- Every template follows the same spine: thanks, facts, ownership, specific resolution, one contact.
- Replace every capitalized placeholder with a real detail from your records. A template with blanks left in is worse than no response.
- Never copy one response into several complaints. The BBB and future buyers can tell.
- These are examples for ordinary disputes. If your industry is regulated or a lawyer is involved, have counsel review first.
- Responding inside the BBB's 10 to 15 calendar day window matters more than perfect wording.
How to Use These Templates
Treat each template as a starting frame. Fill the capitalized placeholders from your own records and delete any sentence that is not true for your case.
Each template below uses placeholder words in capitals, such as YOUR NAME or ORDER NUMBER. Replace every one before you submit. Read the response aloud once. If it sounds like a form letter, rewrite the opening sentence in your own voice.
The BBB asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing. Use the deadline calculator to find your dates, and read the full response guide for the reasoning behind the structure.
| Placeholder | What to put in |
|---|---|
| CUSTOMER NAME | The name on the complaint |
| YOUR NAME and YOUR TITLE | A real person who can act on it |
| COMPANY NAME | Your business name as it appears on the BBB profile |
| ORDER NUMBER and DATE | From your records |
| AMOUNT | The exact figure and currency |
| PHONE and EMAIL | A direct line, not a general inbox |
Never promise what you cannot deliver, never offer money to change a complaint or a review, and never share private customer details beyond what is needed. If the facts in a template do not match your case, do not use that template.
Template 1: Refund Dispute
Use this when a customer says they were owed a refund and did not get one.
Hello CUSTOMER NAME. Thank you for bringing this to us through the BBB. I am YOUR NAME, YOUR TITLE at COMPANY NAME, and I have reviewed your order ORDER NUMBER from DATE.
I understand that you are asking for a refund of AMOUNT because of REASON IN THE CUSTOMER'S WORDS. Our records show REFUND POLICY OR WHAT HAPPENED, STATED PLAINLY.
To resolve this, we will REFUND, PARTIAL REFUND OR OTHER SPECIFIC REMEDY by DATE, returned to the original payment method. If you would like to discuss it first, you can reach me directly at PHONE or EMAIL.
We would like to close this to your satisfaction. Please let the BBB know if this resolves your concern. Sincerely, YOUR NAME.
It states the amount and the date, so nothing is vague. It cites your policy as a fact, not as a weapon. The remedy has a deadline, and the closing asks the customer to confirm through the BBB, which is how a complaint reaches Resolved.
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Template 2: Service Quality Complaint
Use this when a customer says the work or product was poor.
Hello CUSTOMER NAME. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience. I am YOUR NAME, YOUR TITLE at COMPANY NAME. I am sorry the SERVICE OR PRODUCT did not meet your expectations.
I have looked into the job from DATE. What you described was SPECIFIC ISSUE. What our records show is FACTS FROM YOUR FILE, SUCH AS NOTES, PHOTOS OR SIGN-OFF.
I would like to make this right. We can offer REDO, REPAIR, CREDIT OR OTHER SPECIFIC REMEDY, and I can schedule it for DATE OR WINDOW. If another approach would work better for you, tell me and I will do my best to accommodate it.
You can reach me directly at PHONE or EMAIL. Thank you for the chance to correct this. Sincerely, YOUR NAME.
The apology is about the experience, not an admission of fault you have not verified. The facts come from your records. It offers a remedy and a choice, which reads as good faith, and good faith is what separates Unresolved from Answered or Resolved.
Template 3: Billing Error
Use this when a customer says they were charged the wrong amount or charged twice.
Hello CUSTOMER NAME. Thank you for raising this billing concern. I am YOUR NAME, YOUR TITLE at COMPANY NAME, and I reviewed your account ACCOUNT REFERENCE.
You told us you were charged AMOUNT on DATE. We found WHAT THE RECORDS SHOW, SUCH AS A DUPLICATE CHARGE OR A CORRECT CHARGE FOR LISTED ITEMS.
IF AN ERROR WAS FOUND: We made a mistake and we are sorry. We have issued a correction of AMOUNT, which should appear on your statement within TIME YOUR PAYMENT PROCESSOR STATES. IF NO ERROR WAS FOUND: We have attached an itemized breakdown so you can see how the total was calculated, and I would be glad to walk through it by phone.
You can reach me at PHONE or EMAIL. Please let the BBB know whether this resolves your concern. Sincerely, YOUR NAME.
Billing disputes are factual, so the response is factual. It either fixes the error or shows the math. Either way the customer sees a person and a number. Remember that the BBB does not handle disputes based solely on price, so a pure price complaint is a different case from a real billing error.
Template 4: Complaint From a Non-Customer
Use this when you cannot find any transaction with the person or when the complaint appears to come from a competitor or a stranger.
Hello. Thank you for the opportunity to respond. I am YOUR NAME, YOUR TITLE at COMPANY NAME.
We searched our records for the name and details in this complaint, including NAME, EMAIL, PHONE AND ORDER OR ACCOUNT SEARCHES YOU RAN, and we found no purchase, service or account matching it. We cannot identify a marketplace relationship between the complainant and our company.
If the complainant can share the date and details of the transaction, such as an order number or receipt, we will review it immediately and respond. You can reach me at PHONE or EMAIL. Sincerely, YOUR NAME.
It does not accuse anyone. It states what you searched and what you found, and it leaves the door open. The BBB lists parties without a marketplace relationship among the complaints it does not handle, so a calm record of your search is the foundation of a challenge. See can you remove a BBB complaint.
Template 5: Delay Complaint
Use this when a customer says an order, job or reply took too long.
Hello CUSTOMER NAME. Thank you for your patience and for telling us about the delay. I am YOUR NAME, YOUR TITLE at COMPANY NAME, and I am sorry you had to wait.
Your order ORDER NUMBER from DATE was delayed because REASON, STATED HONESTLY AND WITHOUT BLAMING A NAMED PERSON. The current status is WHERE IT STANDS TODAY.
We will DELIVER, COMPLETE OR UPDATE by DATE. To make up for the wait, we are offering REMEDY, SUCH AS EXPEDITED SHIPPING, A CREDIT OR A PARTIAL REFUND. If a delay no longer works for you, we will cancel and refund AMOUNT.
I will personally send you an update on DATE. You can reach me at PHONE or EMAIL. Sincerely, YOUR NAME.
Delay complaints are about trust, so it gives a reason, a new date, a remedy and an exit. The promise to update on a set date is what keeps it from sounding like a stall. Only promise dates you control.
Template 6: A Complaint That Is Already Resolved
Use this when you fixed the problem directly with the customer before or after the BBB complaint arrived.
Hello CUSTOMER NAME. Thank you for your complaint. I am YOUR NAME, YOUR TITLE at COMPANY NAME.
We are glad to report that this matter was addressed on DATE. Here is what happened. The issue was SPECIFIC ISSUE. We took the following action: ACTION TAKEN, SUCH AS A REFUND OF AMOUNT, A REPLACEMENT OR A REPAIR. You confirmed receipt by CHANNEL on DATE.
We would appreciate it if you would confirm through the BBB that your concern has been resolved, so the complaint can be closed accurately. If anything remains open, please tell us and we will take care of it at once. You can reach me at PHONE or EMAIL. Sincerely, YOUR NAME.
It documents the fix with a date and a channel, and it asks for the one thing that moves the status. The BBB defines Resolved as the consumer verifying satisfaction, so the confirmation request is the point of the letter. Keep proof of your communication with the customer.
What These Templates Cannot Do
A template cannot delete a complaint, force a customer to confirm, or change a grade. Only the BBB closes complaints and assigns ratings.
A good response can
- Earn an Answered or Resolved closing instead of Unanswered
- Show future readers a reasonable owner
- Document facts for a later challenge
- Keep you inside the BBB's window
No response can
- Delete a genuine complaint
- Shorten the three years it stays on your profile
- Make a customer confirm
- Change your rating by itself
If a template does not fit, or the complaint is serious, our complaint resolution service writes and tracks the response for you. Before work starts, we agree in writing on the result, and you pay when it is delivered. Reputation Resolutions is our parent company and is BBB Accredited with an A+ rating. You can start with the free BBB audit.
