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1/11/2010

Lexington, KY - In 2009, consumers complained about and inquired about home improvement and repair contractors more than any other industry in 64-county service area of the Better Business Bureau of Central & Eastern Kentucky.

"A person's home is often their most valuable asset," said Neil Kingery, President & CEO of the BBB of Central & Eastern Kentucky. "When you invest a large amount of money in your home, you want to make sure the contractor you are hiring is reputable….so it makes sense that people were checking out contractors more than any other industry in 2009."

"When you have so much business going to home repair and improvement businesses, it is only natural that more complaints would occur," Kingery continued. "In most cases, when a complaint is brought to the BBB against a contractor, the problem is resolved. It's the contractors that refuse to resolve disputes that consumers want to avoid, which is why we encourage people to first check these businesses out with the BBB."

Kingery also said, "Just because a type of business is on the top complaints list does not mean businesses in that industry are troublesome; rather, it just indicates areas with more consumer activity and thus more complaints."

In 2009, the types of business consumers inquired about before hiring the most were almost all the same categories as in 2008. "With the tough economic conditions in the past year, more people are making sure to check out businesses before spending their money with them," said Kingery.

The BBB also continued to provide referral lists of BBB Accredited Businesses in categories consumers requested. "People want to be sure to use reputable companies that have a proven track record in committing to ethical business practices," Kingery said. "BBB Accredited Businesses were invited to join because they have committed to meet the BBBs ethical standards and to resolve customer disputes. This is why thousands of consumers start with trust by calling us or logging onto our website looking for lists of ethical businesses they can use for comparison shopping."

The BBB provided more than one million reliability reports on businesses and charities in 2009 via its 24-hour voice response system at (859) 259-1008 or 1-800-866-6668 and the website at www.bluegrass.bbb.org. The BBB's dispute resolution department processed over 3800 complaints against businesses in its service area in 2009, with 81% of them being resolved.

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Contact the Better Business Bureau of Central & Eastern Kentucky to check out companies, charities, or to report problems and scams by calling (859) 259-1008 or toll-free 1-800-866-6668 or by logging on to www.bluegrass.bbb.org.