The Model Horse Improved Business Bureau

Established July 13, 1997 by Stacey Rodriguez

GOAL: To provide an avenue for buyers/sellers to get information on buyers/sellers.

Hello everyone! The Model Horse Improved Business Bureau began on July 13,1997, and since that day, it has grown to include information on more than 300 people. This would not have been possible without the input from countless hobbyists, and those who use this service appreciate the information I am able to provide. I want to thank those of you who have contributed over the past several months, and those of you who continue to send in praises and complaints. :-) I am maintaining an email database, which includes both those on and off "record", so I appreciate it when you provide names and email addresses with your inquiries, praises and complaints. :-)

First of all, I want it be very clear that the Model Horse Improved Business Bureau is an Information Service. This is not a business, and I will not charge fees. I am not going to get involved in disputes through mediation or investigation. This will not be a gossip column, either.

How does it work?

A buyer/seller has something positive/negative to say about a buyer/seller. That information is submitted to me and I record it. The exact information submitted to me is never posted or otherwise revealed to the public. Now, suppose a buyer comes to you or you want to buy from someone, or even trade with someone, and you aren't sure about the person's "reliability". You submit a request to me and I will tell you the total number of praises and complaints I have on the person. I can also refer you to the people who submitted the information to me. It will be up to those people to give you the details on his/her experiences with the person about whom you are inquiring. A friend of mine (Thank you, Christine!) describes what I will be doing as "connecting people together." Please note I am also receiving "complaints" and "praises" regarding photo shows, so the MHIBB can also provide info related to shows.

I received an email from someone who suggested I am "making and disseminating...libelous statements". Please understand that I do not reveal what information I receive other than what I outlined in the previous paragraph. I have spoken with attorneys about this, and I am not liable for another person's statements. In addition, anyone can inquire about anyone so, if you want to know what is being said about you, just ask me and I'll refer you to the person or persons making the statements.

When I receive a complaint against someone, the complaint is noted & filed, and a copy is sent to the individual being complained against. Along with the forwarded letter, I will include at the top of it, a disclaimer stating that I am not liable for the complaint itself, and that I am only passing along information supplied to the MHIBB. I will in no way become a party in any possible dispute between the parties involved. However, I will give the one being complained against the opportunity to respond to the complaint if they'd like & give their side of the "story", and this response would be sent to me for filing along with the complaint itself. I will put a time limit on the response from the second party (10 days), and the complaint will become available for public inquiry knowledge if I do not receive a response within that time frame.

Please take note here: Because of the new policy, I must have some way to contact both parties in a complaint ie email addys, snail addys. I will not be able to accept the complaint unless I can contact both parties.

The Clean Slate Rule will be as follows: (Thanks to Peri Riggins for her wonderful idea!) Each December 31 the MHIBB will "wipe the records clean" BUT I will still hold onto all of the records. If the MHIBB continues to get complaints each year on a person, that goes on a separate list. This allows the MHIBB to track if the person has a history, yet they also get a second chance to improve. I will mark each "year" of complaints as 1 complaint (i.e. this year Ms. Roa has 3 complaints, she is flagged. Next year her "first" complaint is "flagged in '97" and therefore she'll need 2 more complaints for '98). If the MHIBB receives those then she starts out in '99 as: complaint #1 - flagged in '97; complaint #2 - flagged in '98; One more complaint and she's flagged again. In 2000 she would start off as having 3 complaints and is automatically flagged. However, if a person gets no complaints in '98 (even though they were flagged in '97) they will be "wiped clean". I will keep "praises" indefinitely. As of today, 11 people will be "flagged" in 1998.

I look forward to hearing from you, whether it is in the form of a praise, suggestion, comment or complaint. :-) Take care!

- Stacey Rodriguez
Model Horse Improved Business Bureau
breyer@feist.com

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