Though the Better Business Bureau is a trusted institution, many businesses insist the rating system is akin to robbery. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

One of the supposed safeguards against unethical companies is the Better Business Bureau ratings system. Customers have long relied on the bureau’s grading system, but now the BBB is plagued by allegations that it runs a “pay-for-A” scheme.

Long-standing business rating service admits mistakes were made

The Better Business Bureau is thought to be among the few resources that consumers can trust in order to find out whether a business is trustworthy. The BBB has existed for decades and gives the public at large a way to vent frustrations at dealings that went sour, but there is a growing body of evidence that something could be rotten about the state of the BBB. Allegations have been made repeatedly over the years that businesses have to pay for a membership to get an “A” rating. According to a recent article at DailyFinance.com, the finance and business news site of AOL News, in response to questions on whether its rating system has a “pay to play” component, a BBB rep admitted “mistakes” had been made.

Rating system changed after news sting

The BBB announced last year that it was going to change its business rating system following a sting operation by a small group of Los Angeles area businessmen, an anonymous blogger and an accompanying “20/20″ news segment, according to ABC. It was also revealed that some very high profile companies have received disparaging grades for not being members. Some companies that have received F grades that aren’t BBB members include Wolfgang Puck restaurants, Disneyland and the Boston Ritz Carlton hotel. The Boston Celtics basketball team at one point held a D minus, and the New York Yankees currently have a C minus. The Boston Red Sox, as fate would have it, have an “A plus” rating– and the team is a BBB member. The sting operation by some Los Angeles area businessmen established a company called Hamas, after the Palestinian terrorist organization, and by simply paying $425 for a membership, Hamas received an A minus rating.

Holes exist in some nets

The group that created the Hamas company also created a BBB listing for a company they called Stormfront, the name of a neo-Nazi organization, which also received an A rating. It is not that the BBB is simply a “pay to play” organization, though it has been criticized as such by a fair number of people. The BBB does give consumers a legitimate forum to air grievances and use an impartial third party to register legitimate complaints about businesses.

Sources

Daily Finance

ABC

ABC on BBB Hamas

ABC on Ritz Carlton

BBB New York Yankees

BBB Boston Red Sox

This 2007 photo shows HandsOn Network volunteers cleaning up a neighborhood. Image from Flikr.com.

We have all heard the president calling for everyone to be good citizens and do volunteer work. Now, there’s a little extra incentive from Disney, who is running the “Give a day, get a Disney day” promotion. Disney has teamed up with the HandsOn Network, which is part of the nation’s largest volunteer network, the Points of Light Institute, to encourage people to volunteer.

The Los Angeles Times says 1 million people who do volunteer work through a HandsOn Network participating organization will get a pass for a free one-day admission to either Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., or Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. To be eligible for the free passes, volunteers must sign up through DisneyParks.com.

Not so fast

The promotion is available starting Jan. 1 2010, but you can already read about the program on the Disney parks web site and the HandsOn Network site. Of course, you can sign up to do volunteer work now, but you won’t be eligible for the free Disney theme park pass. So if you’re looking to save cash now on a Disney vacation, you’ll have to sit tight for a while.

The HandsOn Network can help you find centers where you can volunteer, but it also has a toolkit for starting your own volunteer project through the organization. You can also read other service volunteers’ stories to see what kinds of projects HandsOn Network can hook you up with.

Disney marketing campaign

While Disney’s partnership with the HandsOn Network will no doubt end up helping a lot of needy people and programs, the Walt Disney Co. will probably see some benefits from the promotion as well. The program appears to be somewhat of an extension of this year’s advertising campaign slogan “What will you celebrate?” AllEars.net reports:

Give a day, get a Disney day (image from flickr)

“In 2010, we want to recognize and add one more reason for celebration: the contributions people make to their communities every day,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “We want to inspire 1 million volunteers – people who will invest time and energy to make their own communities and neighborhoods a better place.”

The program might drum up a little profit for Disney theme parks. After all, admission passes don’t cover food and all the other goodies available for sale in the parks. And perhaps friends who get the free passes will talk others into joining them.

Back to the important stuff

Of course, the best news about this partnership promotion is that the HandsOn Network, if all goes as planned, will get 1 million new volunteers. That means more people to help in soup kitchens, tutors for school kids and all kinds of other positive action across the country.

Furthermore, it is getting the name of the HandsOn Network out there. Since Disney announced its promotion, many people have learned about HandsOn Network. I have faith that a lot of people will sign up to volunteer through the HandsOn Network because of this promotion, regardless of whether they get a theme park pass or not. And for those who want something in exchange for their day of service or just a free pass to Disneyland, here’s a perfect opportunity.