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Business Profile

Book Publishers

The Urban Book Publishers

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Book Publishers.

Complaints

Customer Complaints Summary

  • 7 total complaints in the last 3 years.
  • 3 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:08/15/2024

    Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 March of 2023 I signed for UBP to market my book $1500. In June I had a new representative because the previous one was not doing his job and they could do so much more. For $6000 they would market my book all year and longer if needed to sell ****** books. In July, they received on my behalf a contract from ************** for 4000 books to sell over 6 months for $14000. My rep ***** kept in touch in the beginning until he was promoted and made promises, but nothing was ever getting done. Then he was gone. I have worked with ******, *****, ******, *****, *****, ****, **** and ***. The only people still there that I am aware of are **** and ***. No one ever calls back except *** and she was removed from my team by *****. My sales so far are $600. Worst marketing ever! Links to book sales on social media are incorrect. No new updates to social media. No sales on any platforms except for **************************************************** September.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 09/09/2024

    Better Business Bureau:

    At this time, I have not been contacted by The Urban Book Publishers regarding complaint ID ********.

    Sincerely,

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

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:05/13/2024

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Unpursuable
    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 am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Urban Book Publisher regarding our contractual agreement dated October 2023. As per our signed contract, Urban Book Publisher was obligated to market two of my books and provide ghostwriting services for one of the books, with a guaranteed return on investment (ROI) ranging between 450% to 500%. However, since the inception of our agreement, there has been a complete lack of progress and fulfillment of the promised services.Despite numerous attempts to communicate with Urban Book Publisher through phone calls, emails, and text messages, there has been no tangible progress on the contractual obligations. Over the past six months, I have experienced significant trauma and frustration due to the company's failure to deliver on its promises.Recently, a representative named ******* purported to have authority within the company and offered to resolve the issue in March 2024 by demanding an additional payment of $500 to fulfill the agreed-upon services. Subsequently, another representative named **** informed me on 6 May ******************************** October 2023 was poorly drafted and could not be honored as initially promised. Instead, he presented me with two options: either pay an additional $2800 or request a refund.Opting for the latter, **** assured me of an immediate refund and promised to share the relevant details via email. However, despite repeated follow-**** there has been no progress or communication regarding the refund.I seek your support to get my refund of $3100, and compensation for mental anguish. Further more I'm a proud Military Officer and would fight for my rights and also safeguard other people against these scamsters.

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/20/2024

    Type:Service or Repair Issues
    Status:
    Unanswered
    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 started with wanting to get my book published with the urban book publishers as they had good online rating and gave the most support for new authors. I signed with them on January 22nd 2024 and gave them $600 to publish my book on multiple platforms for sale. In the beginning I received a lot of back and forth correspondence and then they reached out saying that they are offering all of this marketing strategy that they will complete and I would be guaranteed to sell so many copies. At this time I paid them $3000. Then a couple weeks later I get a voicemail from the project manager heading up the launch of my book asking me to call him. He then put me on the phone with his boss asking for $400 more to change wording on Amazon platform through the year so that my book stays at the top ************************** Then a month goes by and I have to beg for updates finally I get a call. Its a wonderful book deal with ****** and ***** wanting 3000 copies of my book to put on their shelves in 100 locations. Which I would receive payment by them in two months. They want me to pay $6000 up front to print and ship the books. At this point all they are doing is asking for money and my book is not even published. I agree to give them 1500 upfront and the other 1500 after ****** and ***** pays me (negotiated to $3000 from $6000) weeks go by and nothing. Then after reaching out multiple times the gentleman that was the project manager is no more. There is no more ****** and ***** deal, but I cant get my money back, the new guy handling my account keeps promising a status update on everything I have paid for and where we are. I get vague or no response with promises of people that are supposed to call me and never do.

    Customer Answer

    Date: 04/14/2024

    Better Business Bureau:

    At this time, I have not been contacted by The Urban Book Publishers regarding complaint ID ********.

    Sincerely,

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

  • Initial Complaint

    Date:03/14/2023

    Type:Product Issues
    Status:
    Unpursuable
    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 paid 500 dollars for them to edit and publish my book. I'm no longer satisfied with their process or their team and I would like my money back. In the contract, it says "Money back guarantee- if you are not satisfied with the work quality or the process."When they send you to the finance department, the salesman will debated me tooth and nail over definitions and hold anything I said against me. All I want is a refund.

The Urban Book Publishers is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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