Milwaukee, Wis. – The year 2022 was a busy one for the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau (BBB).
In 2022, BBB Wisconsin had more than 2.5 million visits to our website (bbb.org/Wisconsin) and served more than 21,100 consumers via the telephone and the live chat function on our website, an increase of almost twenty percent.
BBB Wisconsin processed a total of 15,344 complaints. Of those, 80% were responded to by the company.
In addition, BBB Wisconsin had 15,212 submitted, verified and posted customer reviews last year.
BBB customer reviews allow consumers to post positive, negative, or neutral reviews on a company’s BBB profile. Once submitted, the writer is verified by the BBB to be an actual customer of the business. BBB customer reviews differ from BBB complaints, in which the customer is seeking the BBB’s assistance in resolving a problem.
“In 2022, we celebrated 110 years of providing trustworthy information to the public,” said Jim Temmer, Wisconsin BBB president/CEO. “We are thrilled to continue our mission of advancing marketplace trust and setting high standards for fair and honest business behavior, and assisting the public in so many ways.”
Since 2015, a total of 231,252 reports have been submitted to BBB Scam Tracker – BBB’s portal for consumers to self-report scams. Of those, Wisconsinites have contributed by submitting more than 5,050 reports to date, a 20% increase, affirming that bbb.org remains a popular, trusted option for consumers to check out companies and report scams. Scam Tracker also allows the BBB to collect, track, and share the information with media, law enforcement and the public.
Public speaking and presentations to groups is an essential means for BBB staff members to reach people personally with our messages. We look forward to educating and engaging people about current scams, fraud, and timely topics. In 2022, BBB Wisconsin provided forty-one presentations to more than 700 registrants. These events were provided free to the public. In addition, BBB Wisconsin provided and hosted twenty virtual events/presentations for more than 530 attendees.
The BBB offers free “Get A Quote” opportunities for consumers through its website. Choosing to “Get a Quote” allows a person to obtain free quotes, estimates, information or proposals from BBB Accredited Businesses. In 2022, the Wisconsin BBB forwarded more than 4,500 requests for business quotes to accredited businesses.
The BBB Serving Wisconsin continued its social media presence reaching more than 6,767 followers on Twitter and more than 28,000 “likes” on Facebook.
In 2022, BBB awarded eight Torch Awards for Ethics to the following businesses/organizations: GSI General, Smart Moves, Opportunity Knocks of Wisconsin, LLC, EO Johnson Business Technologies, Great Lakes Roofing Corporation, Weather Tight Corporation, Acuity and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Wisconsin Inc. BBB awarded five Spark Awards to the following businesses: Evolve Insurance Solutions, Milwaukee Movers LLC, Midwest Accounting and Consulting, LP Advanced Construction, and Valiant Roofing.
For more information on the Torch and Spark Awards, click here.
The BBB Serving Wisconsin proudly awarded 15 scholarships to Wisconsin High School seniors in the amount of $37,500, the most ever awarded by BBB of Wisconsin. Scholarships were awarded to seniors who demonstrated character, leadership, and ethical values. Each of the fifteen students received a $2,500 scholarship to attend a Wisconsin accredited college or university of their choice. The 2022 “Student of Integrity” scholarship was sponsored by the BBB of Wisconsin Foundation and made possible thanks to the support of donors including: Wisconsin BBB Accredited Businesses, We Energies Foundation, Dave Jones, Inc., Catholic Financial Life, Associated Bank and Roger Schroeder.
The BBB of Wisconsin Foundation has given scholarship gifts to students totaling $267,500 since 2010. For more information on the BBB Students of Integrity scholarships, click here.
In 2020, BBB Serving Wisconsin conducted 174 investigations and sent 127 press releases to the public including informational pieces, business alerts, and scam notifications.
BBB Wisconsin appeared in the news more than 5,400 times – a record – in TV, radio, and newspaper (print and online) stories (13% increase). We are grateful to our media partners and partnerships, which help us spread the word and educate the public.
2022 BBB Top 10 Most Complained About Industries
| Furniture Stores | 1,422 |
| Catalog Shopping | 468 |
| Replacement Windows | 417 |
| Department Stores | 412 |
| Travel Insurance | 392 |
| New Auto Parts | 388 |
| Medical Equipment | 383 |
| Consumer Finance Companies | 336 |
| New Car Dealers | 333 |
| Collections Agencies | 328 |
2022 BBB Top 10 Most Inquired About Industries
| Roofing Contractors | 98,987 |
| Heating and Air Conditioning | 77,077 |
| Consumer Finance Companies | 56,353 |
| Orthopedic Shoes | 50,346 |
| Construction Services | 50,047 |
| Property Management | 47,316 |
| Replacement Windows | 41,392 |
| Plumber | 38,596 |
| General Contractor | 36,210 |
| Landscape Contractors | 32,968 |
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