ConsumerAffairs is an American customer review and consumer news platform that provides information for purchasing decisions around major life changes or milestones. The company's business-facing division provides
SaaS
Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software.
SaaS is co ...
that allows brands to manage and analyze review data to improve their products and customer service. ConsumerAffairs was founded in 1998 by Jim Hood. The company has been headquartered in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...
since 2010 and also has offices in Austin, Texas, the Philippines, and Argentina. It is not a government organization or a non-profit organization. The current CEO is Zac Carman.
History
The company was founded in 1998 by Jim Hood, an
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
executive, editor and reporter, as an easier way of collecting consumer opinions.
In 2010, the company was purchased by Zac Carman as an "opportunity to turn customer complaints into an opportunity for brands." They moved to Tulsa, OK in 2010.
In 2015, the company had a $1.1 million renovation of the
Petroleum Building
The Petroleum Building is a 50-meter/10-floor building at 420 South Boulder in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was built in 1921, and is a steel and reinforced concrete structure faced with buff brick. The name was given because most of the early tenants w ...
in the
Oil Capital Historic District. The renovation was to increase their employee base from 120 to 220.
Criticism
In October 21, 2014,
Truth in Advertising published "Who is ConsumerAffairs.com Really Advocating For?" In the article, Unbeatablesale.com complained to the
Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program, a division of the
Better Business Bureaus
Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Uni ...
and
National Advertising Review Council, that ConsumerAffairs "creates biased and negative portrayals of companies that don't pay for its service called ConsumerAffairs for Brands." The service collects reviews from customers and gives brands an opportunity to respond. The ERSP "determined that ConsumerAffairs did not adequately disclose its paid affiliation with company members on its website and recommended it do it in a more clear and conspicuous manner." After reviewing ERSP's recommendations, a banner disclosing paid affiliation or non-paying affiliation was added to the ConsumerAffairs website. Of the 115 paying companies, 80% had a 3.5 star or higher rating.
See also
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Better Business Bureau
Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unite ...
*''
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy.
Found ...
''
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Reputation management
Reputation management, originally a public relations term, refers to the influencing, controlling, enhancing, or concealing of an individual's or group's reputation. The growth of the internet and social media led to growth of reputation manage ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Consumeraffairs.Com
Consumer organizations in the United States
Online companies of the United States
Organizations established in 1998