Accredited Business FAQs

Does BBB post customer reviews?

Any customer of a business can post a negative, neutral or positive customer review on a business. Click on “Check out a Business”, search for the business you want to file a review on, click on the “Customer Review” tab in the Business Profile and file your review.

How can a company have an A+ rating when there are hundreds of complaints against them?

BBB ratings take into consideration 16 factors before a rating is issued. One thing to always consider is size of business when you are looking at a rating and complaint count. For example, a small store with a handful of employees and less than a million dollars a year in revenue will be rated differently than a larger store with hundreds of employees and tens of millions of dollars a year in revenue. For more information on ratings visit http://www.bbb.org/business-reviews/ratings/.

How do I file a complaint?

All complaints must be submitted to BBB in writing. The quickest and easiest way to file a complaint is to log onto our website at bbb.org and click the “File a Complaint” button. This will take you through the process step by step.

I got an email from BBB with an attachment. Is this legitimate?

This is phishing scam by criminals that began in late 2011. BBB will not send emails that contain attachments to complaints. The email addresses were not obtained from any BBB database and BBB has not been hacked. Federal Law Enforcement is investigating. BBB suggests you delete the email and if you clicked on any links in the email, run a virus scan immediately.

I need help with my credit. Can BBB help?

To learn more about your credit report and/or credit score, BBB suggests contacting one of the three major credit reporting bureaus.

TransUnion can be reached at http://www.transunion.com/ or 800-888-4213.
They can be reached via mail at 2 Baldwin Place, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022.

Experian can be reached at http://www.experian.com or 888-397-3742.

Equifax can be reached at http://www.equifax.com or 800-685-1111 or via mail at PO Box 740241, Atlanta GA, 30374.

I’m having a problem with my employer, can BBB help me?

Unfortunately BBB cannot assist with employee/employer disputes. Depending on which state you are located in, you will need to contact the Attorney General’s Office or the Department of Labor.

What are BBB Ratings?

BBB grades businesses on a letter scale from A to F and represent the BBB's opinion of the business. The BBB grade is based on information on file about the business. In some cases, a business' grade may be lowered if BBB does not have sufficient information about the business despite BBB requests for that information from the business. For more information please visit http://www.bbb.org/business-reviews/ratings/.

What does BBB do?

Your BBB helps you both directly and indirectly. The BBB helps you directly by:

Providing information about a company before you do business with it.
Helping to resolve a complaint you might have against a business
Providing you with good consumer information so that you can make intelligent purchasing decisions.
Providing information on charitable organizations.

What does it mean when the Business Profile says this business is not BBB Accredited?

?Being BBB Accredited means that the business meets BBB accreditation standards, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB Accredited Businesses pay a fee for accreditation review/monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public.

BBB reports on both non-Accredited and Accredited Businesses. Non-Accredited businesses have chosen not to apply for BBB Accreditation therefore they do not meet BBB's Accreditation Standards.

What is a Business Profile?

BBB creates a profile on businesses in our service area. The Business Profile contains a rating of the business, basic business information as well as complaint information, such as whether or not complaints have been filed, and customer review information if reviews have been filed. BBB reports on approximately 120,000 businesses in our service area. To check out a company please visit us online at bbb.org and click “Check Out A Business or Charity”; you will need the business name or phone number. Enter in your search criteria and click search. If a review is available a link will be provided.

What is BBB Accreditation?

BBB Accreditation is a voluntary program for eligible businesses in our service area. Businesses who can meet BBB’s high standards of trust are invited to apply for Accreditation.

What is the Accredited Business Online Seal?

Accredited Businesses can install our Accredited Business Online Seal on their website. The seal will link to their Business Profile.

What is the BBB Complaint process?

Consumers can file complaints with the BBB if they have had an unfavorable experience with a business. The BBB will present the complaint to the business for a response. BBB Accredited Businesses with must respond to complaints within 30 calendar days from the day a complaint is filed. BBB cannot force businesses who are not Accredited to respond to complaints. When we receive the response, BBB will send the information to you. In most cases, the consumer is satisfied with the response. If the consumer is not satisfied, they can submit a rebuttal to the BBB. The BBB will present your rebuttal to the business for an additional response and close the case accordingly.

What's the difference between a complaint and a review?

In order for a consumer to file a complaint, they must be seeking a resolution from the business. BBB staff will work with the business and consumer to resolve the issues and BBB reports the outcome of that process. The complaint and the outcome may impact the rating for the business. A customer review is simply subjective, unverified feedback from a customer which may be negative, neutral or positive.

Why does BBB post the details of complaints on Business Profiles?

This data is important for both the business and the consumer. It provides meaning to the complaints being filed and lets users see both the business and the consumer’s side to the complaint. It is a policy of BBB to post the details of any complaint filed with this office.