- The clock runs from the filing date, not from the day you saw the notice.
- The BBB asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days. Use day 10 as your working deadline.
- Complaints generally close about 30 calendar days after filing.
- Missing the window can leave the complaint Unanswered, the widest published range on the scale at 40 to 0.
Calculate Your Response Dates
Pick the filing date from the BBB's notice and the calculator lists your target date, your latest date and the approximate close.
Enter the date the complaint was filed with the BBB.
Use the date the complaint was filed, which appears on the BBB's notice or in your business account. Do not use the date the email arrived. The BBB's published window runs from filing, so a notice that sat in a spam folder for a week has already used part of it.
Dates shown are calendar days, not business days, and they are guides built from the BBB's published process. Your local BBB may state a specific date in its notice. When it does, follow that date.
Respond anyway, today. A late response generally beats none, and an Unanswered status is the most costly outcome on the published scale. See the response guide linked below.
The Published Timeline, Stage by Stage
The BBB's published process has five stages, from filing to close, and the business's response sits in the middle.
| Stage | Timing | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Filed | Day 0 | The consumer files the complaint with the BBB. |
| 2. Forwarded | Within two business days | The BBB forwards the complaint to the business. |
| 3. Response requested | 10 to 15 calendar days from filing | The business is asked to respond. |
| 4. Follow-up | After the window if no response | The BBB sends a follow-up if there has been no response. |
| 5. Closed | About 30 calendar days from filing | The complaint generally closes with a status. |
Between stages three and five, the consumer is invited to reply to your response, and the BBB may ask you for a second response. Keep checking your account, because a second request has its own clock.
Want a Specialist to Look at Your BBB Profile?
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What Happens at Each Stage
Each stage has one job for you: receive, respond, follow up, or confirm. Doing the right thing at each one is what keeps a complaint from closing badly.
Day 0 to 2: Find the notice
The BBB forwards the complaint within two business days. Check the email address on your BBB profile, and check spam. If the profile has an old address, update it now.
Day 2 to 10: Gather and write
Pull the order, the notes and the communication history. Draft your response using the structure in the response guide or a template.
By day 10: Submit
Submit through your BBB business account. Day 10 is our working deadline because the BBB's window is 10 to 15 days and wording differs across its pages.
Day 10 to 30: Watch for the reply
The consumer may reply, and the BBB may ask you for a second response. Answer quickly and in the same calm tone.
About day 30: The complaint closes
The BBB closes with one of its statuses. Check the profile, and if the status looks wrong, gather records and ask your local BBB about it.
| Closing status | What the BBB says it means |
|---|---|
| Resolved | The consumer verified satisfaction. |
| Answered | The business addressed it, the consumer did not accept or confirm. |
| Unresolved | The business responded without a good-faith effort. |
| Unanswered | The business did not respond. |
| Unpursuable | The BBB could not locate the business. |
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
The BBB sends a follow-up, and if there is still no response the complaint can close as Unanswered, which carries the widest published range on the rating scale.
The BBB's published scale lists unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 points, the largest of any element, and unresolved complaints at 30 to 0. A complaint that closes Unanswered is the single most expensive outcome in the file. Complaint volume is also weighted by age, and complaints remain displayed for three years from filing.
That is why a missed deadline matters out of proportion to its apparent size. It is rarely a rating story about a bad business. It is usually about a busy owner and a notice nobody saw. Our guide to how ratings work explains the whole scale.
- Respond right away if the complaint has not closed yet.
- Update the contact email and phone on your BBB profile.
- Add a second person to receive BBB notices where possible.
- Keep records of what you did and when.
- If it has closed Unanswered, ask a specialist what is realistic.
We cannot promise to change a closed status, because only the BBB does. What we can do is read the file honestly and tell you. Start with the free BBB audit, or see the complaint resolution service, which is results-based. We agree the result in writing and you pay when it is delivered.
