Women who wouldn't converse with man who bought them drinks top BBB list of unusual complaints

Soap that wasn't foamy enough, ramen with insufficient seasoning and bar patrons who didn't want to chat are among the "quirky" business complaints seen in B.C. last year, according to the Better Business Bureau.

On Tuesday, the BBB's Mainland B.C. branch, which serves most of the province as well as the Yukon, shared what it says are the four most unusual complaints it received in 2022. They are:

1. A man wanted a refund from a bar after he offered to buy a round of drinks for a group of women, who took the drinks and didn't engage in conversation with him.
2. Someone wanted a refund from a business after a bath bar they received for Christmas wasn't as foamy or bubbly as they hoped it would be.
3. A man complained that his oil technician smelled "like a dead cat in an alleyway" and looked like Marv from Home Alone.
4. A consumer wanted a refund after not receiving enough seasoning fillings in a ramen noodle package that they bought.

Across Canada, the BBB receives around 36,000 complaints per year, and the Mainland B.C. branch says it receives "dozens" every day.

“On rare occasions, we do receive complaints that make us do a double take,” said Aaron Guillen, the branch's media and communications specialist, in a news release.

Speaking to CTV News Tuesday afternoon, Guillen elaborated on some of the context behind the four complaints the bureau highlighted.

Guillen said the man who complained about buying drinks initially told the BBB that the women approached him, and that the bar charged his card when it should have charged theirs.

"We want to have a balanced approach to any complaint, so we also reached out to the bar, and the bartender helped explain that this wasn't exactly the scenario," Guillen said. "He explained that (the man) had approached the women, and the girls had taken the drinks and not continued any conversation with him. So, it turns out that he didn't get that connection he was looking for and wanted a refund."

Guillen said the complaint about the smelly oil technician probably would've been better submitted as a review of the business, since the complainant didn't seem to be looking for any specific restitution.

That's still a good use of the BBB and its platform, according to Guillen, who said the bureau views its role as facilitating conversations between businesses and their customers, whether the feedback is positive or negative, actionable or not.

“No matter what, our BBB team is devoted to going through every complaint, review, and scam report that is submitted to ensure its authenticity," he said in the release. "It’s important to tell your good and bad experiences with businesses to BBB.”

The bureau encourages anyone with a complaint to submit it through the BBB website or by email.

Contacting the business that is the subject of the complaint first is encouraged, but not required.

The BBB offers mediation to help resolve conflicts between businesses and consumers without going to court, and says complaints are usually resolved within "a couple of weeks."

Canada-wide statistics for 2021 show that 26,107 of 36,589 complaints received by the BBB that year – about 71 per cent – were settled.