BBB serving central and northern Alberta is excited about the launch of their new search tool, for looking-up both BBB accredited and non-accredited businesses. The new search has following improvements:

• Increased user-friendliness: A new tabbed design combines all search options into a single interface and type of business searches include a city/state zip code lookup and more keywords related to TOB category descriptions
• Clearer search results: The search provides more useful results in a better organized layout

We have a Facebook Group for BBB Serving Central and Northern Alberta!

To see, or join the group, click here.

Please promote your BBB: If you have a Facebook account, be sure to tell your family and friends, on Facebook, about our group.

Between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008 BBB^® Serving Central and Northern Alberta received the following complaints and inquiries about businesses in the following industries: (Ranked from highest to the lowest)

Bookmark this link to see our monthly list of Top 10 Compaints and Inquiries.

1/6/2009

The following is general information on mystery/secret shopper scams.

The BBB warns about a new version of the fake check/wire transfer scam that is targeting consumers, especially those looking for jobs on popular search engines and job boards.

Catchy "employment" ads have been surfacing with tag lines resembling those of mystery shopping opportunities, with claims of evaluating stores, businesses, restaurants, etc in exchange for compensation. Consumers responding to certain ads of this variety have been contacted by individuals advising consumers that the service that was to be evaluated was money wiring through Money Gram or a similar service. Shortly afterwards the consumers who responded to the ads received legitimate looking checks in the mail in the amounts of anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars, with instructions to wire the funds to a person that they are to claim is their relative. Included in the instructions the consumer also finds generic-looking forms with general questions regarding customer service, etc.

The BBB cautions that the offer at hand is part of the prevalent check scam going around the country, where consumers receive alleged mystery shopping jobs with legitimate looking checks addressed in their name and are told to deposit them in their accounts. The checks have no real funds backing them up, so if the consumer were to proceed, deposit the check, and forward a part of it for alleged fees and taxes, they would essentially be forwarding their own money to a thief. Besides forwarding their own money, many consumers who fall victim to the check scam wind up with insufficient funds and subsequent bank fees due to not having enough money to cover the amount forwarded.

The new twist on this scheme is the classic check scam cloaked in widely seen mystery shopping offers. Consumers are urged to exercise caution when responding to employment ads online or in popular local publications. If anyone requests you to accept money and forward it to another party on their behalf, cease and desist contact with them immediately.

Consumers should be sceptical of mystery shopping promoters who:

• Advertise for mystery shoppers in a newspaper's "help wanted" section or by email. While it may appear as if these companies are hiring mystery shoppers, it's much more likely that they're pitching unnecessary and possibly bogus mystery shopping "services".

• Sell "certification". Companies that use mystery shoppers generally do not require certification.

• Guarantee a job as a mystery shopper.

• Charge a fee for access to mystery shopping opportunities.

• Sell directories of companies that provide mystery shoppers.

If you have been victimized by the above or a similar sounding offer, let the BBB know.

For further information you can contact:

Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA)

4230 LBJ Freeway, Ste. 414
Dallas, Texas 75244
USA
Fax: 972-755-2561

Website: www.mysteryshop.org

The MSPA provides information on how to register to be a mystery shopper with a MSPA-member company, a database of available jobs, and additional information on the industry in general

Find out which companies earn an A+ and which get a failing grade from your BBB

Edmonton, AB – January 5, 2009 – In order to help consumers make better-informed decisions on where to spend their hard-earned dollars, Better Business Bureau today announced it will now assign letter grades to local businesses ranging from A+ to F. The letter grade system—which replaces a less-detailed scale of “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory”— represents BBB’s degree of confidence that the business is operating in a trustworthy manner and will make a good faith effort to resolve customer concerns.

Consumers can research the grades of more than 45,000 local businesses by reviewing BBB Reliability Reports™, which are available online and free of charge at www.edmonton.bbb.org, www.fortmcmurray.bbb.org, www.grandeprairie.bbb.org and www.reddeer.bbb.org.

In addition to noting the business’s letter grade, BBB Reliability Reports™ also include details about integrity and performance, such as the number of complaints a business has received, their response to complaints, and details on any government actions against the business.

“Given the current tough economic conditions, consumers literally can’t afford to make bad buying decisions,” said Chris Lawrence, CEO for BBB Serving Central and Northern Alberta. “These reports make it extremely easy and convenient for consumers to research and compare local businesses—before they buy.”

BBB’s new letter-grade concept was first developed by BBB Colton (Los Angeles), and has been test marketed effectively by Colton and several other BBBs (New Mexico, Santa Barbara, Asheville and West Palm Beach). That original concept, with modifications recommended by a national BBB committee, is the basis for the approach announced today, and is part of BBB’s ongoing commitment to making it easier for consumers to find trustworthy businesses.

BBB’s proprietary ratings formula takes into account 16 weighted factors, using objective information and actual incidences of a business’ behavior that have been verified and evaluated by BBB professionals. Specific issues affecting a business’s rating are described in detail in BBB Reliability Reports™. Ratings factors include:

• The business’s overall complaint history with BBB, including the number and severity of complaints to BBB from customers
• Whether complaints have been resolved in a timely manner or the business has demonstrated a good faith effort to resolve them
• How long the business has been operating and whether it meets appropriate competency licensing
• Government actions against the business related to marketplace activities
•  Advertising issues evaluated by BBB
• Whether the business is a BBB Accredited Business and has committed to BBB standards

Rating factors also take into account BBB’s opinion as to whether business models and industries operate in violation of the law, misrepresent products and services, and are likely to generate trade practice concerns and/or have high levels of customer dissatisfaction.

As part of its strategy to build trust in the marketplace, BBB also recently changed the way businesses affiliated with the organization were designated, from “BBB Member” to “BBB Accredited Business.” The “Accredited” designation highlights the fact that businesses have been evaluated by BBB and have contractually agreed to meet and uphold BBB’s high standards for integrity and reliability when dealing with consumers.

Both BBB Accredited Businesses and non-accredited businesses in BBB’s database will receive a letter grade as part of their report.

For more information on BBB ratings and to find out which local businesses made the grade, go to www.edmonton.bbb.org.