# Better Business Bureau API

> Better Business Bureau workflow and API: business profile and business complaints. Returns phone, address, website and bbb alerts as JSON.

Better Business Bureau data from bbb.org: business profile and business complaints.

- Page: https://fous.com/workflows/better-business-bureau
- Handle: `@better-business-bureau`
- Category: [Commerce](https://fous.com/workflows/category/commerce)
- Source website: https://bbb.org
- Last verified: Sep 29, 2026
- Fous is not affiliated with Better Business Bureau.

## Methods

### Get business complaints

Operation `get_business_complaints`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Find a business near a city or ZIP code and read its published BBB complaints, newest first. The three-year total may exceed the publicly displayed complaint details.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `business` | string | yes | `"East Coast Spas, Inc"` | Business name, for example Comcast. |
| `location` | string | yes | `"Horsham, PA"` | City and state or ZIP code, for example Philadelphia, PA or 19103. |
| `max_results` | integer | no | `2` | Maximum published complaints to return, for example 20. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "business",
    "location"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "business": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Business name, for example Comcast.",
      "examples": [
        "East Coast Spas, Inc",
        "Comcast",
        "LUXURYSOCALREALTY"
      ]
    },
    "location": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "City and state or ZIP code, for example Philadelphia, PA or 19103.",
      "examples": [
        "Horsham, PA",
        "Philadelphia, PA",
        "La Jolla, CA"
      ]
    },
    "max_results": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 20,
      "maximum": 100,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Maximum published complaints to return, for example 20.",
      "x-fous-developer": true,
      "examples": [
        2,
        5
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "business": "East Coast Spas, Inc",
      "location": "Horsham, PA",
      "max_results": 2
    },
    {
      "business": "Comcast",
      "location": "Philadelphia, PA"
    },
    {
      "business": "LUXURYSOCALREALTY",
      "location": "La Jolla, CA",
      "max_results": 5
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `complaints` | array |  |  |
| `complaints[].status` | string or null |  |  |
| `complaints[].page_link` | string |  |  |
| `complaints[].date_filed` | string or null |  |  |
| `complaints[].complaint_text` | string or null |  |  |
| `complaints[].complaint_type` | string or null |  |  |
| `complaints[].customer_final_reply` | string or null |  |  |
| `complaints[].business_response_text` | string or null |  |  |
| `profile_link` | string | `"https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/la-jolla/profile/real-estate-agent/luxurysocalrealty---compass-1126-1000077851"` |  |
| `business_name` | string | `"LUXURYSOCALREALTY \| COMPASS"` |  |
| `total_complaints_last_3_years` | integer | `0` |  |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "business": "LUXURYSOCALREALTY",
  "location": "La Jolla, CA",
  "max_results": 5
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "complaints": [],
  "profile_link": "https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/la-jolla/profile/real-estate-agent/luxurysocalrealty---compass-1126-1000077851",
  "business_name": "LUXURYSOCALREALTY | COMPASS",
  "total_complaints_last_3_years": 0
}
```

### Get business profile

Operation `get_business_profile`, version 1. 1 credit per call.

Find the best-matching BBB business profile by name and location, including its rating, accreditation, reviews, complaints and alerts. BBB ratings are not customer review scores.

**Input**

| Field | Type | Required | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `business` | string | yes | `"Stanley Steemer"` | Business name, for example Comcast. |
| `location` | string | yes | `"Dublin, OH"` | City and state or ZIP code, for example Philadelphia, PA or 19103. |

**Input schema**

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "business",
    "location"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "business": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Business name, for example Comcast.",
      "examples": [
        "Stanley Steemer",
        "Comcast"
      ]
    },
    "location": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "City and state or ZIP code, for example Philadelphia, PA or 19103.",
      "examples": [
        "Dublin, OH",
        "Philadelphia, PA"
      ]
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false,
  "examples": [
    {
      "business": "Stanley Steemer",
      "location": "Dublin, OH"
    },
    {
      "business": "Comcast",
      "location": "Philadelphia, PA"
    }
  ]
}
```

**Output**

| Field | Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `phone` | string or null | `"(800) 783-3637"` |  |
| `address` | string or null | `"5800 Innovation Dr, Dublin, OH, 43016-3271"` |  |
| `website` | string or null | `"https://www.stanleysteemer.com"` |  |
| `bbb_alerts` | string or null |  |  |
| `bbb_rating` | string or null | `"A+"` |  |
| `profile_link` | string | `"https://www.bbb.org/us/oh/dublin/profile/carpet-and-rug-cleaners/stanley-steemer-international-inc-corporately-owned-br` |  |
| `business_name` | string or null | `"Stanley Steemer International, Inc. & Corporately Owned Branch Locations"` |  |
| `bbb_accredited` | boolean | `true` |  |
| `rating_meaning` | string or null | `"A+ is BBB’s highest letter grade. It reflects BBB’s opinion of the business’s interactions with customers, not its cust` |  |
| `business_category` | string or null | `"Carpet and Rug Cleaners"` |  |
| `years_in_business` | integer or null | `79` |  |
| `accredited_since_year` | integer or null | `2017` |  |
| `customer_review_count` | integer or null | `2510` |  |
| `complaints_last_3_years` | integer or null | `155` |  |
| `average_customer_review_rating` | number or null | `4.87` |  |
| `complaints_closed_last_12_months` | integer or null | `37` |  |

**Example input**

```json
{
  "business": "Stanley Steemer",
  "location": "Dublin, OH"
}
```

**Example output**

```json
{
  "phone": "(800) 783-3637",
  "address": "5800 Innovation Dr, Dublin, OH, 43016-3271",
  "website": "https://www.stanleysteemer.com",
  "bbb_alerts": null,
  "bbb_rating": "A+",
  "profile_link": "https://www.bbb.org/us/oh/dublin/profile/carpet-and-rug-cleaners/stanley-steemer-international-inc-corporately-owned-branch-locations-0302-2984",
  "business_name": "Stanley Steemer International, Inc. & Corporately Owned Branch Locations",
  "bbb_accredited": true,
  "rating_meaning": "A+ is BBB’s highest letter grade. It reflects BBB’s opinion of the business’s interactions with customers, not its customer review score.",
  "business_category": "Carpet and Rug Cleaners",
  "years_in_business": 79,
  "accredited_since_year": 2017,
  "customer_review_count": 2510,
  "complaints_last_3_years": 155,
  "average_customer_review_rating": 4.87,
  "complaints_closed_last_12_months": 37
}
```

## Quick start

Call the API with a Fous API key (`FOUS_API_KEY`). To create one, turn on Developer mode in Fous Studio, then open Keys & connections → API keys (https://app.fous.com/keys).

```bash
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
: "${FOUS_API_KEY:?Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example}"

curl 'https://api.fous.com/v1/query' \
  --fail-with-body --silent --show-error --max-time 120 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --data-raw '{
  "api": "@better-business-bureau",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_business_complaints",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "business": "East Coast Spas, Inc",
    "location": "Horsham, PA",
    "max_results": 2
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}'
```

```python
# Save as fous.py and run with python3 fous.py. No packages needed.
# First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
import json
import os
import urllib.error
import urllib.request

api_key = os.environ.get("FOUS_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
    raise RuntimeError("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example")

body = json.loads("{\n  \"api\": \"@better-business-bureau\",\n  \"visibility\": \"public\",\n  \"operation\": \"get_business_complaints\",\n  \"version\": 1,\n  \"input\": {\n    \"business\": \"East Coast Spas, Inc\",\n    \"location\": \"Horsham, PA\",\n    \"max_results\": 2\n  },\n  \"response\": {\n    \"format\": \"json\"\n  }\n}")
request = urllib.request.Request(
    "https://api.fous.com/v1/query",
    data=json.dumps(body).encode("utf-8"),
    headers={
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
    },
    method="POST",
)
try:
    with urllib.request.urlopen(request, timeout=120) as response:
        result = json.load(response)
except urllib.error.HTTPError as error:
    raise RuntimeError(f"HTTP {error.code}: {error.read().decode('utf-8', errors='replace')}") from error
if result.get("success") is False:
    raise RuntimeError(result.get("error", {}).get("message", "Request failed"))
print(json.dumps(result["data"]["output"], indent=2))
```

```typescript
// Save as fous.mts and run with npx tsx fous.mts.
// First set your key: export FOUS_API_KEY='YOUR_FOUS_API_KEY'
const apiKey = process.env.FOUS_API_KEY;
if (!apiKey) throw new Error("Set FOUS_API_KEY before running this example");

const response = await fetch("https://api.fous.com/v1/query", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Authorization": `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(120_000),
  body: JSON.stringify({
  "api": "@better-business-bureau",
  "visibility": "public",
  "operation": "get_business_complaints",
  "version": 1,
  "input": {
    "business": "East Coast Spas, Inc",
    "location": "Horsham, PA",
    "max_results": 2
  },
  "response": {
    "format": "json"
  }
}),
});
type ApiResult = { success: boolean; data?: { output: unknown }; error?: { message: string } };
const result: ApiResult = await response.json();
if (!response.ok || result.success === false) {
  throw new Error(result.error?.message ?? `HTTP ${response.status}`);
}
if (!result.data) throw new Error("Missing API response data");
console.log(result.data.output);
```

Or describe the data in plain language: send `{"api":"@better-business-bureau","prompt":"Describe the data you need, with every detail"}` to the same URL. Fous fills in the input, runs the method that fits and returns only the fields you asked for; `data.route.calls[].request` is the exact call it made. Routing is free; the run costs the same.

## FAQ

### Is Fous affiliated with Better Business Bureau?

No. Fous is not affiliated with Better Business Bureau. This workflow reads the public bbb.org website and returns its data.

### How much does it cost?

Each run costs 1 credit. With pay-as-you-go, a credit costs 1¢; monthly plans cost less per credit.

### Do I need a Better Business Bureau account?

No. You only need a Fous account.

### How current is the data?

Fous gets the data from bbb.org when you run it; repeating the same request within a day may return the saved result. Fous checks this workflow automatically; it last passed a check on Sep 29, 2026.

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