NEW YORK, NY – The Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York has announced its annual Top Ten Complaint Categories, listing those business categories which received the most complaints in 2008.
Experiencing a 10% increase in complaints, Consumer Electronics topped the charts in 2008. Financial Services, came in at number two while last year’s number one, Mail Order, took a nearly 20% decline and fell to number three. Electronics complaints focused on retailers of digital cameras, cell phones and accessories, and televisions. Complaints against financial services providers ranged from issues with debt collectors and banks to advance-fee loans, ‘free’ grant offers, and credit cards. Within the mail order category, most complaints concerned periodical publishers, magazine dealers, and catalog shopping.
The category reflecting the greatest change from the previous year was Telecommunications, which received nearly 28% more complaints than in 2007, moving it from number seven to number four in the BBB’s rankings. Complaints in this category were spread across several different areas, including telephone companies, cable television providers, cellular telephone services, radio stations, newspapers, and publishing agents.
The number of complaints the BBB closed in 2008 increased by 11% over 2007. Consumers not only filed complaints with the BBB, but also inquired about specific businesses and in 2008, consumers made nearly 1.6 million inquiries via the internet, phone, and in-person visits.
“Rebuilding trust in the marketplace is critical and the BBB is working to do that every day. We provide vital information to consumers so they can make wise purchase decisions, and we urge companies to follow better business practices,” said Claire Rosenzweig, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York. “Before making a purchase or offering a product or service, the Better Business Bureau offers everyone a place to Start With Trust.”
The BBB’s roster of programs and services include the third BBB Foundation Charity Effectiveness Symposium, with support from American Express Foundation, The New York Community Trust, United Way of New York City, and Mutual of America. Representatives from approximately 250 local non-profits attended the symposium, which consisted of a half-day series of panels, talks and workshops designed to help charities measure and enhance their effectiveness.
On March 25, 2009, the BBB Education and Research Foundation will present its second BBB Live Foreclosure Prevention event, in collaboration with media supporter Univision WXTV-Channel 41, and generously sponsored by Banco Popular. The BBB Live call-in program aims to connect Tri-State area Spanish-speaking consumers who may be at risk of losing their homes with qualified sources of foreclosure prevention help. Last year, over 600 consumers contacted the call center, and were referred to legitimate housing counseling organizations for professional assistance. Spanish-speaking volunteers from Banco Popular, executives from nonprofit organizations, and attorneys from several NYC-area Bar associations are donating their time to assist callers. This is a project of the BBB’s Hispanic Advisory Committee, developed under the BBB Foundation’s Latino Initiative, an outreach program that seeks to meet the special needs of Hispanics in our community.
BBB also kicked off 2009 with the release of Managing Your Job Transition: Making Smart Choices after a Job Loss, an informational brochure produced by FINRA and tailored for New York State residents by the Better Business Bureau Serving Metropolitan New York. The brochure aims to help consumers manage finances, ask the right questions, and avoid fraud in the event of unemployment. The brochure and more information are available on our website: www.newyork.bbb.org/jobloss.
Later in 2009, the BBB will be hosting its second Corporate Social Responsibility forum on May 12th. The program, entitled Leading the Recovery: Restoring Transparency and Trust in Business, is intended to help corporate businesses learn and understand the importance of social responsibility, especially in the uncertain economic climate.
