By Valerie Simson
I recently purchased an irregularly shaped poster so uniquely-sized, in fact, that most stores don’t carry frames in its particular dimensions. Not being one who casually pins prints to the walls, but fed up with the lack of service at my neighborhood, big-box art supply store, I turned to the BBB Request a Quote Program for my framing needs.
The Request a Quote program is one of your BBB’s simplest and most efficient consumer tools. Available exclusively to Accredited Businesses, the program offers consumers the ability to quickly reach out to businesses to request a quote or estimate on a service, more information about a product, a bid on a project, and much more.
In my case, I typed a quick description of the frame I needed, my budget, and submitted it to several Accredited Businesses who provide framing services. This saved me several phone calls and special trips to those stores.
Not sure where to start? The quote seeking process can be mastered in four easy steps. To get started, click the “Use Request a Quote” button, located on the home page of sandiego.bbb.org:
1. You’ll arrive at the Request a Quote form, where you’ll be prompted to enter a description of your request, whether the request is for residential or commercial purposes, preferred method of contact, and best time to be reached.
2. To narrow down your search, you’ll need to enter a zip code and how close to the zip code you’d like the businesses to be located. This is also where you select the type of business you’d like to contact. For example, if you need to hire a painting contractor, you may type in that phrase, or use key words, such as “paint” or “contractor.”
3. You’ll see a list of businesses that meet the criteria you input in the previous step. Not sure about a business? You may click the business name to view their Business Review in a separate window. Once you’ve decided who you want to contact, check the box next to the business name—a copy of your request will be sent to each business you select.
4. When you’re ready, hit “Click Here to Contact Selected Businesses” and your quote will be submitted to the BBB for review, after which it’ll be forwarded to your selections.
Once the business(es) receives your quote, all further communication will be between you, the consumer, and the business. For this reason, the BBB suggests selecting at least three businesses when possible. This will give you some options to compare. Also, businesses aren’t required to respond to quote requests, so multiple selections ensure a higher chance of receiving a business response.
For Accredited Businesses looking to expand awareness of their enrollment in the Request a Quote program, the BBB provides additional places for consumers to submit requests. First, any Accredited Business enrolled in the program will have a Request a Quote link on their business review that allows people to contact them directly.
Also, Accredited Businesses may now add the new Request a Quote Button to their websites. Accessible through the Business Login Page, the button is a special HTML code that links to the business’ unique Request a Quote form.
The next time you need a job or a service performed, or have questions about a product, be sure to check out the Request a Quote program.
If you have any questions about the program and other consumer tools, please call (858) 496-2131 or email info@sandiego.bbb.org. For businesses interested in enrolling in Request a Quote and other Accredited Business benefits, please call (858) 637-6199 or email vsimson@sandiego.bbb.org.
