BBB stands for Better Business Bureau. Go to the BBB if you want to file a complaint about a business or company. It's free and anyone can do it. Yes, anyone. Even you. If you want to. Okay, enough with the intro. Let's get straight to the point. You know which example we're using right? No? Okay, fine, here's a hint: the-site-that-shall-not-be-named. Still don't know? I'm talking about Bubblews.
Better Business Bureau Website
Here's the direct link to the site: http://www.bbb.org/greater-san-francisco/business-reviews/internet-services/bubblews-in-san-francisco-ca-525234/file-a-complaint. If you want to complain about a different site or company, just go to bbb.org and find the business from there. When you get to the link, just read the text at the top and then click the "continue" button.Step 1
This brings us to step 1, which is "verify the nature of your complaint". You will see 4 questions that you can answer with a "yes" or "no". I answered no for all questions. After answering, click the "submit" button.Step 2
This brings us to step 2, which is "tell us about yourself". Unfortunately, you can't file a complaint anonymously, so you will have to share some of your personal info including your name and address. You can check out BBB's terms of use and privacy policy if you want to.Anyway, just fill out the fields on this page. You will also be asked to select a "state/prov", which seems to indicate you can only choose from the states of America. This is not true.
Click on the drop-down list, then scroll down until you can see the countries of the world. You should be able to see yours on this list. They're in capital letters. If you're from the USA, then just choose from the states listed.
If you're from another country (like Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, Italy, Philippines, Argentina, France, etc), just find yours on the list. Double-check the info you typed and then click the "next" button.
Step 3
This brings us to step 3, which is "select a location". This means you need to select the place where the company is located. For example, Bubblews is located in San Francisco, California. After choosing, click the "next" button.Step 4
This brings us to step 4, which is "categorize your complaint". You will need to choose a general and a specific category from the drop-down list provided. Just choose the one that best fits your complaint. Click the "next" button afterward.Step 5
This brings us to step 5, which is "describe your complaint to us". This is where you explain the entire situation to the BBB. Just type everything on the text boxes provided.Some things to take note of:
If you're complaining about the-site-that-shall-not-be-named, be sure to include your username and email. Some of the complaints listed on BBB had the company asking the complainer for the aforementioned info, so, if you want to speed things up, then provide the info already. Don't worry because the BBB will blot out private information as you can see when you check out their complaints page.You can also mention the "retroactive" clause in that site's TOS and how they changed the Terms Of Service without informing anyone (at least, I didn't know about the TOS changes until after the December 31, 2014 announcement). However, even with their latest TOS, the "retroactive" clause is still there, so you can mention that too.
You can also add that you're not the only one experiencing a problem and that there are many who also lost a lot even though they didn't do anything wrong.
Final steps
After filling out everything, just click on the "submit" button. You will be taken to a page which will display your complaint info including a case number. There is also a link, which you need to take note of so you can view your complaint status. The BBB says it can take up to 10 working days for you to get any response so it's just a matter of waiting now.Maybe something will happen. Or maybe nothing will happen. But, at least you tried. If we all tried, maybe the results will be more favorable. Hope this helped. If you have any questions, feel free to ask 😃.
Here are some of the comments from this article, back when it used to be posted elsewhere:
amyk49 wrote on January 14, 2015, 9:08 AM
Thanks for providing this important information. I know people who have already filed complaints. You've made it even easier here for someone who may be considering filing a complaint, but just didn't know how to go about it. Thanks!
FreyaYuki replied to amyk49 on January 15, 2015, 10:55 AM
You're welcome 😃. Have also heard of others who filed complaints. Was interested in doing so, but couldn't find much info on exactly what to do, how to get started, etc, so I wrote this after I tried it in case others also didn't know what to do first and were confused as to how to get started like I was.
nbaquero wrote on January 14, 2015, 10:42 AM
freyayuki Great and very detailed information. I am intending to leave a negative review (which is another alternative besides filing a complaint) for that site.
FreyaYuki replied to nbaquero on January 15, 2015, 10:53 AM
Thanks. Yeah, people can also leave a negative review if they want to. Will also look into this.
nbaquero replied to FreyaYuki on January 15, 2015, 11:39 AM
Or if they prefer they can report the site as a Scam, but they have to provide the reasons why. In any event, there are plenty of options to try to create awareness of their practices.
WesleyMesser wrote on January 14, 2015, 12:20 PM
This is good info no matter what. I've actually had friends of mine who have used the BBB for other matters so I can tell you it does help. Also I love how the other site is treated like Voldemort.
FreyaYuki replied to WesleyMesser on January 15, 2015, 10:50 AM
Thanks. And LOL, so far no one has commented on the Voldemort mention yet 😃. Even wrote a post comparing what happened to members of that site to Sirius Black - all members of the site were accused of manipulating the system and engaging in fraudulent activity and they weren't given a chance to defend themselves, they were just punished (by not being paid) just like how Sirius was sent to Azkaban without a trial for crimes he didn't commit, and he wasn't given the chance to defend himself and explain the situation :-(.
peachpurple wrote on January 15, 2015, 12:43 AM
thanks for the information. Do I have to put in my real name and address because bub site doesn't have my original details there. I can put my email, paypal.
FreyaYuki replied to peachpurple on January 15, 2015, 10:39 AM
You're welcome 😃. I saw your question on my profile page here, and, yes, I tried this too though haven't gotten a response yet. The site does say it can take some time before you can get a reply. Yes, you are required to put your real name and address on the BBB site because they don't accept anonymous complaints.
BBB will blot out your private info and not post it in public. They do have a privacy policy and terms of use. You can read it to see exact details of what they'll do with your info. If you're on their site, you can also see that they use the "https://" to indicate that the page is secure so your info should be safe. Yes, you need to input your email too so they can contact you regarding your complaint. Just follow the instructions I listed above. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Hope this helped. Good luck 😃.
seren3 wrote on January 15, 2015, 10:39 AM
Thanks for the walk-through! I haven't done this yet - still thinking upon it.
FreyaYuki replied to seren3 on January 15, 2015, 10:45 AM
You're welcome. It is free to do this and anyone can do it if they want to. It's also not that hard. Good luck with your decision-making. If you try it and need some help, feel free to ask 😃.
bestwriter wrote on February 5, 2015, 1:14 AM
I did go there and try to lodge a complaint but somehow felt that there is more there than meets the eye.
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 7, 2015, 9:22 AM
What exactly do you mean? Are you talking about your personal info? It should be safe with the BBB since they use https:// and they won't post it in public. It's free to try too and your location doesn't matter to them. It's worth a try because what have you got to lose anyway, right? But that's your choice.
bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 7, 2015, 6:16 PM
May be I am wrong. But when I tried doing something there it was not a smooth operation. Anyway I have forgotten BB and so let it be that way.
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 8, 2015, 4:18 PM
Ah, I see. Have not experienced this. Didn't really have problems filing a complaint there. You can try again if you like. You might get a favorable response too.
bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 8, 2015, 6:21 PM
Would you know of anyone who has received a favourable response. Also I am wondering whether BB is conered by their terms which may protect them - 'to do what they want to ' kind of term.
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 9, 2015, 5:14 PM
If you check the BBB site and look at their page on Bubblews, you can see a list of those who filed complaints and got them resolved. You can also see the response from the company, read what happened, etc. All the personal info is blotted out though.
About the Bubblews TOS - the latest one actually has the retroactive clause. The site says they will not make changes retroactively. I mentioned this in my complaint form to the BBB. You can check the Bubblews TOS, just search for the word 'retroactive' and you will see the part of the TOS that talks about this.
bestwriter replied to FreyaYuki on February 9, 2015, 6:40 PM
When you say resolved did BB pay them? Anyway good to know things are moving.
FreyaYuki replied to bestwriter on February 12, 2015, 11:08 AM
I got my e-check. I wrote about it in one of my latest posts, explaining all the details. If you read through the list on the BBB site, you'll see all the complaints of other people, the response of Bubblews, how it was resolved, if the one who complained accepted the answer or not, etc.
If they accepted the answer from the company, which I did in my own complaint, then they presumably got paid otherwise why would they accept the answer? You can read the details on the BBB's site. Some state outright that they did get their payments.
MommyCharm wrote on February 22, 2015, 3:18 AM
I have just filled out a complaint form. Well, I just hope that BBB could help me with my missing redemption too.
FreyaYuki replied to MommyCharm on February 22, 2015, 3:53 AM
Good luck. I hope you can get your payment too. I was able to receive my August 2014 redemption from Bubblews thanks to the BBB. I filed my complaint on Jan 13, 2015 and I got my e-check on 2015 February. It did take a few days to clear. I hope you can get a favorable response too 😃.
*Notes:
- This was previously published on Persona Paper on January 14, 2015, 9:00 AM
- Image is by GraphBerry (CC:BY-SA) from deviantArt
