Better Business Bureau explains why it gave Trump University a D-minus rating

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Trump University's rating went from D- to A+ between 2010 and 2015
The D- rating happened when the university was active and received multiple customer complaints
No new complains were reported as the company winded down, causing the rating to go up
Donald Trump previously claimed his rating was an A, but Marco Rubio brought up the D-

By Clemence Michallon and Anton Nilsson For Dailymail.com

Published: 21:30 EST, 8 March 2016 | Updated: 01:00 EST, 9 March 2016

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The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has explained why it gave Trump University a D-minus rating in 2010, days after the mogul said it had earned an A.

'During the period when Trump University appeared to be active in the marketplace, BBB received multiple customer complaints about this business,' the BBB said in a statement on Tuesday.

'These complaints affected the Trump University BBB rating, which was as low as D- in 2010. As the company appeared to be winding down, after 2013, no new complaints were reported.'

Complaints roll off the BBB's database every three years according to the BBB's policy. As a result, Trump University's rating went up over time, reaching A in July 2014 and A-plus in January 2015.

The BBB, a business review non-profit headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, stopped rating Trump University in September 2015.

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The Better Business Bureau said it received multiple customer complaints when Trump University appeared to be active in the marketplace, causing its rating to go down to D-minus in 2010. Donald Trump (pictured at a rally in Concord, North Carolina on Monday) said last week Trump University had an A rating

Donald Trump first claimed Trump University received an A rating during Thursday's GOP debate on Fox News.

This was repudiated by Marco Rubio, who said 'the rating from the BBB was a D-minus, and it was a result of a number of complaints they received.'

Later that night, Trump posted the photo of a BBB report on his Twitter account, saying it showed an A rating for Trump University.

The BBB said in Tuesday's statement the report posted on Thursday night was not a current review of Trump University and appeared to date back to 2014.

The ratings debate got even muddier after a video emerged Thursday that appears to show Trump handing Fox News debate moderators a fax from the BBB.

'Better Business Bureau just sent it. It just came in. I just got it,' Trump can be heard saying in the video clip, which was published by the Independent Journal Review.

Marco Rubio reacted to Trump's claim during the Fox News GOP debate on Thursday (pictured), saying Trump University's BBB rating was actually a D-minus

Trump then tweeted a report that appeared to show an A-rating for Trump University from the BBB. The BBB said in a statement Tuesday that the document posted on the night of the debate didn't reflect Trump University's current rating and appeared to be part of a 2014 review

Trump handed a fax to the @FoxNews anchors during the #GOPDebate just a bit ago pic.twitter.com/EvVbvFZAgK
— Independent Journal (@INJO) March 4, 2016

BBB fought back Friday, writing in a previous statement that it did not send Trump a fax during the debate.

'A video released by Independent Journal implies that BBB sent a fax in the middle of last night's Republican debate, which we did not. The BBB Business Review of Trump Entrepreneur Initiative (formerly Trump University) has shown 'No Rating' continually since September 2015,' the statement read.

The BBB reiterated this denial in Tuesday's statement, writing: 'BBB did not send a document of any kind to the Republican debate site last Thursday evening. The document presented to debate moderators did not come from BBB that night.'

In 2010, Trump University was forced to stop calling itself a university since it wasn't one.

'Use of the word 'university' by your corporation is misleading and violates New York Education Law and the Rules of the Board of Regents,' read part of the New York Department of Education ruling that resulted in the name change, according to the New York Daily News.

The company later became the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative and is now embroiled in a $40million fraud lawsuit.

The suit alleges the company 'intentionally misled' some customers into paying up to $35,000 each for fake college classes in what essentially amounted to a 'bait and switch' scheme.