The BBB And What It Means

The Better Business Bureau is a good place to check up on potential pool builders. You can find out if they are in good standing, have any complaints and how they operate. Although this is an excellent source, it should not be your only research tool.

When looking at the BBB, there are some things to take into consideration. Just because they have some complaints may not be enough to run for the hills. Take into consideration how many pools they build in relation to how many complaints they have. Also, complaints may not have necessarily made it onto those reports. Of course, the pool builders will tell you that they have a few complaints but it is because they build so many pools. You will have to look into this and decide for yourself. Remember, they are going to spin it however they can. Also, see if the complaints all tend to be about the same thing.

Another thing that can come up is if the business is accredited with the BBB. If not, it could be for a simple oversight like they have not paid the fee yet or it could be for something that is cause for concern. Either way, you should look into it and address this with the potential builder.

I just did a search on a pool builder and found that they are operating under several different names (although all are very similar). This can be a red flag. Each of these could be independently owned, franchised, or set up to protect the parent company from lawsuits. In this situation, it is important to find out who you are signing a contract with and who is going to be standing behind the product. Are they being upfront and honest with you about how their business is set up or are they hiding something?

The BBB can be very useful, but don't stop there. In order to file a complaint with the BBB, you have to go through a little bit of a process. Many complainants shy away from this but still have a story to tell. The complaints sites are easy to post your disgust and do it anonymously, so many people choose that avenue. Look into it all in order to get a better perspective.

Here are some videos from the BBB about hiring a contractor. Even though they are not directly about pools, they are very relative...





These are the first two of a series. If you want to watch more, the rest are here on YouTube.

If you really want to look into a business, you can get the Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) report on them. This delves further into the operation than the BBB but it does cost money. The D&B can tell you the company's financial situation and who actually owns the company.