If you are interested in doing business with a local company, you may be interested in checking out its reputation before laying your money down to purchase one of its products or services. Especially when it comes to buying big-ticket items, conducting a little research on a company up-front can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Access to public information, business records and even your friends, family members and coworkers may be all of the resources you need to conduct a thorough investigation of a local business.
Instructions
1. Ask people you know if they have done business with the company. Talk with your friends, family and coworkers. Let them know about the product or service you are buying from the local business and see if they have done business with the company before. If so, find out what their experience was in working with the local company.
2. Contact the Better Business Bureau. You can call the Better Business Bureau that covers your local area or you can go to the Better Business Bureau website to conduct a search on whether there are any complaints against the local business. If a compliant has been filed against the local business, find out how the company dealt with resolving the issue or problem.
3. Contact professional or industry associations. No matter what the industry of the local company you are considering, there is a professional organization for it. For example, if you're interested in working with a wedding planner, contact the National Bridal Consultant Association to inquire as to whether a specific company is a member. If so, you can ask about the business. If not, the association can typically provide you with a list of professionals that are members of the organization and serve your local area.
4. Contact your state attorney general's office. The attorney general for your state also handles complaints about any businesses that operate in the state. Provide the business name on the local company to see if the office has any information or complaints on the business.
5. Contact the county and city consumer protection agencies. Call the consumer agencies that serve the county and city where the business operates (see resources). These agencies also log complaints and maintain records on any issues with local businesses.
