The Accreditation Application Process
BBB’s mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. One way that your BBB fulfills this mission is by creating a community of trustworthy businesses and setting standards for marketplace trust so that consumers can feel safe making purchasing decisions.
Creating this community of trust is not an easy task. Most businesses are honest and dependable, but regretfully a few are not. Which is why not every business is eligible for BBB Accreditation. The Accreditation Application Process is as follows:
1. A BBB Accreditation Director invites a company to become accredited by the BBB if they are qualified. Some of the qualifications include a minimum “B” rating, disclosure of business information and appropriate licensing and a minimum of one year in business.
2. The BBB Operations Department carefully reviews each application, looking for the following:
a. All complaints received by the BBB have been answered.
b. The company Principal is cross-referenced in the BBB database to ensure that Principals are not affiliated with any known businesses with a poor BBB rating.
c. Business start date is verified by checking sources including but not limited to the County Assessor’s Fictitious Business Name, Secretary of State, licensing agencies, Domain registry, etc.
d. Court databases are searched for criminal cases of any/all company Principals.
e. Websites and other forms of advertising are reviewed to ensure compliance with the BBB Code of Advertising and Code of Business Practices.
Once this review is conducted, San Diego BBB will accredit the company only if all the above information complies with BBB standards. Each Accredited Business is contractually obligated to uphold the eight BBB Standards for Trust, which summarize the importance of trust in the marketplace. Finally, The President & CEO and the San Diego BBB Board of Directors approve each potential Accredited Business.
If an application for accreditation is denied, San Diego BBB will mail a letter to the business indicating which BBB Standard for Trust was not met and the options available (if any) that the business has. The San Diego BBB denies 1 in 24 companies that apply for BBB accreditation.
Thank you for your continued support of the Better Business Bureau, and your ongoing commitment to the values for which the BBB stands. Your loyalty helps us to continue our mission to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust.
