ComplaintsforBest Version Media, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  04/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Consumer Complaint Against ************ Media: I am the real estate expert contributor to ************ Media in a local magazine, where I pay $1,200 monthly for exclusive advertising rights on the real estate page. Additionally, a portion of the advertisement features my husband, a mortgage lender. Despite assurances from the two independent sales contractorswhom I trusted as friends and familythat other featured families could share their occupation but not advertise, ************ Media has breached this agreement.We are now in the ninth month of the contract with no referrals received. Furthermore, a recent issue featured a non-neighborhood family prominently displaying real estate signage, directly contradicting what was agreed upon. Despite my efforts over the past month to terminate the contract due to this breach, the company has only offered release conditional upon finding a replacement, which has not yet occurred. Moreover, I have not received approval proofs for the June advertisement, which typically arrive a week prior, suggesting the possibility of an unauthorized rerun of last month's ad for which I did not give approval. Potential expert contributors should be wary: ************ Media has demonstrated a practice of featuring competing professionals who are allowed to advertise similar services at no cost, undermining paid agreements and marketed exclusivity.This situation not only represents a breach of trust but also a breach of contractual terms as conveyed by their own sales representatives. I urge ************ Media to address this issue promptly and uphold their commitments to their clients.

  

  Business response

  04/17/2024

  Our goal is to provide an excellent experience for all of our clients. In this situation, we have honored our side of the signed agreement. The feature family mentioned by our client did not promote or advertise any business in the magazine. Additionally, the ad proof for **** has not yet be finalized, so there have been no unauthorized advertisements printed in the publication. Our local team is working to find a fair solution, and in the meantime, we look forward to working with our client to advertise their business each month.

  Customer response

  04/17/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  Certainly! Here's a formalized draft of your response:
  
  ---
  
  Subject: Formal Objection to Content Classification and Suspension of Payments
  
  To Whom It May ************************** am writing to formally address my concerns regarding the content featured in your recent publication which involves a real estate agent prominently displaying professional signage and engaging in activities that distinctly resemble advertising. Despite the ostensibly editorial nature of the coverage, several elements compel me to classify this as promotional material:
  
  1. The agent is photographed holding a "For Sale" sign, with an additional "Coming Soon" sign visible in the background.
  2. The feature article explicitly mentions her profession as a real estate agent.
  3. Subsequent to the publication, the agent created a social media reel where she acknowledged being selected by one of your independent contractors, noted her non-residency in the neighborhood featured, and extended thanks to your magazine. This content was shared from her professional real estate page and included a tag to your magazines Instagram page. (Video is too large to load)
  
  These actions collectively suggest the content serves more as an advertisement for her services rather than as neutral editorial content. This perception is further enforced by the agent's use of professional media channels to amplify her real estate business in direct connection with your publication.
  
  Given these circumstances, I must reject your previous response and inform you that I will withhold any further payments pending a satisfactory resolution of this issue. I am simply requesting that my contract be terminated by April 30, 2024 providing you ample time to find a replacement.  I am not asking for any payback. This situation has not united neighbors yet divided and destroyed friends and family. 
  
  
  
  Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************** Newsome 

   

   

  Customer response

  04/24/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 

  May you please **** our case as resolved. 
  

  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I am writing to file a formal complaint against Best Version Media regarding a contractual agreement entered into between our company and the aforementioned company. Despite our initial optimism and financial investment, we regret to report that after one year of using their services, the expected results have not been met. We were under the impression we would have an expansion of business visibility by becoming an expert contributor for their magazine but the lack of leads or calls to our small business has raised concerns about the effectiveness of their services since the result of good branding is an increase of sales. Adding to our dissatisfaction is their no cancelation by client policy. This policy leaves our company in a vulnerable position, unable to terminate the agreement even when faced with subpar performance, and does not meet our expectations. Its hard to understand the persistence of this policy after numerous complaints that have been raised against it.We have previously contacted their business to express our dissatisfaction and their response reiterated that their contractual terms explicitly state the absence of any guarantee of acquiring clients through advertising. Therefore, we are stuck in a $462.50/ month contract we believe is not benefiting our business. We kindly request the Better Business Bureau's assistance in addressing these concerns and helping us with a contract termination.Thank you for your time and consideration.

  

  Business response

  04/17/2024

  This matter has been amicably resolved with our client.

  Customer response

  04/17/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/12/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  BVM did not provide service they promised to. When we try to reach out to resolve issues, there was no response from BVM. We had no choice but to terminate the contract with BVM and cancel our business credit card associated with BVM to prevent further loss and to protect our business.

  

  Business response

  04/12/2024

  This matter has been amicably resolved with our client.

  Customer response

  04/12/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is acceptable the business operation as a whole is still questionable to me. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company is everything shirt of a scam. They present it as a beneficial way to advertise, but we have not had ONE conversion since we started this service. They present it as though they will have writers for your business to help give you views. Wrong. They want YOU to write the articles FOR THEM! They CHARGE YOU EXTRA for pictures they have done, that you already paid for. Their support is non existent. We have complained about this, and received a one line response "You signed a contract, and we look forward tonworking with you" This is in response to our absolute dismay in the service. If you check across BBB, this is a very common issue with this company, and how they have continued to scam people is beyond me. We've used coupon codes on ads with no response, we ask EVERY customer if they've seen our add. Nothing. Not ONE conversion, yet they promise the world while signing. I have given this company almost 2 years of payments and received little to no support, other than them asking ME to write articles for THEM! SOLo we have to workt for their company as well as PAY THEM. If I do not get released by this company, we will be bringing them to court and starting pages for similar situations and victims of this company to join together in stopping this company and raising awareness on not only a local level, but a national level.

  

  Business response

  04/12/2024

  This matter has been amicably resolved with our client.

• Initial Complaint

  04/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have been in a contract with ************* *************** (MBLM/BVM) since October 2022 upon a referral. The magazine representative, *********************, stated false claims that have not been upheld on the part of NBLM since that time, I have requested to change or cancel my contract, with only a denial. I have not received any business as a result of advertising for 19 months. I have spent a total of ******** and have not received any competent advertising or referrals.

  

  Business response

  04/12/2024

  We offer branding solutions designed to build loyalty and recognition for local businesses. Our rep did not promise any particular outcome to our client before the signing of the ad agreement. The Expert Contributor position in the magazine requires a 36-month commitment, which was communicated by our local rep. ************* our rep is attempting to find a replacement to take over our client's position in the magazine, but did not guarantee those efforts would be successful. We have upheld our side of the agreement that was signed and we hope to continue working with our client moving forward.

  Customer response

  04/18/2024

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  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. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  03/31/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am under contract with this company, initially it was a 3 year contract, I have complained and reduce to 2 year which will end July,2024.Last 12 months, they have been not doing much what they have promised when I first joined. I didnt even get 1 customer out if this advertising company.They told me that I will get clients out if this. I am an Agent for Royal Lepage in ********.I am not happy with there services, its very hard to get hold of them, and they never do what they promised.Its waste of money, doesnt give any business out of this company.

  

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  We offer branding solutions designed to build awareness and recognition in the local community. We understand our client's frustration and are working with them to resolve this matter. We hope to reach a fair resolution in the near future.

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I started working with Best Version Media in May of 2023. As part of a monthly advertising fee of ***** i was supposed to receive online post in face book and or ****** which i never have. Ive never received so much as one phone call from a potential customer for any of their online advertising. I am deeply concerned with this company.

  

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  Our goal is to provide an excellent advertising experience for our clients. In this situation, our local rep met with our client and communicated the terms of the ad agreement before signing. All of our clients who sign up for digital advertising receive a monthly impressions report delivered straight to their inbox. We have honored our end of the agreement and hope to resolve this matter in the near future.

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have an advertising contract with Best Version Media, It has been over a year for one and the other is ******************************************************************************* the magazine. I have been calling the local representatives and leaving a message and I have emails to the ***************** as well, and no one is willing to cancel the ads. They are not beneficial to our organization and has no generated any new customers as we were told when we initially agreed to advertising. We were told that had wide customer base and that placing the add would bring in more customers. I just want to cancel contract and stop throwing away money.

  

  Business response

  04/09/2024

  Our branding solutions are not direct response advertising tools. Instead, we aim to build brand awareness and recognition for local businesses over time. We are working with with our client and are currently awaiting their response to the resolution we have offered. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I was contact by a lady who said that someone gave her my phone number, and I believed her I am a business owner and she told me that they could do advertising for my business at the beginning. I was really interested about it but I run, and I also work my business myself. I told her I was gonna get back to her there was some days that she emailed me but I couldnt get back to her because I was too busy. I did spoke to my husband about it and he said that he was not interested because $800 was way too much money, I went ahead and email her and said that I was not interested on the service because the amount of money it was too much for us but thank you so much but we were not interested. There was another day that she called me and asked me to send her information that , Office was asking and I told her that we were still not interested and that they have not provide any service yet so that we will go right ahead and cancel. I told her that I was busy and I was gonna call her back because I was in a clients house and I didnt want to be on the phone and Cliente house. I called her back and the conversation got a little heat up where she told me that listen lets say someone comes to my house and they told me to do a job and they end up not doing it. I can end up suing them. She also said that that magazine was a well-known and the reputation of my company was technically on their hands kind of telling me that they could ruined my reputation. At this point I felt pushed and harassed. I did as my husband that I wanted no problems when he told me that this was too much I said, I really dont know what to do , I went ahead and schedule an appointment with someone that sent me an email. I sent her my information thinking that they were gonna call me back. I have never received another call besides this other person that called me after that I did not receive any message so I went ahead and start looking for emails and asking to please stop harassing me and cancel all this service , her name is *********************************

  

  Business response

  03/19/2024

  This matter has been amicably resolved with our client.

• Initial Complaint

  03/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am writing to file a complaint against Best Version Media regarding a contract agreement (Ad Agreement) entered into between our company and the aforementioned company. Despite our initial optimism and financial investment, we regret to report that the expected results have not been met. We were under the impression we would have an increase in business by becoming a contributor for their magazine but the lack of leads or calls to our small business has raised concerns about the effectiveness of their services. As of today Best Version Media has yet to produce a single lead for us. Adding to our dissatisfaction is their no cancelation by client policy. This policy leaves our company in a vulnerable position, unable to terminate the agreement even when faced with subpar performance, and does not meet our expectations. Its hard to understand the persistence of this policy after numerous complaints that have been raised against it.We have previously contacted their business to express our dissatisfaction and their response reiterated that their contractual terms explicitly state the absence of any guarantee of acquiring clients through advertising. Therefore, we are stuck in a $400-900/ month contract we believe is not benefiting our business.We kindly request the Better Business Bureau's assistance in addressing these concerns and helping us with a contract termination.Thank you for your time and consideration

  

  Business response

  03/18/2024

  Unlike direct response advertising tools, we offer long-term solutions that brand local businesses in the community. Our ****** Services team has offered to work with our client to find a fair resolution. We hope to resolve this matter in the very near future.

*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. ↩