Latest Stats On Most Complained About Industries Posted By BBB

WALLINGFORD — According to the annual Better Business Bureau complaint report, consumers filed 1.1 million complaints against North American businesses in 2010, reflecting a ten percent increase over the previous year.

Consumers also turned to the nonprofit organization more than 87 million times for help researching businesses across North America, a whopping 37 percent more than in 2009.

“The annual complaint statistics report is a snapshot of activity in the 2010 marketplace,” according to Connecticut Better Business Bureau President Paulette Scarpetti. “The increase in complaints nationwide also shows a growing number of consumers are relying on BBB for help resolving disputes.”

The cable and satellite TV industry drew the largest number of complaints with 30,985, the cellphone industry ranked second with 27,293, and the third most complained about type of business in 2010 is new car dealers, with 24,698 complaints across the nation.

While these industries received the largest number of complaints, the report shows that they also have a higher rate of resolution with consumers than the average settlement rate (78 percent) across all industries in 2010.

Cable and satellite TV resolved 98.6 percent of complaints, a slight increase from 2009; the cellphone industry resolved 92.1 percent; while new car dealer companies resolved 87.4 percent of all complaints.

“Major companies that conduct a large volume of business will tend to have a bigger number of complaints,” Ms Scarpetti said. “This is why BBB encourages consumers to consider how a company responds to individual complaints.”

The report also reveals that the three million BBB Business Reviews are increasingly popular as a free tool for consumers to research the trustworthiness of businesses. BBB Business Reviews — which contain information on a business’s accreditation status, letter-grade rating, and complaint history — were accessed more than 87 million times in 2010.

The most popular industries researched with BBB are roofing contractors, general contractors, and mortgage brokers.

“In this economic climate,” added Ms Scarpetti, “consumers are being more careful about how they spend their money. The best way to prevent headaches, wasting money and time when hiring professionals is to check them out first at www.bbb.org to ensure they have a good BBB rating before signing a contract.”

For a complete industry breakdown of all complaints filed with the BBB in 2010 go to www.us.bbb.org/statistics. Consumers can check out potential vendors’ marketplace record, select from a directory of BBB Accredited Businesses and file a complaint on the BBB website.