Okay, listen, I am ~extremely~ sympathetic with all you people who have been struggling with this offer, and my post should not in any way be taken as a put-down of that struggle. I've had my share of frustrating consumer experiences over the years. That being said, after seeing dozens of comments and threats about using the BBB, I felt that I needed to step in and correct some serious misunderstandings before you all waste your time contacting the BBB.
The BBB is not a government agency nor a legal advocacy group, and as such it can NOT make a company fix a problem or punish a company for failing to correct a problem--it simply has no power whatsoever to do so. It is not some mythic entity that is going to destroy this vile corporation. On the contrary, the BBB is merely a reputational organization. Some firms do indeed seek membership (called accreditation in their terminology) with the BBB, whereby they agree to certain base standards of conduct and to remedy complaints. But even then, the only 'punishment' that the BBB possesses is to remove their membership status.
Most major corporations feel it is prudent for PR reasons to be a member, but then again, such major corporations are also the type that value their reputation very highly in the first place and would be remedying these problems anyway. But the ~vast~ majority of small and mid-size firms in America never waste their time with getting accredited--so few consumers actually look up companies in the BBB's database (did any of you look up this firm prior to dealing with them? If you had, you would have noticed that they already have a "F" rating with the BBB), and even fewer change their mind based on that information, that there is only an extremely small benefit for BBB compliance for many small and mid size firms. That benefit is easily outweighed for many firms due to the materially high cost of compliance.
Allow me to also quote something from the BBB's own website:
"I filed a complaint with the BBB. The business has not responded. Why can't the BBB make a business satisfy my complaint?
When a BBB receives a complaint, we present the complaint to the business and request its assistance in working out the problem with the unhappy customer. Most businesses are grateful for the opportunity to resolve problems with their customers since it often means their patronage will be preserved.
BBB accredited businesses agree to respond to consumer complaints presented by the BBB, and lose their accredited business status if they do not. Most other businesses, regardless of whether they are BBB accredited businesses, also cooperate with the BBB.
However, some businesses do not want to work with the BBB and/or their customers to resolve complaints. Because we are not a government or law enforcement agency, we cannot force a reply from a business; nor can we administer sanctions. However, a business' unwillingness to respond to us or a customer will be noted in the business' reliability report we provide to the public. The customer is free to pursue other alternatives such as legal action. "
I always chuckle a little inside when I see people toss around the threat of contacting the BBB. So many people seem to have some delusion that it is an entity with actual power when in fact it doesn't do much more than collect ratings of firms.
In summary: contact the BBB all you want about TriSlim and its incestuous sibling firms. I guarantee you that TriSlim doesn't give a flying *@&#, as its operations are clearly not based on its reputation whatsoever. The firm already have a F rating with the BBB, it's not going up.... and it's arguably not doing anything either.
Just my two cents. Again, the drama that they have put you through is awful, but the BBB is not your savior.
this shit, how do i go about reporting to the bbb? ive never done it before.
