Better Business Bureau to open local office this month

Plans to open a Better Business Bureau office in Cape Girardeau later this month are still on track.

Chris Thetford, vice president of communications and marketing for the BBB of St. Louis, says the office is expected to open by the end of October. An exact date hasn't been set for the opening yet, however.

"It's not for sure, since the construction is still happening," Thetford says. "But we expect that it's going to be open by Oct. 27."

The not-for-profit business watchdog organization already has two offices in Missouri -- one in St. Louis and one in Columbia -- but announced in June that they would add another office to serve the Southeast Missouri/Southwest Illinois region.

Although Thetford specifies that the official date of the opening is somewhat mutable, the proposed structure of the new operation remains unchanged. He says the office will be manned by about two employees.

The office will be in the Auburn Park Place office building at 3065 William St.

The BBB, though not government-affiliated, offers accreditation to local businesses and charity organizations, customer reviews for consumers, and remediation services to facilitate fairness in trade. Part of this service includes fielding consumers' complaints about scams and other fraudulent business practices and alerting the public.

Just last month, the BBB warned Southeast Missouri residents about an advance-payment loan scam that had been reported in Portageville.

The new office will also provide local businesses and charities with a more readily accessible avenue to BBB accreditation.

Until the new office opens, Cape Girardeau and the surrounding areas will remain under the 92-county purview of the St. Louis regional office.

For more information about the BBB, visit bbb.org/stlouis.