According to an annual report released today by Better Business Bureau, consumer complaints to the organization increased by 9.7 percent in 2009. Not only did BBB receive nearly 1 million complaints filed by disgruntled customers last year, consumers turned to the non-profit more than 65 million times for help researching businesses across North America.

“Amidst the housing crisis, high unemployment rate and the chaos on Wall Street, the last year has not been easy on consumers and the increase in complaints to BBB reflect this troubled economy,” said Andy Fisher, President of the BBB Serving Central Louisiana and the Ark-La-Tex. “Now more than ever, struggling families should rely on BBB to find businesses they can trust and to help their voice be heard in the marketplace.”

The cell phone industry received the largest number of complaints in 2009 with 37,477, a 2.1 percent increase over last year. The cable & satellite TV industry ranked second with 32,616 complaints, an 8.7 percent increase over the previous year. Rounding out the top three, banks received 29,920 complaints, a 42.3 percent increase over the previous year.

The surprising statistic is that the number of complaints actually declined in the market of the BBB Serving Central Louisiana and the Ark-La-Tex.  In 2008, there were a total of 1825 complaints with only 1730 complaints filed in 2009, down 9.2%.  The number of inquiries for Reliability Reports increased from 65,440 in the local market to 101,116, some 55%.  Most of the inquiries are received on the internet and the use of the internet by the consumer is responsible for the large increase.

The report also reveals that BBB Reliability Reports—which are available online for free and contain information on a business’s accreditation status, letter-grade rating and complaint history—are increasingly popular as a free tool for consumers to research the trustworthiness of businesses.  The nearly 4 million BBB Reliability Reports® on businesses across North America were viewed more than 65 million times in 2009. The most popular industries researched through BBB were roofing contractors, general contractors and mortgage brokers.

For a complete industry breakdown of all complaints filed with the BBB in 2009, and previous years, go to www.bbb.org/us/statistics. To learn more about BBB dispute resolution services and BBB Reliability Reports, contact Andy Fisher, 318-222-7575 or 1-800-372-4222 ext 101 or www. Shreveport.bbb.org.

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