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https://consumerist.com/2011/06/10/9-confessions-of-a-former-geek-squad-geek/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek_Squad#Controversy

https://geek-squad.pissedconsumer.com/review.html

https://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/computer-repair/geek-squad-in-quakertown-pa-160210889/reviews-and-complaints

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/best_buy_geek_squad.html

I still remember the days of small, local ISPs. . . before they all got plowed under by Charter/Comcast/Cox/TimeWarner. Ah, for the the old days of Digital Gateway Systems (before the Church of Scientology took it down to silence Arnie Lerma) and Huskynet (an ISP so long gone that there's no trace I can find, 25 years later. . . .)

"As someone who uses ConnectWise every damned day (it's seriously torture), and on a laptop running Win10Pro, I can state unequivocally that you're full of shit." I have those logs if you like... Dumbass... Unless you were there how praytell do you "Know" this that you Claim to? http://www.howtogeek.com/24358... And specifically... It was SCREENCONNECT that it uninstalled... http://forum.screenconnect.com... So, yeah... Yer a serious dumbass, who shoots from the hip a lot... I can tell. Sage, isn't actually uninstalled, I misspoke. Its trashed by an update. One that is still being rolled out.. Actually. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2... So do you actually research ANYTHING before you comment? Or are you just a blowhard asshat all the time? LoL... Also... Wintac, is $10,000 a copy. Not everyone can stay at the bleeding edge. So EVERY customer that used Wintac 2015, and got a Win10 install FORCED on them (sorry we could not get to all 10,000+ systems in the time MS gave us), were immediately unable to do business. Until ALL workstations were rolled back, and the server database replaced from backups. AND finally, https://www.bbb.org/boston/bus... As you can see, Wintac 2016 WAS NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME when it was released. So upgrading was NOT POSSIBLE. So, in closing, before you go off all elitist and half-cocked, DO YOUR RESEARCH DUMBASS! :-D

How do I post a review of Yelp?

I posted one on Yelp!, but it was soon deleted.

Sorry for the long URL but this is a page where you can file a public complaint about Yelp, or anyone with a business license really. http://www.bbb.org/search/?typ...

They sure appear to be one

http://www.bbb.org/denver/char...

Some of the most customer hostile companies I've ever encountered are accredited by the BBB and have incredibly high ratings there. Not T-Mobile (C+) though. They were rated F in 2013, and aren't accredited like Verizon (A) and AT&T (A+).

The FTC has also gone after them as recently as 2014 for adding services customers (including myself) didn't order or need.

And yet they remain in business.

Some of the most customer hostile companies I've ever encountered are accredited by the BBB and have incredibly high ratings there. Not T-Mobile (C+) though. They were rated F in 2013, and aren't accredited like Verizon (A) and AT&T (A+).

The FTC has also gone after them as recently as 2014 for adding services customers (including myself) didn't order or need.

And yet they remain in business.

Some of the most customer hostile companies I've ever encountered are accredited by the BBB and have incredibly high ratings there. Not T-Mobile (C+) though. They were rated F in 2013, and aren't accredited like Verizon (A) and AT&T (A+).

The FTC has also gone after them as recently as 2014 for adding services customers (including myself) didn't order or need.

And yet they remain in business.

Some of the most customer hostile companies I've ever encountered are accredited by the BBB and have incredibly high ratings there. Not T-Mobile (C+) though. They were rated F in 2013, and aren't accredited like Verizon (A) and AT&T (A+).

The FTC has also gone after them as recently as 2014 for adding services customers (including myself) didn't order or need.

And yet they remain in business.

Did you do a Google Image search too?

On Yelp, this guy is Deepak Patel http://www.yelp.com/not_recomm...

But at Norwest Venture Partners, he's Sanjay Rao https://angel.co/norwest-ventu...

They also had no complaints at the BBB. http://www.bbb.org/losangeless...

Also, I looked on Google for the lawsuit National Collection Agency, Inc. Vs Link Corporation, Et Al Case Number 1-08-CV-129441

Couldn't find it.

That would require some kind of effort on Valves part. Considering their lack of customer support and an F rating from the Better Business Bureau, it would take some kind of divine intervention before that happened.

(Source: http://www.bbb.org/alaskaorego... )

http://www.bbb.org/upstate-new...

Just looking through the BBB complaints from years before this whole ordeal began, it's pretty apparent that the business has very little regard for its customers and does everything it can to leverage its policies so that it can keep the money. One quick example from the BBB complaints:

I made a reservation that I then had to cancel. They advised [ed. note: in the policy] it would take up to 60 days to processes the cancellation less a $25 cancellation fee. I contacted them 9 months in advance of the reservation. I have not heard back. I have emailed the cancellation email address twice as well as the general information email and have received no response. On Yelp, you can see there are others who have had this issue where they do not return funds if the reservation is cancelled. They charged me the full value of the reservation up front, even when they say that they are only going to charge half at the time of the reservation and half at the time of the stay. The full price that they charged me was $812.00

All she asked the BBB to help with was to get them to honor their policy and refund her the $812, less the $25 cancellation fee, which she figured was still reasonable, since at that point they were still 5 months before the reservation date. The business responded to the BBB by claiming that it never received the e-mails from the customer...and that was it. They didn't offer to go ahead and honor the cancellation request. So, since they had claimed they never received the request (and apparently the BBB complaint didn't count as a request either), she posted timestamped logs of all of the e-mails she had sent. Their response to that was:

Once again. This person is not reading our "Cancel at your own Risk" policy despite the fact that she has cut and pasted it. It can be found again at:

http://unionstreetguesthouse.c... [ed. note: the policy has obviously changed since then]

After having the chance to read it she agreed to it by clicking the box and agreeing to a contract with us. That said if said cancelation was made AND accepted by us there would have been a refund.

The customer pointed out that their policy doesn't mention anything about the cancellation needing to be "accepted" by them and that she perfectly followed the policy, giving them months of advance notice and contacting them via the one-and-only means that they make available. She repeated her request that they simply honor their own policy.

The business never responded again and the BBB had to close it as an issue that the business failed to resolve. The business has since changed its cancellation policy to include that they need to accept the cancellation, which is utterly ludicrous, which is nearly as bad as having a no-cancellations-allowed policy for rooms booked for more than three days at a time, regardless of when you try to cancel them.

This is totally false. Almost all bank transactions are reversible in the case of fraud, no bitcoin transactions are ever reversible.

That's generally false for wire transfers. Even if you don't do a wire transfer chances are they have some sort of money mule who'll wire the money to Nigeria and that's the last you'll see of them. The mule is of course a hobo or something with no assets to cease. In general if the receiving bank has accepted the money, it's gone. I see a few people saying you should be able to reverse one within 72 hours, but in practice I don't see anybody saying they've actually successfully reversed such a scam.

Valve has gone from simply evangelizing the PC platform [...] to actively protecting it

What a load of paid-for bullshill. Valve has famously horrible customer-service and that flies right in the face of that claim.

Want to help the PC platform? Make fewer people sorry they spent money on your shit,

Ok, lets check them out then:
C- with the BBB
34 complaints, 2 unresolved
http://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/carpet-and-rug-cleaners/hadeed-carpet-cleaning-inc-in-alexandria-va-9331/

Here's one of their commercials, seemingly libeling every other carpet cleaner in the area:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmr3F2bmyyc

Here's some fake customers, and no "Paid actors" warning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KaJugEcSE

So again, if they can lie about how good they are, lie about how bad everyone else is, then why can't other people lie about how bad they are?

I think Libelous speech should be protected, despite the supreme courts previous rulings.

Just read the amount of complaints they get: http://www.bbb.org/edmonton/business-reviews/furniture-retail/the-brick-warehouse-corporation-in-edmonton-ab-100036/complaints

Anyone who shops there is asking for it. Even the BBB itself gives them a F rating.

That's the address of a post office http://companies.findthecompany.com/l/16693588/United-States-Postal-Service-in-Grandville-MI

Accoding to BBB
 

The 2885 Sanford Avenue SW, Suite 19886, Grandville, Michigan address being used by this company is actually that of a company who rents out mailing addresses and provides mail forwarding services (Mail Forwarding, Inc.).

Review of the company's website as of November 28, 2012, lists the company address of their legal department as 7122 Oaklawn Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229-3021.

Contact Information

Principal: Mr. Randall Prescott (Legal)

- See more at: http://www.bbb.org/western-michigan/business-reviews/novelties-retail/kleargear-in-grandville-mi-38143064#sthash.XgQrOua9.dpuf

Also see http://www.blagnet.net/2013/11/18/my-review-of-kleargear-com/

On LinkedIn, Rob Key appears to be the CMO of KlearGear.

  Lee Gersten is the president of KlearGear

(I thought this reply got posted, but it hasn't appeared after 15 minutes.)

The Kleargear.com address at 2885 Sanford Ave. SW in Grandville MI is really a mail forwarding/disguised address popular with companies doing horrible things to people, and is run by a company called Mailbox Forwarding, Inc.: The mail-forwarding service is not unfamiliar to the BBB. “Over the years, we’ve had many issues with businesses that use that address”

Here's another address for them, thanks to this press release through United Business Media's PRNewswire. If they try to retract it, here's a copy at The Sacramento Bee:

Christophe Monette, CEO of Kleargear parent Descoteaux Boutiques, has been pleasantly surprised...

Margaux Banet
2885 Sanford Ave SW #19886
Grandville, MI 49418
United States

Descoteaux Boutiques
ZAC Paris Rive Gauche
118-122 Avenue de France
75013 Paris
France

And this press release also says "Kleargear is donating 2% of net sales between November 17th and December 17th to The American Red Cross in support of our friends and neighbors affected by Sunday's devastating tornado outbreak across the Midwest." Who wants to bet any of their money gets to anyone who's ever seen a tornado? Best to check on the legitimacy of these charity solicitations of course. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has been making charity fraudsters one of this pet projects lately: See "A Michigan Crackdown On Charity Fraud". I'll bet Schuette's office would be more than happy to hear about any problems from companies that happen to officially give their state of residence as Michigan and claim to help Michigan tornado victims. The Michigan Attorney General has a specific phone number for Questions About Charities.

Of course, maybe the French address is fake too. They're a bit pickier about that in France though, I think. Anyone have the contact info for the corporation regulators or charity regulators in Paris?

Also: The BBB gave Kleargear.com an F rating, before Kleargear.com inserted this ruin-your-customers-lives clause in their terms and then faked the A+ rating on their website. For those of you who can't see popups on the BBB site: As of November 28, 2012, the BBB became aware that the company's website is displaying a BBB Accredited Business logo and BBB Rating A+; however, the company is not a BBB accredited business and the BBB rating is not A+. The BBB contacted the company regarding these issues and this matter is pending the company's response. As of November 28, 2012, the BBB discovered that some pages of the company's website display the BBB Accredited Business Logo and state "BBB Rating A+", when neither is true. The BBB contacted the company at the Michigan mail drop address instructing the company to immediately remove the incorrect BBB logo and reference from their site. This matter is currently pending.

The Kleargear.com address at 2885 Sanford Ave. SW in Grandville MI is really a mail forwarding/disguised address popular with companies doing horrible things to people, and is run by a company called Mailbox Forwarding, Inc.: The mail-forwarding service is not unfamiliar to the BBB. “Over the years, we’ve had many issues with businesses that use that address”

Here's another address for them, thanks to this press release through United Business Media's PRNewswire. If they try to retract it, here's a copy at The Sacramento Bee:

Christophe Monette, CEO of Kleargear parent Descoteaux Boutiques, has been pleasantly surprised...

Margaux Banet
2885 Sanford Ave SW #19886
Grandville, MI 49418
United States

Descoteaux Boutiques
ZAC Paris Rive Gauche
118-122 Avenue de France
75013 Paris
France

And this press release also says "Kleargear is donating 2% of net sales between November 17th and December 17th to The American Red Cross in support of our friends and neighbors affected by Sunday's devastating tornado outbreak across the Midwest." Who wants to bet any of their money gets to anyone who's ever seen a tornado? Best to check on the legitimacy of these charity solicitations of course. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has been making charity fraudsters one of this pet projects lately: See "A Michigan Crackdown On Charity Fraud". I'll bet Schuette's office would be more than happy to hear about any problems from companies that happen to officially give their state of residence as Michigan and claim to help Michigan tornado victims. The Michigan Attorney General has a specific phone number for Questions About Charities.

Of course, maybe the French address is fake too. They're a bit pickier about that in France though, I think. Anyone have the contact info for the corporation regulators or charity regulators in Paris?

Also: The BBB gave Kleargear.com an F rating, before Kleargear.com inserted this ruin-your-customers-lives clause in their terms and then faked the A+ rating on their website. For those of you who can't see popups on the BBB site: As of November 28, 2012, the BBB became aware that the company's website is displaying a BBB Accredited Business logo and BBB Rating A+; however, the company is not a BBB accredited business and the BBB rating is not A+. The BBB contacted the company regarding these issues and this matter is pending the company's response. As of November 28, 2012, the BBB discovered that some pages of the company's website display the BBB Accredited Business Logo and state "BBB Rating A+", when neither is true. The BBB contacted the company at the Michigan mail drop address instructing the company to immediately remove the incorrect BBB logo and reference from their site. This matter is currently pending.

You can make this argument all day long, and while it seems to make sense, it doesn't address the reality that the percentage of people who buy and wear wristwatches is falling (here's a fun article http://www.bbb.org/blog/2012/05/has-your-cell-phone-killed-your-watch/ ). I'll buy the argument that wearable computing devices simply have never been implemented well, but until you show me the killer implementation of the killer app, I'll continue to assert that the idea of pervasive wearables is a marketing wet dream, not an imminent reality. Perhaps the answer is that I don't CARE what time it is when I go swimming? BTW, just speaking for myself, when I go to the beach - which is all the time, because I live in central Florida - I take my cellphone in a ziploc bag. I even take it in the ocean briefly, so I can take cool pictures. If I have a containment failure and the phone dies, oh well... time for a new phone. I do own a couple of analog wristwatches, somewhere... they're showpieces I never wear. I also don't want a tan line on my wrist.

It also comes with a free "if it breaks, you're fucked and we'll laugh about you" add-on, courtesy of the Valve customer service.

Wouldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole. Not with Valve behind it.

596 complaints with a user base of 50 million works out to 0.001192% of people are unsatisfied customers. In otherwords a totally and completely acceptable amount that is WAY less then 1 tenth of 1 percent of the users

It also comes with a free "if it breaks, you're fucked and we'll laugh about you" add-on, courtesy of the Valve customer service.

Wouldn't touch this with a ten-foot pole. Not with Valve behind it.

They are, however, BBB accredited and have an excellent rating:
http://www.bbb.org/sanjose/business-reviews/payment-processing-service/paypal-in-san-jose-ca-210387

Compare that to, say, Steam's mother Valve:
https://www.bbb.org/western-washington/business-reviews/computer-software-publishers-and-developers/valve-corporation-in-bellevue-wa-27030704

which gets a straight F for pretty much the same reasons you claim for PayPal. I'm not a friend of PayPal and would move elsewhere if that were a serious option, but they have worked well for me for about 8 years now. Maybe because I understand that they're not a bank and never have more than a few hundred bucks in my account.

They are, however, BBB accredited and have an excellent rating:
http://www.bbb.org/sanjose/business-reviews/payment-processing-service/paypal-in-san-jose-ca-210387

Compare that to, say, Steam's mother Valve:
https://www.bbb.org/western-washington/business-reviews/computer-software-publishers-and-developers/valve-corporation-in-bellevue-wa-27030704

which gets a straight F for pretty much the same reasons you claim for PayPal. I'm not a friend of PayPal and would move elsewhere if that were a serious option, but they have worked well for me for about 8 years now. Maybe because I understand that they're not a bank and never have more than a few hundred bucks in my account.

There's a website that focuses on exactly this point:

Give Well

They analyse charities for cost/benefit of their activities and what percentage of the charity's funding goes on ancillaries vs the charity's stated purpose.

Also, they look for evidence that the charity actually does what they say they do.

Another resource for evaluating charities is the BBB, apparently.

I get a lot of the "Credit Card Services" calls, and usually report them to the FTC (using donotcall.gov).

Last week, I (for the first time ever) got a call from a number that I had previously reported (at least 3 months ago). I lost all faith in the FTC's website at that time.

The ball is in the court of the FTC. They have a reporting website, and people are using it. However, they have NEVER publicized how they handle the complaints, and it is beginning to be obvious that they pretty much do nothing with them.

I don't want to get too political here, but it's beginning to look a bit like Obama's Fast and Furious Operation, where assault rifles were given clean passage into Mexico in order to influence policy on gun control in the U.S. With the FTC, they always want more funding, so they need the robocalls to continue. The donotcall website makes it look like they are spending the money wisely, but they are surreptitiously making sure that the problem continues, so that more money is sent their way.

The company behind the "Credit Card Services" is JPM Accelerated services. The FTC filed a complaint against them in Sept. 2009, and it went to court. The BBB reports that the status of the complaint is still pending even though JPM did lose the court case. I'm convinced that it's still the same people operating the robocalls today. They may have paid some fine and dissolved their business, but immediately restarted afterwards.

The guy who was talking all the smack, who said: "To have a passport is privilege, it's not entitled to you by citizenship," Priest said. He said the issue may be with a microchip embedded in the back of all new passports. "They have no reason in the world to let you travel if it's been damaged," Priest said. "It's like cutting your photo out or something if that chip doesn't work." is the same guy who is rated A- by the BBB for several complains. His contact info at BBB is at http://www.bbb.org/denver/business-reviews/passport-and-visa-services/international-passport-visas-in-denver-co-8845

Not only did Kodak fail to re-invent themselves, they also weren't afraid to actively say "fuck you" to their customers. I remember when Kodak had an Unsatisfactory rating from the Better Business Bureau due to complaints with service and product warranties. Then Kodak told the BBB "fuck you" as well, and simply withdrew from the BBB's accreditation program, resulting in their rating changing to No Rating, with the given reason of "The business is in the process of responding to previously closed complaints."

Complaint breakdown indicates that Kodak actually does still respond to some consumer complaints filed against them with the BBB (despite being unranked), although about 19% of the complaints received no response whatsoever from Kodak.

I've just filed a complaint against this company at http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Computer-Software-Services/CyberDefender-in-Los-Angeles-CA-13196224

Anyone else want to do the same?

That doesn't exclude it being accurate.

Bullshit! No wonder we get the damn politicians we get.. You people who support this crap are the problem. I guess you all are just too rich to give a damn.. Must be nice.

This disposable credit card thing might be useful, but the fees might be a rip off... See, contrary to your prejudices and bigotry on the matter, this is the bigger issue..

The BBB report rates them only "F"

http://sanjose.bbb.org/Business-Report/Cherrypal-1000000896

As I've stated previously. Class Action suites are not going to hurt Sony in the long run, and will only serve to make lawyers richer. Make a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, then contact your State Attorney General.

Explain to them you paid $600 to Sony Computer Entertainment of America for a machine that was advertised with the ability to install an alternative operating system, play games, and access an online marketplace. Then a few years later, they gave you the option to either continue to use the alternate operating system, or to play games and access the online marketplace, but NOT both at the same time. Then explain that they still advertise the ability to do all 3 at the same time, but in reality you cannot, and you weren't given a refund for loosing out on features you paid for at the time of sale.

Many State Attorney Generals will eat this kind of thing up, they were elected by people, so if they don't listen to people, their career will be over. Also, it will get their name in the public light in other states once media outlets pick up on the story.


Here is my sample BBB complaint.

"The Playstation 3 console was advertised and is continued to advertise it ability to install Linux and an "Other O/S". In a recent firmware update to the Playstation 3, this feature was removed from consoles after purchase, if the update is applied. If a user decided to not apply the update, they are forbidden from logging into the "Playstation Network". In the "Playstation Network", users can spend money on games, if the player does not log into the "Playstation Network" they cannot access content they have paid for. This leaves users with the choice of using an advertised feature they paid for, or using content they paid for. There is no option to do both."

I listed my desired resolution as "I am looking for Sony Computer Entertainment of America to either reinstate the "Other O/S" feature, or provide a partial refund for the features removed."

The American equivalent is the FTC, Federal Trade Commission.

You can complete a complaint form at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/

Not sure the best address to use on the form, but here is one of them:

Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc.
919 E Hillsdale Blvd 2nd Floor
Foster City Ca 94404-4247

Appropriately, the PS3 blog considers FTC to be a swear word.

Complaining to the BBB is pointless. SCEA already has an F... I don't think they can get an F-.

90% of fiscal year 2008 expenses went to program costs, 4% to fund-raising, and 6% to administrative expenses, so 90c of every dollar you donate go directly to the people they serve. (source)

Uh, most 501c3's operate with an overhead between 5 and 15% with a total average of 13.6% according to this paper I found with a quick Google. The Red Cross appears to have higher than average expenses at 18% of funds raised, but only ~10% of total expenses (non-donations account for the discrepancy) according to this.

I call Bull Shit... If you take a look at one example it details the administration expenses as 6% of fundraising. True that is one chapter, but saying 50% of donated money goes to administration is totally unfounded.

Who cares what your previous camera came with?

Give your customers a certain treatment, and they'll expect to be treated at least as well in the future. At the least, they'll expect you to make it clear if you suddenly start offering less.

You made a stupid assumption, it's your fault - not Kodak's.

I made an incorrect assumption, but I still don't think it was stupid. What is stupid is making non-rechargeable digital camera batteries in the first place.

I expected everything that came in the same box to basically last for the lifetime of the camera, unless clearly stated otherwise. Sticking a non-rechargeable battery in there just so you can say it comes with a battery – well, no, it doesn't. Not with a proper battery, anyway... it comes with a battery that you'll get to toss in the trash shortly after buying the camera.

Did the camera take a specialized battery, or a standard one you can pick up practically anywhere?

It came with a Kodak Lithium Digital Camera Battery CRV3, $7.99 if you get it from Kodak. Of course, knock-offs do exist, but is a cheap knock-off from China going to be the same quality as the one you're getting from Kodak? Doubtful.

The rechargeable one, on the other hand, is the Kodak Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery KLIC-8000 (battery + charger), $29.95, for a total of $59.90 if you want the charger and two batteries (before taxes and shipping... shipping apparently brings it to $67.40 for standard ground in the US).

It's a racket anyway, selling cameras (or anything else) that takes a specialized battery without including a battery that will last the lifetime of the device, and then without clearly telling the buyer that they'll be buying a battery before they'll be able to use the device (or to continue to use it, when the one you gave them dies). Plenty of camera manufacturers sell cameras that take regular-sized AA batteries, either alkaline or rechargeable Ni-Cad.

For what it's worth, Kodak apparently has a history of sub-standard customer service. At the time, I looked up the Eastman Kodak Co. on the Better Business Bureau because I wanted to file a report, and I discovered that the company was "under review", with issues noted regarding their customer service and the way they handled their warranty claims. Since then, Kodak has apparently said "Fuck you Whares and Fuck you Dorphins, and Fuck you, Better Brusness Bureau": rather than stepping up their service, they just left the BBB and are now listed as "Not accredited – BBB Rating, F".

Reasons for this rating include:
> Failure to respond to complaints filed against business
> Number of complaints filed against business that were unresolved
> Overall complaint history with BBB
> Length of time business has taken to resolve complaint(s)

Don't buy from Logitech:

http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/internet-shopping/spotlife-in-fremont-ca-71823

Warranty or not, if Nintendo's update bricks your Wii, ask them to repair it at their expense. Tell them exactly why you need the repair. They did break it, after all. If they refuse to fix what they've broken, feel free to bump their A+ BBB rating down a notch or two. BBB has a category for repairs; file a complaint there. That or take class action against them.

All quite true. Whether or not this would have any significant negative effect on Palm is anyone's guess.

My own personal example (for reasons I won't go into – let's just say I had an unsatisfactory encounter with the company): Kodak vs. the BBB. Kodak had BBB accreditation at one point, but was being investigated by the BBB because of consumer complaints (warranty and support issues primarily, IIRC). Because of this, Kodak's BBB rating was dropped to "unsatisfactory" (which was accompanied by a BBB audit of their practices). Rather than clean up their act, Kodak essentially said "screw you guys, we don't need you" – they simply left the BBB.

[1]:

BBB Reliability Report for
Eastman Kodak Company

This is not a BBB accredited business.

BBB Rating
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F

Reasons for this rating include:
  * Failure to respond to complaints filed against business
  * Number of complaints filed against business that were unresolved
  * Overall complaint history with BBB
  * Length of time business has taken to resolve complaint(s)

Anyway, why is this relevant? Well, Kodak doesn't seem to have suffered greatly after eschewing the BBB (something businesses would have, at one point, been very hesitant to do). BBB accreditation just isn't worth that much any more.

Whether or not Palm could get away with dissing the USB-IF would be an interesting scenario to watch play out, to be sure!

I've had good luck reporting companies to the Better Business Bureau if their customer service is highly uncooperative. I was receiving unsolicited credit card offers from Citi, even though I'd signed up for the permanent do-not-sell list. Their customer service couldn't tell me who sold them my information, but after talking to the BBB, I got a call from someone higher up who let me know Equifax had sold it to them.

I had much worse issues with Alienware, whose customer service was atrocious. I eventually had to go to both the BBB and the Florida Attorney General's office, but they finally swapped out my lemon of a laptop for a new one.

What is a BBB Accredited Business?, emphasis mine.

If a business has been accredited by the BBB, it means the BBB has determined that the business meets the BBB Accreditation Standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB accredited businesses pay a fee for accreditation review/monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public.

BBB accreditation does not mean that the business' products or services have been evaluated or endorsed by the BBB, or that the BBB has made a determination as to the business' product quality or competency in performing services.

Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation.

The BBB disagrees with you.

The Better Business Bureau has a few things to say about Kodak.

Notice that, in order to lose accreditation with the BBB, you basically have to perform remarkably poorly after you've been informed that your customers are pissed off and you're under review.

Consumers with no legal responsibility to pay the tax are now saddled with the responsibility of verifying the authenticity of businesses for the privilege of paying 20% extra.

Hmmm, a directory of licensed businesses, with ratings if you wish. Yeah, you're right. Too difficult...

Did you also...

Report the Motel 6 to...
...your state's Attorney General?
...the Better Business Bureau?

Write scathing reviews on sites like Yelp?

• Bristol
• Chesapeake
• Fredericksburg
• Harrisonburg
• Newport News
• Norfolk
• Williamsburg
• Wytheville

I looked up Carbonite on the Better Business Bureau. They are BBB accredited with a B+ rating.... Maybe the BBB should be rethinking their scales?

http://reports-boston.bbb.org/Boston/Public/Reports/RR/Report.aspx?i=17194

Many have advocated contacting the BBB but few understand how the BBB actually works. The BBB does indeed attempt to serve as a complaint resolution service. The problem is that a business needs to be a member of the BBB for the BBB to bother processing complaints against them or attempting resolution.

Membership isn't free and the BBB is fragmented into multiple local and regional chapters with their own rules. In some local BBB chapters, the BBB does not even extend membership to certain categories of businesses at all - no matter how upstanding or shady they are.

I wouldn't imagine that a very large corporation such as Dell would be a member of the BBB or that the BBB would offer membership to such a large organization. Dell's brand name is so large that they don't need to bother influencing purchasing decisions with a BBB membership - knowing some small % of their customers are completely unreasonable (not this particular person, but there are customers who have expectations and demands that are impossible to satisfy) and would only cause misery on their BBB report. On the other hand the BBB is probably unwilling to process 10,000s of complaints per year from a large corporation for only a small membership fee.

Searching BBB Online for Dell in Texas does not list them as a member: http://www.bbb.org/online/consumer/default.aspx

My point is that in this particular case (and in many similar cases) the BBB option could be a waste of effort. Before attempting to contact the BBB, first check and make sure that the company is a member.

• Customer Experience
  Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to unanswered complaint(s).

  Customer Complaint Data
  Number of complaints processed by the BBB over the last 36 months: 510
  Number of complaints processed by the BBB in the last 12 months: 256

Wow. I thought they do this randomly but looks like every .com domain you search they buy it instantly. I am pretty sure they bought a lot of domains after /. picked up the story. I am heading over the BBBOnline website to file a complaint.

http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?compid=W7002368