Details of customer reviews, complaints available from BBB

The Better Business Bureau is where consumers turn to find businesses and organizations they can trust. When consumers call the BBB or go to www.bbb.org, they can find business reviews on companies with A-plus through F ratings. However, there are two fairly new features some consumers may not know about. These features will help consumers get even more information on companies when they visit the website.

One feature allows consumers to read actual customer complaints and company responses. The BBB publishes the actual text of customer complaints and business responses as part of each business’s BBB Business Review.

“Customers want more information about businesses, and that’s exactly what we’ll give them,” said Charlie Mattingly, president/CEO of the BBB serving Elizabettown, Louisville, Southern Indiana and Western Kentucky.

BBB is testing customer reviews of businesses as another online feature. These reviews offer consumers a chance to post comments, positive or negative, that will help others in the search for a business they can trust.

BBB research shows consumers want BBB business reports to contain more information, including positive information about business and more details about customer complaints.

“BBB is satisfied that these reviews will help good businesses build customer confidence through positive customer feedback,” Mattingly said. “But we’d be kidding ourselves to believe that all customer comments will be positive or entirely fair. Good businesses can expect many positive reviews and set themselves apart from the few ‘bad’ businesses that can be expected to collect more critical customer reviews.”

The BBB is monitoring customer reviews, so the review does not post instantly, and BBB reserves the right not to post reviews deemed “over the edge” in accusations against a business, or that might appear to be seriously misleading to the public. But the overwhelming majority of reviews will be posted without editing within 24 hours of submission to the BBB website.

Customers who want to post reviews can visit the company’s BBB Business Review at www.louisville.bbb.org and click on “Submit a Customer Review.” The submission form includes step-by-step instructions in creating the review. Businesses are alerted by email when a customer review is posted and have 24 hours to respond to negative customer reviews prior to the review being made visible in the company’s BBB Business Review.  

Cathy Williamson is manager of the Lincoln Trail Area branch of the Better Business Bureau. Contact her at (270) 982-1289 or cwilliamson@bbbkyin.org.