BBB Wisconsin 2018 Annual Report

Nearly 202,000 customer reviews of Wisconsin companies were read on the BBB’s website in 2018. Customers submitted 7,299 verified reviews about businesses. Posting of positive, negative, and neutral customer reviews remains a common option by the public.

In addition, consumers viewed free BBB Business Profiles on Wisconsin businesses and charities 3,716,406 times in 2018, submitted more than 3,700 reports on Scam Tracker (the BBB’s portal for consumers to self-report scams), affirming that bbb.org remains a popular, trusted option for consumers to check out companies and report scams.

“BBB Serving Wisconsin continues to be dedicated to helping companies and consumers alike in many ways and our data reflect that commitment and fervor,” said Jim Temmer, BBB Serving Wisconsin CEO and president. “Our goal is to always work with both customers and companies, to promote and advance marketplace trust and to set high standards for fair and honest business behavior.”

Since it launched nationally in November 2015, nearly 150,000 scam reports from consumers have been submitted to BBB’s Scam Tracker. Scam Tracker also allows the BBB to collect, track, and share the information with media, law enforcement, and the public.

In addition to the website statistics, BBB served more than 19,000 consumers via telephone and live chat function on its website.

Also, the BBB Serving Wisconsin reported the following statistics in its 2018 annual report:

• 8,929 complaints were processed. Of those, 85 percent were responded to by the company.
  
• Details of these complaints (from the consumer and the business) were viewed by the public 228,320 times, an increase of 10 percent.

• BBB Serving Wisconsin challenged 124 ads for questionable claims. The BBB requested immediate cease and desist from unauthorized users of its logo, requested substantiation of certain advertising claims and, in some cases, asked companies to modify their advertising to eliminate false or misleading information.

• BBB Serving Wisconsin conducted 94 investigations and sent 50 press releases to the public including informational pieces, business alerts, and scam notifications. This resulted in more than 2,810 TV, radio, and newspaper stories. The BBB Serving Wisconsin also continued posting regular blogs for various online and print publications, including Patch.com, Now.com, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service (NNS), Franklin Neighbors and The Ozaukee News Graphic online and print publications. BBB press releases are sent out regularly and can be found on the home page of our website under “news.”

• ShredFest, BBB’s bi-annual free community shredding event, was held in April and September for the eleventh consecutive year. More than 38 tons of personal documents were shredded for free, helping thousands of people protect themselves from identity theft.

• In 2018, 6,654 of Wisconsin accredited businesses chose to reaffirm their commitment to the BBB’s Standards of Trust.

• The BBB Serving Wisconsin increased its social media presence to more than 7,040 followers on Twitter and 25,851 “likes” on Facebook.

• The BBB offers free “Request a Quote” opportunities for consumers through its website. Choosing to “Request a Quote” allows a person to obtain free quotes, estimates, information or proposals from BBB Accredited Businesses. In 2018, the Wisconsin BBB forwarded requests for quotes to accredited businesses 4,366 times.
  
• In 2018, BBB awarded seven Torch Awards for Ethics to the following business/organizations: Kerzner Remodeling & Construction, Badger Basement Systems, Health Payment Systems, Partnership Bank, Tundraland Home Improvements, West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, and Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE). BBB awarded three Spark Awards for Entrepreneurship to Krista Dentice (Weddings with a Twist, LLC), Kyle Pembroke (K&G Contractors) and Brandon Strzyzewski (Crystal Vista, LLC).
  
• The BBB Serving Wisconsin awarded 10 scholarships to Wisconsin High School seniors who demonstrated high character, leadership, and ethical values. Each of the ten students received a $2,500 scholarship to attend an accredited college of their choice. The 2018 “Student of Integrity” scholarship was sponsored by the BBB of Wisconsin Foundation and made possible thanks to the support of our corporate sponsors; Harley-Davidson Motor Company, We Energies, Associated Bank, Baird, Catholic Financial Life, Dave Jones, Inc., Manpower, Town Bank, SVA, Willis Towers Watson, UW-Whitewater, ADAMM, Anick & Associates, Concordia University, ECE, Ellenbecker Investment Group, Health Payment Systems, Johnson Bank, Johnson Controls, Roundy’s, Partnership Bank, Silicon Pastures, Tundraland Home Improvements, Von Briesen & Roper, S.C.., and West Bend Mutual Insurance.

The BBB of Wisconsin Foundation has given scholarship gifts to students totaling $155,000 since 2010. For more information on the BBB Students of Integrity scholarships, click here.

For an online version and to see our top 10 complaints click here

For more information or further inquiries, contact the Wisconsin BBB at www.bbb.org/wisconsin, 414-847-6000 or 1-800-273-1002. Consumers also can find more information about how to protect themselves from scams by following the Wisconsin BBB on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.