Learn About Company BBB Ratings and History

What the Better Business Bureau Actually Is and How It Started

The Better Business Bureau, commonly known as the BBB, is a network of local nonprofit organizations spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Unlike a government agency, the BBB operates as an independent business watchdog created and funded by local business communities. Understanding this distinction matters when you're researching company ratings—the BBB doesn't have legal authority to enforce regulations the way government agencies do, but it does maintain one of the most accessible databases of business complaint records available to the public.

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The BBB's history traces back to 1912, when it emerged from a movement to combat fraudulent advertising and deceptive business practices. In that era, false health claims, fake products, and misleading marketing were rampant with virtually no oversight. Local chambers of commerce and civic groups banded together to create what would become the BBB system. The organization was specifically designed to gather and share information about company behavior, creating a central place where consumers could check a business's track record before spending money.

Today, the BBB maintains records on millions of businesses and nonprofit organizations. Each local BBB office covers a specific geographic area and works independently while following national BBB standards. This decentralized structure means that while all BBBs use the same rating system, individual offices may have different resources and response times. When you look up a company on BBB.org, you're accessing a searchable database that pulls information from whichever local BBB has records on that business.

The BBB's role has shifted somewhat in the digital age. While the organization still focuses on complaint handling and business ratings, it now also deals with online fraud, identity theft scams, and other issues that didn't exist when the organization started. The core mission remains the same: give consumers a way to research businesses and see how they handle complaints.

Practical takeaway: When reading a BBB rating, remember you're looking at information from a nonprofit watchdog, not a government agency. The BBB provides complaint data and ratings based on business conduct and responsiveness, which can be valuable information but represents one perspective on a company's operations.

Understanding the BBB Rating System and Letter Grades

The BBB rating system uses letter grades from A+ down to F, similar to school grades. This might seem straightforward, but the factors that determine a rating are more complex than most people realize. A+ is the highest rating, followed by A, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F at the bottom. The rating reflects how a business responds to complaints, how long it's been operating, whether it has licensing issues, and patterns of customer dissatisfaction.

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One critical piece to understand: a BBB rating is not primarily about whether complaints exist. Almost every business operating long enough will receive complaints. Instead, the rating focuses on how the company responds to those complaints and how it resolves issues. A company with many complaints but a strong track of resolution and customer satisfaction may receive a higher rating than a company with fewer complaints that ignores them. This distinction is important because seeing complaints on a BBB page doesn't automatically mean a company is untrustworthy.

The BBB considers several factors when assigning ratings. Years in business matters—a new company with no complaint history will get rated differently than an established company. The nature of complaints also factors in. A pattern of unresolved billing disputes, for example, carries more weight than isolated incidents. Whether a business is licensed and operating legally in its field also influences the rating. For healthcare-related businesses, professional licensing and compliance with medical regulations significantly impact the score.

The BBB also tracks how responsive companies are to complaints filed through the organization. If a customer files a complaint and the business ignores it, that affects the rating. If the company responds promptly and works toward resolution, the rating typically improves. This responsiveness element means that sometimes a company with a complaint history can maintain a solid A-rating if it demonstrates good faith efforts to fix problems. Conversely, a company that avoids complaints through customer service but occasionally gets a complaint it ignores might see its rating decline.

Practical takeaway: When you see a BBB rating, look beyond the letter grade. Check the complaint details to understand what issues customers reported and whether the business resolved them. A B+ rating with resolved complaints might indicate a more trustworthy company than you'd initially assume.

How to Find Company BBB Ratings and Access Complaint Records

Locating a company's BBB rating is a straightforward process that starts at BBB.org. The website has a search function prominently displayed on the homepage where you can enter a business name. The search returns results showing any matching businesses, their location, phone number, rating, and a brief overview of recent complaints. If you know which city or state the business operates in, you can narrow your search by location, which is helpful when multiple companies share similar names.

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When you click on a specific business listing, you'll see a detailed profile page. This page displays the current letter grade rating prominently at the top, but more valuable information appears below. The profile shows the business's full contact details, how long it's been registered with the BBB, whether it's currently operating, its primary business category, and importantly, a complete list of complaints filed in the past three years. The BBB displays complaints chronologically, with the newest complaints at the top.

Each complaint listing shows several pieces of information: when the complaint was filed, what the customer's concern was, how the business responded, and whether the complaint was resolved. You can often read the complaint summary and see the company's response directly on the page. This transparency is one of the BBB's most valuable features because it lets you understand not just that a problem occurred, but exactly how the company handled it. Some complaints show "Response from Business" sections where the company explains their side of the situation.

The search system also includes filters and sorting options. You can look at complaints by category, see which types of issues are most common, and check if there are patterns. For example, if you're researching a supplement company, you might filter for complaints related to billing, shipping, or product quality to see if certain issues appear repeatedly. The BBB also maintains separate sections for accredited businesses—companies that have paid to join the BBB and agree to uphold its standards.

One detail many people miss: the BBB displays different information depending on whether a business is accredited or not. Accredited businesses have paid membership and agreed to follow BBB standards, which sometimes means additional documentation or disclosure. Non-accredited businesses still appear in BBB records, but they may have less detailed profiles and information. Neither status automatically means a business is better or worse; it simply indicates their relationship with the BBB.

Practical takeaway: Spend time reading actual complaints rather than just glancing at the letter grade. Look for patterns in complaint types, check when complaints occurred (recent or older), and pay attention to how the company responded. This detailed review takes a few minutes but provides much more useful information than the rating alone.

What Information the BBB Does and Doesn't Track

The BBB maintains an extensive database, but it's important to understand its boundaries. The organization tracks complaints about business practices, responsiveness to customers, licensing status, and general reliability. However, the BBB does not investigate complaints or determine who is legally at fault. If a customer files a complaint claiming a health product made them sick, the BBB records the complaint and the company's response, but it doesn't conduct scientific testing or medical investigation. That's the role of government agencies like the FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

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The BBB focuses on whether businesses treat customers fairly and respond to concerns. This means the organization tracks things like: Was a refund promised and not delivered? Did the company fail to respond to customer contact? Are there repeated complaints about the same issue? Did the business resolve complaints when contacted? However, the BBB doesn't have access to internal company data, audit reports, or detailed financial information unless the business voluntarily provides it or unless a court makes information public.

For healthcare-related businesses and supplement companies, the BBB data should be viewed as one piece of a larger picture. While BBB ratings reflect consumer experience, they don't replace information from regulatory bodies. For medical devices, supplements, and health products, you should also check FDA warnings, recalls, and advisories. For medical professionals, state licensing boards often have more detailed disciplinary records than the BBB. For health insurance companies, state insurance commissioners maintain complaint data and regulatory oversight.

The BBB also doesn't track every consumer complaint. Complaints filed directly with a company, through credit card companies, or on social media platforms don't appear