PRESS RELEASE
Better Business Bureau Serving Central Oklahoma
17 South Dewey St. Oklahoma City, OK 73102
236-5292 www.bbb.org
For Immediate Release: August 27, 2009
For Interviews, please contact Bob Manista, BBB President
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.