To improve a BBB rating, you work the elements the BBB scores, starting with the biggest published point ranges. That mostly means complaints. We handle that work for you, we never promise a grade, and we agree the target in writing before we start.







You improve a BBB rating by changing the items in your BBB file that the BBB scores, which are mostly complaint handling, plus a few profile items like licensing.
The BBB grades from A+ to F on a 100-point scale, and it says a rating is built from the information in your file. It publishes the elements and the point range each can move. That is good news, because a published scale is something you can work.
Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation. Accreditation dues do not buy a grade. So the levers are narrower than most owners expect, and more practical.
The widest positive ranges on the BBB's published scale belong to unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 and unresolved complaints at 30 to 0.
More recent complaints relative to business size cost more than old ones.
The single largest published range. Silence is the most expensive thing on a BBB file.
A response without a good faith effort to fix the problem still costs points.
Answering late is better than never, and answering on time is better still.
When BBB flags a pattern, it expects the underlying cause to be fixed.
Newer businesses start with fewer points here. Time fixes it.
Some business models BBB considers high risk carry a deduction.
Missing basics like ownership, address or contact information.
Agreeing to a settlement and not following through is heavily penalized.
A required license that is missing, lapsed or not on file.
Claims BBB finds misleading after review.
Using BBB marks or seals without permission.
Point ranges as published by the BBB in its overview of BBB ratings. Descriptions are our plain-English summary.
That is why so many low grades trace back to complaints nobody answered, not to a business that treats customers badly. It is also why a rating can often be improved. Here are the grade bands the BBB lists.
For the full walkthrough, read how BBB ratings work.
Each move below ties to an element the BBB publishes. None of them promises a number of points, because the BBB does not publish that.
The BBB forwards a complaint to the business within two business days and asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing. Unanswered complaints sit in the widest published range, 40 to 0. See how to respond to a BBB complaint.
A complaint closes as Resolved only when the consumer verifies satisfaction. Unresolved means the business responded without a good-faith effort. The published unresolved range is 30 to 0. Our complaint resolution service is built around this step.
Complaint resolution delayed is its own element, 5 to 0. A fast, complete first response protects it.
The BBB lists complaint types it does not handle, such as price-only disputes, buyer's remorse and parties with no marketplace relationship. When yours fits, we document it and raise it. Read what the BBB allows to be removed.
Competency licensing carries a deduction range of 0 to -41. Transparent business practices carries 0 to -5. Both are about information on your file, not customer behavior.
Failing to address a complaint pattern is a 0 to -31 element. Failing to honor a mediation settlement or arbitration award is 0 to -41. Both are worth clearing early.
Time in business can earn up to 10 points. You cannot rush it, but you can make sure the BBB has the right start date.
You can raise a rating by working the scored elements. You cannot change it by asking the BBB to override its own scale, and an A+ is a result you pursue, not one anyone can promise.
Owners search three ways: raise my BBB rating, change my BBB rating, get an A+. They all come down to the same thing. The BBB lists A+ at 97 to 100, A at 94 to 96.99 and B+ at 87 to 89.99. Getting from one band to another means finding the items on your file that cost points and addressing them.
Accreditation is a separate decision. It requires a B rating or better, and it is voluntary. Read whether accreditation is worth it before you spend on it.
A specialist reviews your file against every published element and ranks what costs you points. Start your free BBB rating audit.
We put in writing what can change, what cannot, and the result we are working toward, such as moving from a B+ to an A.
Complaint responses, resolution outreach, challenges to content that breaks BBB policy, licensing and profile corrections, and mediation follow-through.
We watch your profile and answer new complaints inside the window until the agreed result is live.
We work only inside BBB policy and the FTC rule that bans fake and incentivized reviews. We do not write, buy or pressure reviews. Reputation Resolutions, our parent company, also explains its done-for-you process on its own BBB removal page.
Before work starts, we agree in writing on the result. You pay when it is delivered.
Here is how that works in practice. Say your profile is rated B+ and you want an A. After the free audit, we agree in writing on that target and on how it will be confirmed, which is the grade showing on your BBB profile. We then work the elements the audit flagged. You pay when the A is live. If it is not, you do not pay for that result.
| Example agreed result | How delivery is confirmed | When you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Move from a B+ to an A | The A shows on your BBB profile | When it is live |
| Remove a specific complaint that breaks BBB rules | The complaint no longer appears on your profile | When it is removed |
| Remove a specific review | The review no longer appears on your profile | When it is removed |
The BBB assigns every rating from its own file. We cannot set it, so we never promise a grade. We agree a target, work toward it, and bill only for delivery.
Work the items the BBB scores, starting with the largest published ranges. That means answering open complaints inside the window, pursuing real resolutions, challenging complaints the BBB does not handle, and completing licensing and profile information.
No. The BBB states that customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation. Reviews matter to buyers, but they are not a lever on the grade. Asking for reviews in exchange for rewards also breaks the FTC rule on incentivized reviews.
No. The BBB assigns the rating from its published standards. You can correct information on your file and challenge items that break BBB policy, but you cannot ask the BBB to override the scale.
An A+ is the BBB's top band, 97 to 100 on its scale. Reaching it means addressing every item on your file that costs points. We pursue that with you, but nobody can promise it, because the BBB assigns the grade.
No. The BBB says accreditation is voluntary and separate from the rating, and that dues do not buy a grade or remove a complaint. Accreditation requires at least a B rating.
It depends on what is open on your file. The BBB generally closes complaints about 30 calendar days after filing, so properly handled complaints can change status within weeks. We give you a realistic timeline after the audit, never a promise.
Before work starts, we agree in writing on the result, for example moving from a B+ to an A. You pay when that result is delivered. The free audit comes first and carries no obligation.
An F is a score under 60 on the BBB's 100-point scale, and it often follows complaints that were never answered. Start with an audit, because the fix usually starts with the largest published ranges.
NR means the BBB has not rated the business, usually because there is not enough information yet or the file is under review. The BBB says NR is not a grade and not negative.
Never. Reviews are not part of the grade, and fake or incentivized reviews are banned by the FTC rule announced in August 2024. We do not write, buy or pressure reviews.
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