LaVar Ball's Big Baller Brand receives 'F' rating from Better Business Bureau

You will be shocked (shocked!) to learn that the Ball family’s Big Baller Brand received an ‘F’ rating from the Better Business Bureau — the worst mark possible from the 106-year-old marketplace watchdog.

After receiving more than 30 formal complaints and 40-plus negative customer reviews against precisely zero positive or neutral reviews, Better Business Bureau of Central California CEO Blair Looney revealed to TMZ Sports that the organization reached out to Big Baller Brand twice over the past two months to “resolve these issues on behalf of the consumers” and received no response.

“This is very definitely substandard normal business practices for anybody,” Looney told TMZ Sports.

LaVar Ball, the braggadocious father of Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, launched Big Baller Brand in April 2017, sporting the “BBB” logo on apparel in almost every interview he’s conducted since. The company made headlines in May, when it launched a signature shoe for Lonzo at a cost of $495.

LaVar responded to the Better Business Bureau’s rating in a text to ESPN:

“Better Business Bureau is as outdated as the Yellow Pages. Who cares about them? Tell them that Yelp! has replaced the Better Business Bureau. We honestly thought the Better Business Bureau was out of business. The new BBB stands for the Big Baller Brand.”

There is no Big Baller Brand listing on Yelp!

Many complaints to the Better Business Bureau suggest customers have not received orders and can’t contact Big Baller Brand directly, despite having been charged for merchandise. Others complained about incorrect or partial orders, postage labels with tracking numbers that don’t reflect a shipment and discontinued merchandise being replaced with alternative items with no option for a refund.

“Holidays always slows shipping,” LaVar added to ESPN. “But we stay on top of customer service. It’s probably Nike and Adidas complaining about not getting their Big Baller Brand merchandise.”

LaVar sought partnerships with Nike, Adidas and Under Armour for Big Baller Brand on behalf of Lonzo, but all three companies were reportedly unwilling to meet his 10-year, $1 billion asking price.

Big Baller Brand’s website has a “contact us” form in lieu of an email address or phone number. Many reviews complained of receiving repeated generic emails about company growth in response. The number listed for Big Baller Brand on the Better Business Bureau’s website returns this message: “You have reached the mailbox of 909-241-4472. Sorry, that mailbox is full. Thank you for calling. Goodbye.”

Here are a handful of excerpts from the reviews and complaints:

• Nov. 25, 2017: “This company does not offer refunds. I purchased two items and was told there would be a 1-2 week delay. I have been waiting six weeks now, and when I asked why it was taking so long, I was called a ‘small baller.’ At this point I believe they have decided to steal my money.”

• Nov. 27, 2017: The quality of the shirt I purchased was very poor. I followed washing instructions and the shirt [shrank] considerably … from an adult medium to a youth 10-12. The website doesn’t discuss return policy nor returns email complaints. I don’t believe in paying $65 for a shirt to be worn once.”

• Dec. 6, 2017: “This is stealing!! This company should be ashamed of themselves. GROW UP AND HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!! THIS COMPANY SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN.”

• Dec. 8, 2017: “I purchased a pair of the Big Baller Brand ZO2 WET AUTOGRAPH shoes that were advertised as Limited Availability. … The purchase is nearly $2000 … and the Big Baller Brand company has had my money for six months. My problem is that they are replacing the shoe I purchased with a different one and they are no longer limited availability since they’re still for sale on their site.”

• Dec. 20, 2017: “I’m beyond frustrated, and I absolutely will NEVER order from this company again. Their lack of professionalism is ridiculous. My son is [a] devoted fan, and this is the one gift that he was looking forward to this holiday season. It absolutely breaks my heart that I would invest my money into something only to be let down. … I would NEVER recommend them to anyone.”

• Dec. 28, 2017: “HORRIBLE! I ordered some merchandise on 12-6-17. NO updates, no order confirmation, no status. I’ve sent several emails to the ‘contact us’ page and I get nothing but a generic email. I finally had to report the charge as fraudulent and disputed the credit card charge. Three weeks this company has my money, and they cannot even provide me a courtesy of a response. DO NOT buy from this crappy site, come to think of it. It’s the DAD who runs it. NO WONDER, he’s busy saving his other criminal son instead of tending to his business. GLAD Better Bus Bureau listed the address and phone number. I intend to call and drive to CHINO HILLS tomorrow. Loser company!”

Only 10 of the 32 “closed complaints” against Big Baller Brand from the past few months listed on the Better Business Bureau’s website are qualified as resolved to the customer’s satisfaction — fewer than the 12 customers who received no response to a Better Business Bureau complaint from the company.

It is unclear whether a number of the complaints and negative reviews have been resolved in the months and days since they were published online. However, if claims are true that the company is charging customers, sending false tracking labels and failing to respond to inquiries about fraudulent business practices, it would not be surprising if legal action is taken against the Ball family as a result.

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Ben Rohrbach is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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