Walker Interactive was recently accredited by the Better Business Bureau. It's something we're very pleased about, but also a decision that took some thought.

Turns out you can't just buy accreditation. There is a review process in place. Yes, you pay for the privilege of being accredited. And this was why I hesitated for so many years. Then we had an experience with the BBB as consumers, plus I had some feedback from a client, and here we are.

After wrestling with the company, we were able to cancel the subscription, but we wanted our money back. So I filed a complaint with the BBB. Not only did they pursue the complaint on our behalf, but they forwarded our complaint on to the FTC. An agent of the FTC actually called us for more information on the fraudulent charges as part of launching an investigation.

This is a happy story. We did get our money bank, however incremental it might be.

The other reference to the BBB that got me thinking was during a conversation with a business owner who has since become a client. He said that, in his initial investigation to find a local web design firm, his first stop was the BBB. I'm embarassed to say that it never occured to me to think of the BBB as a source for new business.

So I filed our application and was promptly called by a representative for an interview. She told me something very interesting: the BBB will work with clients on our behalf if there is a dispute of some kind. I knew they'd work on behalf of the consumer. But did you know the BBB will work on behalf of a business, too?

Well, I'm pleased to say we received our accreditation and we'll be adding the BBB icon to our site in the next few days. W00t!