Checking with the Better Business Bureau by:Brad Stone

It is always a wise practice to do your homework on a company before doing business with them

. There are many unscrupulous companies in today's world that you want to avoid. How can you tell? What avenues are there in determining what company is best for you?

A good place to look is the Better Business Bureau. You can find them at www.bbb.org. Some things to consider when looking up a company report:

* Is the Company Listed? - If not, that should be a big red flag. They are either too new, are flying under the radar so as not be noticed, or they aren't a registered company.

* Complaints Ratio - Compare the number of complaints to the company's customer-base they are servicing. If the company has a high rate of complaints, more than 5% of its customer base, then they have a customer service problem. Less than 2% to 3% is an acceptable range. There will always be customers, for some reason or another, that are never satisfied. You've probably dealt with some.

* Resolution of Complaints - How many complaints have not been resolved? This indicates if a company makes an effort to resolve customer issues.

* Rating - What type of rating has the BBB given this company? An unsatisfactory record means that the company has demonstrated practices that are misleading or deceptive, or it has failed to cooperate in efforts to resolve consumer disputes. A satisfactory record means the company has cooperated with the BBB to resolve consumer disputes and is not involved in practices that could be considered misleading or deceptive. The company must also be free from an unusual volume or pattern of complaints, as well as any law enforcement action involving its marketplace conduct.

The Better Business Bureau states, "The mention of complaints in a BBB report is not necessarily negative. The finest businesses get complaints. Look for statements about the causes of the complaints and if the complaints are being resolved. When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints."

Bottom line - Do your homework. Give the company a fair review. Make sure you feel good about doing business with them.

About the author

Brad Stone is CEO of Heritage Web Solutions, a USA Based Company, specializing in Designing and Hosting Affordable Websites for Small and Medium Size Businesses. With a staff of over 160 employees, Heritage Web Solutions has grown to a multi-million-dollar company in just 4 years, achieving a Top 1% National Ranking as reported by WebHosting.Info. For more information, call 866-754-1474, or visit http://www.heritagewebdesign.com.

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