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An accredited business must:
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Have been operational in any Better Business Bureau’s service area for at least the past 12 months unless one or more of its principals had previously operated a similar business that would have qualified for accreditation;
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Be and remain licensed and bonded, if required, and provide licensing and bonding information upon request of the Bureau;
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Be and remain free from any government action that affects the reliability of the business;
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Maintain at least a B rating with this Bureau and, if headquartered elsewhere than this Bureau’s service area, at least a B rating by that Bureau;
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Provide the Bureau with all information requested and required to evaluate compliance with Bureau standards;
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Cooperate with Bureau activities and efforts to promote self-regulation;
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Respond to all complaints presented by the Bureau promptly and in accordance with the Bureau's complaint resolution procedures and cooperate with Bureau efforts to eliminate the underlying causes of patterns of customer complaints;
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Honor any settlement arrived at through a Bureau dispute resolution process;
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Adhere to and abide by the Bureau’s Code of Advertising (available online at http://www.bbb.org/membership/codeofad.asp), including applicable industry codes of advertising, and supply substantiation for advertising and selling claims upon request.
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Make any correction of advertising or selling practices recommended by the Bureau and cooperate with the Bureau’s advertising dispute-resolution programs;
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Use the Bureau name and logos only in accordance with Bureau policy;
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Present all material facts, whether presentations are verbal or written, about its products and services and ensure that written materials are readily available, clear, accurate, and complete;
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Clearly disclose the following information to customers:
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- direct and effective means to contact the business;
- all terms of any contract;
- any product guarantees or warranties;
- any restrictions or limitations imposed by the business;
- any policies covering returns and refunds;
- any recurring commitment into which the customer may be entering and how future billing will occur;
- the complete transaction cost.
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Make the following provisions and disclosures to customers ordering from the business's website or by any other electronic means:
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- any required product labeling information;
- the nature and terms of shipping, including any known delays or stock shortages;
- the opportunity to review and confirm the transaction before the sale is completed;
- provide a receipt summarizing the transaction after the sale is completed.
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Fulfill contracts and agreements and correct mistakes promptly;
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Respect customer privacy by disclosing on its website what information will be collected, with whom it is shared, how it can be corrected, how it is secured, how policy changes will be communicated, and how to address concerns over misuse of personal data;
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Ensure that any sensitive data it collects online is transmitted by a secure means;
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Comply with industry standards for the protection and proper disposal of all sensitive data, whether online or offline;
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Contact customers only by the means specified and promptly remedy the cause of any failure to do so; and
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Avoid any involvement on the part of the business or its principals in any activity that would reflect unfavorably on, or otherwise adversely affect, the public image of the Bureau or its accredited businesses;
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Pay monetary obligations to the Bureau in a timely manner.
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