How to Check Better Business Bureau Reports & File a Complaint

How to Check Better Business Bureau Reports & File a Complaint
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a nonprofit consumer protection organization in the United States and Canada that gathers details about businesses of all sizes to create publicly available reports. These reports can help you evaluate whether a company is reliable before you decide to work with them. In this guide, we’ll explain how to find and interpret BBB reports, how to submit a complaint, and take a closer look at how the BBB operates—and whether it can be trusted.

Finding & Understanding a Business’s BBB Report

1. Visit the BBB Homepage and Enter Your Search Criteria

On the Better Business Bureau homepage, you’ll find two main fields: “Find” and “Near.” Enter the name of a business or a type of service in the “Find” field, and add your city, state, or ZIP code in the “Near” field. If you’re in Canada, switch the drop-down menu to Canada before searching. Don’t worry if the company is based outside your area—searches on your local BBB page still access the entire BBB database. If you’re looking for a specific company, be sure to use the exact spelling or check whether it operates under a parent company’s name.

Subheading: Start Your Search

Reference: BBB Consumer Tools

Click “Search” and Navigate to the Business Profile Page

2. Click “Search” and Navigate to the Business Profile Page

After hitting Search, browse the results until you find the business you want. Select the company name to open its profile page, which displays all the information the BBB has collected. Keep in mind that most of the report’s details are provided by the business itself, unless the company is officially accredited by the BBB. From the profile page, you can choose to read the report, file a complaint, or submit a customer review. To filter for accredited businesses only, toggle the “Show BBB Accredited Only” button at the top of the search results.

Subheading: Access the Company Profile

Reference: BBB Accreditation Info

3. Check the Business’s BBB Rating

Each business profile prominently displays a rating from A+ to F under the “BBB Accreditation & Rating” section. This score reflects multiple factors, such as complaint history, transparency, and adherence to commitments. If a company has no rating, it usually means the BBB doesn’t have enough data yet. Pay attention to the “Reasons for Rating” breakdown, which shows why the company earned its grade.

Subheading: Understand Ratings

Reference: How BBB Ratings Work

4. Review Any Filed Complaints Against the Business

The “Complaints” tab lists official consumer complaints filed within the past three years. Each complaint also shows its resolution status, so you can see how the business responds to problems. According to enrolled agent Hannah Cole, this is where consumers can directly “file official complaints against a business with the Better Business Bureau.”

Subheading: Check Complaint History

Reference: File a Complaint with BBB

5. Read Customer Reviews Under the “Reviews” Tab

In addition to complaints, you can explore the “Reviews” tab to read feedback from real customers. Reviews describe personal experiences, providing valuable insight into how the company delivers its services. The BBB also allows reviewers to give a 1–5 star rating, helping you quickly gauge overall satisfaction.

Subheading: Learn from Customer Experiences

Reference: BBB Customer Reviews

Filing a BBB Complaint

1. File a Complaint if You’ve Had an Unpleasant Experience with a Business

Submitting a complaint through the Better Business Bureau can help prevent other consumers from facing the same issues. The BBB is respected because it provides a standardized, nationwide process for complaint filing and resolution. Once you file, the BBB acts as a neutral mediator and offers tools for dispute resolution. Complaints typically fall into five categories: advertising and sales, billing and collection, product or service problems, delivery issues, and guarantee or warranty disputes. Before filing, the BBB recommends trying to resolve the issue directly with the business. Beyond resolution, BBB also provides value by making complaint data and consumer interactions publicly accessible.

Note: The BBB only handles disputes between consumers and businesses. It does not cover employment disputes, discrimination claims, healthcare issues, or cases already in litigation.

Subheading: When & Why to File a Complaint

Reference: BBB Complaint Process Overview

Submit Your Complaint via the Business Profile or Complaint Form

2. Submit Your Complaint via the Business Profile or Complaint Form

From a company’s BBB profile page, navigate to the “Complaints” tab and click “Submit a Complaint.” Alternatively, you can use the general complaint form to report issues, share warnings, or even file a complaint about a vehicle warranty dispute. Within two business days, the BBB forwards your complaint to the business, which then has 14 days to respond. If the company doesn’t reply, the BBB sends a second notice. You’ll receive updates about whether a response has been received. Most complaints are resolved within 30 business days.

Keep in mind that the BBB cannot legally compel businesses to respond. However, it can revoke accreditation or membership from companies that fail to uphold BBB standards.

Subheading: Submitting & Tracking Your Complaint

Reference: How to Submit a BBB Complaint

3. Go Through the BBB Complaint Resolution Process

Once your complaint is filed, the BBB gathers input from both sides and applies different dispute resolution methods to avoid court action. Options include:

Mediation with a trained facilitator to reach a mutual agreement.
Informal dispute resolution with a neutral hearing officer who makes non-binding recommendations.
Binding arbitration with a professional arbitrator whose decision is final, provided both parties agree beforehand.

While the BBB cannot guarantee resolution, success rates are high—around 75% of complaints are resolved.

Subheading: Resolution Options & Success Rates

Reference: BBB Dispute Resolution Services

Is the BBB the best option?

1. The BBB Is Trusted, but Accreditation and Ratings Can Be Misleading

The Better Business Bureau is a valuable tool for learning about businesses, but its accreditation process has faced criticism. Accreditation only requires a paid application fee and a promise to uphold broad standards like transparency. Critics point out that some businesses with ongoing regulatory violations have still received high BBB ratings, raising concerns about conflicts of interest since companies pay for membership. Accreditation should therefore be viewed more as a membership program than a rigorous certification of business excellence. While it indicates that a company values its public reputation, it does not involve deep, independent reviews or on-site evaluations.

Subheading: Understand the Limits of BBB Accreditation

Reference: CNN Money – BBB Under Fire

2. Compare BBB Reports with Other Consumer Review Platforms

To get a clearer perspective, check additional resources such as Angi, Yelp, or Google Reviews. Unlike the BBB, Angi charges membership fees to consumers rather than businesses, reducing incentives to inflate ratings for paying companies. Each review site has its own model and bias, but using multiple platforms together helps form a more accurate picture of how a company operates. Credit advisor Derick Vogel recommends: “Look at all the reviews from Google to Yelp to the Better Business Bureau to see if they are all consistent. Consistency is key.”

Subheading: Use Multiple Review Sources

References: Angi – Find Local Pros, Yelp – Business Reviews, Google Business Reviews

3. Use Industry-Specific Sources to Evaluate a Company

The BBB provides general consumer information, but specialized insights may be missing. For example, if you’re researching a computer hardware company, you might want to consult trusted technology review outlets such as PCWorld or Tom’s Hardware. Industry-specific websites and publications often provide in-depth testing, product reviews, and expert analysis that you won’t find in general business directories like the BBB. Combining these sources with BBB data gives you a more balanced evaluation.

Subheading: Go Beyond General Reviews

References: PCWorld Reviews, Tom’s Hardware Reviews

About the Better Business Bureau

1. What Is the Better Business Bureau?

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving trust between consumers and businesses. It encourages companies to follow ethical practices in order to remain accredited, while also allowing consumers to leave reviews and file complaints to hold businesses accountable. The BBB is made up of over 100 independent local organizations across the United States and Canada, reporting on more than 4 million businesses, including both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce companies. Contrary to popular belief, the BBB is not a government agency and does not have legal authority to enforce arbitration or resolve disputes.

Subheading: Independent Consumer Protection Organization

Reference: BBB About Us

2. What Services Does the BBB Offer?

The BBB provides two primary services to the public at no cost. First, it maintains a searchable online database of businesses that includes general company details, complaint histories, and consumer reviews (though available information varies by business). Second, it facilitates dispute resolution by allowing consumers to file complaints and by encouraging businesses to respond with solutions. These services make it easier for consumers to research companies and hold them accountable.

Subheading: Free Public Services

Reference: BBB Consumer Services

3. What Are the Accreditation Criteria for Businesses?

To qualify for BBB accreditation, businesses must meet specific requirements. They must be in operation for at least six months, hold all necessary licenses and bonds, resolve outstanding BBB complaints, and have no government ethics violations. Additionally, accredited businesses must follow advertising laws and BBB best practices, honor contracts, and—if applicable—maintain a website that provides a privacy policy and uses secure financial transactions. These standards are designed to encourage consistent transparency and accountability.

Subheading: Accreditation Requirements

Reference: BBB Accreditation Standards

4. How Does the BBB’s Rating System Work?

The BBB rates businesses on a scale from A+ to F by assigning point values to 13 different factors, such as complaint history, transparency, and responsiveness. Notably, customer reviews are not factored into the rating. Low ratings often result from failing to address complaints, violating government regulations, or ignoring BBB standards. Companies can improve their rating by resolving issues and providing documentation to the BBB. For a full breakdown of grading criteria, the BBB provides a detailed overview of its rating system.

Subheading: Ratings & Grading Criteria

Reference: BBB Rating System Overview

5. How Influential Is the BBB?

The BBB remains one of the most trusted consumer resources in North America. Its website ranks among the top 1,000 most visited sites in the U.S. and processes more than 100 million business inquiries annually. This high traffic demonstrates consumer reliance on the BBB as a source of trustworthy information. For businesses, this influence means that maintaining a poor BBB rating can significantly harm their reputation and discourage potential customers.

Subheading: Consumer Trust & Business Impact

Reference: BBB Annual Report