Filing A Complaint With The Better Business Bureau

Do you need to know about filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau? One of the many services the Better Business Bureau offers is dispute resolution between consumers and business; the BBB also handles business to business complaints. We will look at consumer complaints, the types of complaints the BBB handles, and how to initiate a complaint.

The Better Business Bureau accepts consumer complaints involving the sale of goods or services and complaints involving misleading advertising. The BBB does not accept disputes that are in litigation, medical practice complaints or disputes involving statutory issues such as discrimination. The BBB will handle health care billing complaints; the BBB articulates the types of issues they will handle in their Complaint Acceptance Guidelines.

The BBB suggests that the consumer attempt to resolve the issue with the business prior to making a complaint. The Better Business Bureau accepts complaints involving both BBB accredited businesses and non-accredited businesses.

 Steps to Initiate a Complaint:

1. On the internet, access the BBB Website at www.bbb.org; from this page, input your zip code to access your local BBB website. Complaints are handled by the local BBB organizations. In this example, we used zip code 08857 which is in New Jersey; this brought us to the home page of the New Jersey BBB.
2. Once you are at the home page of the local BBB, you will see a link that says “File A Complaint.” Clicking on this link will bring you to a page that provides information on the types of complaints handled by the BBB and an explanation of the process. This screen will also provide a link to the Complaint Acceptance Guidelines.
3. Read the Complaint Acceptance Guidelines. Once you close the Complaint Acceptance Guidelines window, you will be ready to click the next button to proceed with inputting your issue.
4. Be sure to have the information regarding the dispute available including the company name, the nature of the dispute and any previous attempts you may have made to resolve the issue.
5. The BBB will not accept anonymous complaints and will reject complaints with obscene language. It is best to keep your complaint business focused.

In the dispute resolution process, the Better Business Bureau remains neutral and does not advocate for either the consumer or business. The BBB works to facilitate an agreeable solution; in some cases mediation or arbitration may be offered.

Expected Timeline:

1. The local BBB will forward the complaint to the business involved in two days.
2. The complainant will be notified when the business responds.
3. The BBB will allow fourteen days for a response; if no response is received from the business in that time, the BBB will send a second request.
4. Most complaints are closed in about 30 days.

Most businesses want to resolve legitimate complaints and at times, the consumer needs help. The Better Business Bureau notes that about 70% of the complaints are successfully resolved.