BBB publishes inaugural annual report

Report highlights 2021 efforts of advancing trust in the marketplace

ATLANTA — Better Business Bureau of Metro Atlanta, Athens & NE Georgia (BBB) released its 2021 Annual Report detailing the organization’s performance related to consumer and business marketplace activities in BBB’s 47-county service area.

“The past few years were unprecedented for BBB in many ways. The pandemic accelerated consumers’ reliance on BBB and gave businesses – especially our Accredited Businesses – the opportunity to prove to consumers that they operate with ethics and integrity,” said Brian Catania, president and CEO of BBB.

Key Areas of Growth  

Verified Customer Reviews

In 2021, customers submitted more than 23,000 verified customer reviews, showing a 10% increase from 2020.

“Customer reviews continue to grow,” said Catania. “BBB is widely regarded as a trustworthy resource for information about businesses. We are thrilled those consumers are taking advantage of this resource by sharing honest feedback about their experiences with local businesses.”

Most Inquired Industries

Over 195 million consumers inquired about a business on BBB.org last year. Roofing contractors received the most inquiries, with more than 195,000 consumers requesting more information. Collection agencies were the second most inquired type of business (144,000+ inquiries), followed by property management (107,000+ inquiries).

“It’s no surprise that these three industries dominated consumer inquiries. More consumers were either fixing their homes, moving into other properties, or finding the proper recourse to address economic challenges due to the pandemic,” said Catania.

“Get A Quote” Requests

BBB also offers free “Get a Quote” opportunities to drive consumers to trustworthy businesses. Choosing “Get a Quote” on BBB.org allows consumers to receive free estimates, information, or proposals from Accredited Businesses listed on BBB’s directory or via Accredited Business Profiles. In 2021, BBB forwarded over 35,000 requests for quotes to Accredited Businesses, an 86% increase over the previous year.

“Using BBB’s Get a Quote program is like asking a room filled with TRUSTWORTHY contractors how much a repair or install would cost and have them call or email you with their estimate,” said Catania.

To learn more about the progress of BBB Atlanta throughout 2021, download the report at issuu.com/bbbatl/docs/bbb08-annual_report2022.

For more information or further inquiries, contact BBB at bbb.org/BizLitATL or 404-766-0875.