The Better Business Bureau, or BBB, is a consumer advocate organization that processes complaints from consumers against businesses. If a customer has a negative experience at your business establishment, he or she can file a complaint that can be logged on your BBB page. Even if you aren’t a member, complaints can still be lodged and you can still earn a negative reputation. So how do you respond to a complaint through the Better Business Bureau?
First, you should know that the BBB requires members to respond to complaints within thirty days of receiving notification. If you don’t, your membership can be canceled and your status with the Better Business Bureau will be soiled. If you’re not a member, nothing happens to you as a consequence of not responding, but other consumers can find negative complaints when they look up your business on BBB.org.
Understand the Complaint
When you receive a complaint through the Better Business Bureau, give it your careful attention. Look for the complainants name, their address, the date of their bad experience, the circumstances and their desired resolution. If you run a large business, you might have no idea what they’re referring to. If this is the case, look up the receipt number and the employee with whom they dealt.
Work it In-House
Before you respond to a complaint, it is better to figure out the problem in-house. Let employees or managers know that a complaint was filed with the Better Business Bureau, and that you’d like to understand what happened from their perspective. If someone’s name was mentioned specifically, you’ll want to go directly to the horse’s mouth, then obtain opinions from anyone who witnessed the interaction.
Take Appropriate Action
If you feel that the complaint to the Better Business Bureau was made in error, you might not want to do anything differently. However, if the customer’s feelings have merit, you should make appropriate changes before you respond to the complaint. This way, the customer knows that you’re taking action because you appreciate your patrons. For example, some people complain about deceptive advertising. Even if you never noticed it before, pull the ads.
Write a Response
In most cases, you can e-mail or send by post a response directly to the Better Business Bureau, who will subsequently contact the complainant with the full text of your response. Make sure you are unerringly professional in all correspondence, even if you have to bite your tongue to keep from lashing out. Explain your perspective and exactly what actions you have taken, if any.
Wait for a Response
When you respond to a complaint through the Better Business Bureau, the customer will have a set number of days to either accept your resolution or deny it. In the meantime, keep whatever promises you made to the customer, and be prepared for a second angry letter if the customer isn’t satisfied. The BBB doesn’t require that you do exactly what consumers say, however, and you’ll show that you care by giving it your attention.
