The Better Business Bureau

566 Words2 Pages

The Better Business Bureau (BBB), the mark that we all look for when researching a business. We have come to trust this organization and most of us felt that the BBB was an impartial party that was formed and existed to help the buyer make an informed decision. The BBB, like any other company or organization has had its share of controversy over the years, whenever there is a human element, there is sometimes ethical challenges and people make the wrong decisions. Ethical issue intensity comes into play when an individual or a group must make a decision whether the action they are about to take is unethical, and if so, in their opinion, how unethical. We can bring morals into the equation. What kind of moral compass does the individuals or group have? We see that there are instances in the BBB that chapters have acted on their own and created unethical environments. Most notably, a Los Angeles area branch, specifically the Southland Branch, was the target of an investigation. It was alleged, and later proven that the branch was involved in pay for play activities. Brought to light by ABC news show 20/20, in 2010, the Southland branch, headed by Kiry Peng, was expelled by the parent organization this year. In pay for play, the concept is, if you pay dues, you have a better chance of receiving a higher grade than the company that is not a dues paying member. In this particular case, some disgruntled members formed a fictitious company named, Hamas. Not recognizing the name, a designated terrorist organization, the branch awarded the company an A-, just for paying the dues. This and other examples of blatant unethical behavior has led to the expulsion. The BBB does not condone this behavior, and has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to rid the organization of branches that deviate from the ethical path.
There are other organizations that are used by the public to gain insight. Yelp! and Angie's List are two popular web sites that give customer feedback on companies that are members. The BBB does not grade on feedback, but the companies are graded on the handling of customer complaints made about them to the BBB. Angie's List and Yelp! are driven on actual customer feedback about their experience, both positive and negative.

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