3 On Your Side: Top BBB Complaints
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- What types of companies aggravate you the most? The Better Business Bureau is out with its list of industries that get the most customer complaints. 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan has the details.
The only car that Ashley Grimes ever owned turned out to be a lemon. She says, "I had a leak in my steering wheel fluid and I had to replace my whole line." Grimes spent $1,500 on the car but had to cough up $5,000 for repairs. She says, "I had to sell it I had to junk it."
Ashley is not alone. The Better Business Bureau is out with its annual list of consumer complaints. Among the top offenders? Cell phone, cable companies and auto dealers. Claire Rosenzweig of the BBB says, "Think high pressure sales tactics think misleading advertising or consumers just not understanding what they're reading."
The BBB fields nearly a million consumer complaints a year. In 2014 complaints were actually down 5 percent but inquiries about businesses jumped 20 percent, which means more people investigated companies before doing business with them. Rosenzweig says, "Which is great news because it means consumers are asking questions they're doing their homework."
In fact doing your homework in advance can help avoid problems later. When buying a used car, be sure to get it inspected before you buy. And when you're making any sort of purchase from cell phones to switching television providers, be sure to read the fine print in any offer.
