What Is the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and What Does It Do?

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a trust-focused organization that serves consumers and businesses in the United States and Canada. Its core functions are helping people find businesses they can trust, letting consumers file complaints, leave reviews, and report scams, and letting businesses apply for BBB Accreditation to signal that they operate honestly and with integrity. You would use BBB.org if you want to check a business's reputation before buying, resolve a dispute with a company, or have your own business apply for accreditation.

What BBB Is and Who It Serves

BBB describes itself as built on "clarity, credibility, and trust," with the tagline "Trust, built locally." It operates across two countries — the United States and Canada — and its site lets you select your country before searching.

It serves two main audiences:

• Consumers — people who want to research a business, file a complaint, leave a review, or report a scam.
• Businesses — companies that want to apply for BBB Accreditation and show customers they operate honestly.

What You Can Do on BBB.org

The homepage organizes its main tools around a few clear actions.

For Consumers

The search flow is straightforward: choose your country (US or Canada), enter a location, and search for local businesses.

For Businesses

Businesses can Apply for Accreditation. According to BBB, accreditation shows customers that "your company operates honestly and with integrity." This is the business-side trust signal BBB offers.

Community Resources

BBB also hosts public learning content. One example is the BBB AI Hub, which offers free workshops, courses, and guidance on using AI safely and with confidence — open to everyone in the community.

How to Decide If BBB Is Useful to You

• If you're a consumer about to hire or buy from a company, use BBB to look up the business and check for complaints or reviews.
• If you have a problem with a business, BBB gives you a channel to file a complaint or leave a review.
• If you spot fraud, you can report a scam.
• If you run a business, applying for BBB Accreditation is a way to publicly signal trustworthiness.
• If you want to learn about AI safely, the BBB AI Hub offers free community resources.

Key Things to Keep in Mind

• BBB covers the United States and Canada — select your country before searching.
• Accreditation is a business-initiated process, not automatic.
• The site uses cookies, and a cookie notice appears on BBB.org.
• BBB's stated purpose is trust and credibility, so its value to you depends on whether you're researching a business, resolving an issue, or building trust for your own company.