National survey reflects which businesses we trust and which we don't -- and why

Steve Clark had had enough. Weeks after spending $2,500 on a new bedroom set, the bed broke. Workers repaired the bed two months later. Then it broke again.

For six months, Clark spent his days leaving frustrated messages with the shop and spent his nights worrying the mattress would crash to the floor. Eventually, one of the managers came to Clark's home in Yakima and successfully fixed the problem.

Two years later, Clark can't forget how he was treated.

"I know how people should be treated," said Clark, now 23. "Quit pushing me around and playing these games with me. ... They tossed us aside like it was no big deal."

According to a national survey commissioned by the Better Business Bureau, furniture stores, auto dealerships, and cell phone and wireless companies are ranked as the most untrustworthy by consumers. Grocery stores and pharmacies earned the most trust.

Zan Deery, spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau out of Spokane, said there are many factors that can explain the results, from bad experiences to national headlines. But what outweighs the complaints themselves is how businesses respond to them.

"It's like any relationship," Deery said. "The longer you let it fester, the worse it's going to get."

Ron Andring Sr. can relate to that. When the Yakima resident moved to Tieton two years ago, he wanted to subscribe to a wireless Internet service. He thought that was the best way to keep in touch with his son, who was serving in the Army in Iraq.

His home needed to be surveyed to ensure he'd have a clear signal, so he called Washington Broadband Inc. in Yakima to make an appointment. After leaving several messages with the company -- and being told someone would come out soon -- he stopped by the office for answers.

He was told the owner, Forbes Mercy, would visit his home the following weekend to personally conduct the survey. When that didn't happen -- for reasons that remain unclear -- communication quickly deteriorated between the two parties.

Andring claims the company misled him, and Mercy insists Andring refused to wait his turn.

"This is a customer we refused to provide service to and he got mad," Mercy said. "It is not an issue of quality of service or our product. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone."

Andring, 55, never wavered in his convictions and filed grievances on the company's sales practices with the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General's office.

Deery said there's two sides to every story. Unfortunately, as in this case, sometimes nothing can be done to make either side happy, she said.

"We overlook all that hot air," she said about the mud slinging. "This issue had a communication breakdown."

As of Monday, the status of the year-old case is unresolved.

According to the survey, several factors are key to gaining consumer trust. People look for superior customer service, truthfulness, dependability and competitive pricing. High charges and poor service will have the opposite effect.

Brad Fitterer, co-owner of Fitterer's Furniture in Ellensburg, said he was dismayed that furniture stores didn't score well with consumers. But he concedes the survey findings may have merit.

In his travels, he's seen other furniture stores sell recovered mattresses or employ the bait-and-switch routine. The Yakima area, though, is free of these practices, he said.

"Most of us have a certain level of integrity that we aspire to," said Fitterer, whose family-owned store was established in 1896. "Here, at Fitterer's, we will literally go as far as possible to make sure we're honest, upright, forthright and tell the truth."

To build consumer trust, Fitterer encourages customers to return furniture if they're unhappy with it. He offers free delivery to anywhere in the state, and he carries quality lines, Fitterer said. Also, his trained staff doesn't employ high-pressure sales tactics.

"If somebody calls down here and we don't return that call, you don't want to be that employee," he said. "Nothing irritates us more."

Pat Carey, owner of Carey Motors in Yakima, was also disheartened by the survey results. He believes local car dealerships earn more consumer trust than dealerships in larger cities, but agrees that more must be done to break negative stereotypes.

"We aren't just here to sell a car; we're here to earn their business and earn the right to keep their business," said Carey, who has sold cars since 1986. "Stand behind what you sell, do things right upfront and take care of them afterward. ... It's a necessity."

As co-owner of Wray's Food & Drug in Yakima, Chris Brown agrees that customer satisfaction is paramount. Grocery stores and pharmacies are trusted, he said, because customers visit them frequently and know what to expect.

"When you go someplace on a very regular basis, you will spend more time building a relationship," said Brown, who now has three stores, two with pharmacies. "Trust grows out of that."

By reviewing the survey results, Deery of the Better Business Bureau said customers and businesses can both learn something.

Consumers will learn the importance of doing their research, checking on complaints and investing their money with legitimate groups. Businesses, meanwhile, can streamline their customer-service policies and provide additional staff training, she said.

At the same time, she said customers need to have realistic expectations of what businesses can offer.

Customers "lock and load in the mindset that 'I want it quick and I want it fast.' That isn't where you'll get the best transaction," she said. "To get the best experience, that really depends on how much time you put into making that happen."

Clark and Andring have taken these lessons to heart.

After Clark's bad experience with the furniture store, he said he's more vigilant about shopping for bargains, checking stores' return policies and getting agreements in writing. He hates going through all this effort, but he needs to protect himself, he said.

Andring has taken the same measures, going so far as to file complaints when he feels wronged. He doesn't expect to get Nordstrom products for Wal-Mart prices, he said, but he won't tolerate being mistreated either.

"I'm like a bulldog," Andring said. "When I got my jaws locked on you, there's only one way to get them off. It's by doing the right thing."

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.

Consumer complaints

The Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division enforces the state's Consumer Protection Act and may take legal action against businesses that engage in unfair or deceptive practices.

Remedies may include consumer refunds and civil penalties. The division also assists consumers and businesses in resolving disputes by notifying businesses of written consumer complaints and mediating complaints.

For more information on filing a complaint -- and for tips on how to avoid consumer rip-offs -- visit the Consumer Protection Division Web site at www.atg.wa.gov/SafeguardingConsumers/default.aspx or call 800-551-4636.

People can also register a consumer complaint with the Better Business Bureau based in Spokane. The bureau can be reached at spokane.bbb.org or 800-356-1007.

To better understand consumer trust, the Better Business Bureau and the Gallup Organization conducted a national survey in October. More than 1,200 people were interviewed about the companies they trust most and least, and why. A summary of the findings:

n One in five adult American consumers say their trust in businesses they regularly frequent has decreased in the past year.

n Half of all consumers surveyed say they have a great deal or quite a lot of trust in the companies they regularly use.

n About 27 percent say honesty, truthfulness and ethics are the best ways to gain their trust.

n Good customer service is a prerequisite for gaining trust for one in five consumers.

n Most trusted: pharmacies and grocery stores. Other trusted businesses include financial institutions, home improvement stores and department stores.

n Least trusted: auto dealerships, real estate brokers, cell phone and wireless providers and furniture stores.

n Honesty, dependability, safety and good value are listed as the most important for consumers in determining trust in companies they use most often.

n The companies consumers trusted most did so through competitive or low prices, friendly associates and/or good customer service.

n Consumers say the company they least trusted lost their trust because of high charges and poor service.

n One in six people say they have a great deal or quite a lot of trust in companies that only do business online.

n Given a choice, 67 percent of consumers say they'd do business with a small company over a large company in their everyday lives.

For more information on the survey, go to www.us.bbb.org/trustindex.

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