ComplaintsforThe Trademark Company

• Initial Complaint

  04/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company is ill prepared to help with any trademark filings. They use the same template for every business and do not know how to tailor or change anything. They have no actual lawyers working there or actual knowledge of laws and trademarks. A waste of time and fees.

  Business response

  04/18/2024

  First and foremost we would like to start by noting we are not a law firm nor do we claim to be or operate as one. Meaning we cannot offer any advice or tell you how to respond to office actions. We are here to explain what the office action means and how to navigate the forms by inputting only the information the provided by the customer. We do have attorneys we work with but that is not in the scope of the services this customer purchased. This customer paid for our office action response package and we completed and flied the response with the *****. We also do not guarantee acceptance of the response. We are simply here to assist in assembling the filing and submitting it. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I *************************** applied for a trade **** with the ***** ************* TRADEMARK PATENT OFFICE on 6/24/2022 for a TRADEMARK CALLED BC POWDER and i paid $600.00 and i was granted ownership of the trademark on 11/29/2023 via my ***** ACCOUNT. On march ******* i was called by a guy named *** saying he was with ***** and i was to prove that i am using my trademark and he would have to file that proof for a price of $399.00 and if i did not do this now my trade **** BC POWDER would be void and i would be kicked out of the system as owner,so i told him i would have to go load money on my card and to give me time to go to the ******* and come back home. So i hung up with him and i called the ***** and the ***** said they did not know him and did not take payments over the phone. So i called DJ back but a girl named ******* answered the phone and she told me she has my card information and she had already charged my card for $399.00. I told ******* TO STOP THAT Payment because they were not part of ***** and she hung up on me and i started calling My BANK and told my BANK i was scammed out of $399.00 by the trademark company AKA TTC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LL . I have been calling them all day everyday since march 18 2024. FRIDAY MARCH 2024 DJ answered the phone and said i will not get a refund. SO i told him **** stole my money.

  Business response

  03/27/2024

  *******************, 
  We appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention. We understand the importance of addressing your issues promptly and transparently. 
  Firstly, we want to clarify that at no point have we claimed to be or represented ourselves as the ******************** and Trademark Office (*****). Our communication regarding your trademark was solely intended to inform you of an action required by the *****, which directly concerns your trademark registration. 
  Regarding your request for a refund, we apologize for any inconvenience caused. Unfortunately, our account specialist responsible for processing refunds is currently on leave. As a result, there may be a delay of up to a couple of weeks in issuing your refund. 
  However, we understand the urgency of resolving this matter and acknowledge that waiting for a refund may not be ideal. If you prefer a faster resolution, we recommend disputing the charge with your bank. This option typically yields a quicker turnaround time for reimbursement. 
  Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience caused and assure you that we are working diligently to address your concerns. 
  If you have any further questions or require additional assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us directly. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  This is a formal complaint against *************** The Trademark Company, and possibly the attorney The Trademark Company (************************* and *************************) recommended. I am also filing a complaint with the ************************ and the ****** of ********** and Discipline in an attempt to review unethical practices similar to a scammer is present. Additionally, I am interested in how the data is with these companies and the black and brown communities that seek them out as an alternative to hiring a lawyer on their own to save money, only to be scammed and funds withheld at the end, or these companies practice unethical practice all across the board. The information below can be verified with emails, phone records, and text messages.This formal complaint is regarding the withholding of $2350 from the above mentioned parties.In November, I spoke with ************ *********************************** about a trademark. Explained the intent and even provided a picture. ***** stated he believes it will be fine, but finally say with the attorney assigned. I paid the $2350 (have to before attorney) after conversations with ************ and ************************* ***** *********** After several conversations with the attorney ***********************, he informed me my intent was not doable. No draft applications were sent to me for review and nothing was formally submitted. When ************** and I discussed the trademark not being able to be what I intended, we thanked each other and concluded the conversations. On January 18, ****, I reached out to ************************* and informed him of the conversation with the attorney. I repeatedly contacted **************** about a status update on refund, until I reached out to ************** for assistance. I was assigned ***************************** and informed a refund will not happen because I received legal services. I requested itemized list of expenses via email to *******, *****************************, and ***********************. I have not received a receipt or list.

  Business response

  02/21/2024

  Dear ******, 
  We are writing in response to your complaint regarding the services provided by our company and our partners. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns and provide clarification regarding the situation. 
  First and foremost, we want to assure you that we take all customer feedback seriously and strive to ensure that each of our clients receives the highest level of service possible. Our priority is to address any issues promptly and find mutually satisfactory resolutions. 
  Upon reviewing your case, it appears that our team and our partners have diligently provided all the services outlined in your agreement. The attorney has provided thorough explanations of the requirements, including the necessity of supplying the proper specimen as part of the process as well as the option to proceed without a specimen at this time. 
  However, we understand from your complaint that there may have been a misunderstanding or hesitation on your part regarding the provision of the specimen or the preferred method of response. We want to emphasize that our goal is to work collaboratively with you to ensure your needs are met in a manner that is comfortable and feasible for you. 
  If you are willing to reconsider and comply with the suggestions provided by the attorney, including supplying the required specimen or responding in an alternative manner that doesn't require it, we would be more than happy to continue working with you to achieve the desired outcome. 
  Please review the email we have sent, detailing more of your options. Please feel free to contact us directly to discuss any further concerns or to arrange the next steps in resolving this matter. Your satisfaction is important to us, and we are committed to finding a solution and hope we can continue serving you. 

  Customer response

  02/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21319822
  
  I am rejecting this response because the response does not appear to have full knowledge of the conversations between myself and **************.  

  Incorrect: Specimen incorrect

  Incorrect: Hesitation on my behalf

  Incorrect: Communication outlined with **************

  I understand that some legal fees have accrued for the potential trademark name search and speaking with the attorney, **************, but not the full $2350 to file a trademark application and an additional classification.

  To be told that a final say on my intent will be with the attorney, to then discover the intent is not doable, but then still charged the full amount as though a trademark application and additional classification was filed is absurd.  I never reviewed a draft application, etc.

  This can all be confirmed in my communication with **************.

  In your response, am I being asked to change my intent in order to proceed with the process? And if I choose not to alter my intent, I forfeit $2350. This approach feels coercive.  

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

  Business response

  02/21/2024

  We have explained to Ms. ********* repeatedly that we are not responsible for what she is claiming. This is a partnership situation and The Trademark Company's only role is connecting the customer with our partners. We cannot provide any resolution to this complaint as it is the responsibility of our partners. We did not collect any payment from this customer and cannot provide any list of services as we are not the ones providing the service. 

  Customer response

  02/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 21319822
  
  I am rejecting this response because the representatives from *************** The Trademark Company, and the attorney have all conveyed the same message regarding payment. I am seeking clarification on who the point of contact is that can address this matter and who is responsible for addressing coercive practices.
  
  I have been presented with the option to modify my intent by following one of the alternatives suggested by the attorney. If I choose not to proceed with these changes, I have been informed that I forfeit the $2350 that was paid for filing a trademark application and an additional classification.
  
  Just basic outline
  Inquired about trademark and intent
  Provided a picture of intent to make sure
  Informed should be fine but the lawyer will determine
  Payment is made
  The attorney and I discussed and determined not able to do this based on my intent
  Inquired about a refund due to the conversation with an attorney
  Informed legal services were paid and no refund is available
  
  So, I am clear, again, that I paid $2350 for an attorney to tell me we cannot proceed in the manner I intended?  And if I do not modify my intent, I forfeit $2350.   
  The options provided are very coercive. 
  
  Unfortunately, at this point, it does not appear a resolution will be reached.  BBB thank you for being a platform.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  - Initial order December 2nd, 2023 - $199 for LLC **************** $200 for LLC State Fees - Per their website it states Same Business Day processing - The Trademark Company failed to process our order until I reached out on December 5th (5 business days later) only to find we then had to pay the $200 State Fees and then they would submit the filing. Come December 12th we still had no update and were promised within 24 hours they would have an update on the filing. I demanded that if it still hadnt been filed I wanted the order cancelled and refunded so we could file our company expedited through the state directly. It is now 58 hours later, cannot get a hold of our account manager and havent heard any updates on our oder. - To date The Trademark Company has not done anything to rectify the problem and continues to make promises and they do not deliver. Their business practice has been deceptive, misleading, and falsely advertised.- Order #***** - The Trademark Companies website states Same Business Day Processing for their LLC filing packages. Their website also has a Satisfaction Guarantee which they also havent upheld.

  Business response

  12/18/2023

  We apologize for the delay in processing your order.  We genuinely appreciate your honesty and the opportunity to address your concerns. We're sorry to hear about your less than satisfactory experience, and we want to assure you that your feedback is invaluable to us. We will take into consideration changing the one same day filing guarantee on our website as we were able to get these orders processed expediently in the past but we are no longer able to give that guarantee due to high volume, so for that we do apologize. Your refund will be processed within the next few business days.

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On March 6th, 2023, I received an email from The Trademark Company to perform a Response for our **************** application. I responded that same day and ordered the Substantive Response Package for $399.00. Then I filled out one of their web questionnaires about the business, trademark etc. I never received any information after that, so called a couple of weeks later and they said they were working on it.A month later I called for a follow up and was told I needed to fill out an online questionnaire first, which I had already done. I was told that someone would call me back by the end of the day and they would get it worked out.Im not going to detail the next dozen calls, but all ended with, Well call you back by end of day or next week. About the same time, they tell me that they have their attorney working on it well, never received anything from him either. This week (130 days later, 4 months), I received an email from USTMO saying my TRADEMARK APPLICATION ABANDONED - FAILURE TO RESPOND TIMELY TO OFFICE ACTION. Again, called and spoke with their staff and was told, Ill call you back by end of day. Never received the call, called him back the following day and had to leave a voicemail. Next day, tried calling again, but again, no answer, this time I asked for the manager, and I would like a refund, it has been 130 days since I ordered their product, and they havent done anything yet.So what did they say when I finally got hold of someone? The manager will give you a call right back End of day, still no communications, next step, call the credit card company. Not a good company in my opinion.

  Business response

  07/18/2023

  First and foremost, we apologize for the unsatisfactory experience this customer had with our **********************. That is not the way we typically operate and we can assure you that the account manager they worked with is no longer with our company. We have reached out to this customer to offer a solution and are awaiting a reply.  We have several satisfied customers and strive to offer the best service we can. Again, we are sorry your order was handled so poorly and will take measures to make sure nothing like this happens again in the future.

  Customer response

  07/24/2023

   
  Complaint: 20322050
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  

  

  *********************************via*******.bbb.org	12:43 PM (0 minutes ago)
  to****************************************************

  I received the reply from the company as stated below and notice that I do NOT have any chance of responding to this. They state:

   

  MESSAGE FROM BUSINESS:
  
  First and foremost, we apologize for the unsatisfactory experience this customer had with our **********************. That is not the way we typically operate and we can assure you that the account manager they worked with is no longer with our company. We have reached out to this customer to offer a solution and are awaiting a reply.  We have several satisfied customers and strive to offer the best service we can. Again, we are sorry your order was handled so poorly and will take measures to make sure nothing like this happens again in the future.

   

  As of almost a week later, no one has contacted us by phone, email, mail or text message. So how and why was this closed? Nothing has happened. They say they did this and that, however, at this point, they are still lying about it as they have not responded to ANY communication in the last 3 months. If you read my complaint, you will notice they say they will return the call that day or the next and they DO NOT RETURN IT. Still have not had communication with them in months!

   

   

  Thanks,

  *********************

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

  Business response

  07/25/2023

  Please be aware, we sent this customer an email offering to correct the issue for no additional fees or provide a refund. We then received a chargeback for the full amount the same day and chose NOT to argue it as we agreed a full refund was in order. As such the customer has been credited the full sum of $399 they paid us. 
  We would also like to apologize again for the poor service, and the way this order was handled in it's entirety and want the customer to know this is not our typical operating system.

  Customer response

  07/26/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  HOWEVER, they state they emailed us. There has only been two emails from this company and those are from March 2023, no other emails have been received nor phone calls. And yes, we did a chargeback after they never answered any emails or phone calls. 
  

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

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

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 13-Jul I paid $299 for a trademark service to file a petition to revive ($150 *** fee), an extension ($125 *** fee), and a response to the outstanding office action. I was told by ****** that these petitions are almost always approved but if not they would waive their $199 fee to submit a new registration ($250 pto fee). On 14-Jul, in completing the paperwork with ****, the required process had shifted to a petition to the director ($250) which is rarely approved and would likely result in a new filing (another $250 to pto). She said given the low probability and the costs associated, that submitting the petition didn't make sense. I agreed and requested a refund, which required I talked to a manager. The manager, ****, gave a completely different description from what the other two did and I explained if that were true and I was told that up-front, I wouldn't have purchased the service and since the service wasn't completed, I wanted a refund. He refused to refund any amount of what I paid or to acknowledge that the differences in explanations created a bait-and-switch situation. He also refused to answer the question as to why I received 3 differing accounts of what needed to be done by 3 different employees and when I continued to press he said he wasn't going to continue in the conversation and hung up.

  Business response

  07/17/2023

  We apologize the customer feels they were misinformed, however we gave the best estimate we could over the phone and then when we started working on the trademark, it turned out to be a slightly different form and we wouldn't have known that until we started working on it. We still offered to complete it  and would have done whatever we needed to to successfully get through the process. The customer chose not to proceed. We are willing to complete this for the customer should they choose to or if they wish to issue a chargeback, we will not dispute it.

• Initial Complaint

  05/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had purchased a request for a copyright originally and was told by an account manager later that I actually needed a to submit a trademark and copyright request for my podcast. Once I sent all the requested information, I didn't hear back from anyone to confirm they had what they needed. After I did eventually hear back, I was told to re-submit the recordings even though I mentioned how large the files were at the start. When I was speaking to the fulfillment team, I was told I could cancel the appointment with them if I wasn't ready to complete my application for the trademark and when I asked about the cancellation policy I was told I could talk to my account manager and request my money back if I didn't want to move forward. Mostly, because aside from submitting my information their team had yet to do anything, I hadn't had a meeting with fulfillment, but when I reach out to my account manager I was told, being that my fulfillment meeting was scheduled I could no longer get a refund. That was their policy, which is not on the receipt or posted on their website. At which time I requested my refund for the copyright, as I that meeting had not yet been scheduled. And now no one will return my calls or pick up when I call. I highly recommend you avoid this company; they are a scam.

  Business response

  05/10/2023

  We apologize for the delay of your refund. Accounting was only made aware of this yesterday and it typically takes a day or two for them to process. We can assure you our company is not a scam and we are sorry to hear you had an unsatisfactory experience. Your refund has been processed.

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The Trademark Company, from my limited experience, is really a sham. I have an "office action" request from ***** that required a response and I hired The Trademark **. There response was summarily reject by ***** and their (***) response indicated the response from Trademark ** was amateurish and without little, if any, credibility.Upon the *** rejection, I tried to contact The Trademark Company to discuss the rejection and potential remedies. I got no response except from a spam email informing me there is a new office action. They are useless as far as I can tell. Pay them, they write a marginal (I am being generous) submission but no follow up, no acknowledgement, nothing.I would never use them again and would recommend anyone needed US*** assistance to avoid.

  Business response

  05/04/2023

  Dear customer,

  While we do apologize your first response was not accepted, however, we do not guarantee acceptance. We can only submit the information given to us by the customer. We have an email from you, approving the response and also an additional email stating "FYI, It was filed. Thank you for your assistance and I will be interested to see what happens next." This indicates that your account manager set the expectation that the response may not be accepted. We have tried to reach you to resolve this issue so please call us back at your convenience to work out a solution. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I filed a patent application on 11/30 or 12/1/22, EFS ID ******** APPLICATION NUMBER ********, CONFIRMATION NUMBER ****. Im not for sure of the exact date because of ALL THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING. The system would not allow me to login to a preexisting account I had with them, nor would it allow me to upload my invention. I spoke to a ******** under reference number 1-819260578 and sent him an email of the problem ON 12/1/23. I asked for a refund that same day. They told me I had to fax it, which I did when I went back to work. On December7, I received acknowledgement that my refund was in process and to give them 1 month. I have months and months of phone calls and emails trying to get my money back. On 2/2/23 after not receiving my money back, I contacted my bank. Then and only then did I receive a reply from them verbally. They stated that they see what the mix up was and that they would release my money back to my bank. Then on 4/21/23, months later, I receive another email stating to give them another 30 days to process after they denied my refund request by the bank stating my refund was non refundable which is a lie. THEY NEVER RECEIVED MY PATENT THROUGH THE SYSTEM. I have proof of several emails that state, they only take patents that are fully loaded in their system. Mine never was. The system was not working and none of the information was correct due to THEIR ERROR. If it was any other business and the product was defective, a refund is given. They owned the error both in my applying and in the process of my refund. I want my money back. To state to my bank that it was non refundable and then to give me a status update afterwards is unacceptable. They have reference numbers for a reason. This was a new application that has nothing to do with my other application that has been closed by the way. Again, give me my money back.

  Business response

  04/24/2023

  ****,

  After reviewing the information you provided, we feel this complaint was mistakenly directed at our company. We do not have nor have we ever had and employee by the name ********. We do not have record of your name, email or phone number in our system. By looking at the attachment you provided regarding the refund confirmation, that was not sent by us, it appears to have been sent by the USPTO. 

  If you feel this complaint is in fact directed at our company, please provide more information that can help us locate your account and proof of working with us and we will be happy to look into the matter. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On September 22, the trademark office rejected my filing. ref number ********. Then this trademark company asked for 150$ refundable fee to object to the trademark filling. And since then this company has been avoiding all the phone calls and all forms of communication, and on USPTO's website it says the trademark filing has been abandoned because they received no replies. This company is a scam, stole our money and dodging all communication.

  Business response

  03/16/2023

  We believe this complaint is mistakenly directed at our company and you have been working with a different business. We have no records of your trademark serial number or any other information for you in our system, nor any records of payment made to our company.

*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. ↩