Who's Who Better Business Bureau

4 BBB MAGAZINE Who's Who Special Edition hether they're in the market for home renovations, professional services or merchandise, consumers have long looked to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to find a business that operates with integrity. "Our objective is to create a marketplace where consumers and businesses can trust each other," says Len Andrusiak, president and CEO of the BBB of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario. The longest-serving BBB in Canada has been operating since 1930, and it provides a growing range of resources, including an online ScamTracker service, reviews and tips on social media such as Twitter and Facebook. "ScamTracker is a great tool because it's a real-time scam-tracking service, so it allows consumers to find scams within their community. They're able to post them online, and they can also review other scams that have happened," Andrusiak says. The customer review site is also interactive. It allows consumers to post and read comments that may be positive, negative or neutral. The BBB then forwards comments to businesses so they can provide feedback. The BBB's services are funded by accredited businesses. Currently, about 1,200 businesses are accredited with the BBB of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario. "The value of the brand for a business is having the BBB standing beside them," Andrusiak says. "When I started my first company back in 2000 one of the first things I did was to become accredited with the BBB because I wanted my customers to know that when they came into my office or walked past our front door that we were a business they could trust." Being aligned with the BBB helps grow business, and staff work with accredited businesses to help them become better at what they do. That includes providing guidelines on how accredited businesses should operate. "The Code of Business Practices is probably one of the most important things about the accreditation," Andrusiak says. "Consumers can feel comfortable that at least the businesses are trying their best to adhere to those policies — to be truthful, advertise honestly, promise to deal with the consumer if there is an issue, hold their information in high regard and ensure that they have privacy policies in place and those kinds of things." The BBB performs investigations and background checks on businesses, and acts as an objective mediator when consumers file a complaint. However, Andrusiak notes that BBB reports are not restricted to accredited businesses. Staff continually update a database of some 34,000 businesses throughout Manitoba and Northwest Ontario. "There are thousands of businesses that have an A+ rating with the BBB that are not accredited," he says. "We try to be objective in our reviews and the ratings that we provide, and we do post the complaints online so if there are any issues consumers can read about them." Andrusiak encourages all businesses to become involved with the BBB, and he urges consumers to use the BBB's research resources for their own protection. "You can at least have a level of comfort that you're dealing with somebody who should be reputable." ❙ Learn more at bbb.org/manitoba W BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU OF MANITOBA & NORTHWEST ONTARIO "Our objective is to create a marketplace where consumers and businesses can trust each other..." A Vision for Change CREATING A BETTER BUSINESS CLIMATE — Len Andrusiak, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario.

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