Many people turn to the Better Business Bureau to help them choose businesses, brands and charities they can trust and for the first time, consumers have the option of reviewing the service they received and sharing it with others.

On Tuesday, the BBB Southern Alberta and East Kootenay became the first Canadian BBB to offer customer reviews.

The new platform will allow consumers to express favorable, neutral or unfavorable experiences they have had with local businesses.

"For so many years consumers have asked BBB for a way to praise businesses for admirable practices and service and now we can provide that platform with customer reviews," said Sandra Crozier-McKee, president and CEO of BBB Serving Southern Alberta and East Kootenay.  "Though reviews don't affect a company's rating, we take them just as seriously as formal complaints.  We want to ensure the individual posting a review is indeed a customer and allow businesses an opportunity to respond if desired."

Customers simply search the BBB website for the company they want to rate and click on it.

A customer review and complaints summary is listed below the information about the business and users can choose to read other reviews or submit one of their own.

Once a review is submitted:
 

  • BBB team members verify each consumer review to determine that real marketplace interactions have occurred.
  • The review is then forwarded to the business, which is given the opportunity to confirm the reviewer as an actual customer.
  • Both the business and reviewer will be given the opportunity to submit comments on the review.
  • Before publishing the review, it is scrubbed to remove any inappropriate language and personal information like names, addresses and phone numbers to protect the privacy of the parties involved.
  • The review is posted to the company's BBB Business Review.

The BBB says the reviews have no effect on the business’s rating but they do offer consumers a clearer picture of the company’s track record.

"With the addition of verified customer reviews, our BBB information paints an even clearer picture of a company's track record in the marketplace," says Crozier-McKee.  "We're always encouraging people to check before they buy and these reviews are another way for consumers to do just that."

Once a review is submitted, the businesses also have a chance to submit replies directly on the review and the reviewers can add more comments or respond to a business's comment.

For more information, visit the BBB Southern Alberta and East Kootenay website.