3/14/07

Today I responded to a message left by a gentleman from the Better Business Bureau, who had asked to speak to the owner of the business Doggone Connection (DGC).  I returned the call later in the day. The gentleman announced that he was calling on a "positive note." He said that the business Doggone Connection had "come across (his) desk," and when he saw that it had "no complaints," he invited DGC to become a member of the Better Business Bureau.

What immediately came to my mind was the article, "Good Ethics, Good Business," which I had read just days before in the March, 2007 Indianapolis Woman magazine.  It profiled the BBB criteria for business ethics and a local furrier who was a past recipient of the BBB's "Torch Award."  http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/invision.asp?ID=33

The co-owner of the fur business made mention of the golden rule, "Treat others as you would want to be treated yourself."  I could not help but think about the profiteering that starts with fur farming, and the fur-bearing animals who meet their demise when a metal probe is inserted into their rectum, electrocuting them so their hides are unmarred for this retail business. 
http://www.idausa.org/facts/furfacts.html
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/fur_farms.asp
http://www.atourhands.com/furfarm.html

What also came to my mind was the 2006 BBB's "Charity of Ethics Award" given to a local nonprofit animal service agency that has a long, well-documented, and scandalous history of financial and animal care mismanagement. Many in the community had a difficult time understanding how that award could be justified:
http://www.movetoact.org/media/SelflessEfforts.pdf
http://nuvo.net/articles/article_4792
http://www.movetoact.org/Gastineau.htm http://ruthholladay.com/index.php?blog=1&s=patitz&sentence=AND&submit=Search

I soon learned that a business or nonprofit entity is invited to submit its OWN profile for an ethics award, which was indeed the case here.  "The Humane Society of Indianapolis submitted the best-written application," I was told in response to my letter inquiring about the standards that award applicants were expected to meet. One has to wonder how accurately any of us would report our faults if we knew no one would check our story.

I am sure the Better Business Bureau offers many good services to consumers and that the director is a nice person. I cannot doubt that the furrier owners are successful business people and the staff at the animal humane agency is genuine in their caring. But it also appears that the Bureau is being offered as a podium for self promotion and showcasing at the expense of offering accurate information to the public. Per the Indianapolis Woman article stated, "In plain English, business ethics are the rules and principles governing business conduct, spurred by a sense of what is ethically right and wrong."  It appears that for the BBB, the ethics of a business require no oversight and the golden rule in business applies only to the human species.

Although Doggone Connection appreciates the invitation for BBB membership, our response was "Thanks, but no thanks."

So if you wonder why our operation is not listed with the BBB, now you know.

~ Warren

NOTE: For a copy of the letter in PDF format click here.