Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  APPLICANT AND BUYER BEWARE!!!! BELAY is advertising Virtual Assistant positions which are supposed to be currently available in specific states (their website link is included below). Instead of getting an application page when you click on the link, you get a SURVEY that asks you to identify your ethnicity, then rejects your application based off those answers without even asking for an uploaded resume. This company doesn't seem to be a real company that's operating actively, and is more of a predatory website being used to steal from people, and obtain their data which is happening alot online nowadays. Below is the actual information i'm refering to.******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* Start Your Application First Name Last Name Email Phone Number, Your Name as shown on your Tax ReturnAll BELAY VAs must live in the United States of America. Do you currently reside in the ************************? (Not including US Territories) Yes No, Do you currently reside in **********, *******, **********, ********, or ************? At this time, BELAY is not contracting with these states.Yes,No.Select which best describes your gender. Female Male Non-binary / Third Gender, Prefer not to say.What is your Race/Ethnicity?Black or African American Hispanic or Latinx White Asian Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, Two or More,Other/Unknown,Prefer not to answer.I agree to allow my phone number to be used for calls or texts regarding my application. Message & data rates may apply. From:***** Date: Fri, Aug 9, 2024 Subject: Virtual Assistant jobsTo: *********************************>I recently attempted to apply for a Virtual Assistant position with Belay, and was redirected to answer a survey without first asking for an upload of a resume.There is no formal application process, just questions on my ethnicity which i answered, & was rejected. What job requirement's exist for the position?

  Business Response

  Date: 08/13/2024

  This applicant was not rejected due to their ethnicity.  BELAY is a diverse company, both in our corporate team members and in the contractors we engage with. We have our Diversity and Inclusion statement proudly dispayed on our website. 

  We do however ***** certain states that we are not contracting in at this time. This applicant was auto-rejected in the initial application stage due to answering "yes" to the question "Do you currently reside in **********, *******, **********, ********, or ************?At this time, BELAY is not contracting with these states.". 

  This is an initial knock-out question in the first set of questions to avoid having talent from these states waste further time in additional steps. 

  BELAY is a legitimate staffing company. We have been in business since 2010 and currently serve over ***** clients in 48 states with our team of over ***** contractors.  We have won numerous awards for company culture and currently are ranked on the **** 5000 list of fasted growing companies. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/13/2024

  Please have the company refrain from serving a survey that is based off personal questions.  That is unethical in *******, and is inappropriate to ask.  The majority of the survey questions that I included in my first email, are paired with a question asking if i live in the areas listed.  The usual ethical practice is to ask for qualifications based off the job, and then provide applicants with the opportunity to answer whether we live in the areas they are hiring in, and/or an upload box for our resume.  

   

  What BELAY is doing is serving a survey and pairing it with "do you live in any of these areas"?  Applicants would have to read towards the very bottom of all the writing in order to realize the locations that BELAY is hiring in, which is not automatically at the top of the announcement.  Their practices are unethical, and I am going to mail their survey to ***********  It's not okay for them to simply collect information from applicants and it's obvious they knew to pair it with an application related question in hopes that they will not get reported for violating people's privacy.  ************ asks you about 5 questions related to your gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, then asks 1 question that's application related for a job?  Call it what it is - a survey.  Doesn't matter if they've been in business during the era of the dinosaurs, they have no business asking personal questions about sexual orientation.  That's why we have anti discrimination rules in ********  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/16/2024

  Dear Complainant,

  I am not sure if you read my original response?  This is not a survey. We are not collecting your information...we would have nothing to do with it.  Our question of what state you live in is a KNOCK OUT question as it DOES NOT matter what your skills are - if you live in one of these states we CAN NOT contract with you at this time. It is that simple. There is nothing misleading or unethical.  We receive over ****** applicants a month and have never had any one else ever complain or question this as it is merely a way for us to save the applicant time from completing the application since we will not be able to contract with them.

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/15/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  To Whom It May ********* am writing to file a complaint against Belay Solutions, LLC regarding a transaction dated November 10, 2022. An amount of $30,800 was paid to Belay Solutions, LLC for virtual bookkeeping services as per our contractual agreement. However, Belay Solutions, LLC failed to meet their obligations, causing substantial damages to our nonprofit operations.Our agreement with Belay Solutions, LLC included virtual bookkeeping services such as payroll recording, donor management, financial reporting, and more. Despite assurances of skilled contractors, the services provided were subpar, riddled with errors and inaccuracies. Numerous attempts to rectify the situation were made, but Belay Solutions, LLC consistently missed deadlines and failed to deliver accurate financial records.We were forced to engage alternative bookkeeping services, incurring additional expenses to correct the errors caused by Belay Solutions, LLC. The new services uncovered significant discrepancies, necessitating a complete redo of the books.Efforts to resolve the issue directly with Belay Solutions, LLC were unsuccessful, as they refused to provide satisfactory solutions or issue a refund. The damages incurred by our nonprofit amount to at least $140,000, including fees paid to Belay Solutions, LLC, expenses for alternative services, and time spent rectifying errors.This complaint is made in accordance with the Washington Consumer Protection Act, as Belay Solutions, LLC's actions may constitute unfair trade practices. We seek resolution in the form of $143,758.08 in damages.Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2024

  BELAY Solutions, LLC matched an independent bookkeeping contractor with Communities in Schools/****************************** who served this client from Nov 22, 2022 through Oct 31 2023. During this time bookkeeping and financial reporting was completed and the client expressed multiple times with their BELAY Client Success Consultant that they were satisfied with the services. BELAY Solutions, LLCs contractor was not contracted to process their payroll. The client used an outside payroll company that was unable to sync with their accounting software which resulted in issues beyond our bookkeepers control.   In February 2024 BELAY Solutions, LLC received communication from Communities in Schools legal counsel requesting resolution in the form of $143,758.08 in damages. Counsel for Belay Solutions, LLC has attempted to discuss this matter with counsel for Communities in Schools and reach a resolution. Belay Solutions, LLC believes it complied with all of its obligations to Communities in Schools and welcomes further discussion to reach a resolution.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21717306
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I must reject this response as it does not accurately portray the events and interactions between our organizations.
  
  Communities in Schools repeatedly communicated dissatisfaction with the services provided by BELAY Solutions. This is substantiated by 11 months of email correspondence between Communities in Schools and BELAY employees, which document numerous instances where promised services were not delivered. Furthermore, completed reviews by Communities in Schools clearly reflect this dissatisfaction, including a specific review sent on November 21, 2023.
  
  The claim that Communities in Schools consistently expressed satisfaction with the services is a clear misrepresentation of the facts and circumstances surrounding these events.
  
  We are committed to reaching a fair resolution and believe it is crucial to acknowledge the documented issues accurately. We look forward to further discussions to resolve this matter.
  

  Sincerely,
  
  ******************************

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2024

  As mentioned in our response to the original complaint, Counsel for Belay Solutions, LLC has attempted to discuss this matter with counsel for Communities in Schools and reach a resolution. Belay Solutions, LLC believes it complied with all of its obligations to Communities in Schools and welcomes further discussion to reach a resolution. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/05/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Hello, I am the Executive Director with Communities In Schools of *****************************. We had filed a complaint, #********A80B3. I am writing to notify you, Effective August 29, 2024, Communities In Schools of ***************************** withdraws, removes, rescinds, or otherwise retracts any and all existing complaints, grievances, or reviews it has filed, published, or submitted to any entity, including but not limited to the Better Business Bureau and the ************************* for the State of Washington, which relate in any way to the Dispute. This matter has been resolved with Belay.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******************************