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5 Easy Steps to File a Complaint with the Better Business Bureau

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Better Business Bureau is a non-profit, private organization that concentrates on improving marketplace trust. Better Business Bureau comprises of 106 independently united local organizations in Canada and United States. These organizations are organized under the International Association of Better Business Bureaus in Arlington, Virginia.

BBB is not associated with any legislative agency. Businesses that affiliate with the Better Business Bureau and stick to its guidelines do so through industry self-regulation. To avoid favoritism, the organization’s policy is to renounce from endorsing or recommending any specific product, business or service.

The organization works as a mediator between the consumer and the business. It also maintains records of complaints against non-member companies, which helps consumers find out if a business has previous Better Business Bureau complaints registered against it. It helps consumers in making better buying decisions.

Now that you know what Better Business Bureau is, it’s time to find out what a BBB Complaint is, how you can file a complaint with Better Business Bureau and what are the points you need to remember when you file a complaint with BBB.

What is a BBB complaint?

Better Business Bureau complaints include disputes related to a marketplace or products/services a business provides. BBB has the right to reject complaints that include abusive or foul language. BBB complaints can’t be raised against government agencies or matters not relevant to marketplace issues.

Better Business Bureau uses an Accredited Businesses system to allot rankings to businesses, non-profit organizations, and charities. The BBB stores data about companies for future reference and follows dispute resolution procedures formed by the Council of the Better Business Bureaus. The organization is not a government agency and has no legal power to push anyone to meet the terms of its complaint resolution process.

How to file a complaint with BBB?

Filing a Better Business Bureau complaint is one of the best channels to help you, if you believe that you have been scammed or if you have a problem with a company. Better Business Bureau complaints can be registered for all types of businesses including online and offline, charities and non-profits, BBB members and non-BBB-accredited businesses.

Steps to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau

You can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in writing or over the phone, but the most convenient and recommended way is to file a BBB online complaint. Follow below-mentioned steps to file a complaint with BBB:

1. Visit the ‘BBB online’ – the official website of the organization, to file a BBB complaint.
2. Search the company’s name (location in case of a nationwide business).
3. Select the company name you want to raise a complaint against.
4. Click the link “File a Complaint”.
5. You will get three options – file a complaint, file a review, or file a scam report, select ‘File a Complaint’.

After you file a complaint with the better business bureau successfully, you’ll get an email confirmation. The confirmation includes details of the BBB office that is handling your complaint and a link to a PDF file of your BBB complaint for review.

At this stage, the BBB Dispute Resolution Specialist handling your complaint will contact you and work with you till the time BBB reaches a dead-end or the matter is resolved. The organization then creates a Better Business Bureau report and sends it to you via e-mail.

In case, you are not satisfied with the resolution provided, you can dial up Better Business Bureau phone number right away, to get in touch with Better Business Bureau customer service and find out what needs to be done next.

Make sure you keep the below-mentioned information handy before you start filing the BBB complaint.

Information required to file a Complaint with BBB

BBB complaints raised with incomplete information do not get processed. To file a complaint with BBB, the users need to enter the following information in the BBB complaint form.

• Name and contact information (including postal address and e-mail address) of the person who is raising the complaint.
• Target business entity’s name and exact location.
• Statement seeking BBB assistance.
• Relationship of the person raising the complaint with the target business, person or entity.
• The complaint must include a business-to-business or consumer-to-business transaction that relates to the sale or an advertisement of a product or service.

Do not forget to enter any of the above-mentioned points in the better business bureau complaint form! Once you file a complaint with the BBB, it sends the submitted information to the target business entity within two business days.

BBB urges the business to respond within 14 days, and in case of no response, they make a second request. You will be informed about the business’s response or will be notified in case of no response. BBB complaints usually close within 30 business days.

Points to remember while raising the BBB complaint

To make sure that your BBB complaint does not get rejected, keep the following points in mind while raising your BBB complaint:

• The issue you are complaining about, must have occurred within the last 12 months (warranties, guarantees or other justifying circumstances may surpass these criteria).
• The complaint must claim a deficiency in the business’s marketplace execution for the products or services that the company provided or supposedly agreed to provide.
• The complaint should not be undergoing any legal process when filed with BBB and not been solved by any previous court arbitration, action, or agreement between the parties.
• The complaint should not include any abusive language.

When you file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau make sure that you support it with all the required information for better results.

Conclusion

Better Business Bureau settles thousands of disputes every year. It is open to help users who have been scammed. You can file BBB claims or complaints related to the contract, sales, warranties, customer service, refunds, billings, and many more. BBB also accepts the complaints about the companies that don’t belong to the Better Business Bureau.

BBB provides its users with the best resolution possible. You can visit the BBB website and find their contact details including Better Business Bureau phone number and e-mail address. You can also access BBB reviews and complaints section and go through Better Business Bureau customer reviews to know how dedicated this organization is towards its self-defined goals.

If you are running a business, it is important to keep your customers happy by providing them with the best experience possible. This of course includes ethical service, great products and delivering on all your promises. One important aspect of delivering customer satisfaction is to keep your customers updated about your products and services through smooth-running applications and websites.

One of the best ways of reaching out to your customers and satisfying all their queries and claims is by creating your own business app. Having your own business app will help you improve your performance and deliver a delightful user experience to all your customers.