The Better Business Bureau

History

The inception of the Better Business Bureau has been credited to the court case initiated by the government against a number of firms, whose number included the Coca-Cola Company, in 1906, after the Pure Food and Drug Act had been written into law. As a result of the trial (the legal charges had been determined to be unfounded) Samuel C. Dobbs, sales manager of Coca-Cola Company and later its president, took up the cause of truth in advertising.

In 1909, Dobbs became president of the Associated Advertising Clubs of America, now the American Advertising Federation (AAF), and began to make speeches on the subject. In 1911, he was involved in the adoption of the “Ten Commandments of Advertising", one of the first codes of advertising developed by groups of advertising firms and individual businesses. Similar organizations in succeeding decades, such as the National Better Business Commission, Inc. of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World (1921), and the National Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (1933) merged to become the Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc in 1946 . This association functioned until 1970 when it was merged into the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

The Better Business Bureau name and torch logo are federally registered trademarks. Use of the logo is limited to the Member Identification (MIP) logo for printed materials and is not for online use. Online use members must join the BBBOnline Security Seal program.

Dispute Resolution

Companies that join the BBB pay a membership fee and are asked to meet and maintain requirements of membership of the BBB. Members who agree to the BBB dispute resolution procedures may identify themselves as BBB members. The BBB claims that if members fail to these standards, their memberships may be revoked.

Dispute resolution procedures are regulated by the Council of the Better Business Bureaus. All BBBs are required to be members of this council; there is no such thing as an independent Better Business Bureau. At a local level the bureaus are governed by a board of directors. Though all bureaus are regulated by the Council, the Council is controlled by local BBB representation.

Complaints about the practice of professions like medicine, law and accounting are not handled by the BBB and are referred to agencies regulating those professions.

Often many Attorney Generals offices around the nation(if not all) suggest consumers check with the BBB as well as attempt to get your complaint resolved with the BBB first. The BBB takes a large work load off of the Gov.

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