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Two facts come before any service pitch. A consumer cannot delete a complaint once it is submitted, and a complaint stays on your profile for three years from filing. The BBB also publishes a list of complaint types it will not handle at all. Whether yours is on that list is the whole question, so we start there.
Sometimes, but only on the grounds the BBB itself publishes.
A genuine complaint from a real customer cannot be deleted, and the BBB shows complaints on a profile for three years from filing. A complaint that falls outside the BBB's published acceptance rules, such as one with no marketplace relationship behind it or one filed anonymously, can be challenged. Anything else is worked through a response and a resolution. Source: BBB complaint process.
You do not have to like the BBB to win on it. The route that works is the one the BBB wrote down, so every claim on this page points back to a BBB page you can read yourself. For the wider picture of how a grade is scored, see how BBB ratings work.
The BBB publishes a list of complaint types outside its process, and the list itself says it may not be complete.
Read your complaint against each line below. Tick every row that truly describes it. One honest match is enough to justify a closer look.
Ticking a row is a lead, not a verdict. The BBB decides whether a complaint stays, and it notes that its own list may not be complete. A complaint you dislike, or one you think is unfair, does not belong to any category here.
Every closed complaint carries one of five statuses, and the status decides what can still change.
| Status | What the BBB means by it | What can still move |
|---|---|---|
| Resolved | The consumer verified satisfaction. | Little. This is the status to aim for on every complaint you can reach in time. |
| Answered | You addressed it, but the consumer did not accept the answer or did not confirm. | A better reply or a remedy the consumer will confirm can still be pursued. |
| Unresolved | You responded without a good-faith effort, in the BBB's judgment. | Further good-faith resolution work, and a fresh reply that shows real effort. |
| Unanswered | No response was received. | The widest published range sits here, so a late reply matters. Ask the BBB what it will still accept. |
| Unpursuable | The BBB could not locate the business. | Confirm your contact details with the BBB so future complaints reach you. |
The BBB's published scale scores complaint volume weighted by age at 15 to 0 points, unanswered complaints at 40 to 0, unresolved complaints at 30 to 0 and delayed resolution at 5 to 0. Those ranges are the reason a status matters more than a count. If you are still inside the response window, start with how to respond to a BBB complaint and the response templates.
A challenge needs a rule the complaint breaks and proof that it breaks it.
The BBB lists parties without a marketplace relationship as outside its process. We assemble order records, account histories, invoices and contact logs that show no dealing took place under that name or address.
Debt collection, price-only disputes, employment matters and the other listed types are not handled. We map the complaint text to the category it falls under and quote the BBB line.
A court judgment, arbitration award or signed settlement takes the matter out of the BBB's process. We attach the dated document and point to the rule.
Anonymous complaints are not handled. We show where the filer cannot be matched to any person or account on your side.
The BBB removes personal information and inappropriate language from public text. We flag the specific lines and ask for the edit.
A statement of fact that your records contradict can be disputed with dated proof. An opinion cannot, and we tell you which one you have.
We write each challenge as a file the BBB reviewer can check in minutes: the rule, the page it came from, the complaint line it applies to, and the attached record. A vague protest that a complaint is unfair is the most common reason a challenge fails, which is why we do not send one.
A complaint can be withdrawn only by the person who filed it, and only honestly.
Sometimes the strongest outcome is a customer who is satisfied. When you fix the underlying problem, the consumer can confirm satisfaction to the BBB and the complaint closes as Resolved. If the customer then chooses to retract, that is their decision, made after the fix and not as a price of it.
Federal law now reaches the pressure tactics owners are tempted to use. Under 16 CFR Part 465, paying for sentiment and scaring people out of honest reviews are both prohibited. The rule speaks to reviews and testimonials, so we apply the same discipline to complaints. No incentive is offered for a retraction, and nobody is threatened. Source: FTC announcement.
If the complaint is real and within the rules, the lever is the response and the resolution, not a deletion.
Most complaints we see fall here. They come from real customers about real transactions, and the BBB will keep them for three years. We cannot delete one, shorten that time or assign a rating, because only the BBB does those things.
What moves the grade is work on the published elements. A complaint that closes as Resolved scores differently from one that closes as Unanswered, and a complaint pattern you address carries a different range from one you ignore. That work lives in complaint response and resolution and the broader rating improvement plan.
A response that addresses what the customer actually said, inside the window the BBB sets.
Contact with the consumer aimed at a remedy they will verify, not a one-line apology.
A list of the remaining published elements on your file, ordered by the widest ranges first.
The BBB forwards a complaint within two business days and asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing.
Enter the date on the complaint notice. Complaints are generally closed about 30 calendar days after filing, so the days between those marks are where the status gets decided.
Enter the date the complaint was filed with the BBB.
We pursue what the rules allow, the target is signed off before work begins, and payment follows delivery.
Our fee model is results-based. The target, for example one named complaint gone or a grade moving from a B+ to an A, is written down and signed first. Payment falls due on delivery. The audit itself is free and carries no obligation.
Reputation Resolutions, our parent company, also explains its done-for-you process on its complaint removal page. If you want a second opinion on the review side, we cover that on our page about the review dispute service.
No. The BBB states that a consumer cannot delete a submitted complaint, and a business has no delete button either. A complaint can leave a profile only through the BBB's own review of whether it met the acceptance rules.
The BBB shows complaints for three years from the date of filing. For businesses with very high volume it may publish a representative sample instead of every complaint.
The BBB lists complaints with no marketplace relationship as outside its process. Gather any record showing no dealing took place, then raise it with the BBB. That is exactly the situation a challenge is built for.
The BBB lists disputes based solely on price among the types it does not handle. If the filer also alleges a broken promise or a defective product, it is no longer solely about price, so read the complaint text closely.
We know of no published rating element that scores a challenge itself. A failed one simply leaves the complaint in place, which is why the response and resolution work continues alongside it.
You may ask a real customer to confirm that you fixed the problem. You may not pay, reward or threaten anyone in return. Any retraction has to be the customer's own choice, made freely.
A late answer is still better than none, because the unanswered range is the widest on the published scale. Contact the BBB, explain the delay and ask what it will still accept on that file.
No. The target is written down before anything begins, and payment follows delivery of it. The audit that tells you whether a challenge is worth attempting costs nothing.
No. We run independently under Reputation Resolutions and hold no endorsement or license from the BBB. Ratings are set by the BBB alone, never by us.
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