Frequently Asked Questions About BBB Customer Reviews and Complaints

Consumer experiences matter to Better Business Bureau – and businesses! BBB customer reviews allow customers to post positive, negative or neutral reviews about marketplace experiences with businesses, brands and charities.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about BBB Customer Reviews and the process.

What are BBB Customer Reviews?

BBB customer reviews allow customers to post positive, negative or neutral reviews about marketplace experiences with businesses, brands and charities. Just like our complaints, reviews are vetted by BBB team members and sent to the business before they are published online.

Who can file a BBB Review?

Only the original consumer who had a marketplace interaction with a business, can file a BBB review.  Money need not have changed hands. The only exception is for incapacitated consumers who are unable to file a BBB customer review themselves.
BBB does not accept incentivized customer reviews. This includes, but is not limited to, situations where a consumer may receive a discount or a gift in exchange for a customer review, or a “mystery shopper” or the like, where a consumer is compensated (either by a third-party or the company itself) to shop a company who then submits a customer review.
Consumers with a bona fide business experience may file either a BBB customer review or a BBB complaint, but not both.

Are BBB reviews the same as BBB complaints?

No, reviews and complaints are different. A consumer files a complaint when the consumer wants BBB’s help to resolve a dispute with a company, usually (but not always) involving a monetary claim, and wants to share the outcome with the public. Customer reviews allow consumers to share with BBB and the public their opinion – good or bad – about companies with which they had a marketplace interaction. Unlike most review sites, BBB requires consumers to provide their name and shares this information with the business to confirm the interaction and prompt a response. This and other measures help maintain the integrity of BBB’s customer reviews by reducing the incidence of fake reviews.

Do Reviews have an impact on a business's letter grade rating with BBB?

No, reviews are not considered as part of a company’s rating, as complaints are.

Can I file both a complaint and review about the same issue?

No. You must choose whether to file a complaint or submit a customer review with BBB. Learn more about how to know which one is for you

Can I submit an anonymous review?

BBB does not accept anonymous Customer Reviews. Read the BBB Customer Review Submission Terms

How do I submit a review?

Leave a customer review for a business you’ve used at BBB.org/Leave-a-Review