Hello all!
I am looking for someone to assist my company with an ongoing issue we are having with the Better Business Bureau and BBB.org. We started my company last year, and during that time, we created a profile on BBB.org. Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research at the time and now know this was a terrible mistake. We, as most, thought that they BBB was an organization that was looking to really help businesses, but have since learned it is the opposite.
If you are familiar with the BBB, you can view company profiles and see reviews, complaints, and company information. Our BBB profile is quite bland. It only "exists". When we started putting effort into our profile to see how we could use it to our benefit, we found out that the BBB is essentially a private subscription service. They want us to "pay to play". You have to pay money to be accredited, which is not something our company is willing to do. So when you view our profile, we have zero complaints, zero reviews, an "A-" rating (which has absolutely no meaning), and a big stamp that says not accredited. So, on the off chance a customer views our profile, their attention is immediately drawn to the "not accredited" section. This is something that we have to constantly explain to customers and usually makes customers weary of doing business with us because they don't actually understand what "not accredited" actually means. They view it as we are not a "legitimate company".
Which brings us to our problem. We reached out to the BBB and asked if they would remove our profile, and they said they would not.
This profile is hindering our business and damaging our reputation. My company should have a legal right to manage its own online presence, reputation, audience, and information. So I need help with pressuring them to delete our profile. We have no obligation to maintain a profile with the Better Business Bureau and we are beginning the journey to get this profile removed. I am not sure what this process looks like, but I do know, through much research, the first step is a cease and desist. I understand what a cease and desist is, and my team and I have agreed that this is the first step, as it is the least invasive, and quickest method. So if you believe you are able to assist, let us know! Thank you!