- BBB's national complaint page lists 14 types it does not handle, and it says the list may not be complete.
- A complaint that fits a category is not removed for you. You have to document the fit and raise it in writing.
- The word solely matters. A complaint about price plus a service failure is not based solely on price.
- Local BBBs add their own wording, so check your local BBB for extra limits.
- Respond anyway while you raise the point. Silence turns a challengeable complaint into an Unanswered one.
On this page
The Short Answer: A Published List, and What It Is Worth
BBB's complaint page lists 14 types of complaint it does not handle, and owners can use that list as a checklist against any complaint they receive.
The list sits on BBB's complaint process page, and BBB notes it may not be complete. It matters because a complaint that fits a category may be something BBB should not have forwarded in the first place. It does not matter in the way many sellers of removal services imply. BBB decides whether a complaint fits, and the page says submitted complaints cannot be deleted by the consumer.
This guide is a re-categorization playbook. For each type we give what BBB says, the evidence an owner can gather and the common mistake. For the wider picture of what can and cannot come off a profile, read can you remove a BBB complaint, and for the full process, return to the BBB complaints hub.
The 14 Published Types and What to Gather
Each excluded type has its own kind of proof, and the proof is usually something you already have.
| BBB does not handle | What it means for you | Evidence to gather |
|---|---|---|
| Employer and employee disputes | A complaint from a current or former worker about employment is not a marketplace dispute | Employment records showing the filer was staff, not a customer |
| Postal service complaints | Complaints about postal service are outside the process | The complaint text naming the postal service |
| Government agency complaints, unless the agency sells a commercial service | Most government matters are excluded | Proof the matter concerns an agency function, not a sale |
| Complaints based solely on discrimination or similar statutory or constitutional violations | Rights claims belong with agencies and courts | The complaint text, showing it makes only that claim |
| Complaints solely seeking criminal penalties or findings | BBB is not a criminal forum | The complaint text, showing it asks only for that |
| Matters already resolved by court action, arbitration or settlement | A completed legal outcome ends the matter | The judgment, award or signed settlement |
| Complaints against out-of-business companies | Applies to the company, not to you if you operate | Your active registration and profile |
| Collection of money owed for goods or services | BBB is not a collection agency | The complaint showing the issue is only unpaid money |
| Complaints based solely on price dissatisfaction | Disliking the price is not a marketplace failure | The signed quote and invoice showing the price was agreed |
| Buyer's remorse | Changing one's mind is not a fault | The order, the agreed terms and any return policy |
| Complaints against individuals not engaged in business | The target must be a business | Proof that the named person is not a business |
| Complaints not from a person or entity with a marketplace relationship with the business | A filer with no purchase or dealing is outside the process | Your customer records, showing no account, order or contact |
| Complaints not requesting BBB assistance | BBB needs a request for help with a dispute | The complaint text, showing no request for resolution |
| Anonymously filed complaints | BBB does not handle them | Evidence the complaint carries no identifiable filer |
Read the table as a map and not a promise. Our reading of the right-hand column is practical advice, not BBB policy. BBB publishes no appeal form for businesses on the pages we could load, and we could not load its help center pages, so ask your local BBB how it wants these points raised.
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The Word Solely Does Most of the Work
Three exclusions use the word solely, and a complaint with any other element does not fit.
Discrimination claims, criminal findings and price complaints are excluded only when that is the sole basis. This is where owners overreach.
| Complaint says | Based solely on the excluded type? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The price was too high and I want a discount | Likely yes | Dissatisfaction with price alone |
| I paid, the work was never done, and the price was also too high | No | It alleges non-performance, a marketplace failure |
| I want him arrested | Likely yes | It seeks only criminal penalties |
| He lied about the warranty and should be prosecuted, and I want a refund | No | It also asks for a marketplace remedy |
| The company discriminated against me | Likely yes, if that is the only claim | Statutory violation alone |
| The company discriminated and also never delivered what I paid for | No | A marketplace issue is also alleged |
For example, a hypothetical furniture store receives a complaint that says only, I think the sofa cost too much and want money back. That is a price complaint. Another complaint says the sofa arrived damaged, and the price was too high. The second is a marketplace complaint with a price remark, and arguing otherwise will cost you credibility. A reader of the public profile will notice.
The Playbook: How to Raise an Excluded Type
Raise it in writing, early, with documents, and answer the complaint on the merits at the same time.
Match the complaint to the list
Read the complaint line by line against the 14 types. Note the exact words that fit, and the exact words that do not.
Gather proof of the fit
Pull the records from the table: employment file, signed quote, customer list, settlement, or the complaint text itself.
Respond inside the window
Answer within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing. Say politely that you believe the complaint falls outside what BBB handles and why.
Attach and cite
Attach the proof. Quote BBB's own wording for the category, with the page you rely on.
Ask your local BBB how it wants it raised
Local BBBs differ. Ask in writing and keep a copy of the answer.
Follow up once
If you hear nothing, follow up politely. Then continue to resolve the matter on the merits if there is a real issue underneath.
The order matters. Responding on the merits and raising the exclusion together protects you either way. If BBB agrees, you have solved the problem. If it does not, you have an Answered or Resolved complaint instead of an Unanswered one, the status described in what happens if you do not respond.
Local BBBs Add Their Own Wording
The national list is the baseline, and local BBB pages can add limits or use different wording.
One local BBB page we reviewed lists medical care but accepts patient and client billing complaints, says the issue must typically have arisen within the previous 12 months unless a warranty or other circumstance applies, and excludes third-party complaints. The national list does not say those things in the same way. We are not saying the local page is wrong. We are saying local BBBs are independently incorporated, and what applies to you depends on which BBB holds your profile.
| Item | National complaint page | One local BBB page we reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Business response window | 10 to 15 calendar days of filing | 10 days, with a second request |
| Professional services | Not addressed | Medical care excluded, billing accepted |
| Age of the issue | Not addressed | Typically within 12 months |
| Anonymous complaints | Not handled | Not handled |
When national and local wording differ, use the national page as your baseline and ask your local BBB which wording governs your file.
What Does Not Qualify, and Common Mistakes
The excluded list is narrow, and most unwelcome complaints do not fit it.
- A real customer who is angry. If there was a marketplace relationship and a genuine issue, BBB may handle it.
- A complaint you think is exaggerated. Disputed facts are for your response, not an exclusion.
- A complaint about a competitor's behavior that never mentions you. That is a different problem and needs different evidence.
- A complaint you simply dislike. BBB does not remove complaints for being unflattering.
- A complaint that was resolved to the consumer's satisfaction. It stays on the profile with the Resolved status.
Common mistakes include claiming an exclusion without proof, replying with insults, skipping the response while waiting for BBB to agree and promising a customer that BBB will remove the complaint. For the genuine-complaint route, see our complaint resolution service, and for reviews that fall outside BBB's rules, see can a BBB review be removed.
What You Can and Cannot Do
You can document an excluded type and raise it, but only BBB decides.
What you can do
- Check every complaint against the published list
- Gather and attach proof of the fit
- Respond on time while you raise it
- Ask your local BBB how to raise it
- Ask for a professional review of the file
What you cannot do
- Delete a complaint yourself
- Make BBB agree with your reading
- Rely on the list when the complaint has a real marketplace issue
- Skip the response while you wait
- Buy removal with accreditation dues
Business Rating Fix, the BBB rating division of Reputation Resolutions, builds this case for complaints that fit these categories under our complaint removal service. Reputation Resolutions, our parent company, also explains its done-for-you process at its BBB complaint page. Before work starts we agree the result in writing, such as removing a specific complaint, and you pay when it is delivered. Start with the free BBB audit.
We are not affiliated with the BBB. We cannot delete a genuine complaint or make BBB accept our reading of its list. Only BBB decides, and no one can promise a particular result.
Anthony Will
Founder and CEO, Reputation Resolutions
Anthony Will founded Reputation Resolutions and has worked in online reputation management since 2013. Reputation Resolutions is BBB Accredited with an A+ rating and is a Google Partner. Business Rating Fix is its Better Business Bureau rating division.
- In online reputation management since 2013
- Reputation Resolutions: BBB Accredited, A+ rated
- Google Partner
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Fact-checked against bbb.org · Updated November 2026
