Two Affiliates Face Action Over BBB Violations

WALLINGFORD — The Better Business Bureau of Connecticut reported last week that two companies had their BBB accreditation canceled by the organization. Cromwell-based Safe Home Security and Trumbull-based Arbitration International both failed to follow BBB standards of trust for accredited businesses.

Safe Home Security sells, installs, services, and monitors security, fire, and CCTV systems in residential and commercial locations. On December 13, 2007, the company’s accreditation was revoked due to unanswered complaint(s) and unresolved complaint(s), failure to eliminate the underlying cause of complaints on file with BBB, and recent government action involving the business’s customer relations, which indicates a significant failure of the business to meet standards of conduct expected of BBB Accredited Businesses. BBB, in its three-year reporting period, received consumer complaints concerning billing errors, dissatisfaction with the company’s service, and difficulties with canceling monitoring agreements, which have an automatic renewal feature, unless canceled by consumers in accordance with the contract.

Trumbull-based Arbitration International is a company that purportedly offers mediation and arbitration services to small businesses in an effort to impede lawsuits and enforcement of judgments involving debt collection. BBB requested the company provide documentation showing that it indeed performs the services it purports. To date, BBB has not received a reply.

On December 13, 2007, Arbitration International’s accreditation was revoked by BBB’s Board of Directors due to repeated and unauthorized use of BBB name and/or logo, unresolved complaint(s), failure to provide general information on the nature of its business and on the background of the company principals, or other information deemed necessary by BBB, so that it may conduct the necessary background investigation to develop a factual public report on the company.

According to BBB Connecticut President and CEO Paulette Hotton, “It is important for consumers to periodically check our organization’s website to ensure companies with whom they have done business in the past remain in good standing with BBB.

“These are examples,” said Ms Hotton, “where the system worked. We want people to know that BBB oversees not only consumer complaints but also other practices which may be deceptive or go against BBB’ s ethics and accreditation rules.”

BBB Connecticut VP of Marketplace Operations Christen Horan added “Not all cases where accreditation is revoked involves the volume of complaints, but also other issues which put consumers at risk. Companies which do not follow the rules will not have the ‘security’ of hiding behind BBB accreditation.”

To see detailed reliability reports on these and other companies, visit BBB’s website at www.ct.bbb.org or call 203-269-2700, extension 2.