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:05/12/2025

  Type:Order 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.

  Between November 2024 and March 2025, I contracted Student Marketing Agency (SMA) to redesign my therapy practices website, paying a total of $2,400+ for services they never delivered. Despite repeated emails, portal messages, and calls requesting updates and deliverables, I received no evidence of work completed. My website remained untouched, and SMA continually billed me after I formally terminated services on March 25, 2025. I have documented proof of my termination, all communications, billing records, and screenshots.Initially, I requested a full refund. The President of ***, Mr. ***** *****, offered to talk through an amount, which led to a partial refund offer of $1,200. However, when I declined and stated I would report the matter to BBB, Trustpilot, and others, I received a threatening cease and desist letter from their legal representative attempting to intimidate me into silence. They also accused me of defamation for my honest Trustpilot review, which accurately reflects my experience and is protected by the First ************ date, they have refused to provide clear documentation showing what work was completed or justify the charges billed. SMAs refusal to take accountability, misrepresentation of their services, and intimidation tactics reflect a broader pattern of unethical and deceptive business practices.I am requesting a full refund of all funds paid ($2,400+) and documentation of case closure. I am willing to provide all evidence submitted to my credit card company and regulators to support my claim.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/14/2025

  Response to Complaint 23318386
  Case Name: ******* ***** vs. Student Marketing Agency (SMA)
  Date of Response: May 14, 2025
  
  Student Marketing Agency (SMA) is submitting this response to the bizarre and highly-inaccurate complaint filed by therapist, ******* *****, on May 12, 2025. We take all client feedback seriously and aim to resolve disputes fairly and transparently. However, the statements made in this complaint contain significant inaccuracies that are disproven by documented communications and the client's own approvals for work that was delivered.
  
  Addressing the Client's Claims:
  Claim: "services they never delivered... received no evidence of work completed. My website remained untouched."
  SMA Response: This claim is false. *** actively worked on the therapists website redesign project between November 2024 and March 2025. We provided deliverables and requested feedback and approvals throughout the process via our client portal and email, to which the client responded and provided approvals.
  Evidence: The attached screenshots clearly demonstrate the client's engagement and approval of work:
  Screenshot 1 (kalabi(2).jpg): Shows the client explicitly stating "Approved" in response to an executive summary of the website optimization review provided by SMA [Date - approx. 4 months ago from screenshot date]. This indicates work was completed and approved early in the process.
  Screenshot 2 (kalabi(3).jpg): Shows the client reviewing and stating "I have reviewed and all looks great except I want all picture to reflect once of diverse race" [Date - approx. 2 months ago from screenshot date]. This confirms the client reviewed design mockups or content and provided specific feedback, indicating significant design work had been completed and was under review.
  Screenshot 3 (kalabi(1).jpg): Shows the client stating "everything looks great and I approve except for the pictures to be diverse race pictures" [Date - approx. 2 months ago from screenshot date]. This is another instance of the client reviewing and approving design work, with specific requests for revisions. It also includes a message from *** stating that updates would proceed once payment issues were resolved, highlighting that project delays were linked to payment status, not lack of work.
  Screenshot 4 (kalabi(4).jpg): Shows SMA explaining a technical limitation with the client's existing TherapySites platform preventing implementation of the approved design, proposing moving the site to alternate hosting, and the client responding "Ok, approved and agree to SMA host" [Date - approx. a month ago from screenshot date]. This demonstrates SMA's technical analysis, problem-solving, and the client's approval of a revised strategy to complete the project, further proving ongoing work and communication.
  
  The supplied screenshots are irrefutable evidence that work was delivered, reviewed, and approved by the client at multiple stages of the project. The website did not remain untouched; design and planning work was completed and approved, and a technical path forward was agreed upon.
  
  Claim: "SMA continually billed me after I formally terminated services on March 25, 2025."
  SMA Response: This statement is patently false. Client terminated service on March 27, 2025. In accordance with agreement, one final invoice for work completed prior to termination was issued in the amount of $43.10, as shown in screenshot (Final transactions show no charges after termination.png) 
  Work was approved by client up until the point where unresolved payment issues brought work to a halt. This pausing of work and request for payment precipitated the client terminating services 8 days later. There was no dispute prior to this date, until client is notified that work is paused. (as shown in kalabi(1).jpg).
  
  Claim: "refused to provide clear documentation showing what work was completed or justify the charges billed."
  SMA Response: Documentation of work completed was provided through regular updates, deliverables, and review requests within our client portal and via email, as evidenced by the attached screenshots showing the client's interaction with these updates and requests. The charges billed correspond to the project scope and the work completed and approved.
  
  Claim: Partial refund offer was insufficient and followed by threats/intimidation tactics.
  SMA Response: During the therapists initial request for refund, we asked for time to investigate. Shortly thereafter she started leaving negative reviews and making threats, without even giving resolution a chance.
  When we discovered how grossly inaccurate her reviews were, our law firm issued a cease and desist letter. This was not an attempt to intimidate a valid consumer complaint, but a response to protect our business reputation against statements that are demonstrably false, as evidenced by the client's own approvals for the work that was done. Free speech does not give permission to vindictively defame another party with intent to cause damage.
  
  Conclusion:
  SMA provided significant design, planning, and technical analysis services for ******* ******* website redesign project, and this work was reviewed and approved by the client on multiple occasions, as demonstrated by the attached screenshots. The project encountered a technical hurdle with the client's existing hosting platform, for which SMA proposed a solution that the client approved. Further progress was contingent on resolving payment issues. Client terminated services shortly thereafter, leaving the balance of the scope of work unfinished. The remaining scope of work was not paid for.
  
  The client's assertion that no work was delivered is false and contradicts the documented project history. While we regret that a mutually satisfactory outcome could not be reached, SMA acted in good faith throughout the project and attempted to find a fair resolution upon termination.
  
  We request that the BBB review the provided screenshots as evidence that work was indeed completed, reviewed, and approved by the client, and that this complaint is unfounded.
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** ***** President
  [email protected]
  Student Marketing Agency

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/15/2025

   
  Complaint: 23318386
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  To Whom It May Concern,

  This response addresses the misleading and inaccurate claims made by Student Marketing Agency (SMA) in reply to my formal BBB complaint.

  1. Approval Does Not Equal Delivery
  While I provided limited approvals for draft materials shared via their client portal, none of these drafts were ever implemented on my live website. The approvals referenced by *** were for proposed mockups or written outlinesnot live design work. For the entire five-month engagement, my website remained completely unchanged. Approving a visual concept or written plan does not equate to receiving services, and it certainly does not justify continued billing.
  2. No Evidence of Implementation Was Ever Produced
  I made multiple requests to SMA asking them to provide visual proof or screenshots demonstrating that the approved work had been implemented on my site. Despite their claims, they were never able to provide a single piece of evidence to show that my website had been updated. If work had been genuinely completed as described, proof would have been readily available.
  3. Manager Admitted They Could Not Complete the Work
  In direct communication, **** project manager ****** explicitly stated, We can no longer perform any more tricks. This statement, which I have in writing, serves as a clear acknowledgment that the agency was either no longer willingor never truly capableof delivering on the contracted redesign. Not only is this wording unprofessional, but it confirms my concern that my project was not prioritized and not taken seriously.
  4. ********* Acknowledged Internal Failure
  **** president, Mr. ***** *****, contacted me directly and admitted during a phone call that his team should have terminated the project early when they realized they could not meet the technical demands due to limitations with my hosting platform. However, they chose to continue accepting payments rather than informing me of these limitations upfront. Mr. ***** even offered me a $1,200 partial refund, further confirming that SMA recognized their failure. I declined the offer, as it did not reflect the extent of time, money, and distress I had already endured.
  5. Retaliatory Cease and Desist Letter
  After I exercised my right to post a factual and documented review on BBB and Trustpilot, I received a cease and desist letter from **** legal counsel. This was not a professional dispute resolutionit was a retaliatory effort to silence a customer who spoke out. Their response to legitimate consumer feedback has been legal intimidation rather than empathy or resolution. No reputable company would prioritize defending their reputation over making things right with their customer.
  6. Unauthorized Charges After Cancellation
  On March 25, 2025, I formally terminated the agreement in writing and clearly requested that no further charges be processed. Despite this, SMA charged my account againunauthorized and in direct violation of my written request. This behavior is unethical and possibly unlawful.
  7. Lack of Empathy and Continued Harm
  Even after I raised these valid concerns, SMA demonstrated no empathy, compassion, or accountability. Instead of acknowledging the harm they caused or reflecting on their business practices, they opted to escalate the situation with legal threats. The emotional distress, wasted time, and financial burden I endured were never acknowledged. **** response only confirmed my original complaintthey prioritized image over integrity.
  8. A New Provider Completed the Work in 48 Hours
  Shortly after terminating **** services, I hired a new web developer who completed the bulk of the redesign work in less than two dayswork SMA could not produce in nearly six months. This further confirms that the delays were not due to technical complexity but due to poor execution and management.
  
  Conclusion
  I stand by my original complaint. *** did not complete the services for which I was charged. They failed to show visual evidence of any completed implementation, their manager admitted they could no longer perform any more tricks, and their president acknowledged internal failures. Their use of a legal threat instead of a resolution reflects an alarming lack of accountability.
  

  I respectfully request that the BBB hold Student Marketing Agency accountable for:
  -Failing to provide contracted deliverables
  -Charging me after cancellation
  -Refusing to provide implementation evidence
  -Admitting service limitations only after damage was done
  -Attempting to suppress my voice through intimidation
  -Causing emotional and financial harm to a paying client
  

  Thank you for reviewing this matter in full.
  

  Sincerely,
  ******* *****
  Clinical Director, A ****************************
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/28/2025

  Again, it is our intention to try to de-escalate this situation and try to find a way to solve the problem. We honestly enjoyed working with ******* and regret the breakdown, which appears to stem from a breakdown in communication and unforeseen technical issues. The client reviewed and approved all deliverables paid forbranding, copywriting, and page design concepts (see attached). I've reviewed the work done by the team and the brand guide is beautiful!
  
  Her reference to no implementation concerns coding work, which was NOT BILLED to her. That phase was planned next, but before we could proceed, her payment method failed and services were terminated.
  
  We remain open to completing the work if the account is reactivated and the final phase is approved.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/28/2025

   
  Complaint: 23318386
  
  To Whom It May Concern,
  This is my formal response to the reply submitted by Student Marketing Agency (SMA)regarding my BBB complaint. While their response attempts to reframe the issue,I want to be clear: the experience I had with SMA was unprofessional,emotionally taxing, and financially damaging. The following clarifies and corrects the record:
  1.Approving Drafts Is Not Equivalent to Delivery
  SMA claims I approved completed work. This is misleading. I approved written summaries or static mockups, not live implementation. None of the approved materials were ever published to my actual website. The live site remained unchanged during the 5 months I worked with ***. I repeatedly asked for visual proof that any approved designs were reflected on my live site. They failed to provide a single screenshot or demo showing the implementation.
  2.Lack of Visual Evidence Despite Repeated Requests
  Despite my multiple requests, SMA never provided actual evidence that anything had been implemented. If real work had been completed, they could have provided screen recordings, published pages, staging URLs, or before-and-after comparisons.Their inability to do so reinforces my position: my website was not updated despite months of engagement.
  3.The Offer to Complete Work Now Is Not Credible
  After months of missed expectations, SMAs president, Mr. ***** *****, personally contacted me with a $1,200 partial refund offer, acknowledging that they mishandled the project and should have exited earlier due to technical limitations. I declined because the refund amount was insufficient to cover my time, stress, and loss.
  That same day, he offered to have SMA complete the website under his direct supervision. I informed him I had already hired another developer, and that work was almost done within 48 hourswhat SMA failed to do in 5 months. It is now disingenuous for them to act as if the offer to complete the work remains open when it was already declined in good faith.
  ******* Threats Were Used to Silence My Experience
  Roughly two weeks ago, I received a cease-and-desist letter from SMAs attorney demanding that I remove any reviews within a month or face defamation charges.This legal threat came after I declined their settlement and began sharing my experience on BBB and Trustpilot.
  This tactic was not about correcting falsehoodsit was a way to silence and intimidate me from telling the truth. My reviews reflect my experience and are protected expressions of consumer speech. It is unethical and damaging for a company to use legal intimidation instead of engaging in resolution and accountability.
  5.Disjointed, Confusing Communication from Their Team
  Throughout this process, there was no clear point of contact. I was shuffled between ****** ***** (initial contact and instructor), *** (support manager), ***** (who handled billing reminders), and ******* ***** (billing manager). Conversations were repetitive, inconsistent, and uncoordinated. I was often told different things by different people, and my emails frequently went unanswered.
  ******,in particular, acknowledged their limitations by saying they could no longer perform any more tricks, signaling that they had run out of strategies to complete my project. Instead of escalating the issue internally or offering transparency, my concerns were dismissed.
  6.Unauthorized Charges After I Terminated Service
  I sent a formal termination email on March 25, 2025, requesting that no further charges be made to my account. Despite this, SMA continued billing meviolating both ethical standards and my explicit instructions. These unauthorized transactions compounded my distress and should be addressed.
  **** Website Was Successfully Completed in 2 Days by a New Developer
  After terminating SMA, I hired a new developer. Within 48 hours, that person implemented the updates that SMA failed to deliver in 5 months. This proves that SMAs delays were not due to technical complexity but rather a breakdown in internal accountability and execution.
  In Conclusion
  I stand fully behind my complaint. SMA:
  Failed to implement approved work
  Did not provide visual evidence of completion
  Engaged in intimidation via legal threats
  Continued billing me after cancellation
  Offered inadequate resolutions only after my public complaints
  Caused emotional distress through their mishandling and avoidance
  
  I request that the BBB hold SMA accountable for their actions and allow my complaint to remain public to protect other small business owners from similar mistreatment.
  Sincerely,
  ******* *****
  Clinical Director, A ****************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/02/2025

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  In December I signed on with this company **************************** to run my business ****** Ad. They have overcharged me by billing for services not provided, that do not apply to my ad. Although a stop all work order was issued, I continued to be billed. Over one month ago, I was give an apology email, and told ***** ****** would be getting back to me. I have updated my complaints 3 times now. Each time I am told the information is being forwarded to *****, and made aware of ongoing situation. Last email was on Sunday 3/30/25 from my only contact. This time I was told he spoke directly to *****, and that ***** would be getting back to me.Not only have they overcharged for services not provided, but have done less than a sub-par job on the ****** ad. ****** rates their work on the ad as "Poor" when the Troubleshooting my ad app was run. One campaign has been running unfocused since inception, ads are missing site links, and many other errors.When I pointed out all the problems the ad was being red flagged for by ******, I was told that ***** would be made aware of that as well. The incompetence regarding the ad was the final insult. Not only are they not refunding my money, ****** has charged an additional fee to keep the broken ad running.I have been over charged for services not rendered in excess of $446.84, plus ****** fee for the wasted ad of $500 for the month of March. As of today I have had to put the ad on hold until I can straighten it out. A direct result of this action is going to cost me additional money to fix the mess created by *********I have been in contact with my bank which is starting action to try and reclaim the monies in question. I appreciate any and all assistance regarding this ongoing fiasco. Regards,**** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/17/2025

  Dear ****,

  Sorry to hear your frustration. We provided you with ******* booking link, but you never booked an appointment to discuss your concerns. Having a conversation would have quickly cleared this up. We can find no evidence of over charging, in fact there was plenty of work done at no charge at all. But these new claims here in your review deserve an investigation, and we promise to do that now.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/17/2025

   
  Complaint: 23151881
  
  I am rejecting this response because: What they are telling you is not even remotely close to the truth. The last email they offered $286 refund on the overcharges, and apologized for the poor work. I consider this not worth persuing anymore through the BBB. There was never any work done for free to resolve the issue. I'll let small calaims court handle this now. Thanks.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2025

  ****, you are trying to solve a complex communication issue through by leaving a review rather than just getting into a call. Why don't you want to talk about it?

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/18/2025

   
  Complaint: 23151881
  
  I am rejecting this response because: They are responding as though its me not being cooperative. It was only after yesterday that I received any communications since 4/6/25 where they offered $280.66 credit after review. Impossible to send a screen shot from their email portal.

  Now they are saying there are no overcharges, and I am failing reaching out. To quote the last email from ***** ****** "I will be reaching out to discuss this via phone call". In typical fashion that never happened. I will still be moving forward with the LV Small Claims Court. I am done defending myself against allegations that I am not responding.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/18/2025

  ****, you have had the booking link for your account manager since the beginning... we aren't trying to blame you, just want to have an honest conversation between adults rather than using the BBB review system as a way to communicate.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/19/2025

   
  Complaint: 23151881
  
  I am rejecting this response because: For right now I am rejecting this response. I have been contacted by two emails in past 48 hours. The last one was from the President of the company Mr. ****** He has already refunded $453.70 (re: there are overcharges) for overcharges to the bank as of yesterday. We will be having a phone conversation on Monday the 23. He has also stated in email refunding the $500 wasted promotional money from ****** would also be refunded. Until that call and that action takes place I consider this still open. Thank you  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 04/22/2025

  Sorry again for your frustration. Let us know if the phone call resolved the issue or if we can do anything else.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/26/2025

  I have been in contact with Mr. ****** the president of ********. Both via email and phone conversation. He has returned the money in question regarding the ****** refund, and has given additional refund of $500 for my trouble. As per our agreement I am officially closing the complaint as of today Saturday April 26, 2025. Thank you for your assistance regarding this matter.

  *** *****

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/28/2025

   
  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. 

  I have been in contact with Mr. ****** the president of ********. Both via email and phone conversation. He has returned the money in question regarding the ****** refund, and has given additional refund of $500 for my trouble. As per our agreement I am officially closing the complaint as of today Saturday April 26, 2025. Thank you for your assistance regarding this matter.

  *** *****

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/06/2025

  Type:Order 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.

  I contracted with this company to redesign my website. They collected an upfront fee and build me several times in auto drafts. The billing was work that was the redesign of my website. There was a two week period. Where there was no Contact after multiple requests for information. Last week I had a conversation with the company, expressing my displeasure with the communication and work. I was assured that would change and they would prioritize my project. As of yesterday, there has been no change in the status or updates on my project..Yesterday I canceled my service, the contract, and stopped all work on my website. this has been an incredibly frustrating process, even leading me to question whether or not this is a scam.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2025

  Hi *****, sorry you had that frustrating experience!

  We do confirm your most recent communication with the team almost a week ago, and in the 4 business days that followed (prior to you stopping the work), five of your tasks were worked on, including an updated website design in ****** ******************************************************************

  All of the working files created by the students belong to you and can be used by any web developer in the future. Will be sending you a reminder privately now as to where you can find your files.

  Sorry to see you go!

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2025

  Hi *****, sorry you had that frustrating experience!

  We do confirm your most recent communication with the team almost a week ago, and in the 4 business days that followed (prior to you stopping the work), five of your tasks were worked on, including an updated website design in Figma. ******************************************************************

  All of the working files created by the students belong to you and can be used by any web developer in the future. Will be sending you a reminder privately now as to where you can find your files.

  Sorry to see you go!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/06/2025

   
  Complaint: 22906928
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/16/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  On 11/28/2024 I entered into an agreement with your organization, with an agent for the owner, ******. Due to my own delay, I was not able to schedule an appointment for the next step until 12/2. I was sure to be thorough with ******, taking help page by page on what needed to be done. He asked questions, assumably from a questionnaire. I noticed that at times, he would ask me a question to which I had just explained an answer. I told him emphatically I was exasperated because I didn't have the knowledge to fix several things. My primary concern was my ecommerce site, simply because Christmas was around the corner. I emphasized 'time was of the essence'. He assured me what I needed to be done was easy enough to get the commerce site working. Then I went into detail about working long term with them, using services such as SEO and making my site look more professional. I've submitted screenshots to review timelines, although several messages were sent via text. I am able to furnish those. Those were sent to ****** in full exasperation. He was able to help with nothing. I was livid by 12/11 when ******* finally called to get access to my site after imploring why I had not been contacted. ******* was friendly, and went in immediately after the call, which included me explaining to him again what I needed and as soon as possible. ******* started adding departments that would have administrative access. I felt hopeful. On 12/12, I began receiving 'actionable' items, I guess showing me they were finally working on getting things started, in which to charge me, that should have happened by the first week. More forms and modules to fill out, and NOTHING was touched on my website. I realized I was being exploited & they would continue racking up hours, sending me busy work. I hired an expert who assured me by looking into the backup log, nothing had been touched. She offered to give me a free page in which to share my experiences online as she believed they were predators.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/16/2024

  Hi ********,

  Sorry to hear about your experience. From your explanation it sounds like you became a client approximately two weeks ago, but were not immediately available to do an onboarding call. And there have been delays on this end as well, likely because this is the busiest time of the year for us and many of our long-term clients. I can assure you that any delays have nothing to do with us acting in bad faith, as you have implied. After serving thousands of small businesses across the country, we have a well established method of dealing with these problems, and all of that begins with having an open, honest conversation, on the phone. You will be getting a call shortly. I hope that you can refrain from disparaging the students any further, as they are just doing their best to keep up. It is a stressful time for them as well. Having said that, I am so sorry you are experiencing this unwelcome anxiety and for our part in it! We will be in touch no later than end of day.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/18/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********. More than that, I spoke to the President of the agency. He appears to be someone of high integrity and took complete ownership of the situation. 

  A complete refund is being offered with a kind follow up answer.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****-*****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2024

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  After nearly 6 months with SM there hasnt been a task thats been completed in full and monitored to any real extent. The team created some FB and IG posts, but after those were posted for a couple of months I pointed out that there were zero followers, so who sees them? They agreed and then said we needed to build followers. They said that we would launch the 1000 followers campaign, but then they circled back and said that it is now cost prohibitive to do so with US based followers. How did they not already know this, and why were we doing posts at all if this is the case? ** also launched a ****** Ads campaign on my behalf. At the point I closed out my account with SM it had been over three weeks since anyone had logged in to manage the campaign. In the meantime I was being charged by SM for work on ****** Ads. When I asked what I was being charged for it was explained to me that they were creating more ads. Why would we do this when the ones that are being run havent even been optimized? I never approved that. Additionally, the initial ads contained no images. ****** suggested that I add images, and when I reached out to SM about this I was told we couldnt use images. I sent them a screenshot from ****** and they then added images to the ads. This company also asked that I pay for ****** so that they could use it to track conversions. I paid $96 for ****** and they then realized they couldnt use it in any of the places they hoped to. They didnt offer to make that right in any way, even though I brought it up several times. Attempting to communicate with this company is horrible. You can send a message to the general mail and no one will get back to you. A call also yields no return, even though they claim they will return a call within 24 hours. I would like refunded for the last couple of weeks and for the $96 I was asked to waste on ******. I have wasted over 2k with this company and havent received ANY return on investmentnot one referral or client.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/18/2024

  Hi ****, so sorry for these misunderstandings! They don't happen often over here, but be assured that we take full responsibility. Keeping communications completely clear is not always easy and sometimes all we can do is our best. We have taken care of your request for the past two weeks of refund, and added a third week as we cannot refund you directly for your purchase with ******
  
  ******************************************************************

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

  After the company received my complaint, they did refund me for the last three weeks of services. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

  No, it is not yet resolved, as only one of the three refunds have actually reflected on my credit card.  The other two email receipts I received for refunds have no "authorization code" attached and are not yet reflecting on my card.  Once they do, I will consider this resolved.  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/19/2024

  It was processed yesterday. It can take up to 3 business days to propagate through the various systems.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/19/2024

   
  Complaint: 22564205
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have received emails stating that there are three refunded charges. Currently only two of the three charges are showing as pending being refunded on my card, the third refund isn't even pending.  Additionally, just today I was charged another $40.01 for "work" that was done last week on the ** campaign...the one that there are no followers for that we were no longer working on.  That charge will also need refunded, and to be clear, there needs to not be any further charges to my card without a direct call to me.  I already put this in writing to your company one week ago.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ***********

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2024

  Just give the banks a couple of days to do their thing: ******************************************************************

   

  As for the latest charge, that was for the last work done that had not been billed yet. Resolved.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/25/2024

   
  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.  The company has refunded me for the past few weeks of services.  I do still feel that this company is fraudulent in their practices and billing, however, and highly recommend that customers look elsewhere.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ***********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/08/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  I signed up with Student Marketing on May 1, 2024. I met with my "instructor" who spoke with me about my goals and outlined a marketing plan. The plan had 3 phases. Phase one tasks, there were four of them, were the most important. When they were completed we were going to move on to phase two. After speaking with the instructor I met with the intern who was supposed to lead the work. I again explained my priority was the phase one tasks. The student intern asked a few questions about a phase two task. I explained that I hadn't given those tasks much thought. The intern gave some suggestions about the phase two goals and I discussed with her some reservations I had about some of her suggestions but didn't go to deeply into the conversation because again, she was bringing up phase 2 goals, and the phase one goals were not even completed yet. After about 2 weeks of getting invoiced (and with no work samples submitted for my review ), I reached out for an update. What I was given was an update on her progress on the phase two task she mentioned during our conversation and a half-completed phase one task. I explained that my focus was the the phase one tasks and asked that they be focused on. Another 2 weeks, another 2 invoices. One additional phase one task was completed, the half-done task was still half-done, and she continued to bill for time spent working on phase two tasks. At this point, I requested to speak with the instructor. I followed the procedure and it took another 7 days to get a response, during which time I continued to be charged for tasks I had not requested. After the conversation, I was assured by the instructor that he would speak to the team, fix all the phase one tasks, and give credit for the work done that I did not authorize. NONE of those things happened, I continued to be charged for work with no evidence it was done despite repeated requests to see work samples.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/20/2024

  Hi ********, so sorry to hear about your experience! Tens of thousands of marketing tasks have been completed by the students, and most turn out very well. So it is a great disappointment to hear this feedback. We are currently looking into this and will help you resolve it. At first glance, we do see you interacting with the team on your Phase II projects, providing feedback and having meetings with our website intake manager to fine tune your website plan, which was on your 'Phase II' list. So on the surface it appears you were aware and in agreement that at least some Phase II tasks should be underway. However; we also see that you did not receive a credit yet, so we will need to fix that! We'll finish the investigation and get back to you soon.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 22110091
  
  I am rejecting this response because: if it appears that I was interacting regarding the Phase 2 tasks then you need to dig further. I had ONE meeting with *** where we discussed the phase 1 tasks and she asked me a question about a phase 2 task. From that meeting, WITHOUT my express permission, she began working on that phase 2 task. You see me interacting regarding the task because the way the platform is set up the INTERNS decide on the subject heading for the messages. My "interactions" were responding to questions she was asking me and then REDIRECTING her efforts to complete the Phase 1 tasks. Beyond that, the last 2-3 weeks of my time with Student Marketing, I was billed for over $600 for items to this day I have never seen evidence of being completed. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** Person

  Business Response

  Date: 09/18/2024

  ********, thanks for working with us to resolve this matter. Best of luck as you continue your journey.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/14/2024

  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.

  They told me they would charge me $22.22/hr for their services, so I agreed to have the work done. They started the work and then a few days later I noticed they were charging me $42.22. When I asked them about it, they said they would check but never got back to me with an explanation. I then noticed that they were trying to charge me $96/hr for another project, and when I asked them about it, they deleted it and told me I was imagining things. I told them I did not want to use their services and wanted a refund since they hadn't done any work yet, but they refused.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/14/2024

  Dear ******, just yesterday you were conversing with our team regarding the problem you were having gaining access to your website which a different company created for you, and you promised to let us know as soon as you received the credentials so we could continue the work that we are in the middle of performing for you. You didn't mention any concerns yesterday regarding our services nor our rates.
  
  When we saw this BBB complaint we were shocked. We have now gone through the entire written communication history and see that there were plenty of opportunities for you to raise concerns, but you never did. This actually looks more like you discovered that cannot gain access to your website, or your old supplier convinced you to allow them to do the work instead, and you are using these complaints about our rates as an excuse to cut ties and get money back for work that we have already performed in good faith. This is very unprofessional of you. You must know that ********* like this, declared in public, can give rise to legal action holding you accountable, right?

  You mentioned that you were "told" that we only have an hourly rate of $22.22 per hour. This is a lie. You were told during your initial discovery call that there are multiple rates, depending on the complexity of the task to be performed, dictated by the amount of experience required to perform it. While a great many services are $22.22 per hour, some advanced services are not in this category. That is what you were told. In addition, your initial inquiry to our company was after visiting our homepage, ***************************************************************************, which clearly discloses all of the rates for the various services the students can perform. This page, for which we have a record of you visiting multiple times, has all the rates clearly spelled out. In addition, the agreement that you signed also specifically points to the 'various' rates on the homepage. Since that agreement is only a couple of paragraphs long, it is unlikely that you did not at least review it. In addition, the original proposal letter we sent you also backs this up. So... it looks like you are having a case of selective memory about our very fair and unusually low rates in an attempt to manipulate the story.
  
  As far as the other claim, that no work has been performed, this is also not true. On May 28, 2024 your approved in writing for the team to proceed with the *** task, (conversion rate optimization) and we did work on that task in addition to others. Your entire story is baseless and speaks more to your bad character than us doing something wrong. 
  
  Sorry for being so defensive, but your story is full of holes and it hurts to have you treat us this way when we have done nothing by try to serve you in good faith. We have performed thousand and thousands of marketing tasks for other businesses and many will testify that we always try our best and usually do just a good of a job, or even a better job, than many other more expensive agencies. We would have been happy coming to some professional way to cut ties had you given us the chance. Instead, you have injured our students and potentially damaged the public's faith in our integrity.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/02/2024

  I didn't see that there was a response from them, I just finally saw it and read it, and it is complete lies. I have absolutely no problem accessing my website and have no clue what they are talking about. I would like to see these so called emails that they are talking about. This company is nothing but a scam and I would like my money refunded to me asap. 

  Business Response

  Date: 07/03/2024

  Sorry ******, but all records indicate that you had been communicating with our team cordially right up until the day before you lodged this complaint. We have supplied BBB with a screenshot of the very last communication with our team to confirm this.
  There is no evidence that you were not happy with our team's performance, only that you were struggling to get the access to your website from your previous supplier.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/03/2024

   
  Complaint: 21848194
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Wow, your company really is corrupt!  Unfortunate that you so conveniently wont allow me access to the message thread in my portal on your website, where I repeatedly inquired about pricing with no response. Luckily though, when you finally did give me a vague response, it came to my personal email (attached). I also have an email to the original salesman about how you were charging me way more than originally quoted and that I had contacted you several times about it with no response. (Of course he didn't respond either.) So that was very bold of you to write a response to BBB that I never inquired about pricing.

  I also cancelled my service as soon as I found out that you were charging me way more than you originally told me you would be charging, yet you continued charging me and I had to cancel a second time. (attached)

  I would also like to note that I did not receive any of the enticing options you baited me with to sign on with your company (attached) - AND it's interesting that you're telling people you will give them $500 worth of free ads as a bonus for signing up, when it's really ****** that's giving them the free ads. Since you want to talk about integrity....

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

  Business Response

  Date: 07/27/2024

  Thank you for the feedback. Our prices are clearly listed on the homepage of our website... the same homepage that you reviewed prior to reaching out to us. Sorry if it was not clear enough.