I am trying to straighten out the company I work for, How do I get us in better standings with the BBB?

Question

The company has unresolved issues from a few years ago.

Answer 1

You've asked an important question, and I don't want to sound flip, but I think you already know the answer.  

The first thing you have to do is to convince the rest of the management that it makes sense to improve their BBB relationship.  Not everyone thinks BBB ratings matter.  And sadly, there are plenty of shoddy businesses that have been around for years to support that view.  

But if you have full buy-in from management, your next step is to contact the BBB and tell them that you want to clean up your act and resolve those outstanding problems.  Frankly, if the complaints are several years old, a lot of the filers will have moved away by now.  You know how transient the Washington-area population is.  The BBB may be willing to close out those complaints.  

For the rest, you have to be willing to negotiate a settlement with each one.  That's going to cost some money, of course, which is another reason why some companies would rather live with a bad reputation.  Sigh.  But it may not cost as much as people fear, because a lot of times all that the customer *really* wants--especially at this point--is an apology.  

Once you get things squared away, try to join the BBB.  That makes things a lot easier all around.  

I wish you very good luck with this.