It only took getting the BBB involved to get something done.

[dalesys]

Excepting Alice.

[panamared]

After the number of people they get who lie about things to try and get money they don't deserve, can you really blame them for not believing you're in the top 1% of truth telling customers?

If you have a heart, you'll see it from their position.

Only the printout is what should make them believe you because you took the effort to prove it. So kudos to you for doing what 99% of people aren't even smart enough to think of.

[protege]

It most likely was a coincidence. Most companies don't give a damn about the BBB, either because they're so low due to abuse that it doesn't matter or they're big enough for it to be irrelevant.

That's exactly it. The BBB lacks the "teeth" to go after shitty companies. Sure, they can post a negative review, but that's about it. They cannot levy any fines or sanctions to correct poor behavior. Little wonder then that many businesses see it as a joke.

I remember when a certain "garage" in Bridgeville (which will not be named here) claiming to be an MG "specialist" attempted to rip me off. Work was either not done correctly, or done at all! Throw in the duplicate bills, the damage to my car's hood, and I was pissed. I tried to do what I could--talk to the owner, then the BBB, and eventually got tired of the runaround. The owner would hide in his office, wouldn't take my calls, etc.

BBB wasn't too interested either. In the end, I got a lawyer and had a strongly-worded letter sent over instead. Basically, I said that either the "garage" fixes the damage, refunds me a bit of cash...or I would go to the Dept of Transportation...and get their state inspection license revoked.

I could prove that the car shouldn't have passed the test, yet it had a current sticker All they did was drive the car inside, slap the sticker on the windshield, and drive it back out. Considering that the "garage" did a lot of repair work and inspections, it would have put a huge dent in their profits.

In the end, they caved and gave me what I wanted. Not all of it, but I cut my losses. With the rise of the 'net, that "garage" has been having problems. Mostly because when someone asks for a reputable shop...nearly everyone says not to go there on the message boards.