing Address:
Status: Good Standing
Form: Corporation
Jurisdiction: Colorado
Formation Date: 04/07/1995
Term of Duration: Perpetual
Annual Report Month: April

[45-70cannon]

Sorry but the BBB is for the businesses it represents. It is a convenient "hide behind" by many business that pay the BBB for the protection.
If you want to complain about a company and want action, go to the Board for Consumer Protection and watch the sparks fly then!