Atlanta, GA - November 19, 2010
Tags: Mechanic's Files Complaint Against Unfair BBB With FTC, BBB Unfair, BBB Rip-off, BBB Scam, BBB Fraud, BBB Complaints and BBB Abuse, BBB harassment, BBB retaliation, BBB sucks, BBB exposed on 20/20, Unethical Behavior of the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Commentary: The BBB must be held accountable for their illegal and unjust actions. Mechanic's Responds.com® News, LLC is VERY aggressive in Investigating, Identifying, Exposing, Commenting on, and Responding to any News Worthy Story specifically involving the unfair BBB, Corruption, Unfair Practices, Injustice, and Consumer Abuses Against Business.
Today, Mechanic's Responds.com News, LLC has learned that Mechanic's Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC, herein called "Mechanic's", has filed a Formal Complaint today with the FTC.
Mechanic’s Responds® has been reporting since 2007 that the Metro Atlanta BBB loves to turn its enemies, like Mechanic's, into the OCA, and other State Agencies, in order to cause "pain" to companies that dare speak out against the BBB or dare not to pay the BBB extortion money (so called "BBB Membership Fees").
Click HERE for a copy of the FTC Complaint filed against the BBB.
In their Complaint to the FTC, Mechanic's alleges the following against the BBB:
To: Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
Re: Complaint against Better Business Bureau of Atlanta
Address of BBB Atlanta 503 Oak Place, Suite 590 Atlanta, GA 30349; 404-766-0875
Dear Investigator:
As you may or may not be aware, on Friday November 12, 2010, ABC's 20/20 aired an investigation of the Better Business Bureau.
Here is a link for your information: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/business-bureau-best-ratings-money-buy/story?id=12123843&tqkw=&tqshow=2020
Among the findings of their investigation was an underlying scheme to coerce money from businesses for removal of negative information on their BBB report and to improve their grade to an A or higher. This has been going on for years.
In fact, this firm was a victim in 2007 of an attempted shakedown. When we refused to pay, we went from a Satisfactory rating to an Unsatisfactory rating within a few days of the telemarketing call. Later, when the grading system was implemented, we went from Unsatisfactory to an F.
So it wasn't shocking to us to see 20/20 discover that the Ritz-Carlton in Boston which has had a million customers and a total of two complaints receive an F. Wolfgang Puck stated he received an F when he refused to pay for membership. And the list goes on. You must see this investigation to believe it.
The Federal Trade Commission Act was passed by Congress in part to curb unfair trade practices, and unfair or deceptive acts that may affect business commerce.
You can imagine our concern when we see that your website refers visitors to the Better Business Bureau and even holds seminars sponsored by the BBB.
In accordance with this Act, we request that you stop promoting the BBB and immediately remove all references to the BBB from your website.
Here are our complaints specifically:
(1) The BBB fails to state on any of its A-rated recommendations that the grade the business received was bought and paid for. In the 20/20 investigation, the BBB allowed anyone to sign up, pay $425 by credit card and BOOM!, they had an A+ rating. The BBB granted an A+ rating to terrorist organization Hamas and to Stormfront.org, a skinhead, neo-Nazi website. The BBB states on its website that: "If a business has been accredited by the BBB, it means BBB has determined that the business meets accreditation standards which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints."
Among the accreditation standards, the BBB states: "An accredited business or organization agrees to: A. Have been operational (actively selling products or services) in any BBB service area for at least the most recent 12 months, unless the principal(s) previously operated a similar business with an eligible record (one that qualifies for BBB accreditation)....D. Be free of an unsatisfactory rating and maintain at least a B rating at the accrediting BBB and the BBB where it is headquartered, if different."
Because any business can sign up and immediately receive an A, the BBB is violating The Federal Trade Practices Act because they do not actually verify if the business has been operating for 12 months or require the business to have been operating for 12 months. In fact, the BBB has no rating on any business that is just signing up so it cannot comply with the "D" paragraph of their own accreditation standards which states the business has had a B rating or higher. This is fraud and deceptive. What grade did Hamas have before they signed up? B or higher? No. They had no rating at all.
The BBB may respond and state that they disclose the Pay-For-Grade policy they have. They may refer to this sentence: " BBB accredited businesses pay a fee for accreditation review/monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public."
Our response is as follows: Where is the monitoring for Hamas? Ritz-Carlton?
Plus this sentence states the BBB is actually reviewing the accreditation of businesses. When do they do this? At the time a business signs up and is granted an immediate grade? When did they check out Hamas? The BBB is very deceptive when they state it this way.
(2) But the BBB continues to violate the Act by disparaging other businesses by false or misleading representations. We have been disparaged by false and misleading representations from the BBB. Our firm is fortunate to have almost three thousand happy customers documented online with photos and hand-written material.
See:http://www.airconditioningatlanta.com/Mechanic's Atlanta HVAC Happy Customers Index.htm
We have transmitted this information to the BBB weekly for over two years.
Yet the BBB rates us a D+. Our competitor has been arrested, filed multiple bankruptcies and owes hundreds of thousands of dollars yet maintains an A+.
http://www.bbb.org/atlanta/business-reviews/heating-and-air-conditioning/reliable-heating-and-air-conditioning-in-woodstock-ga-4004103
Of course he paid for the grade. This a violation of the BBB's own standards.
(3) Furthermore, the Act covers deceptive telemarketing. It appears to us that the act of the BBB to telemarket to businesses and shake them down is a scheme to defraud a consumer or entity. Don't you think? Apparently the Attorney General of Connecticut Richard Blumenthal and New York Congressman Anthony Weiner think so as well. They are leading the wave of outrage that the BBB is nothing more than a scheme to defraud businesses out of their dwindling cash and the defraud consumers in to thinking that the BBB is actually doing any monitoring or accreditation review of a business. It is time this stopped.
We hope you start an investigation immediately, issue subpoenas and remove all references off the government websites referring U.S. citizens to this corrupt and dishonest organization.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Monty G. White, Jr. LLC Manager / Consultant
supervisor@mechanicsair.com
Clearly, the BBB (Better Business Bureau) is a scam.
Please
contact us at
News@MechanicsResponds.com if you have been the victim of the unfair BBB.
Mechanic’s Responds® encourages all interested parties to visit Mechanic's (Mechanic's Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC) ever growing list of thousands of happy and satisfied customers at this link:
http://www.airconditioningatlanta.com/Mechanic's Atlanta HVAC Happy Customers Index.htm
You can reach Mr. Fred Elsberry of the Metro Atlanta BBB via email at fred@atlanta.bbb.org.
You can reach J. R. Adams via email at News@MechanicsResponds.com.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. The information contained herein is believed accurate but is not warranted. We encourage all interested parties to verify the information contained herein on their own. The information contained herein was derived from public information sources, from our records, or from Reports or Complaints filed with us.
Copy Right 2009 - - Mechanic's Responds.com News, LLC - All Rights Reserved