Better Business Bureau risks losing credibility over ratings, Conn. AG says

Connecticut's attorney general has told one of the marketplace's most trusted symbols of consumer protection, the Better Business Bureau, that it risks losing its credibility if it favors those who pay for membership over those who don't.

"Any suggestion or appearance of 'pay-to-play' threatens to undermine the accuracy and credibility of the BBB's ratings, potentially misleading consumers and unfairly tainting non-member businesses," state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a letter to the bureau's Connecticut chapter.

Blumenthal told the BBB he wanted more information regarding what role payment of dues plays in determining the rating given a business compared to one that chooses not to join. "Rankings should not be affected by membership in the BBB," he wrote.