News for Accredited Businesses
Better Business Bureau Serving Central Oklahoma
September 2009
QUICK BITS....Checking out prospective employees is an important obligation for business owners. Besides verifying previous experience and testing an applicant’s ability to do the job, managers should spend a few minutes on the Internet. Even a simple “google” search under the prospective employer’s name can uncover a wealth of background material that wouldn’t necessarily betray any confidentiality rules or discriminatory prohibitions, and could give you a time-efficient glimpse at the prospects’ personal habits and any major criminal activity. For more sensitive positions or jobs that require a background check, a number of online services will give you a solid base for investigation and a thoughtful decision. Remember to have an attorney review your employment applications to make sure that you’re asking all the questions you should, requesting the data in an appropriate manner, including any necessary disclaimers, and requiring all the necessary signatures to check into a prospect’s background...Are you in the habit of shredding documents? Businesses have a unique responsibility to properly dispose of sensitive materials that may come into your hands from your customers and employees. That includes credit card account numbers, social security records, and other personal data that, while they might be part of doing business, could land you in serious trouble if exposed. Businesses have been fined thousands of dollars for dumping trash containing personal data into dumpsters. Make sure that, when you are disposing of such materials, that any paperwork has been shredded first. For bigger jobs, shredding companies will bring a mobile shredder to your door…..
MAKING THE MOST OF ACCREDITATION: BBB Arbitration!
No one likes the idea of a dissatisfied customer floating around town with a bad attitude town your company. BBB Arbitration is designed to be a fast, friendly way to put outstanding matters to rest without the expense and effort of going to court. If you reach an impasse with one of your customers, give the BBB the chance to resolve the matter through a fair, independent hearing. For more information, contact Leeda Kurtz at 236-5292 or through e-mail at leedabbb@coxinet.net
Modes of Arbitration
It’s important to remember that there is nothing wrong or unfair about impartially-administered arbitration as one important way to help resolve consumer disputes. Businesses have a number of options available to them that will make it much more likely that a consumer will use this fair, inexpensive, speedy and user-friendly forum to settle a simple buyer/seller dispute, rather than going to court.
Over the past 25 years the BBB system has resolved more than two million disputes through its BBB AUTO LINE Program; more than 300,000 of those were the result of decisions by BBB volunteer arbitrators, whose decisions were not binding on the consumers unless they accepted them. Regional BBB offices have handled many thousands of additional disputes involving various industries through mediation and arbitration in that same time period. Finally, BBBs assist nearly one million consumers every year who need basic complaint assistance resolving disputes with businesses. None of these techniques force consumers in advance of a dispute to use arbitration that will bind them to the outcome.
BBB’s make available to businesses and consumers a number of techniques that provide fair arbitration forums that give consumers choices – thereby increasing trust between business and customer. These include:
• Agreements to arbitrate after a dispute arises. This allows consumers to consider their options knowing the nature of the grievance, evaluate the risks and benefits of arbitration versus other remedies like court, and to consult with friends, family and legal or other advisors. BBB experience is that consumers very often ask for BBB arbitration after the dispute arises for the simple reason that court actions are intimidating to many, expensive and delay relief.
• Conditionally binding (“first resort”) arbitration. Using this method — the method used in BBB AUTOLINE, the nation’s largest warranty dispute settlement program, and used by most of the auto industry to resolve warranty performance disputes — consumers may be required under their warranty to try arbitration before filing a court action. The result of the arbitration does not bind them or the business unless the consumer voluntarily accepts the decision. In BBB experience, this has been an attractive procedure for both consumers and businesses because it reduces the number of expensive court cases, yet at the same time affords consumers the opportunity to get relief where warranted and to get a realistic assessment of their position, all the while leaving the option to go to court open to them.
The 2008 BBB/Gallup Trust in Business Index found that consumers’ trust in businesses had fallen in 13 of 15 industries measured, and that nearly half (47 percent) of those surveyed said they had only “some, very little or no trust at all” in companies they do business with in everyday life. When compared to the 2007 Index, banks and financial institutions saw a 30 percent increase in respondents saying they had “very little trust” or “no trust” in the industry.
Given the steep drop in consumers’ trust in business the past few years, we are strongly urging businesses – from the largest corporations to the smallest sole proprietor – to consider more customer-friendly dispute resolution options in their continuing efforts to provide customer satisfaction and build consumer trust.
The BBB’s experience is that when fully-informed consumers are offered these 'customer friendly' options, they use them, they don’t usually go to court, and they are likely to recommend this form of dispute resolution to family and friends.
BBB Accredited Businesses! Take advantage of reduced credit card processing rates, priced just for you! Contact First National Merchant Solutions at 800.354.3988!
Check out OKC-BBB President Bob Manista's blog at http://oklahomacity.bbb.org/blog/ to learn more about what's "behind the scenes" at your Better Business Bureau.
Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma Announces
2009 Torch Award Winners
At a presentation held at the BBB of Central Oklahoma’s offices, the Better Business Bureau today announced the winners of its annual Torch Awards. The awards honor area Accredited Businesses that excel in ethical conduct and customer service. “The concept of the Better Business Bureau giving awards for Accredited Businesses with outstanding customer service records and a consistent display of solid ethics in the marketplace goes back decades,” said BBB President Bob Manista. “It’s especially important in today’s economy, when trust is an issue and consumers are looking for the best bang for their buck. The companies that step ahead of the pack to provide exceptional service are to be commended, and that’s what these awards are designed to do.”
Among the criteria considered when comparing the BBB’s Accredited Businesses were the numbers of complaints and inquiries, the size and type of business, the time in business and membership, the general disposition of any disputes filed against the business, reliable advertising, and other factors.
Leading the presentation ceremony was NEWS9’s Amanda Taylor, who works closely with the Better Business Bureau in many of her Consumer Watch segments.
The ten winners of the BBB’s 2009 Torch Awards are:
A+ Onsite Service is a computer service company that has proven its reliability and built its reputation since 2005. That’s important for a business whose employees are not only given access to customers’ homes, but to everything from their most precious family photos to the household bank account. Jason Hayes has proven his sincerity and expertise computer by computer, account by account, person to person – all the way up to maintaining the Better Business Bureau’s own database and upgrading its website functions. If any computer is a puzzle, the BBB computers are the Rubik’s Cube and must be depended on to disseminate the information, data and reports provided to the public not only in OKC, but throughout the world.
Most people are familiar with Dr. John Belardo from Advanced Laser Center of Oklahoma’s ad campaign. Many of the business’ ads are clever from a consumer education standpoint but we can’t discount the ad campaigns ability to instill trust in the good doctor and his staff with the precious gift of his patient’s sight, and he and his staff build on that trust before, during and after a procedure. Trust is hard for any business to establish, but Doctor John has found a way to balance expertise, reliability and cost-consciousness in a way that makes his patients feel safe. In a sensitive field with growing competition, it’s good to see a company that can make it to the top without cutting corners.
American Quality Exteriors has been a fixture in Oklahoma City since 1996 and a BBB Accredited Business since that same year. The company offers vinyl siding, replacement windows, doors, glass enclosures and decks as well as a number of other home improvement products. Company owner Dan Van Zandt is always proud to point out that his business regularly places high in industry guides that measure business performance. The OKC-BBB is proud to call the company a strong standout with superior customer service in an industry that routinely gathers difficult complaints. This is the company’s third Torch Award – the only local home improvement member to have achieved that status.
Whenever the Torch Awards are distributed, words like “reliable,” “trustworthy” and “expert” tend to get repeated. Aqua Duct Guttering fits into the mold of what it means to be a Torch Award winner. First established in 1993 and joining the BBB in 2007, David Meeks has worked hard to build his business without resorting to any of the come-on ads or shell-game sales techniques typical in his industry. As a newer Accredited Business, it’s especially impressive that the company rose to the top of the heap in a home improvement classification where competition for these awards tends to be very tight.
Talk about an industry that depends on building trust! Diffee Auto Group has been in business since 1954 and continues the family tradition of solid service and great value. It’s no secret that many auto dealers have been in trouble in the current economy, but the BBB has no doubt that Diffee customers will keep coming back car after car and truck after truck because they know they’ll be treated fairly, whether they’re buying a top of the line new vehicle or just coming in for an oil change. Besides, the boys are so cute in the ads that past and future customers want to help insure their future in the OKC marketplace. Hopefully, we’ll see the boys waving a Torch Award around for years to come.
Remember back in February and April when Central Oklahoma got nailed by hail storms, high winds, and a blast of weather only Oklahomans could survive? A lot of businesses – some good, some bad – raced into the area to capitalize on the damages Mother Nature left behind, and the BBB scrambled to keep up with inquiries about all the new faces showing up in town. The Better Business Bureau and local home owners didn’t have to worry about Excel Roofing and Construction, though. Tom Balkins and his crews have been in the area for more than ten years, and all that time has been spent doing great work for their customers. The best part is that when they drive away from a job, the customer knows that they aren’t driving all the way to another state when they go home. They’ll be there to honor a warranty today, tomorrow, and next year.
Hinton’s Refrigeration tops the Heating and Air Conditioning type of business classification. Late August has to be a busy time for any heating and cooling business, but the Hintons will keep busy in this competitive field. A quick check of the BBB database shows that there hundreds of A/C companies in the state. Those might be plumbers doing a side job, contractors working on new construction, door to door handymen, or companies just like Hinton’s, but in a close race, it was Hinton’s that provided just a little better customer service, a little more care, or a little better price to edge out their competitors. Whatever made the customer go with the company, Hinton’s earned the deal long after the ink was dry.
North American Insurance Agency is in another type of business that finds itself at the lot of complaint lists. Despite being a seemingly innocent and easy transaction, many insurance agencies find a way to disappoint their customers with some lack of performance. Whether it’s due to misunderstandings with their customers or underpaying on claims, insurance companies earn a lot of complaints. It’s refreshing to see a company like North American, that, under the guidance of company owner Mike Ross, has gone above and beyond to satisfy its customers and truly excel in a difficult business. Open since the 50’s and a BBB supporter since 1988, the company is a real star in the pantheon of OKC businesses.
SSM Health Care of Oklahoma has been completely free from complaints for as long as the BBB’s computers can remember – and that’s a considerable achievement for an institution that’s been in operation since 1926 and a BBB fixture since 1953. That complaint-free tradition continues, and SSM continues to give consistent, high quality care with seemingly perfect accounting – See, if the BBB gets a complaint about a medical facility, it’s almost always that someone made a mistake on the bill…. congratulations to SSM and its accounting staff. But it’s everyone in a medical facility, including custodial staff, physicians, security guards, nurses, technicians and kitchen workers that take an unpleasant and maybe painful experience like a hospital stay and turn it around. Nobody can say they enjoyed their time in a hospital, but SSM clearly makes it as comfortable as possible for their guests.
Another common theme in today’s presentation seems to be the winners’ ability to get the job right the first time. That’s true of beaming a laser through someone’s retina, correcting computer problems, building an addition or just about any other customer service-sensitive business. It’s also true for electricians. It’s not only about not burning the house down or making sure everything is done according to code, it’s also about getting it right the first time. We’ve always explored the idea that the home improvement companies who earn a Torch Award have accomplished something special. The trade groups are very competitive, consumers are harder to please when it comes to their homes, and value is always measured against physical appearance in a way that doesn’t translate to other industries, so an electrician who wins a Torch Award has put himself head and shoulders above the rest. Shawver and Son has managed to come to the top of the heap, which is nothing less than we should expect from a company established in 1919 when electricity was probably new to most of the state.
Also honored at the event was News9’s Robin Marsh, who was presented with a special Torch Award for her services to the marketplace in presenting money-saving tips in our tough economy and for giving the Better Business Bureau a weekly platform for consumer education during the newscast on Thursday mornings.
The Better Business Bureau Serving Central Oklahoma, its Board of Directors and Staff salute all of the winners.