This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Better Business Bureau of Utah has released the 2011 edition of its Top 10 list of industries generating the most complaints.
The state's BBB received more than 17,000 complaints last year, down 8.6 percent from 2010.
"We believe (the decline in complaints) is due to consumers spending less, therefore few transactions and less chance for complaint," Jane Driggs, president and CEO of the BBB of Utah said in announcing the organization's survey results. "We hope that the increase in consumers assessing BBB business reviews indicates that consumers are checking first, before they do business with any company."
Driggs said 74 percent of the 17,000 complaints the BBB received last year were resolved.
Complaints against alarm companies topped the BBB's Top 10 list last year, as in recent years past.
"Utah is home to numerous alarm companies. The resolution (of complaints by) alarm companies continues to improve, however the number of complaints rose slightly," it said.
The category "Untested Medical Products or Supplements" was second on the BBB's list of industries generating complaints.
"These companies sell products that often make big promises — usually for weight loss or to help improve some aspect of your health — and usually come with trial offers and monthly fees that are not spelled out clearly and conspicuously," the BBB said.
The remaining industries that made the BBB's list of infamy were:
• Web Designers
• Training program companies
• Payday loan companies
• Penny auctions
• Credit card companies
• Government grant services
• Exercise equipment dealers, and
• Consumer finance and loan companies
Driggs said while the majority of consumers (99 percent) contact the BBB through the Internet, it also received 62,106 phone calls last year.
BBB business reviews, which are available at http://utah.bbb.org/Business-Search/, are provided for free.