Seems like when people want to complain about a certain industry, the most likely target will be the airline industry according to 2017 statistics released by the Better Business Bureau of Southern Alberta and East Kootenay.  

And, Leah Brownridge, Media and Corporate Communications Specialist for the BBB says there seems to be lots to complain about.  During the past year, the BBB received 145 complaints about airlines.

Airlines are a common industry that we do see a lot of complaints come in throughout the year.  They are consistently in our top ten and, as you would expect with just about any airline, there are going to be complaints about the normal expected issues.  If there are cancellations then there has to be accommodations in place.  There could be issues around refunds for tickets.  There could be damaged or even lost luggage and of course, that's going to cause upset among consumers who have to go through that experience," says Brownridge.

While airlines first among complaint makers to the BBB, the industry in number two spot may surprise you.  Florists were complained about 137 times in 2017, but Brownridge has an explanation for that.

"This is a unique situation for 2017.  There is one particular florist company that is actually based in Ottawa, but they do have a Calgary location and they've decided that they want our BBB for Southern Alberta and East Kootenay to be the sole BBB handling all of the complaints that come in about this business, whether they've local or not.  The majority of the complaints that we've seen have been either missed deliveries or wrong deliveries.  Not a typical type of business you would expect to see in the top ten but just because of the switch over to our BBB handling the complaints, we did receive an influx."

Rounding out the top ten most complained about industries were car dealerships, utility contractors, roofers, television - cable, movers, general contractors, tax return services, and home renovations.

In the "Inquiries by industry" category, the top five were all made up of building industries with roofing contractors topping the list with 41,223 inquiries received.  Brownridge says it's nothing new.

"The home renovation, contractor, home builder, those types of industries are typically the most inquired about year after year.  People renovating or upgrading their homes, that is a pretty consistent practice year round and people want to make sure they're dealing with a reputable, trustworthy business.  We do have a lot of businesses within that industry that are accredited with us so there's lots of conversation between those types of accredited businesses and consumers."

After roofing contractors, the remaining top ten inquiries in 2017 were home renovations, general contractors, home builders, plumbers, movers, landscapers, car dealerships, electricians and used car dealers.

Brownridge says every year the BBB is becoming busier answering consumer inquiries and complaints, 

"It's something that we feel speaks to our relevance in the changing marketplace.  We're a resource for both businesses and consumers, really trying to create that trust in the marketplace.  We do see a lot of increased activity with consumers calling us or even if they do need to come to us with a complaint or customer review." 

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