Complaint Review: Houston Better Business Bureau - Houston Texas

In 2008, I won the Houston Better Business Bureau's most coveted first-place Pinnacle award for my former employer, owner of a well-known window and door company, and subsequently reported him to the Houston Bureau for awards fraud, but the Houston Bureau refused my complaint, protected the employer and vilified and persecuted me. I later learned (and wrote about) the history of awards and that the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) launched the awards program in 2000 because the organization was essentially broke and needed a dependable cash cow to expand and compete against encroaching consumer advocates in the 21st century; the BBB previously depended upon inconsistent donations and memberships.

The awards program was a meritless advertising gimmick whereby whimsical judges picked recipients from winner-centric applications, not on-site evaluations. Yet the BBB speciously advertised, expressed or implied, that its "Awards for Excellence" was evaluated. Furthermore, even though I complained, the BBB never divulged to the public the truth about its awards, which evidenced fraud. The online awards program attracted millions of dollars in business to members every year, and members turnstiled awards-garnered revenue to the Houston Bureau through advertising and membership fees, and the Houston Bureau trickled income to the CBBB as "bureau dues."



I alleged the awards program was an awards racket and money laundering scheme. As a result, consumers favor products and services from BBB-endorsed award recipients. In fact, only BBB members can participate in the awards program, and the BBB's online business-reporting service promotes members over nonmembers; both initiatives infringe upon free trade and nuance a monopoly of the marketplace. 

When completing answers for the awards application in 2008, I warned my former employer that he had to fulfill all procedures that I wrote; that procedures would increase sales and improve customer service by correcting outstanding service and sales issues. The employer promised, and I submitted the application. But the employer lied, refused to enact procedures, and threatened me into silence. He hired a felon as my assistant in the accounting department with access to customer files and finances; he warned me "it's easy to set up someone." We won, and the employer accepted the Houston Bureau's ultimate truth award, the Pinnacle. Thereafter, sales and services deteriorated to the detriment of customers while he bragged about his Pinnacle.

The Houston Bureau distributed award entry forms to its members about January of every year, which included several "ethics" questions. Judges selected award recipients from best-written responses and announced winners every May at a banquet ceremony. There were no interim on-site visits to substantiate finalists. 

I left the employer in September 2008 and reported his awards fraud to the Houston Bureau and CBBB. An abundance of evidence proved the employer's magnitude of awards fraud, and that I authored the awards application. Dan Parsons, president of the Houston BBB, stepped in and dismissed the investigation after meeting with the employer and without allowing my rebuttal. And the CBBB sided with the Houston Bureau. Thereafter, I reported the Houston Bureau and CBBB to the Texas Attorney General and Federal Trade Commission with no results. During this time, in January 2009, the CBBB launched its alpha-numeric rating score to replace its "satisfactory/unsatisfactory" predecessor. My complaint did result in the introduction of a compliance statement on the awards application.

In 2008, I also filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the employer, not the BBB. The employer floundered for several years until the Houston Bureau allegedly hijacked my lawsuit to prosecute me through employer counterclaims, including slander, breach of fiduciary duties, and conversion/theft, in keeping with my former duties as a chief financial officer whereby I was in charge of company finances, accounts receivable, and customer files. Slander was charged because I reported the employer to state and federal regulatory agencies. Breach of fiduciary duties was charged because the employer staged my office after a hurricane in a manner to create liability; another company officer admitted on the witness stand that he staged my office. Conversion was a given because I admitted keeping paperwork as evidence against the employer for self-defense, but conversion had a two-year statute of limitations, which the judge did not honor. And theft was a maliciously fabricated throw down meant to ruin and imprison me to protect the BBB's pristine image and lucrative awards program; the employer was also carrying out his previous threat to set me up like the felon.  I escaped pinstripes by representing myself because I believed my attorney was compromised by the BBB and its attorney litigating for the employer. From the witness stand, I accused the employer of being a "liar and thief" for stealing the Pinnacle. I wasn't allowed to elaborate on the BBB's scandalous history and proclivities. Additionally, the Houston Bureau presented its executive director, Candace Twyman, as a witness for the employer; she accused me of false statements, yet she said nothing about my good-faith attempt to report the employer for consumer fraud and demand for revocation of his Pinnacle award. After I accused the employer of defrauding the Houston Bureau, Twyman never testified.  

I later learned that our trial had been delayed in order for the Houston Bureau to complete another trial involving defamation respective to a bad rating score. The Houston BBB won the case, greenlit my trial, and segued the verdict into my court proceedings to enable defamation against me; verdict determined that rating scores could essentially defame anyone under the right of opinion. My trial's verdict denied employment discrimination claims against the employer, charged me with conversion, and opened IRS charges against the employer. The jury denied theft charges. The employer sought dismissal of the case and he walked free of liability. I sought justice through writer's requital and wrote THE APO$TATE, which includes extensive research and emails and evidence omitted in court that also substantiate my claims and allegations against the BBB, including violation of its IRS nonprofit exemption classification as a profiteering-based organization. One has to ask how and why a humble nonprofit attacked a civilian? My book explains. @caryncain https://amazon.com/dp/0578216906

Additionally, my book includes a subject also covered by the RIPOFF REPORT involving ABC 20/20's documentary about a "Terror Group..." written in 2010. The article included a link to a letter written by the former attorney general of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, whereby he criticized CBBB's new rating score. CBBB introduced the school-style rating score in 2009 to reinforce the awards program and fuel new memberships by trading high rating scores for membership fees. Blumenthal's letter was later removed, but I present a copy of his letter herein.

THE APO$TATE contains copies of all other stated evidence with the exception of the 2008 list of Pinnacle award winners, which I present herein because the Houston BBB apparently deleted from the Internet.

Furthermore, all information provided herein is presented under the protection of the First Amendment and right of opinion, same as the BBB allegedly abuses to disparage and manipulate its adversaries.