The local Better Business Bureau saw a sharp rise last year in the number of inquiries about companies' reliability, indicating that consumers remain cautious of how they spend their money in a troubled economy, the agency said today.
“When the economy softens, people tend to turn to us at the front end,” said Tom Bartholomy, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Piedmont.
The agency logged 832,020 inquiries on its Web site or by phone, a 71 percent increase from the prior year. The BBB provides free reliability reports on area businesses.
Complaints against businesses rose by 6 percent, and came to 14,972 last year. Over the past five years, annual complaints have increased by 71 percent, according to the agency's data.
Last year, home improvement businesses accounted for the type of business with the most complaints against it, with 1,261 complaints. That group was followed by auto dealers/new cars, Internet gaming, auto repair and service, and auto dealers/used cars.
The BBB was able to settle 85 percent of complaints last year, meaning they were resolved to the satisfaction of the consumer and the company. That's the highest rate in at least eight years.
“As our results show, it pays to complain,” Bartholomy said.
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