Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Business Consumer Alliance (BCA) is a private, non-profit organization developed to monitor and report on the business practices of companies. Our mission is to promote business self regulation and we are governed by our own Board of Directors.

No. BCA is not affiliated with the government. We are a 100% private, nonprofit organization.

No. We are supported primarily by dues paid by Business Consumer Alliance member businesses.

The purpose of the Business Consumer Alliance is not to act as an advocate for businesses or consumers, but to act as a mutually trusted intermediary to resolve disputes, to facilitate communication, and to provide Reputation Reports on companies.

BCA offers:

• Consumer remediation: BCA assists consumers in resolving complaints against businesses and provides resources for consumers to find trusted contractors. We deliver reputation reports, dispute and complaints resolution, contractor recommendations, pricing benchmarks, customer reviews, arbitration and mediation services, and scam alerts.
• Business membership: BCA helps California contractors to manage their business, scale and connect with customers. Through our memberships, contractors have a reputable partner to promote work and build a solid reputation. BCA partners receive legal advice, arbitration assistance, help with unpaid invoice collection, customer feedback programs, and business and HR advice. We also help members find clients.
• Moving arbitration: BCA has a goods arbitration program to help moving companies and consumers affordably and efficiently. Thousands of consumers use moving companies to transport goods across state lines. If something goes missing or is damaged, the BCA team is a neutral third party able to resolve disputes and claims.

To file a complaint against a company doing business in our service area, please use our online Complaint Form.

If you are a company representative, you may respond to a consumer complaint by clicking on the "Log In" button on top of the page to manage your complaints.

We strive to resolve complaints quickly. The process, though, can take anywhere from one day to a few weeks, depending on how responsive both parties are.

Not necessarily — in some instances, the consumer may be told that the complaint they want remediated is unreasonable. Business Consumer Alliance works to achieve an outcome to disputes between consumers and businesses that is satisfactory to all parties. A list of types of complaints that we do not accept is included in the response to the previous question.

No, because we believe it is essential to the integrity of the reporting process that the company is given a reasonable opportunity to respond to complaint allegations. Also, it's impossible for us to verify the legitimacy of a complaint if it's filed anonymously. We do allow customers to post reviews about a business. You do not need to disclose your name to post a review, however your review must adhere to our Review Guidelines.

We are not a government or law enforcement agency, therefore, we cannot force a company to reply to a complaint, nor can we administer sanctions against the company. Failure to respond to complaints will, however, negatively affect a company's rating, and maintaining a good report is very important to most companies. Often the company will respond once it realizes the impact a negative report may have on its business.

No. While Business Consumer Alliance is supported by the dues paid by Business Consumer Alliance member businesses, it acts as an intermediary to help settle disputes between consumers and businesses whether the company is a Business Consumer Alliance member or not.

Generally, complaint information is kept between 12 and 36 months depending on how the business responded to the complaint, but in some cases it is kept for a longer period of time.

A company's Reputation Report is developed by Business Consumer Alliance and includes information about the company. The information is compiled from various sources which may include any or all of the following: the company's Business Consumer Alliance file, which includes complaint and response information, the company itself, the company's customers, and government, regulatory, and licensing agencies, if applicable.

One of the most important aspects of the report is the rating we assign to the company. The ratings range from AAA to F and are determined by the company's composite score of such factors as its type of business, length of time in business, compliance with competency licensing requirements, complaint volume, complaint history, seriousness of complaints, response to complaints, and our experience with the company's industry in general. The scoring system takes into account the importance we feel each factor is to the company's reliability and the rating assigned is our opinion of the company's overall reliability.

BCA issues reports on Business Consumer Alliance Members and non-member businesses alike. Our reports indicate whether the company is a Business Consumer Alliance Member.

First, verify that you entered the information correctly. If everything is correct, we may not have information on the company yet. You may submit information about a new company by clicking on the "Submit New Company Information" button that is displayed on the company search screen when our system is unable to locate a company with the information you entered.

Being a Business Consumer Alliance Member offers benefits to your company and your employees. View our member benefits page to review some of the benefits available to member businesses only.

You may call our Membership Services department at 800-834-1119 or apply online using our member application.

All applications are screened to determine suitability for Business Consumer Alliance Membership. However, most are processed and given provisional Membership within one or two business days.

New Member Businesses are generally notified by email that they are approved for Membership and will also receive a Member packet in the mail, which explains all of the benefits and services offered to Members.

Annual Membership fees vary depending on the size of the company. Please contact our member services department for more information.

When becoming a business member, you get access to multiple BCA services:

• Legal advice
• Arbitration assistance
• Customer review prompts
• Unpaid invoice collection
• Business and HR advice
• Advertisement of services

All Member Businesses and applicants must agree and abide by our membership standards, which are outlined in our membership agreement.

Membership will suit your California small business if you want ongoing support and advice. The BCA program is right for you if you want to solve problems while maximizing your money, time and resources.

Yes. Federal law stipulates that moving companies need partial third-party arbitration companies to resolve grievances concerning missing or damaged goods or allegations of unfair charges for moving services.

You must participate in an arbitration program and name a neutral third-party arbitrator to renew your Department of Transportation (DOT) license. Arbitration services are also required when renewing your Motor Carrier number with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

BCA offers customer feedback programs, unpaid invoice collection and discounted affiliate programs with moving arbitration services.

You can apply online for moving arbitration services by completing a contact and business information form. You can also call 888-230-3706 to speak to a friendly BCA customer service member.

BCA's arbitration membership fees depend on the size of your business. Please contact our member services department for a free consultation.

In some cases, yes. In general, we require that you actually frequent the establishment you’re writing about. Sometimes, though, you may not actually purchase a product or service, but may want to write about the business’s condition or the attitude of their employees. We ask that you make it clear in your review that you didn’t buy the goods or services, but are simply commenting on the ambiance or facilities.

Just below the frame where you write your review, you’ll find a set of five stars. Simply click on the star rating you want to assign to the business and it will appear opposite your review once it has been published.

Yes. You can edit a review after it’s been posted. You can also change the star rating of the review.

Yes. BCA has a feature that allows you to comment on a review or respond to reviews. Your response will appear directly below the subject review. Your response needn’t be limited to negative reviews. You can also comment on five star reviews. To post a response or comment, you’ll need to be registered as the owner of a business.

Yes we do. We do our best to ensure that the reviews posted are authentic. If we determine, in our sole judgment, that a review may not be genuine, that is, it may not have been posted by a customer, we will remove it. No review process is perfect, though, so it’s important that the reader determine for themselves how much weight to give to any individual review. In some cases, we’re able to validate reviews meaning that we know that the review was posted by a customer. In those cases, we’ll mark the review as "Verified."

Members of BCA are permitted to designate a review as "Featured." This means that the business believes the review is significant and worthy of the reader’s attention. If a review is "Featured" it will be displayed at the top of the review list.