How to File a Complaint With the Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Leave a comment

The Better Business Bureau is a platform where consumers can resolve disputes with businesses and ensure a fair marketplace. For those with a negative experience with a company, you can file a complaint with this organization to seek resolution. How to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau?

How to File a Complaint With the Better Business Bureau

Overview of Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau, which is also known as only BBB, is the name of a private, non-profit organization. It was founded 112 years ago or in 1912. The organization aims to provide a marketplace where the seller and consumers trust each other.

Apparently, the Better Business Bureau stands alone, meaning it does not have any affiliation with any governmental agency. In order to prevent itself from being biased, it is not allowed for the organization to recommend or endorse any certain product, business, or service.

Overview of Better Business Bureau Complaint

The Better Business Bureau complaint refers to a section where the consumers can complain about a business on the official website of Better Business Bureau or BBB. Talking about BBB complaints, it should be noted that they are different from BBB reviews. What sets BBB complaints apart from BBB reviews is that they are considered as part of the company’s rating while BBB reviews are not. Usually, a consumer files a complaint because they want to resolve a dispute with a company and wants the public to know about it. As for review, they want to let the BBB and public know that a company is good or bad.

Read also: List of Crazy and Weird Laws in the United States

Any consumer is allowed to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau regarding any kind of businesses, including online, offline, BBB-accredited businesses, non-BBB-accredited businesses, charities, or non-profits. The most popular categories include general contractor, auto repair, landscape contractors, home improvement, lawyers, constructor services, heating and air conditioning, painting contractors, remodeling, and roofing contractors.

A complaint can be accepted by BBB is it meets the following criteria:

    • It mentions the full, postal address, email address, and postal code of the complainant.
    • It mentions the name of the business and provides detailed information about the business.
    • It seeks assistance from the Better Business Bureau.
    • It comes from someone or entity that had a marketplace relationship.
    • It relates to a marketplace issue and the issue has to be raised within the previous 12 months.
    • It does not contain abusive language nor serious threats.
    • It has not been resolved by a court action, arbitration, or settlement.

In contrast, there is no way for the Better Business Bureau to accept the following disputes:

    • The ones between employers and employees
    • The ones that involve discrimination
    • The ones that are currently filed in court
    • The ones that are against an individual
    • The ones that are against the out of business companies
    • The ones that are against a person who is not engage in business
    • The ones that are against the government, except if they offer a commercial service establishing a buyer-seller relationship
    • The ones that are against the postal service
    • The ones that are not from an individual or entity that had a marketplace relationship with the business
    • The ones that are only alleging discrimination or violation of similar statutory or constitutional rights
    • The ones that are only looking for criminal penalties or findings of criminal violations
    • The ones that have been resolved by a court action, arbitration, or settlement
    • The ones that do not seek assistance from BBB
    • The ones that are filed anonymously

Filing a Complaint with the Better Business Bureau

For anyone who wants to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, here is step by step to follow:

  1. The first thing that you need to do is to visit the official website of Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org.
  2. When you are on its homepage, type the name of the company.
  3. If you want, you can also specifically look for the location where the business is located.
  4. Once you are on the profile of the company that you want to file the complaint against, click the link that says “File a Complaint”.
  5. After that, you can just follow the on-screen instructions and submit.

Tips for a Successful Complaint

If you want your complaint with the Better Business bureau to be successful, make sure to follow the following tips:

    • Be honest: Do not ever try to lie and always be honest and truthful with the information you provide.
    • Be clear and concise: It is important to provide a simple yet detailed description of the issue.
    • Be patient: Everything needs process, including the business to respond to you. So, please be patient and give them time to respond and to find a solution.

Things to Expect After Filing a Complaint with Better Business Bureau

Once you have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, check out your email to see the confirmation email that confirms you have successfully filed your complaint with the organization. From the email, you should know a certain BBB office that is handling your complaint. In the same email, you should also get a link to a PDF file of your complaint for your review.

Alternatives to Filing a Complaint with Better Business Bureau

If you do not think that filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau is the right one or if you find it un-effective, you may want to consider the following alternatives:

Alternative 1: Demand Letter

In the business field, the demand letter is known as a type of letter sent by someone or an entity to a business in an effort to resolve a dispute. Actually, it is usually written by a lawyer on their behalf. However, it is also possible for the sending party to write it themselves.

Alternative 2: Small claims court

Small claims court is defined as a civil court that makes it possible for people to sue even if they do not have a lawyer. There are several types of lawsuits that can be filed in this kind of court, including contracts, failure to deliver something that has been purchased, disputes over bills, disputes over repairs, and so on. For those who are wondering about the fees, they vary depending on the state. However, it usually ranges from $0 to $120.

Alternative 3: File a complaint with a government agency

In addition to these two, it may be possible for you to file a complaint with a state or federal government agency if the kind of business that you want to sue is regulated by them because they are the ones with responsibility to investigate consumer complaints.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau can be a good way to address issues with a business and seek a resolution. It is easy to file a complaint with BBB. The guide has been explained above. Before submitting a complaint, it is a must for you to double check because there is no way for you to change, edit, or delete it.

Related Posts