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Business Profile

Searchers of Records

NY Certificate Service

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Searchers of Records.

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 26 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 11 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

Submit a Complaint

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.

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Complaint status

Complaint type

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:09/07/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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'm a new LLC in NY. I thought this was a document I had to have. I wrote a check for $87.25 on July 11th, 2024. It was cadhed on July 16th, 2024. I called the company on July 24hr, 2024 to check the status and was told it would take 4-6 weeks. I spoke with a man named Gerry. I haven't received the certificate. I now found out this is a mail scam.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:06/17/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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.
    Payment of $87.25 was requested on registering my llc. This was sent to NY Certificate service. I now realize that this was a scam as I could not produce a receipt while filing taxes. Conformation was seen in the large number of complaints now registered with a similar demand of 87.25.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/08/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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 was mailed a request for $87.25 for a business certificate. I sent this business on February 6, 2024 and did not recieve anything from them. I am reporting a scam.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:04/08/2024

    Type:Billing Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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 recently received a letter in the mail, which, at first glance, appeared to be an official request. It asked for a payment of $87.25 in exchange for a certificate of service. Initially, I was puzzled by the nature of this request, as I had not initiated any service that would necessitate such a certificate. Intrigued and cautious, I decided to delve a bit deeper to understand the legitimacy of this solicitation.

    To begin my investigation, I started with the most straightforward step: examining the business address provided in the letter. My goal was to verify the credibility of the entity making this request. Upon research, I discovered that the address was indeed real, but what caught my attention was that it was associated with a bank. This discovery was peculiar because, typically, banks do not engage in distributing certificates of service, nor do they request payments for such documents through mail solicitations.

    This linkage to a bank raised several red flags for me. Banks are often impersonated in various fraudulent schemes due to the trust people place in financial institutions. However, the direct connection of a financial institution to a seemingly unrelated service certificate solicitation was unusual and warranted further scrutiny. It suggested that either the bank's identity was being misused as part of a scam, or there was some misunderstanding or misrepresentation involved in the letter I received.

    Armed with this information, I realized the importance of proceeding with caution. It became evident that responding to the letter without verifying its authenticity could potentially expose me to financial risk or identity theft. The next steps would involve contacting the bank directly through official channels to inquire about the letter and considering reporting the incident to authorities if it indeed proved to be a fraudulent attempt.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:04/01/2024

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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.
    NY CERTIFICATE SERVICE asked me to pay the mandatory fee of $87.25 to be able to have a certificate for my new business that I just registered. And that if I don't pay the certification fee, my business could be in violation of the law. And I paid this amount. I never received a certificate and was never able to contact a representative of this service. I want my money refunded.
    THANKS
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:02/25/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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.
    We received a fraudulent and misleading letter from New York certificate services. They are requesting $87.25 for certify our business. This is a blatant scam and this company should fined and removed for their deviant practices of stealing money from unknowing entrepreneurs
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:02/09/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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 received notification from this company that I needed to pay $87 to get a certificate of business for my newly formed LLC in New York. After not receiving anything I visited the better Business bureau site and found that this company has a slew of complaints against them. They provide no product or service in exchange for the fee they charge. There appear to be a multitude of complaints against them for the same exact reason. To file to open a small business in New York state and then within two weeks immediately receive this notice with an Albany address and other information that make it appear legitimate and not optional, they are praying on every single small business in the state. In reading through the other complaints they are all identical to ours. We are requesting a refund of our $87 and requesting the state take action to protect small businesses by banning this company from continuing to operate.
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:01/31/2024

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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 was sent a letter shortly after my PLLC was approved by the state. It was from the NY Certificate Service (911 CENTRAL AVE WESTGATE PLAZA SUIE 132 ALBANY, NY 12206) in which I paid $87.25 by check via the mail. This appears to be a scam as they do not answer the phone, no answering service, no email and they never sent a certificate. This was not so odd as the office, also in Albany, that processed the license I needed for my work also never answered the phone and did everything via snail mail. Their letter looked very official and unfortunately it was the first paperwork I received after applying for my business. I had been told 2 weeks prior by my filing agency that they were processing applications submitted around the time I filed. They use misleading information to make it read as though it is required "one step left in order to attain your...status", reference your articles being filed with the Secretary of State. I work with children with Autism and find it despicable that people scam new businesses out of their money in this way. It should be illegal for the state to sell this information to these "companies"/scammers. You do not even need this certificate and if you did need one, can acquire from the state for much less. Again, they never sent a certificate so they scammed me. You do receive a TON of scam via the mail when you open a new business as well as legitimate paperwork that you do need to file and send checks. This was the first paperwork I received and I was excited that my business was approved, so disappointing it was a scammer. I quickly realized so much of the paperwork I started receiving was not legitimate. Beware!
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:01/28/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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.
    Notice date: 1/252024
    The same day as I completed my new LLC filing through ***** ****

    I received an official looking letter from this scam company with an Albany address.

    “You have one step left in order to attain your elective New York Certificate of Service”

    A fee of $87.25 and a year off form and QR code for expedited service.

    This is a scam. There is no requirement for this document. This is worded to confuse and scam new business owners and should be deemed illegal and the owners prosecuted.

    I’m going to call them during their office hours on Monday.

    Can BBB put a stop to this scam which has clearly affected others?
  • Initial Complaint

    Date:01/23/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    UnansweredMore 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.
    NY Certificiate Service is a scam. I registered my LLC and not long after this company sent me an official looking letter (it looked like it came from the State of NY) saying I had one step left which was to get a certificate and I had to respond by 1/19. I found out this is false. But I didn't know that at the time and I sent them a check for $87,25. I tried to call and they do not pick up the phone. They are taking advantage of people who will not know that they don't have to do this through their false agency. I demand my money back. Thank you.

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