Description
The Better Business Bureau (BBB), founded in 1912, is a private, nonprofit organization whose self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 106 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the United States and Canada, coordinated under the International Association of Better Business Bureaus (IABBB) in Arlington, Virginia.
The Better Business Bureau is not affiliated with any governmental agency. Businesses that affiliate with the BBB and adhere to its standards do so through industry self-regulation. To avoid bias, the BBB's policy is to refrain from recommending or endorsing any specific business, product or service.
The BBB rating system relies on an A+ through F letter-grade scale. The grades represent BBB's degree of confidence that the business is operating in a trustworthy manner and will make a good faith effort to resolve any customer concerns filed with the BBB. The ratings system relies on a proprietary formula that takes into account 17 factors based on objective information and actual incidences of a business's behavior that have been verified and evaluated by BBB professionals.
Nearly 400,000 local businesses in North America are accredited by the BBB. The BBB prospects successfully vetted businesses to become dues-paying 'accredited businesses' that pledge and continue to adhere to the BBB Code of Business Practices. In return, the BBB allows accredited businesses in good standing to use its trademarked logo in marketing materials.
