File a complaint router.
The right complaint route depends on the company and the problem. A public BBB complaint is different from a regulator complaint, a bank dispute, a fraud report, or a licensing-board complaint.
Rule: route the complaint to the place that can actually pressure or process the issue.
Common routes
- Merchant support: refund, cancellation, delivery, warranty, account issue.
- Card issuer or bank: unauthorized charge, billing error, failed refund, bank problem.
- CFPB-style route: bank, credit, payment, debt, mortgage, financial company.
- FCC-style route: phone, internet, telecom billing, robocalls.
- FTC-style route: fraud, scam, impostor, deceptive practice.
- State attorney general: consumer protection and broader business complaints.
- Licensing board: contractors, professionals, regulated trades.
- BBB/public complaint: reputational pressure, not a regulator.
Before filing
- Create a one-page timeline.
- Attach only relevant evidence.
- State the exact resolution you want.
- Keep the tone factual and narrow.