- An F is a score below 60 on BBB's 100-point scale, and it describes the BBB file, not the quality of the work.
- The two widest published ranges are unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 and unresolved complaints at 30 to 0.
- Broken BBB commitments, missing licenses and ignored advertising challenges can each deduct up to 41 points.
- You cannot delete a complaint or buy a grade, but you can change the file, and the rating updates as the file does.
- NR is not an F. BBB says NR is No Rating and is not negative.
On this page
What Does an F Rating With the BBB Mean?
An F rating means the business's BBB file scores below 60 on BBB's 100-point scale. F is the lowest letter on the scale, which runs from A+ at 97 to 100 down to F at 0 to 59.99. BBB describes any rating as its opinion of how a business is likely to interact with customers, not a guarantee of reliability or performance.
In plain terms, a BBB F rating is the result of a file where the published elements, mostly complaint handling, have cost the business more than 40 points. It is a statement about the file. It is not a finding that the business broke a law, because BBB is not a government agency and holds no regulatory power.
This guide covers how a business ends up with an F, what an F does and does not say, and what an owner can honestly do about it. If you want the full list of what BBB scores, start with the seven rating factors. Everything here sits inside our BBB ratings hub.
| Grade band | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|
| A+ to A- | 90 to 100 | Top band |
| B+ to B- | 80 to 89.99 | Strong |
| C+ to C- | 70 to 79.99 | Middle |
| D+ to D- | 60 to 69.99 | Weak |
| F | 0 to 59.99 | Lowest grade |
How a Business Gets an F
A business gets an F when deductions and missing points on the published elements push its score under 60, and the biggest published ranges are all complaint-related. BBB does not publish the formula, so we cannot say which combination tips any one file over.
What we can do is show the arithmetic of the published table. Unanswered complaints run from 40 to 0 and unresolved complaints from 30 to 0. Together those two rows cover 70 of the 100 points. That is our reading, not a BBB statement, but it explains why an F so often traces back to complaints that were ignored or brushed off.
| Route to an F | Published element | Range | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complaints that were never answered | Unanswered complaints | 40 to 0 | Notices sent to an old email, a closed office or someone who left |
| Replies that did not try to solve it | Unresolved complaints | 30 to 0 | A response that argues or quotes a policy and stops |
| The same complaint again and again | Failure to address a complaint pattern | 0 to -31 | Many customers describing one recurring issue |
| A broken settlement | Failure to honor mediation or arbitration | 0 to -41 | Agreeing to a remedy and not delivering |
| A required license that is missing | Competency licensing | 0 to -41 | A regulated trade without the license BBB knows is required |
| An ignored advertising challenge | Advertising review, per incident | 0 to -41 | A claim BBB questioned and the business did not answer |
| A business type that raises concerns | Type of business | 0 to -41 | A category treated as a marketplace concern |
Most real files combine two or three rows. For example, a hypothetical landscaping company moves its office, never updates the email on its BBB profile, and misses four complaint notices in a season. Nothing about its work changed. Its file now has four Unanswered complaints, and the pattern row may apply if they describe the same problem.
Want a Specialist to Look at Your BBB Profile?
We will check every published rating element on your file and tell you exactly what is costing you points. Free, and honest about what can and cannot change.
What an F Does Not Mean
An F is not proof that a business is dishonest, and it is not a measure of product quality. BBB's own wording ties the rating to the information in the file and to how the business interacts with customers.
An F can mean
- Complaints went unanswered or were answered without a good-faith effort
- A pattern of similar complaints was not addressed
- A BBB commitment, such as a settlement, was not honored
- A required license or advertising issue is on file
An F does not mean
- Customer reviews are bad, since reviews are not used in the grade
- The business is unaccredited, since accreditation is separate
- A court or regulator found wrongdoing
- BBB inspected the quality of the work
Be careful with the inverse as well. An F is not always a false grade. If complaints in your file were truly unanswered, the grade reflects what BBB published as a scoring rule. Owners who start from the idea that the grade is unfair usually lose time. Owners who start by reading the file usually find the cause.
How Customers Read an F
Customers tend to read an F as a warning, and the BBB profile is often one of the first results when someone searches your business name plus BBB. We cannot give you a number for lost sales, and anyone who does is guessing. What we can say is that an F gives a buyer a reason to hesitate in the moments before they call you.
This is the honest reason to care even if you dislike the BBB. You do not have to like the BBB to win on it. Your customers, lenders and partners may check it whether or not you do. Our guide on whether your BBB rating actually matters takes the skeptic's side seriously and shows where the rating counts and where it does not.
How to Find Out Why Your File Has an F
To find out why a file has an F, read the rating reasons on the BBB profile, then check each complaint's status. BBB says Business Profiles generally describe the most significant factors that raise or lower a rating.
Open the profile and read the rating reasons
Write down every reason BBB lists. This is the closest thing to a diagnosis BBB provides.
List every complaint
Include closed ones. Note the date filed and the closing status of each: Resolved, Answered, Unresolved, Unanswered or Unpursuable.
Count the Unanswered and Unresolved
Those two statuses map to the widest published ranges.
Check the business details
Address, start date, ownership, licensing and contact information. Wrong details cause missed notices.
Check for other BBB commitments
A mediation settlement or arbitration award you have not completed is its own element.
Group complaints by cause
If several describe the same problem, you are looking at a pattern, not a run of bad luck.
Look at each complaint and confirm it concerns your business, your location and your transaction. BBB handles complaints that meet its acceptance guidelines. If one does not belong on your file, say so to your local BBB in writing and include proof.
What You Can and Cannot Do About an F
You can change what is in your file by answering open items, resolving complaints in good faith and correcting your details. You cannot delete a complaint, buy a better grade or make BBB change a rating on request.
What you can do
- Respond to any complaint that is still open, with a real attempt to solve it
- Contact the customer directly and report the resolution to BBB
- Fix the contact details so future notices reach you
- Honor any mediation or arbitration commitment
- Address the root cause of a repeating complaint
- Respond to any advertising challenge and support or change the claim
What you cannot do
- Delete a submitted complaint, since consumers cannot delete them either
- Make a complaint disappear before the three years from filing
- Pay for a rating, since accreditation dues do not buy one
- Argue the grade up without changing the file
- Post fake or incentivized reviews to offset it. They do nothing for the grade, and the FTC rule bans them
The complaint timeline shapes expectations. BBB generally closes a complaint about 30 calendar days after filing, and complaints stay on the profile for three years. Older resolved complaints weigh less than newer ones, but BBB does not publish how fast. Any promise that an F will rise by a certain date is invented. Our guide to removing a BBB complaint explains when a complaint can and cannot come down.
Open complaints are where to start. The BBB complaint response guide and the response templates cover what to say.
F, NR and Low Grades Compared
An F is a grade, while NR is not. BBB describes NR as meaning No Rating, assigned when there is not enough information to rate a business or while its file is under review or being updated, and it says NR is not a grade and not negative. Mixing them up leads owners to the wrong fix. Our guide to what NR means on a BBB profile covers the other side.
| Label | What BBB says | Is it a grade? | First move |
|---|---|---|---|
| F | Score below 60 on the 100-point scale | Yes | Read the rating reasons and clear open complaints |
| D- to D+ | Score 60 to 69.99 | Yes | Same steps, since the same elements apply |
| NR | No Rating. Not enough information, or file under review or being updated | No | Confirm your details and contact your local BBB |
Mistakes That Keep an F in Place
| Mistake | Why it hurts | Better move |
|---|---|---|
| Ignoring the BBB email as junk | Unanswered is the widest published range | Whitelist BBB and check a monitored inbox |
| Answering with only a policy quote | Risks an Unresolved status | Offer a specific remedy or explain exactly what you will do |
| Arguing with the customer in public text | Complaint text may be posted publicly after closing | Keep it factual, short and respectful |
| Applying for accreditation to fix the grade | Accreditation requires at least a B rating first and dues do not buy a rating | Fix the file, then decide on membership |
| Hiring anyone who promises a grade | Only BBB assigns ratings | Choose a team that agrees the result in writing first |
If you want a specialist to read the file, the free BBB audit does that without obligation. For active work, our rating improvement service is results-based. We agree in writing on the result, such as moving from an F to a C or a B, and you pay when it is delivered.
Business Rating Fix, the BBB rating division of Reputation Resolutions, is not affiliated with the BBB and cannot change a rating itself. We cannot delete a complaint, and we cannot promise a grade. We work the elements BBB publishes and tell you honestly what is out of reach.
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
