BBB Membership Standards

To be a member of the Better Business Bureau, an applicant must, at a minimum:

I. Area Ties
Be in business in the Bureau's service area for not less than six months, or such longer period of time as necessary to evaluate an applicant's record, unless:

• The principals previously operated a firm with a satisfactory record in this or another Bureau's service area, or
• The firm is a branch of an existing member or company which has met these standards, or
• The business has moved from or is an expansion of a firm in another Bureau city where it maintained a satisfactory record, or
• The company has signed a Pledge to Arbitrate agreement and/or an ADR precommitment program with the Bureau and is not engaged in a type of business that historically generates unresolved complaints or patterns of complaints.

II. Membership Dues
Sign the Membership Application and pay the appropriate dues and fees as set by the BBB.

III. Background Info
Supply background information about the company, its principals and/or other information deemed essential to the Bureau's responsibility to provide inquiriers with factual reports which bear on the reliability of the business.

IV. Licensing
Fulfill all licensing and bonding requirements by applicable city, county, state and federal agencies and authorities, provide license numbers upon application for BBB membership and provide periodic updates on request of the local BBB..

V. Customer Service
Promptly respond to any and all complaints forwarded by the Bureau, and make a good faith effort to resolve all such complaints in accordance with generally accepted good business practices.

VI. Arbitration
Comply with any decisions rendered through Bureau arbitration programs in which the firm agrees to participate.

VII. Complaint Prevention
Cooperate with the Bureau in efforts to eliminate the underlying cause of patterns of customer complaints which the Bureau may call to the company's attention.

VIII. Self-regulation
Cooperate with the Bureau's activities and efforts to promote voluntary self-regulation within the business's industry.

IX. Policy Adherence
Adhere to established Better Business Bureau standards of advertising and selling, and cooperate with the Bureau in matters relating thereto.

X. Non-actionability
Be free from any governmental action concerning the marketplace and its customers that demonstrates a significant failure of the company to support the principles and purposes of the Better Business Bureau. A membership must be suspended by the BBB's board when an action is filed if the allegations suggest such a failure.

XI. BBB Logo Integrity
Refrain from using the name or logo of the Better Business Bureau for commercial, sales or advertising purposes in any manner not specifically authorized in writing by the BBB.

XII. Probity
Support the principles and purposes of the Better Business Bureau and not engage in activity that reflects adversely on the Bureau or its members.