01
Complaint history
What a rating is
Ratings are based on information BBB obtains about a business, including complaints received from the public and data drawn directly from businesses and public sources. Ratings run from A+ (highest) to F (lowest). A business may be marked NR ("No Rating") when there is insufficient information about it or an ongoing review or update of its file.
BBB Business Profiles generally explain the most significant factors that raise or lower a business's rating. A rating is not a guarantee of a business's reliability or performance. BBB recommends considering a rating alongside all other available information about the business.
the 7 rating elements
A BBB rating is built from information in a business's BBB file.
02
Type of business
03
Time in business
04
Transparent business practices
05
Failure to honor commitments to BBB
06
Licensing
07
Advertising issues
full detail
The elements in full detail
A rating is lowered if the type of business raises marketplace concerns or is believed to operate in violation of the law.
Based partly on how long a business has been operating. If that date is unavailable, BBB uses the date it opened its file on the business.
Lowered when a business is not transparent — for example, incomplete product, service, or ownership information, or a false or undeterminable address.
Lowered when a business fails to honor commitments made to BBB, including mediation settlements or arbitration awards.
Lowered when BBB knows a business does not have the competency licensing it needs, where that licensing involves an assessment or can be revoked for misconduct.
Lowered when a business does not appropriately respond to a BBB advertising challenge, such as misuse of BBB marks or questionable claims. Rated as major, moderate, or minor.
how elements are scored
Rating points
Each element adds or deducts points on a 100-point scale. Positive values add to the score; negative values deduct from it.
| Rating element | Range (max --> min) |
|---|---|
| Complaint volume (weighted by age) | 15 --> 0 |
| Unanswered complaints | 40 --> 0 |
| Unresolved complaints | 30 --> 0 |
| Complaint resolution delayed | 5 --> 0 |
| Failure to address a complaint pattern | 0 --> -31 |
| Type of business | 0 --> -41 |
| Time in business | 10 --> 0 |
| Transparent business practices | 0 --> -5 |
| Failure to honor mediation or arbitration | 0 --> -41 |
| Competency licensing | 0 --> -41 |
| Advertising review (per incident) | 0 --> -41 |
| BBB trademark infringement | 0 --> -41 |
from points to a grade
Letter rating scale
The 100-point score maps to a letter grade as follows.
| From | To | Letter rating |
|---|---|---|
| 97 | 100 | A+ |
| 94 | 96.99 | A |
| 90 | 93.99 | A- |
| 87 | 89.99 | B+ |
| 84 | 86.99 | B |
| 80 | 83.99 | B- |
| 77 | 79.99 | C+ |
| 74 | 76.99 | C |
| 70 | 73.99 | C- |
| 67 | 69.99 | D+ |
| 64 | 66.99 | D |
| 60 | 63.99 | D- |
| 0 | 59.99 | F |
Important to know
NR means, "No Rating." BBB assigns it when there isn't enough information to rate a business, or while a business's file is under review or being updated. NR is not a grade, and it is not negative.
Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation. A rating is also not a guarantee of a business's reliability or performance.
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