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Similar Complaint and Inquiry Patterns Compared with 2010 Statistics

Complaints to Connecticut Better Business Bureau about health and diet products lead the organization’s annual Top 10 list.  Internet shopping complaints hold the second position, as it did in 2010.  In addition, though the order has changed over the past year, most of the same types of businesses that made it to the top 10 list in 2010 continued to draw the most consumer complaints in Connecticut.

“We see a consistent complaint pattern over the past several years,’ according to Connecticut Better Business Bureau President, Paulette Scarpetti.  “What is interesting is that it generally does not match up with the kinds of businesses consumers are researching before making purchasing decisions.”

Seven of the most complained-about types of businesses also made the top 10 in 2010 and 2011.

The top 10 types of business complaints filed with Connecticut Better Business Bureau in 2011, are:

1.Health and diet products
2.Internet shopping
3.Buying clubs & group purchasing services
4.Furniture – retail
5.Burglar alarm systems – dealers, monitoring and service
6.Insurance companies
7.Auto dealers – new cars
8.Fulfillment services
9.Florists – retail
10.Magazine sales.

Despite the number of complaints, there was a settlement rate of between 79 and 99 percent in these categories. 

The top 10 businesses that were most research by Connecticut consumers varied little between 2010 and 2011.  Nine of the top ten continued to draw the most inquiries, an indication that consumers are consistently doing their homework before hiring or buying in certain business categories.

In the only change in the inquiries category between the two years, painting contractors edged out mortgage brokers in terms of consumer research.

Better Business Bureau urges consumers to consult http://www.ct.bbb.org/ to research the marketplace record of companies and professionals before signing any contracts. 

BBB has more than 4 million Business Reviews and monitors the compliance and ethical behavior of 400,000 Better Business Bureau Accredited Businesses that meet our Standards for Trust.