BBB Investigation Pt. 1

(11.07.05) —
WHEN YOU NEED ADVICE ON A REPUTABLE MECHANIC, AUTO
DEALER OR MOVER... YOU CALL THE "BBB.", BETTER BUSINESS
BUREAU.
NO ONE IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART
RIGHT?
FOX-31 UNDERCOVER HAS UNCOVERED EVIDENCE THAT MIGHT
MAKE WONDER.
Norma Veach/Foremer BBB Employee: "Those reports they can make them
say whatever they want."
SOME WOULD CONSIDER NORMA VEACH A "WHISTLE BLOWER"
OTHERS (LIKE BBB PRESIDENT JEAN HERMAN) CATEGORIZE NORMA
AS A "DISGRUNTLED FORMER EMPLOYEE."
Jean Herman/BBB President: "All companies have disgruntled employees
and she happens to be one of ours."
FOX 31 UNDERCOVER SPENT MONTHS REVIEWING SWORN
STATEMENTS MADE BY BBB EMPLOYEES (AS PART OF A PENDING
AND UNRELATED COURT CASE).
WE'VE TALKED WITH BUSINESS OWNERS AND RESEARCHED THE
BACKGROUNDS OF CURRENT BBB MEMBERS.
WHAT WE'VE UNCOVERED .... THE DENVER/BOULDER BBB MIGHT
NOT BE YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR CHOOSING THE MOST RELIABLE
BUSINESSES.

TWO LOCAL CAR DEALERSHIPS ... BOTH MEMBERS WITH
"SATISFACTORY" RATINGS .... APPEAR TO HAVE VIOLATED BBB
STANDARDS.
THESE TWO MEMBER DEALERSHIPS BOTH HAD LICENSES PUT ON
PROBATION WITH THE STATE OF COLORADO AND WERE FINED
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR INACCURATE OR MISLEADING
ADVERTISING.
Norma Veach/Former BBB Employee: "That right there should disqualify
them from membership."
THE BUREAU IS REVIEWING THE "GOVERNMENT ACTIONS" WE
UNCOVERED.
Herman/BBB President: "We may have missed something .... it is possible."
WE ALSO INVESTIGATED HOW THE DENVER/BOULDER BBB INITIALLY
TREATS CONSUMER COMPLAINTS AGAINST MEMBERS VERSUS NON
MEMBERS ... AND HOW THAT MIGHT EFFECT THE "RELIABILITY" OF
THE BBB'S "RELIABILITY REPORTS."
Veach/Former BBB Employee: "People that paid the big bucks got more
privileges than just the regular small ma pa company that maybe couldn't
afford to be a member of the BBB."
MEMBERS GET THE COURTESY OF A PHONE CALL WHEN CONSUMER
COMPLAINTS COME IN.
Jean Herman/BBB: "With a member we will follow up with a phone call."
AND IN CASES WERE COMPLAINTS ARE MADE ABOUT MEMBERS
OVER THE PHONE THE MEMBERS GET 48 HOURS TO RESOLVE THE
DISPUTE.
Norma Veach/Former BBB Employee:"If you do then it doesn't even go on
your record."
"NON-MEMBERS" DON'T GET THAT SAME PRIVILEGE.
COMPLAINTS ARE SENT THROUGH THE MAIL, NO FOLLOW UP CALL
TO DETERMINE IT WAS RECEIVED.
AS PART OF OUR INVESTIGATION WE CONTACTED TWO "NONMEMBER"
CAR DEALERSHIPS THAT HAVE UNSATISFACTORY
RATINGS.
BOTH DEALERSHIPS HAVE A FRACTION OF THE COMPLAINTS ON
FILE THAT SOME "MEMBER" DEALERSHIPS HAVE .... (ONLY ONE EACH
IN THE LAST YEAR) .... AND NEITHER HAVE HAD THE KIND OF
PROBLEMS WITH THE STATE DEALER LICENSING BOARD THAT WE
MENTIONED EARLIER WITH THE TWO MEMBER DEALERS .... YET
BOTH ARE RATED "UN SATISFACTORY."
WE LEARNED THE POOR RATING IS A RESULT OF A SINGLE
UNANSWERED COMPLAINT ... COMPLAINTS DEALER MANAGEMENT
DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED.
Bob Meyer/GSM Infiniti - "Anything that comes across this desk we take care
of immediately. We have good satisfied customers at this dealership and I
feel cheated by the Better Business Bureau."
Jean Herman/BBB: "We handle 16-thousand complaints a year. Can I say all 16-thousand never had some issue that we didn't follow through in the way
we were suppose to no I can't. Can I say 99%? 99.9% Yes."
NORMA SAYS AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE BBB SALES STAFF
USED THE FACT THAT MEMBERS AND NON MEMBERS ARE INITIALLY
TREATED DIFFERENTLY AS PART OF HIS SALES PITCH.
AND ANOTHER FORMER BBB EMPLOYEE STATED "UNDER OATH"
THAT THIS PARTICULAR SALESMAN WOULD TELL COMPANIES
(QUOTE) "IF THEY DIDN'T BECOME A MEMBER OF THE BUREAU HE
COULD GUARANTEE THEM THAT THEY WOULD RUN INTO SOME
SORT OF CUSTOMER SERVICE ISSUE."
Norma Veach/Former BBB Employee: "He would sit there on the phone and
lie and strong arm and basically threaten businesses into membership."
AND APPARENTLY WHEN STAFF COMPLAINED ABOUT THESE
TACTICS THEY WERE TOLD THIS SALESMAN WAS THE BBB'S TOP
MONEY MAKER.
ACCORDING TO JEAN HERMAN THAT SALEMAN WAS ULTIMATELY
FIRED.
AS FOR OUR STORY ..... HERMAN DEFENDS THE BUREAU SAYING ....
Jean Herman/BBB President: "Are we absolutely 100% perfect? No we're
human. Are we doing our mission day by day committed? Absolutely."