Templates / A formal BBB filing the business must answer.
Template: Better Business Bureau complaint
Use it when: You want the business on record with a written response.
The template
Transaction date: [date] Amount paid: $[amount] Product/service: [description] What happened: On [date] I purchased [service] from [business] for $[amount]. [Two or three sentences of dated facts.] What I have tried: I contacted [name/department] on [date] by [phone/email]. The response was [summary, or "none"]. Desired resolution: [Refund of $X / completion of the work described in the contract / written correction of the invoice]. Supporting documents attached: [list them].
What to swap in
- Desired resolution — ask for one specific, achievable outcome
- Attach the documents; BBB filings with attachments get answered more often
What gets it deleted
- Emotional framing — BBB staff screen for it
- Employment or discrimination claims — BBB rejects those
- Filing while the same dispute is in litigation
The full wording rules are in how to write a review that stays up, and the terms behind them are in the glossary.