The best sites to complain about a company include the Better Business Bureau (BBB) (bbb.org) for general issues, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) (consumerfinance.gov) for financial products, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (ftc.gov) for scams or unfair practices, alongside your State Attorney General or Consumer Protection Office for localized help. For public visibility, social media (like X/Twitter) and review sites can prompt company action, but always try direct resolution first.
The company will communicate with you as needed and respond to the issues in your complaint. Companies generally respond in 15 days. In some cases, the company will let you know their response is in progress and provide a final response in 60 days.
Our fair, neutral, and impartial dispute resolution services provide businesses and consumers with due process.
What happens when you file a complaint against a business? When you file a BBB complaint online, we forward it within 2 business days and ask the business to respond within 14 calendar days. Most cases are typically resolved within 30 days, with options for mediation or arbitration if needed.
File a complaint with your local consumer protection office. Notify the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in your area about your problem. The BBB tries to resolve complaints against companies. Report scams and suspicious communications to the Federal Trade Commission.
Understanding the nature and intent of each type of complaint can help HR and managers decide on the best approach to tackle them.
The NCC is introducing an e-Services portal that allows consumers to lodge complaints against alleged contraventions of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) by suppliers. Consumers will need to have a registered and approved profile to be able to file their complaints on the portal.
The four core consumer rights, established by President John F. Kennedy, are the Right to Safety, the Right to Be Informed, the Right to Choose, and the Right to Be Heard, protecting consumers from hazardous products, misleading information, limited options, and unaddressed complaints, forming the basis for consumer protection laws. These rights ensure fair treatment, access to vital facts, competitive product availability, and a platform for expressing concerns in the marketplace.
The BBB Cannot Force a Company to Take Action
The BBB is not a government agency or a part of the judicial branch, they do not have the authority to force a business to resolve consumer complaints. This means that a business can ignore a BBB complaint.
Consumer support: The BBB gives consumers tips, provides them with access to business profiles, and handles complaints, all free of charge.
Yes, filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is often worth it as a free, structured way to get a business's attention, especially if direct communication failed, because businesses care about their public rating and often resolve issues to avoid negative impact, though the BBB has no enforcement power and its effectiveness can vary by business. It provides an impartial platform to get a response and document the issue for public record, which can prompt action from companies motivated by their reputation.
Grounds for Filing a Consumer Complaint
You can notify the consumer protection division of your local district attorney's office of any violations, or file a complaint with our office using our online complaint form.
Most provinces and territories also have laws that protect consumers from unfair or deceptive business practices. To learn more or to file a complaint against a business, contact a provincial or territorial consumer affairs office or a Better Business Bureau near you.
Yes, you may be able to sue certain large online retailers, but you are bound by the terms of their online user agreement. Those agreements greatly vary from site to site. An online retailer's user agreement might: Allow you to sue, but only in a particular county of a particular state.
Three major categories of fraud, especially in business, are asset misappropriation, bribery and corruption, and financial statement fraud, but other common types for individuals include identity theft, credit card fraud, and investment scams, often involving first-party (consumer) or third-party (impersonation) tactics. Fraud types can also be categorized by the parties involved: first-party (you against a company), second-party (someone you know), and third-party (stranger impersonating someone else).
10 Most Common Customer Complaints and How to Solve Them
The 5 Top Reasons Customers Complain
Secretary of State's Office
A domestic (California) or foreign (out-of-state or out-of-country) business entity can dissolve, surrender, or cancel by filing the applicable form(s) with the California Secretary of State (SOS).
Satisfactory quality – your goods shouldn't be faulty or damaged, and of at least satisfactory quality. For example, second-hand goods aren't held to the same standards as new. Fit for purpose – you should be able to use it for the purpose they were supplied for.
The Marketing Rule of 7 is a principle stating a potential customer needs to encounter a brand's message at least seven times across different channels before they take action, like making a purchase, emphasizing that repetition builds awareness, recognition, and trust, though the number 7 is a guideline for consistent, multichannel exposure rather than a strict scientific law. It's applied by using various touchpoints like ads, emails, social media, and events, but smart marketers vary the content to avoid fatigue, leveraging the mere-exposure effect where familiarity breeds positive feelings.