- An A+ is 97 to 100 points, a band only three points wide, and BBB says ratings update automatically as new information arrives.
- Complaint handling protects the grade most, because unanswered complaints at 40 to 0 and unresolved at 30 to 0 are the widest ranges.
- Name one owner and one backup for the BBB inbox, and treat day 10 as the real deadline.
- Keep address, ownership, licensing and claims current, and never display BBB marks without permission.
- Reviews and accreditation dues do not protect the grade. An A+ is possible without accreditation.
On this page
How to Keep an A+ Rating
To keep an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, answer every complaint in good faith inside BBB's window, keep your profile details accurate and reachable, honor any commitment you make to BBB, and respond to any advertising challenge. An A+ is 97 to 100 points on BBB's scale, so the margin for error is small.
The A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau is not something you win once. BBB's FAQ says ratings update automatically as new information reaches it, which means the file can change the grade at any time. Keeping an A+ is therefore a routine, not an event. This guide turns the published elements into a routine a small team can run.
It is part of our BBB ratings hub. To see every element behind the habits below, read the seven rating factors.
| Grade | Points | Lowest score in the band |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97 to 100 | 97 |
| A | 94 to 96.99 | 94 |
| A- | 90 to 93.99 | 90 |
| B+ | 87 to 89.99 | 87 |
Notice the width of the A+ band. It spans only three points, and some published ranges are far larger than that. A single unanswered complaint is not a rounding error. We cannot tell you how many points any one event costs, because BBB does not publish its formula, but the ranges show why owners who hold an A+ treat complaints as urgent.
What Actually Puts an A+ at Risk
An A+ is put at risk almost entirely by complaint handling, and then by a short list of file facts. The table pairs each published element with the habit that protects it.
| Published element | Range | What puts it at risk | The protecting habit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unanswered complaints | 40 to 0 | A notice that never reached anyone | One owner for the BBB inbox, checked on a schedule |
| Unresolved complaints | 30 to 0 | A reply that argued but did not try to solve it | A written standard for a good-faith reply |
| Complaint volume weighted by age | 15 to 0 | Too many complaints, and recent ones | Fixing causes, so fewer are filed |
| Complaint resolution delayed | 5 to 0 | Slow follow-through | A tracked deadline for each case |
| Failure to address a complaint pattern | 0 to -31 | The same issue complained about repeatedly | A cause log reviewed each quarter |
| Failure to honor mediation or arbitration | 0 to -41 | A commitment not delivered | Calendar entries for every settlement deliverable |
| Transparent business practices | 0 to -5 | Stale address, ownership or product details | An annual profile review |
| Competency licensing | 0 to -41 | A required license lapsing | A renewal reminder for each license |
| Advertising review, per incident | 0 to -41 | A challenged claim left unanswered | Claim substantiation on file and a named responder |
Time in business, which is 10 to 0, takes care of itself, and type of business is outside your hands. Everything else is a habit.
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Build the Complaint Routine First
The single most valuable routine for an A+ is a complaint routine, because complaint rows carry the widest published ranges. BBB forwards a complaint within two business days, asks for a response within 10 to 15 calendar days of filing, and sends a follow-up if there is none. We advise treating day 10 as the real deadline.
Name one owner and one backup
A shared inbox that nobody owns is how complaints go unanswered. Put a person's name against the BBB account.
Use a monitored address
Set the BBB contact to a role address that forwards to two people. In our work since 2013, owners have often found missed complaints sitting in an address nobody checked.
Start a clock the day a complaint lands
Record the filing date, day 10 and day 15, and the person responsible.
Contact the customer directly
BBB says a business may contact the consumer directly and asks that any resolution be reported to BBB.
Reply in good faith
Say what happened, what you will do, and by when. A reply that only defends the business risks an Unresolved status.
Close the loop
Record the outcome and the customer's response. If the customer does not confirm satisfaction, the complaint may close as Answered, which is still better than Unanswered.
The BBB complaint response guide, the response templates and the deadline calculator support each step.
BBB defines Answered as a complaint where the business addressed the issues but the consumer did not accept the response or did not tell BBB they were satisfied. You can do everything right and land there. The published ranges list unanswered and unresolved complaints, not Answered.
A Maintenance Calendar
A maintenance calendar turns the habits into dates, so the work happens even in a busy quarter. The cadence below is our recommendation, not a BBB requirement, and any small team can run it in under an hour a month.
| How often | Task | Why it protects the grade |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Check the BBB inbox and the complaint tracker | Unanswered is the widest published range |
| Weekly | Confirm every open case has an owner and a day-10 date | Delay is its own row |
| Monthly | Read your profile as a customer would | Catches wrong details and new items |
| Monthly | Review closed complaints for causes | Feeds the pattern habit |
| Quarterly | Review the cause log for repeats | A pattern is its own published element |
| Quarterly | Check licenses and renewal dates | A lapsed license can deduct |
| Annually | Review address, ownership and product descriptions | Transparency is lowered for incomplete or false details |
| Annually | Review website claims and any use of BBB marks | Advertising and trademark rows |
Keep the Profile Facts Clean
Clean profile facts protect the small elements and, more importantly, make sure BBB's notices reach you. BBB lowers transparency for incomplete product, service or ownership information, or a false or undeterminable address.
- Business name and any assumed names are accurate
- Physical address is real and can be determined
- Phone and email reach a person today
- Ownership and key contact details are current
- Products and services are described accurately
- Start date is accurate and supportable
- License numbers and status match the licensing body's records
If any of these changed in the last year, update BBB. A move, a merger or a new phone system is a common cause of missed complaint notices.
Commitments, Licensing and Advertising
Three rarely triggered elements can each deduct up to 41 points, so they deserve a rule even if you have never been caught by them. They are failure to honor mediation or arbitration, competency licensing and advertising review.
- Commitments. If you agree to a settlement in mediation, treat it as a contract. BBB says the mediator does not decide who is right or wrong, so the settlement is something you chose.
- Licensing. If your trade requires a license that involves an assessment or can be revoked for misconduct, keep it current. BBB's deduction applies where it knows a required license is missing.
- Advertising. If BBB challenges a claim, respond. BBB's wording lowers a rating when a business does not appropriately respond to an advertising challenge. Keep the support for every claim you make in one folder.
Be careful with BBB's own marks. BBB's trademark page says use of its name and logos requires written permission, and a separate published row, BBB trademark infringement at 0 to -41, covers misuse. If you are not accredited, do not display accreditation marks. Our guide on what not being accredited means shows how to describe your status honestly.
What Does Not Keep an A+
Several things owners lean on do nothing for an A+, and BBB says so. Customer reviews are not used in the letter-grade calculation, and accreditation dues do not buy a rating or remove a complaint.
Does not protect the grade
- Collecting more positive reviews
- Paying accreditation dues
- Winning an argument with the customer
- Letting complaints sit and hoping they age out
Does protect the grade
- Answering every complaint in good faith
- Fixing recurring causes
- Keeping facts and contacts current
- Honoring commitments and responding to challenges
A business can hold an A+ without being accredited, according to BBB's FAQ. Accreditation requires maintaining at least a B rating, so it depends on the grade, not the other way around. See whether accreditation is worth it for the membership decision.
Never offer incentives for reviews, never write your own and never threaten reviewers. The FTC banned fake and compensated-for-sentiment reviews in a rule announced in 2024, and none of it moves the BBB letter grade anyway.
If Your A+ Slips
If an A+ slips, read the rating reasons on the profile, find the element that changed and fix the file. BBB says ratings update automatically as new information reaches it, so the grade follows the file.
Open the profile
Read the rating reasons BBB lists and any new complaint.
Check statuses
Look for Unanswered, Unresolved or a pattern alert.
Fix what is open
Respond, resolve and report any direct resolution to BBB.
Fix the cause
If the complaint repeats an earlier one, change the process that produced it.
Recheck on a schedule
Do not expect a date. BBB publishes none.
If you want a specialist to read the file, our free BBB audit does that with no obligation. For active work, the rating improvement service is results-based. We agree the result in writing first, such as moving from an A- back to an A+, and you pay when it is delivered.
Business Rating Fix, the BBB rating division of Reputation Resolutions, is not affiliated with the BBB. We cannot change a rating ourselves or promise you will keep or regain an A+. Only BBB assigns ratings. We can build the routine and read your file against what BBB publishes.
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
