Review Removal › BBB
BBB Review and Complaint Removal Service
We remove BBB customer reviews from people who were never your customers, get inappropriate content taken out, and handle BBB complaints the way that actually changes what people see: resolution, retraction, and getting the page out of the top of Google. Straight answers on what’s possible before you pay anything.
- ✓ Pay after removal available
- ✓ No upfront fee on pay-after-removal cases
- ✓ Money-back guarantee on agreed removals
- ✓ Free, confidential assessment
- ✓ Firm quote before any work starts
Reviewed by Joseph Chierotti, Defamation Defenders · Updated October 2026
On this page: Reviews vs. complaints · What BBB removes · Process · Complaints · FAQs
Can you remove a BBB review or complaint?
It depends which one it is. The Better Business Bureau treats customer reviews and complaints differently, and the path to getting each one off your profile is different.
| Customer review | Complaint | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A customer’s opinion, good or bad. | A request for BBB’s help resolving a dispute, usually about money. |
| Affects your BBB rating? | No. BBB says reviews are not part of the rating. | Yes. Complaints and how you handle them factor into the rating. |
| Verified? | BBB shares the reviewer’s name with you to confirm the interaction before publishing. | Sent to the business for a response before it closes. |
| Main removal route | Show the reviewer was never a customer; BBB then asks the reviewer for proof. | Resolve it, or have the customer withdraw it. Inappropriate content can be edited out. |
| How long it shows | Varies | Up to 3 years after it closes |
What BBB will and won’t remove
1. Reviews from people who were never customers
BBB lets businesses indicate that a reviewer wasn’t a customer from the BBB Business Account. BBB then asks the customer for proof of the interaction. If they can’t provide it, the review comes down. This is the strongest ground for fake and competitor reviews.
2. Inappropriate language and private information
BBB says it can edit complaints to protect privacy and remove inappropriate language or other objectionable content.
3. Reviews and complaints the customer retracts
BBB says customer reviews can only be removed or retracted by the customer. When a dispute is resolved, many customers are willing to update or withdraw what they posted. Note that a withdrawn complaint can still count toward your complaint total.
4. Complaints that don’t meet BBB’s acceptance criteria
BBB may decline to post a complaint under its policy, or treat it as a review instead.
Why a BBB complaint hurts more than its rating
It ranks for your company name
It affects your grade
Buyers and lenders check it
AI answers cite it
How our BBB removal service works
Free assessment
Send us your BBB profile. We sort each review and complaint into what can be removed, what can be resolved, and what should be suppressed.
Firm quote
A flat quote before work starts. Pay after removal and payment plans available.
Non-customer disputes
We prepare the evidence that the reviewer was never a customer and file it through your BBB Business Account.
Complaint resolution
We draft responses and resolution offers that close complaints properly and invite the customer to update what they posted.
Search clean-up
When something can’t come down, we push the BBB page down with stronger results for your name.
BBB complaints: what actually works
- Respond to every complaint, quickly. Unanswered complaints count against your rating.
- Resolve it on the record. A complaint closed as resolved reads very differently from one marked unanswered.
- Ask, don’t pressure. Once a customer is satisfied, you can ask whether they’d update their review. Never offer money for a removal. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews bans suppressing honest reviews through threats or incentives.
- Fix the fact errors. Ask BBB to remove personal information and inappropriate language.
- Let time work. Closed complaints display for up to three years, then drop off.
How long BBB removal takes
Most non-customer review disputes we take on resolve within 2 to 6 weeks, depending on how quickly the reviewer responds to BBB’s request for proof. Complaint resolution depends on the customer. Search suppression is ongoing work that usually shows movement within a few months.
Pay after removal. Money back if we can’t remove it.
You get a firm quote before any work starts. On pay-after-removal cases there is no upfront fee: you pay once the BBB review is confirmed gone. If we agree to remove a review and can’t, you don’t pay for it, or you get your money back. If the same reviewer reposts the same complaint within 30 days, we handle it at no extra charge.
Payment plans available. We accept all major cards and Zelle.
What our clients say
Defamation Defenders has spent more than 10 years removing harmful content and cleaning up search results. Here is what clients have said about working with us.
BBB review and complaint removal FAQs
Can you remove a BBB review?
Yes, if the reviewer was never your customer. BBB lets businesses flag a non-customer review, then asks the reviewer for proof of the interaction. BBB can also remove inappropriate language and personal information.
Can you remove a BBB complaint?
Usually not directly. Complaints stay up to three years after they close. What changes them is resolving the complaint, the customer withdrawing it, or BBB editing out inappropriate content.
Do BBB reviews affect my BBB rating?
No. BBB says customer reviews are not part of a business’s rating. Complaints are.
Can I pay BBB to remove a complaint?
No. Accreditation does not buy removal of reviews or complaints.
How long do BBB complaints stay up?
BBB may post closed complaint text for up to three years.
How much does it cost?
It depends on what can be removed versus resolved or suppressed. You get a free assessment and a firm quote first. Pay after removal is available on removal work.
Do I pay if it isn’t removed?
No. On pay-after-removal cases there’s no upfront fee. On prepaid removals, if we agree to remove a review and can’t, you get your money back.
How long does it take?
Most non-customer review disputes we take on resolve within 2 to 6 weeks.
Should I respond to a BBB complaint?
Yes. Unanswered complaints hurt your rating. Keep the response professional and factual, and offer a way to resolve it.
Can you get the BBB page off Google?
Google won’t remove a BBB profile, but we can push it down with stronger results for your company name.
Is this confidential?
Yes. We never contact a customer or post a response without your approval.
Are you a law firm?
No. Defamation Defenders is a reputation management company. When a case needs legal action, we work with partner attorneys.
Related services
- Review Removal Service — all platforms
- Complaint Site Removal — Ripoff Report, PissedConsumer, and more
- Business Reputation Management
- Search Result Suppression
- Google Review Removal
Find out what can come off your BBB profile
Send us your BBB profile link. We’ll tell you what can be removed, what can be resolved, and what it costs. Free and confidential. Call 1-800-785-1749.
Defamation Defenders is an online reputation management company, not a law firm, and nothing on this page is legal advice. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Better Business Bureau. Removal decisions are made by the platform under its own policies; we only take on reviews we believe can be removed, and we tell you before you pay if one can’t.
Published · Last updated by the Defamation Defenders team