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Better Business Bureau Consumer complaints have run the gamut from the ridiculous to the serious. One person telephoned the BBB to complain about losâ€" ing 25 cents in a slot maâ€" chine. A more serious comâ€" plaint was filed when a woman found a foreign maâ€" terial in a jar of cold cream. She filled out a complaint form which the BBB forâ€" warded to the manufacturer and was rewarded with an apology and a gift package of the product. Another consumer comâ€" plaint that was settled by the BBB concerned a serâ€" vice station that was adverâ€" tising gasoline at a price that could be misinterpreted. This high proportion of inquiries is usual for a BBR ‘‘We prefer to do business on an inquiry basis because it is prevention. This ratio of 20 inquiries to one comâ€" plaint is normal in most bureaus." Telephone business has been booming at the regionâ€" al Better Business Bureau (BBB) in Kitchener since manager â€" Frank â€" Hoddle opened the office in January. "In our first month of operation we had 477 calls. Close to 414 of them were inquiries about businessâ€" men and products. We also had 30 consumer complaints which we resolved and 33 pending consumer _ comâ€" plaints,"" he said. ‘‘We contacted the firm and the misleading sign was removed. Generally speakâ€" ing, the cooperation of busiâ€" nessmen has been good," said Mr. Hoddle. An important function of the BBB is to provide conâ€" sumer â€" information _ about region businessmen to teleâ€" phone callers. This informaâ€" ((CONSUMEDP INFODMATICN)) we want YOU( to call for The businessmen keep tabs on themselves For more carefree topâ€"range cooking use the Temperâ€" ature Controlled Top Burner (T.C.T.B.). The T.C.T.B. is a GAS range burner with an automatic temperature conâ€" trol. A sensing device within the burner regulates the flame size. This will ensure nearâ€"constant heat and elimiâ€" nate periodic checking With the TCTB. some small automatic appliances can be eliminated A regular pot can become a temâ€" peratureâ€"controlled deepâ€"fat fryer, or a skillet can reâ€" place an automatic frying pan TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED TOP BURNER (T.C.T.B.) Call the CONSUMERS SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE at Union Gas for additional information on the T C TB or other GAS appliances Printed literature is available at NO CHARGE For areas free calling to Waterloo For all other areas (Toll Free) NHION GAS tion is supplied initially by the businessman who fills out a questionnaire sent by the BBB. This information is put into a file which the BBB uses for future referâ€" ence. All subsequent comâ€" plaints or dealings with the company by the BBB are added to this file. *‘We are gradually buildâ€" ing up a master file on firms in and out of the area that we can use to give business ratings. We give businessâ€" men a good rating until we find out otherwise by firstâ€" hand experience. We only give ratings based on our experience,"‘ said Mr. Hodâ€" dle. The Kitchener BBB began its operation with files supâ€" plied by other BBB‘s in Canâ€" ada. It now has 600 files of its own. Some businessmen â€" are reluctant to fill out BBB information cards. Only 10 percent of the cards sent out by the local BBB were reâ€" turned â€" with information. However, failure to cooperâ€" 528 Victoria St. N., Kitchener (Beside Weston Bakeries) 745â€"6136. After hours 578â€"7154 Large Indoor Showrooms DISCUSS THE ADVANTAGES WITH US SHOULD YOU PURCHASE SUPERIOR MEMORIALS YOUR CEMETERY MEMORIAL AHEAD OF Dial 743 6353 Dial 1 800 265 8808 Regional news and views ate only hurts the businessâ€" "If we get inquiries about a firm that hasn‘t filled out a business information card, we keep digging until we get it,"‘ said Mr. Hoddle. The public is still a bit confused about the role of the BBB. Mr. Hoddle‘s staff has received calls requestâ€" ing the price of products and services because callers don‘t realize this informaâ€" tion is outside the scope of the BBB. The BBB is also forbidden to release credit rating inâ€" formation or recommend a specific company. The role of the office is to tell the public how companies have responded to â€" consumer complaints in the past and ‘*We also get people phonâ€" ing us for legal advice but we can‘t handle that. We refer them to legal counsel," he said. 680 FAIRWAY AT COURTLAND WAREKHOUSE SHOWROOM Daily 10â€"9 Saturday 10â€"6 Budget Terms Free Layaway IN RICH VELVET KITCHENER ‘"‘The consumer must fill out a written . complaint form before we will apâ€" proach the merchant. We get both sides of the story, the consumer‘s and the merchant‘s, and help them work out a satisfactory settlement,"‘ said Mr. Hodâ€" dle. help the consumer forward his contrplaints to the comâ€" The BBB can also act as a binding mediator in a disâ€" pute between consumer and merchant if both parties agree to accept the mediaâ€" tor‘s findings as binding. However, this type of case is rare for most BBB‘s. All BBB‘s are financially supported by members of the business community in the area they serve. Since the Kitchener office opened only recently, it is presentâ€" ly conducting a membership drive. are from the Kitchenerâ€" Waterloo area. A few are from Cambridge. It will take a year or two to build up a large BBB memberâ€" ship,"‘ said Mr. Hoddle. Membership fees are on a sliding scale which depends on the number of employees in a firm. The rates begin Waterioo Chronicle, W Watch this space for future announcements of auctions Rummelhart Auction Sales Co. 744â€"9679 578â€"0 CHESTERFIELD FACTORY &# â€" OUTLET FAIRWAY KEN GARVEY Licensed Auctioneer to date at $60 a year and increase to a maximum of $1,000 for large companies. For the first year or two of operation, the regional BBB will be subsidized by a grant from the national BBB. The BBB presently has branches in 13 cities across Canada from St. John‘s, Nfld. to Victoria, March 10, 1976 â€" Page 19