DEAR SUN SPOTS: Recently I tried to check with the Better Business Bureau in Portland. They have a phone number, but it says it is out of order. Nothing for Lewiston. Someone else must need their services. In today’s world, one has to be cautious. Thanks. — Dennis Whitmore, Lewiston

ANSWER: Sun Spots went to http://bbb.org and did a search for the nearest office by zip code and came up with the BBB of Eastern MA, ME, RI and VT, http://maine.bbb.org, info@boston.bbb.org, 508-652-4800, Fax: 508-652-4833, 290 Donald Lynch Blvd., Suite 102, Marlborough MA 01752-4705. Not terribly convenient if you want to go into their office, Sun Spots admits.

The BBB has been taking it on the chin a bit with some criticism, not to mention fierce competition from sites such as ripoffreport.com and yelp.com. The following is posted at howstuffworks.com (http://tinyurl.com/3gf6ea5; edited for length):

“There are some critics … who claim that it’s impossible for BBBs to remain neutral since they’re financially supported by BBB-accredited businesses. Skeptics question whether BBBs can serve consumers and nonaccredited businesses equally and ask, ‘Isn’t the very idea of being membership-supported a conflict of interest?’

“Smart Money magazine ran an expose of the U.S. Council of Better Business Bureaus in which it details the private organization’s “too cozy” relationship with some of the businesses it claims to monitor. According to the article, the 112 U.S. BBBs collected $131 million in dues in 2007, comprising 90 percent of their total revenue. Perhaps more surprising is that 90 percent of BBB board members are corporate executives from industries that generate large numbers of BBB complaints. …

“Some business owners who have chosen not to apply for BBB accreditation claim that BBB reliability reports are biased toward accredited businesses. According to a study by a Marquette University marketing professor, also mentioned in the Smart Money article, BBBs reported that twice as many accredited auto dealers and three times as many accredited movers made a “good faith effort” to resolve complaints than their non-accredited colleagues. The BBB’s response is that companies who apply for BBB accreditation simply aspire to higher standards.

“Another standard complaint with BBBs is that complaints are sometimes closed even when the consumer is greatly dissatisfied with the company’s response. If the bureau decides that the company has made a reasonable effort to resolve the complaint — something as simple as sending the unhappy customer a gift certificate — then the matter is closed, even if the consumer wants to keep fighting. …

“And what you may not know is that disgruntled consumers can’t complain to the BBB about the BBB. The Better Business Bureau isn’t a member of the Better Business Bureau.”

DEAR SUN SPOTS: On Friday, Aug. 19, I will be hosting a wine tasting and desserts fundraiser at the Hilton Garden Inn, Auburn, at 7 p.m. Included will be decadent desserts, chocolate fountain and bruschetta bar along with cash bar and entertainment, a multi-raffle and guest appearance by Mary Dempsey.

I am hosting this event for my sister, Vivian St.Onge, a cancer recipient herself, bicycling with Team C.U.R.E. in the Dempsey Challenge. All proceeds go to the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer, Hope and Healing.

Tickets are $35 per person. Please RSVP by Aug. 12. To reserve your ticket, call or email me. — Sue Donovan, 577-5991, donovan743@aol.com

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