Recently, the Better Business Bureau’s rating system has come under question, as there is confusion about how BBB ratings are issued. The big question is, “Do I have to pay money to improve my BBB rating?”
The answer is NO – it’s FREE and EASY!
Every Business Review that has been issued a BBB rating contains information explaining why the business has earned that rating. Most of the time a company simply needs to provide BBB with background information, such as when they began business, who owns the business, and what type of products and services they offer. Other companies may need to respond to and resolve customer complaints or eliminate a pattern of customer complaint – a simple rule when serving the public. A few may need to substantiate their advertising claims – we all expect advertising to be truthful, right?
BBB updated its BBB Business Reviews to help consumers more easily and quickly identify and compare the reliability of businesses based on BBB’s unbiased evaluation. The BBB rating system now relies on an A+ through F grade scale. The grade represents BBB’s degree of confidence that the business is operating in a trustworthy manner and will make a good faith effort to resolve any customer concerns.
The ratings system relies on a proprietary formula that takes into account many factors based on objective information and actual incidences of a business’s behavior that have been verified and evaluated by BBB professionals. The specific factors include:
ü BBB experience with the industry in which the business operates
ü The business’ length of time in operation
ü Whether BBB has information that the business does not have required competency license(s)
ü Any known government actions against the business that are related to marketplace activities
ü Any advertising issues found by BBB
ü The number of complaints processed by BBB from the business’ customers
ü The number of complaints from the business’ customers that are of a serious nature
ü Whether the business has responded to complaints received by BBB
ü Whether complaints have been resolved in a timely manner or the business has demonstrated it made a good faith effort to resolve them
ü Business’ overall complaint history with BBB
ü Whether the business has honored any commitments to BBB to arbitrate or mediated disputes and comply with arbitrator decisions or mediated settlements
ü Whether BBB has sufficient background information and clear understanding of business
ü Whether BBB Accreditation was revoked because the business failed to comply with agreed BBB standards
NOTE: BBB ratings are subject to change on a daily basis based on changes in a business’ BBB file
You can improve your rating by providing the BBB with your business's background information online! Follow these simple instructions to claim your BBB Business Review and create your BBB Log-in! Once you've logged into your account, you can update your business information and submit it to the BBB for approval. Follow the instructions listed below:
1) Visit concord.bbb.org
2) Click, "Check Out a Business or Charity"
3) Enter your business name in the search bar
4) Click your business name
5) Place your cursor over "For Business" at the top of the page
6) Click edit & follow instructions to register
Having trouble? View our step-by-step instructions by
clicking here.