Earlier today, Louis from HomeGain posted about them having an A-plus BBB rating. I will buy that. I think HomeGain has come a long way on his watch and think they have earned it. But since I had not looked at BBB ratings in a LONG time, I was intrigued enough to check out some others in the Real Estate Sector:
The Brokerage where I work: A plus (woot! see you and raise you Louis! 😉 )
Most of our local competitors: A to A plus (well done!)
RE/MAX Intl: A
RedFin: A minus (kudos, Mr. Kelmann…an accomplishment in a tough industry.
Zillow: Z for yourself. Yikes. But Zestimates can be a tough thing to keep people happy with, no? And that can affect your Zcore.
HouseValues: C
BBB ratings are supposed to be about a business keeping it’s commitments to its customers and living up to its agreements. I would also go so far as to say that it involves customer service. Going the extra mile to take care of people is an important piece of that.
In the end it is not about a rating but rather a commitment to do the right thing…thoughts?
I’d invite you to drop by the BBB.org and see how you or your brokerage or business rate! Ratings are not everything, but the idea that the better we serve our customers and their needs, the better we will be is a solid principle in my opinion.
ryan hartman says:
Which brings up online reputation management? Not that he’d ever do it, but I’d hate to have a killer SEO like Mr. Blackwell take aim at my online rep…
I’d be the Worst Real Estate Agent in America in no time.
I’m guessing that these days a bad BBB ding would be a lot less painful than a negative link on the first page of google.
Just a thought…Our “committment to doing the right thing” can easily be tarnished by one little slip up and a well optimized blog post these days.
If you’re not doing the right thing…well…“Watch out for your (online) cornhole bud!” (Uh)Oh the transparency…
May 14, 2009 — 6:19 pm
Louis Cammarosano says:
Eric
Thanks for kudos and back at you for your brokerage earning an A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
Keep in mind that HomeGain, like Zillow also provides online ESTIMATES of home values. Indeed, we pioneered the concept back in 1999-2000.
http://blog.homegain.com/homegain/homegain-cries-flattery-on-zillow/
I’m not convinced entirely that Zillow’s “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau has to do primarily with the fact that part of their business focuses on doling out Zestimates.
May 14, 2009 — 7:25 pm
Cheryl Johnson says:
Do keep in mind, though, that businesses ~PAY~ an annual membership fee to be members of the BBB.
I decided to stop paying the approx. $500 per year membership fee a couple years ago, and I continue to receive calls even now from BBB salespeople urging me to rejoin before my rating suffers.
Just sayin’.
May 14, 2009 — 8:49 pm
Scott Schang says:
I’m with Cheryl on this one. I used to think there was some great accomplishment being graded the BBB until I started getting the screws put on me by aggresive sales reps trying to make a sale.
I don’t really think it’s a relevent reputation management tool any longer. That said, having great customer feedback is an awesome acomplishment for any business but I think a google search of the company’s name would turn up better dirt if that’s what a consumer is looking for.
May 14, 2009 — 11:19 pm
Robert Kerr says:
Better Business Bureau ratings? Useless, IMO.
May 15, 2009 — 1:26 am
Jessica Horton says:
I’m a member of the BBB: My Buyers Bring me more Buyers all the time. I don’t have to pay $300.00 to the NAR to have ethics and I certainly don’t have to pay $500.00 a year to run a consumer-centric real estate office.
May 15, 2009 — 2:54 am
Louis Cammarosano says:
The BBB score is reflective,among other things on the number of complaints, the tenor/seriousness of the complaints and how the complaints are handled, if at all by the company .
These factors are considered in formulating the rating irrespective of whether a company is a member.
The difference between an A+ rating and an F does not depend on membership.
May 15, 2009 — 5:02 am
Eric Blackwell says:
@Louis – You are correct about payment not being an issue. Many of the local brokerages pay nothing and yet they have a near spotless record with the BBB.
And as I said at the end of my post, BBB ratings or any other ratings are not everything. I think they are indicative of if your effort to resolve things when problems arise as much as anything.
I think Redfin’s A- is more impressive than our office’s A plus…why? Because Redfin was/is churning up more controversy and a new path. That is just bound to cause more issues than a franchise brokerage.
So kudos Glenn. I mean that.
@Ryan-
Online reputation management is trickier than ever. Especially with some of the recent changes in the algorithms. I am seeing old controversies rear their ugly heads regularly on the SERPS.
I have turned to advising clients to take out the ENTIRE top 10 for their company name because IMO it is simply a good investment in protection.
May 15, 2009 — 5:52 am
Louis Cammarosano says:
You’ll note Glenn’s post here a while back on the Ultimate Question that he makes customer service a priority, as we do at HomeGain.
Delighting the customer needs to be at the top of a company’s priorities. Lose focus on the customer and your ratings and business will suffer, no matter how many page views or press mentions you may have.
May 15, 2009 — 8:20 am
Steve Trang says:
When I was growing up, I remember the BBB being a big deal. I would always hear threats of “we’ll report you to the BBB.” These days, I never hear mention of the BBB except for the random SEO guide that recommends submitting your site to BBB.
May 18, 2009 — 8:38 pm