Membership Standards

To be a member of the BBB Serving Wisconsin an applicant must, at a minimum:

1. Be in business for not less than one year, or the principals having been or are currently involved in other businesses which meet these standards or the firm is a branch of an existing member or company that meets these standards.
2. Sign a Membership Application and pay the appropriate dues and fees as set by the BBB.
3. Supply background information about the company, its principals or other information deemed essential to the Bureau's responsibility to provide inquirers with factual reports that bear on the reliability of the business. Failure to provide such information may result in immediate termination of Membership.
4. Fulfill all licensing and bonding requirements of applicable city, county, state and federal agencies and authorities, provide license numbers upon application for BBB membership and provide periodic updates on request of the Bureau.
5. Promptly respond to any and all complaints forwarded by the Bureau, and make good faith efforts to resolve all such complaints in accordance with generally accepted good business practices.
6. May not have an unsatisfactory report in its headquartered state.
7. *Agree to, for unresolved complaints, (a) binding arbitration under CBBB Rules of Arbitration (Binding) if the customer also agrees, or (b) conciliation/mediation under the CBBB rules of mediation, or (c) pre-commitment to a dispute settlement process through a provider other than the Bureau, and which the Bureau determines substantially complies with Bureau dispute resolution criteria.*
8. Comply with any decisions rendered through the Bureau or an alternative provider’s binding arbitration program, or make a good faith determination as to whether to adhere to any informal dispute settlement decisions.
9. Cooperate with the Bureau in efforts to eliminate the underlying causes of patterns of customer complaints that the Bureau may call to the company’s attention.
10. Cooperate with the Bureau’s activities and efforts to promote voluntary self-regulation within the business industry.
11. Adhere to established Better Business Bureau Standards of advertising and selling, including the Code of Online Business Practices for businesses that apply for the BBB OnLine Reliability Logo, and cooperate with the Bureau in matters relating thereto.
12. Be free from any governmental action concerning the marketplace and its customers that demonstrates a significant failure of the company to support the principles and purposes of the Better Business Bureau. A membership may be suspended by the BBB’s board when an action is filed if the allegations suggest such a failure.
13. Refrain from using the name and logo of the Better Business Bureau for commercial, sales or advertising purposes in any manner not specifically authorized in writing by the BBB.
14. Support the principles and purposes of the Better Business Bureau and not engage in any activity that reflects unfavorably on the Bureau and its members.

*This standard applies to MIP members only
Revised 9/16/05