BBB asks a business to respond to a complaint within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing and generally closes it about 30 days after filing. The complaint stays on your profile for three years. How you answer decides the closing status, and the status affects your grade.
According to BBB's complaint process, it forwards a complaint to the business within two business days and asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing. It sends a follow-up if there is none. The consumer is invited to reply, and BBB may ask you for a second response. Complaints are generally closed about 30 calendar days after filing. We advise responding within 10.
Each complaint closes with one of five published statuses: Resolved, Answered, Unresolved, Unanswered or Unpursuable. The difference matters. BBB's published scale lists unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 points and unresolved complaints at 30 to 0, the two widest positive ranges.
Enter the date the complaint was filed with the BBB.
BBB says submitted complaints cannot be deleted by the consumer, and they appear on profiles for three years from filing. So the realistic goals are to answer on time, resolve in good faith, and challenge complaints that fall outside what BBB handles. BBB publishes a list of types it does not handle, and says the list may not be complete.
Start with how to respond to a BBB complaint, then see what can and cannot be removed. If you would rather have a specialist build the case, see our complaint resolution service.
You do not have to like how the process works to use it well. Most of the work is speed, specifics and tone.
A few habits make most of the difference. Check your BBB profile on a fixed schedule so a new complaint never sits unseen. Write down the filing date the moment you find one, and count forward. Respond to the specific allegation, not to the customer's character. Offer a concrete next step, and keep a copy of everything. These habits do not guarantee a closing status, because the consumer's reply is outside your control, but they remove the avoidable damage that comes from silence.
Can you remove a BBB complaint? Sometimes. Here is what the BBB's own rules allow, what they do not, and a yes or no path to see where your complaint stands.
Read →Enter the date a BBB complaint was filed and see your 10 to 15 day response window and the approximate close date, plus what happens at each stage.
Read →How to respond to a BBB complaint inside the window: the structure of a strong response, tone rules, what never to write, and how it shapes the closing status.
Read →A BBB complaint response template for six common situations: refund, service quality, billing, non-customer, delay and already resolved. Sample letters with notes.
Read →BBB asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing. We advise responding within 10, because a follow-up is sent when there is no response.
Complaints appear on profiles for three years from the filing date. For high-volume businesses, BBB may publish a representative sample.
BBB says submitted complaints cannot be deleted by the consumer. It also publishes types of complaints it does not handle, which can be challenged.
Resolved, Answered, Unresolved, Unanswered and Unpursuable. Each reflects how the business responded and whether the consumer confirmed satisfaction.
BBB sends a follow-up, and the complaint can close as Unanswered. The published scale lists unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 points, so ignoring one can be costly.
Not automatically. Complaint history considers the number of complaints, business size, timely and appropriate responses and good-faith resolution. BBB does not publish an exact formula.
A BBB rating specialist reviews your profile against every rating element the BBB publishes, then calls you with what is costing you points and the order to fix it in.
Prefer to talk now? 855-239-5322
A BBB rating specialist will review your profile and call you. If a complaint response deadline is close, call now:
Call 855-239-5322