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    ComplaintsforLeedom PR

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    • Complaint Type:
      Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      I was contacted by someone, ********** believe, from Leedom PR and spoke to **** Leedom, the supposed ************* of the firm a few days later. She confidently asserted that ****** services would help me attract clients to my private practice as a licensed clinical psychologist and published author. She encouraged me to purchase the jumpstart or leopard package, providing 8 months of PR services for a total of $5,975, which I paid her on Nov 6th of 2023. From the outset she provided very little services in sharp contrast to the deliverables outlined on her website and in the contract, which purports to include strategy consulting, content development strategy, online contributor placements etc. We spoke maybe twice over the phone. She provided very little feedback about my website and helped me to develop a tag line, afterwhich, I wrote 5 articles for her to send to online media outlets for placement. One of them was published on yourzenmama.com and another on wellness.com, which I came to learn anyone can create an account and publish on. It does not appear to be a credible site. And yet when I addressed this with her she became very defensive and suggested that it is highly credible and features experts when in fact anyone can publish a blog post on the site. As the former complaint states, I have also come to believe this is a sham PR agency. Also consistent with the prior complaint, I signed a contract with her which states services are non refundable, but she is entirely misrepresenting the services she is providing. It is not a matter of me being dissatisfied with the placements. I understand results and placements cannot be guaranteed. She is misrepresenting herself and her services.

      Business response

      05/15/2024

      We don't have anyone names **** working for our company.

      We provide PR services which do in fact, increase client's business over time. *********  package was initially for 5 months and I offered an extra 3 months as a courtesy, as she would need time to update her website and we were heading into the holidays. I did not charge her for the extra time.

      The services provided were precisely in line with the agreement, including 2 consulting sessions and ongoing email support, as well as placements. We only had a few weeks to provide placements as she did not provide content as required and terminated the agreement 4 months early. Her emails on file are a testament to the satisfaction and momentum I had in place and are available for review for anyone who would like verification this client was very satisfied with all of the consulting, branding and strategy as promised. I provided in-depth support on content presentation and topic support, as well as detailed content format to be accepted by editors with specific content requests regarding format. 

      I had to nudge the client in March, as 4 months into the agreement no content was yet received. I was very clear 5 articles were required before send outs. This is in the agreement and welcome packet she received, also available for review.

      We were met with very unexpected emails from ******* saying she had no idea what I was talking about...what content did I need and for what purpose. This was very unsettling, as the entire project was based on content placements on relevant websites. My website, my initial outreach and proposal, Agreement and welcome packet discussed all content requirements, goals, marketing strategy and specific format and timing in great detail. So her confusion made no sense at all.

      This is all available for review for anyone interested in verification that I was not in any way deceptive, misleading or vague in what was required to move our process forward. Her comments led me to believe ******* was having some kind of personal of other issues sadly, as it simply wasn't possible for her to not be extremely aware of content requirements in every way. All of this is avaialbe in emails for review to any party interested for verification. She had not checked in with me for 4 months.

      Given I had less than 30 days to place content, I secured the initial content on 2 very reputable sites to start. Both sites require full editorial review and editorial approval. Forbes, Entrepreneur and *************** and many other large sites 'allow' people to 'log in and set up an account and provide content'. It is a rare person who is able to secure actual live placement and proper promotion without a publicist.

      Given ******* has never secured any media of any kind when we began, sites reaching semi-large numbers, albeit not the New *********** would be extremely helpful in starting to establish expert crediblity and a positioning as a trusted authority. From there, more sites and larger sites would follow over time. Ironically, I have clients who received major media from much smaller website placements.

      ********* site did not display the crediblity changes I recommended. Her site, *********************************** is a far difference than other clients like www.drmicheleborba.com. Website presentation is crucial. However, no expert or client would receive a massive increase or any increase with only a few weeks to position. I have worked with clients who were on Oprah and had little to no movement in their business. It is a complete package over time.

      ******* appears to have been looking for advertising, which rarely works to build business either in just a few weeks. Regardless, I provided the consulting, strategy and placements as agreed, adding on months for extra time with no cooperation from the client regarding content and website updates.  I offered to work from a strict wish list so she could review each site prior to send out, but instead she issued a charge back with PayPal, who refused to provide it given I have done nothing wrong after revising the evidence.

      All I can do is respond as best I can and hope people see the obvious issue with services that cannot possibly control outcomes. All materials and emails are on file and available for review to any parties who need verification on my integrity. 

      I am sorry ******* had a difficult time with our package. I am confident if she reviews the agreement, e-mails, welcome packet and content format guide and requirements, she would understand I provided everything as agreed. As she herself stated, nothing is guaranteed in PR, so to take this kind of step when clearly I did more than what was required leaves me completely stunned and hurt. I hope I can do better in the future to clarify expectations even further.

       

       

       

      Customer response

      05/16/2024

      I am rejecting this response because:

      **** is a fraud. She does not provide legitimate PR services. She has clients sign a contract up front that stipulates no refunds, no guarantees, and requires up front payment. She provides minimal feedback on websites (I have gotten far better feedback for free), develops a tag line, edits a bio, and asks for content (blog posts), which she then uploads on non-credible websites. These are services anyone could provide. When clients express frustrations with the lack of legitimacy of the services she provides she is very quick to say that she has met the minimum required services per the contract, that no refund will be provided, and  that you are prohibited from sharing your experience. She then proceeds to gaslight and intimate. 


      Business response

      05/16/2024

      *******, I am again so saddened you feel you were not getting the services you paid for. As I did offer many ways to accommodate you that were only met with silence I am at a loss as to how to resolve this. It appears you just want a refund for no legal or ethical reason, and when that wasn't provided per the terms of our agreement and PayPal's refusal, you are now using the BBB to attempt to intimidate me. Never at any point have I taken any 'action' against you.

      In our agreement you provided in here, you can clearly see the initial consultations were to review your home page and your branding. There are two set calls as discussed and unlimited additional calls if needed. You never requested one.

      I helped you come up with a great tag line based on our branding call, which that alone can be a very expensive project with other agencies. Emails attached testify that you were very happy with that process and result. Suggesting I didn't give you the level of support you feel is warranted is not a reasonable complaint, as my support was consistent with the agreement and your needs as provided to me and the goals of the agreement as mutually agreed upon.

      I noticed you never integrated the suggestions I provided for your website, which I explained was very important to secure media placements.

      You never reached out for additional support if needed.

      You did not provide the required content as described in our agreement, welcome packet and emails to you until I nudged you, and you then stated you had no idea what I was referring to. I have those emails as well.

      I did not have to add on extra time. You were on a 5 month package with a gratuitous extension, and getting content to me at 4 months only after being nudged and stating you had no idea content was needed certainly left me little time to position you on a large number of sites. The 4 sites you were positioned on are very credible and used my hundreds and in some cases, thousands of experts globally. 

      You stated in final emails you wanted to only wanted increase your business locally, and given this wasn't going to do that as quickly as you wanted, according to you, you apparently decided to pursue a refund. Publicity is not guaranteed and it certainly takes more than a few weeks for exposure to translate to book sales and increased business. This does not make me a 'fraud.' 

      When a refund wasn't provided by PayPal after your attempts, who also agreed I did nothing wrong, you are now choosing to attempt to defame and harm my reputation through the BBB. That is not ethical, legal and to this date you have not referenced one single deliverable in the agreement that you did not receive. 

      Consulting and branding were completed timely and exactly as promised and to your satisfaction, according to the emails with you on file. I can provide additional emails if needed.

      Content support was provided exactly as promised, including topics, format and overall presentation to tie into your revenue models.

      Placements were just starting when you terminated the agreement for no reason. No placements were guaranteed as you also noted, so again, this claim is not legally or ethically valid. 

      I am a very established agency, having worked with thousands of clients successfully. In today's world when people are not happy and had unrealistic expectations they use the Internet as a weapon, which makes me very sad. The Internet is a wonderful place for information and resources that help millions of people. I am proud to be apart of that and have many wonderful clients who testify that I am anything but 'sham' in my operations and processes. 

      Please clarify if you think all of these people, very credible, prominent people are lying?

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

      *******, I continue to be sorry that you are so unhappy, as you have clearly stated here and with PayPal.

      As I have provided you the deliverables of our agreement, including by other people's review, to the fullest extent I see no ways in which I was a 'fraud' as you claim.

      Given your lack of website changes per our discussions, lack of acknowledging your responsibility to provide content in spite of the abundant information I shared to confirm what was needed from day 1, and refusal to work with highly credible sites ongoing as we agreed unless they immediately upped your local business, I do not see any way that I could have been fraudulent.. To suggest I am with no solid claim of any kind is very concerning on many levels. 

      It is my hope you will see the issues you have not taken responsibility for and agree that terminating the agreement was your choice alone and we can both move on from here. 

    • Complaint Type:
      Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      On 11/08/22, I purchased 5 months of PR consultation and support from ********************* of ***************** after she recruited me. Her business purports to increase visibility and name recognition of authors and other professionals by helping with branding and content placement. Her branding assistance was generic and had nothing to do with me and my business. Her assistance regarding the redesign of my website was to send me a list of websites to emulate, 1/3 of which were nonfunctioning links and the other 2/3 of which had nothing to do with me and my work. When it came time for content placement, the first website she placed my work with re-wrote my article, adding inaccurate content (I am a psychologist, and accuracy matters). I explicitly declined consent for them to publish the re-written article, but it was published anyway, in my name. When I complained, **** said this was a "mistake." She next directed me to a site that she is the founder and editor of, wanting me to place my next article there, although she did not disclose her relationship with the site. It turns out this is a ghost site; analytics show fewer than 5 unique visits per month - hardly the "high traffic" site she promised. I expressed displeasure at various points in our work together. Each time, she responded defensively, refusing any form of redress. I ultimately severed ties with her, and withdrew consent for her to use or place anything I had written. I believe she is running a sham PR agency, and that she is not delivering the service she describes, especially when it comes to content placement for professionals. I did sign a contract with her, and I know the contract says there will be no refunds, but I don't think she's delivering the service she says she'll provide. Trying to place my work on a site she owns and edits without disclosing that is unacceptable, and the fact that it is a ghost site was the icing on the cake.

      Customer response

      01/24/2022

      I have attached the invoice from my payment to *****************, as per your request. This is in reference to complaint #********.

      Thank you.

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

      Business response

      01/27/2022

      To Whom it May ******************* class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">
      I received your email informing me of the complaint filed by ****************** regarding my services. I have also been in contact with ***************** regarding this matter.

      My services provided and paid for by ****************** and outlined in the attached agreement she signed were as follows. 

      1. Provide consulting, specifically regarding her website in regards to conversion and credibility presentation. I am a marketing specialist, thus my consulting is focused on the elements of her site specifically that will boost her ** credibility and conversion. The consulting was never intended to be about ****************** personally, as she seems to be saying she anticipated. I am a marketing and branding consultant, not a business development or personal coach.

      Nowhere in my agreement or other documentation or my website is personal coaching suggested. A list of sample sites was provided as an example, however the consulting took place over the phone and several emails and involved every aspect of review of her home page. If there were dead links in the document I sent to her, that could have happened in the time I sent it, to the time it was read. It's and FYI document, as the actual consulting took place over the phone with us both reviewing her website in great detail with email follow up, which she fully participated in.

      The consulting on her website presentation was provided in great depth. ****************** chose to disregard the guidance provided, which is her prerogative. However, the more than **** clients I have worked for years find my guidance extremely helpful. I can certainly provide testimonials and you will find many on my website, www.leedompr.com, as well.

      2. Provide Emotional Branding Design consulting. In this session I provide a highly proven and respected system in the ** industry that I developed to help my clients create a profile of how they impact their audiences in regards to how they feel when they work with them. Many experts focus on what they do for their clients, but how they make them feel is a crucial and highly proven strategy to increase their client's success and quality of interaction. Again, I have many testimonials regarding this service I provide and it is backed by solid research. 

      ****************** was provided a great deal of information from me prior to entering into the agreement. She was provided phone calls, proposals and a document on my Emotional Branding Design package and was very aware of what we would be reviewing in consulting. I also provided a discount to make her more comfortable regarding her budget. 

      Again this was to provide marketing guidance and not personal consulting in any way. We do contact potential clients via email, as we are very selective about who we work with and are looking for specific clients that fit the needs of the media outlets we work with currently. This does not constitute fraud. This method of working with clients and media outlets increases our ability to secure placements, as many agencies never provide placements and are not required to do so sadly.

      It is true my daughter contacted her the next day after I initially spoke with her. I had not had a chance to update her on status and she knew we were looking to work with her. 

      Her emails did suggest she was struggling with providing what was needed. She finally did tell me she was not the least bit interested in how she makes people feel and found the Emotional Branding useless. If that were true then why did she buy the services? My website, my materials and my contract clearly state what we will be reviewing. My track record is very solid, having worked with more than **** clients since ****. Sadly, I think it just didnt resonate with her and that is truly disappointing, but it doesnt mean I am scamming people and I do find this accusation highly offensive and slanderous.

      I have no doubt I came across defensive with her, as it is highly disrespectful to suggest fraud when in reality this was not something she wanted to utilize, post consulting. She stated repeatedly she wanted it to be 'about her. My focus is in marketing and conversion and that means providing solid strategies that boost credibility and audience appeal. My consulting is clearly marketing driven and not personal or therapeutic in any way.

      3. I also provided content development guidance, which she also fully took advantage of, as she provided 5 articles for us to use to promote her work on relevant, credible and prominent websites. Specific size regarding placements is not offered in my contract, as in MANY cases, smaller sites that are credible and relevant provide a great deal more promotion than a very large site. She was made aware of this as well in our conversations.

      When I asked for her to provide what is required I received the following responses:

      In requesting a headshot:

      On Nov 30, 2021, 8:24 AM *****, *********************** <***********************>, wrote:
      ****,

      I've attached the book cover I want to highlight as well as a new headshot. Will this suffice? We tried taking indoor shots against a white wall, and they were awful...


      In her feedback after the Emotional Branding session:

      On Nov 20, 2021, 7:17 AM *****, *********************** <***********************>, wrote:
      Hi ****,

      I created a map using Canva, the site I use for presentations. I hope the format is close enough to what you want/need.

      I did work more on the towers, using Word Hippo, which I now love - thank you for that recommendation.

      The words at the bottom of the page are synonyms for "Freed" - words I can imagine using - although I think "Freed" best captures the feeling I want to evoke, and I think it is important that it is more positive than the "un" words.

      I'll be interested to hear your feedback, and am ready to schedule our next meeting when the time is right for you.

      Best,
      ****

      And this one:


      On Nov 16, 2021, 6:17 AM *****, *********************** <***********************>, wrote:
      Hi ****,

      I visited the Simple Mind Lite site, but cannot figure out how to download the app to my computer - just to my phone - but I think you said I should do the mapping on my computer. I have a ****** laptop, and tried to get the app through the ****** Store (my choices were ****** Play Store or App Store, but I don't have a Mac).

      Any suggestions?

      ****
       
      She was struggling to meet the technology and other media expert/professional deliverables suggested or in some cases, required. But again, this was all clearly stated we would be dealing with online deliverables. I do have the copies of the emails if needed.

      I also helped her by revising her bio, an essential tool in marketing her content. I suggested also she revise her email signature, which was very difficult to read and not aligned with standard email protocol used by media experts. These are smaller aspects of our deliverables, but it shows the ongoing support I provided to her throughout our engagement, which she accepted happily, based on emails on file.

      Once we began placements, we intially secured a very highly respected website. We did have to ask ****************** to edit the article, which she did do. The editors unfortunately did not use the new one, but mistakenly put the incorrect version up. Once the client was sent her the link to approve, which is standard in any form of publication to have the client proof the article, the mistake was caught and the editor immediately changed the article and published the correct version. In any form of print media mistakes happen, and with online content they can easily be fixed, as this was. 

      As a gesture of good will, I offered to position her on my parenting site, a very respected website with highly notable experts like ***************************** positioned on the site. It was not meant to replace any contracted placements, but to merely be another great option for exposure, given the company she would be positioned with on the site. The site doesnt receive much traffic these days, but it's a much respected and utilized resource. It is also syndicated to other sites, reaching millions. And it is very clear I own the site, as you can see here.


      She could have simply said 'no thank you' to the placement, as I asked her before placing her on the site, given the circumstances. But given that she had difficulty complying with standard requests and that the Emotional Branding was not something she personally found valuable, she used this situation to suggest fraud, and to then terminate our agreement and contact you. All because I offered her exposure on a very respected site? This is clearly an attempt to push me for a refund regardless of the contract she signed and to attempt to soil my reputation. 

      Offering her an additional placement on my site which is smaller, but extremely credible, respected and widely utilized by media (I appeared on ******** ********************* due to my being the publisher of the site) is hardly grounds for such action. I was a very active parenting contributor to many media outlets for 10+ years and did write many articles. Our website is syndicated to more than 75 million monthly unique visitors. She could have just said 'no thank you'. Instead, the fact that I own the site was her reason for turning it down and terminating the agreement.

      As she references, I do have one past client who complained about me many years ago specifically because the Today Show did not pick her up in the few months we worked together. That client paid in several installments and never expressed her unhappiness. She received far more placements then what we contracted for in our agreement. It is all very clearly documented in that review. If she were truly unhappy she would not have continued to make payments. 

      Unfortunately in **, when people dont get what they think they should get, in the time they expect it, regardless of how clearly expectations are set up verbally and in the contract, can become very bitter. In 20+ years this is a rare occurrence for me. The rip off report is a blackmail site and once clients put their review up, they are charged a great deal of money to take it down once they are confronted with a libel issue.

      Ms. Huebners contract is attached. I am guessing she did not provide that to you. It clearly states what was to be provided, which indeed was provided. We had many more very exciting sites lined up and would of course have shared those with her as the articles went live. We did not have a specific number of placements guaranteed. We do not share our proprietary list of websites with clients before they go live, as the lists of sites we work with, editor contacts etc. is very proprietary.

      We work with sites that match our clients demographic, audiences and credibility. Many of these are displayed on my website.

      I cant be held responsible for how a client responds to consulting. My strategies are very credible and well proven. Website placements had just begun and were going well. Mistakes do happen and they do not nullify a contract when they were fixed within hours and prior to articles being promoted. The contract does state we are not responsible for how the editor handles the content. But we do of course ask them to fix issues if they arises, which they are very happy to do.

      I cant be held responsible for the lack of future placements that the client wont receive due to her terminating the agreement.

      I am happy to provide any additional information you need. I am very sorry she found the services to not be helpful, of course. Emotional Branding and strong website presentation is something I am highly skilled at and highly respected for providing. I do understand it may not work for everyone, similar to buying clothes that are never worn. 

      Our contract is VERY clear about what will be provided, as is our refund policy, all of which she signed off on. It also states that no public review of our work or anything related to our work together may be instigated/published. I have included that for your review.

      Her complaint says I am scamming people, However I can provide multitudes of testimonials very much to the contrary and again, find this incredibly unprofessional and unethical that simply because something didnt work for her personally, she would make such an accusation. ****************** was fully informed prior to payment exactly what would be provided. My website is very very abundant in the information I provide. She was sent several documents/emails outlining my consulting on Emotional Branding. Our consulting took place within days of payment and at no time did I fail to provide what I promised. 

      The link to the article we had published, the correct version, is here. A very credible, prominent and relevant site.


      Let me know if you need anything further. I do hope given the information I have provided, we can consider this matter concluded. Our agreement does also preclude ****************** from any public discussion of our agreement and/or issues she may have. This is a fully legally binding agreement with no refunds unless I am negligent as the contract describes, and that is most certainly not the case as you can see attached. 

      Thank you,

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



      Customer response

      01/31/2022

      I am rejecting this response because:

      Dear ****************,

      Thank you for investigating my complaint against *****************,and for offering me the chance to rebut Ms. ******* response. I will address her claims in order, pointing out inaccuracies and mischaracterizations. All quotes are drawn from email exchanges and ***************** written material, which I will provide at your request.

      1.     Website presentation. **************** asserts that, with regard to my website, ****************** chose to disregard the guidance provided. That is untrue. We did have a telephone conversation about my site,during which **************** ran through suggestions about sections she believed should be moved, highlighted differently, or eliminated. I repeatedly expressed confusion about how to revamp my website prior to doing the Emotional Branding that, in her model, was to serve as the underpinning for everything I did. She agreed that I should hold off on making changes until after the Emotional Branding,and said she would send a written summary of the website changes she was recommending.I never received that summary.

      2.     Fee for services. **************** states, I also provided a discount to make her more comfortable regarding her budget.This is untrue. ***************** solicited my business. We had an email exchange in which I articulated my PR goals, followed by a brief telephone conversation in which she assured me that she could help me meet my goals. She then moved into high pressure tactics including telling me that I had 24 hours to sign up and,when I indicated I needed a week to review the contract, that prices would soon rise. I neither asked for nor was offered a discount.

      3.     Services provided. In response to my complaint that I was given generic advice in no way customized to me, my expertise, or my audience, **************** says in her response that she provides marketing guidance and not personal consulting. However, her written materials promise, Strategy and consulting on all aspects of your messaging, website,content development and media materials preparation

      4.     Emotional Branding. **************** states,She did finally tell me that she was not the least bit interested in how she makes people feel. This is a gross mischaracterization. After struggling to complete her Emotional Branding rubric, finding the reliance on feelings-specific key words to be ingenuine and manipulative, I wrote, I dont want to tell people how to feel. Instead, I want to build my reputation on the foundation of solid work, including articles I am hoping you can place on high-volume sites.

      5.     Emotional Branding continued. **************** states, She stated repeatedly that she wanted it to be about her. Again,this is a mischaracterization. I repeatedly expressed frustration that *************** refused to talk about branding and placement based on my work, my audience, and my goals, instead relying on a generic one-size-fits-all formula.I was led to believe both from our initial phone conversation and from written communication that she was going to help me shape my presence in a way that took me, my work, and my audience into account. That did not happen.

      6.      Content Development. **************** states that she provided content development guidance that I took full advantage of, resulting in 5 articles for placement. In truth, the guidance she provided consisted of a sheet specifying format guidelines and another with basic recommendations about how to write a brief article for publication. She said she would review the articles already on my website to make suggestions about which to re-write/re-purpose, but never did that. I came up with topics and wrote 5 unique articles without input from her. She made a minor editorial suggestion on one of the 5 articles, and wrote that the rest were excellent as is.

      7.     Content Development. **************** states that specific size regarding placements is not offered in my contract, but her welcome letter states that they position clients on relevant lifestyle websites reaching ******* to 50 million+ viewers. That is also what she told me in our initial phone conversation when she was recruiting me to work with her.

      8.     Use of technology and deliverables. *************** states, several times, that I struggled to meet the technology and other media expert/professional deliverables, as though through technical incompetence I was to blame for the inadequacy of her services. This is another gross mischaracterization. The technical issues we had were that she sent me broken links and directed me to an app that was not downloadable on my device.

      9.     First placement. **************** states, We did have to ask ****************** to edit the article. This is untrue. I was not asked to edit the article; the article was re-written by an editor without my knowledge and sent to me for approval. The new version contained factual errors, clinical inaccuracies, and links to articles that were not pertinent,along with a lengthy section the editor had written entirely on her own. I did not give consent for the edited version to be published since it contained inaccuracies added by the editor, and was then asked to re-write it myself, which I did. The editors version was posted anyway, and I had to ask them to take it down. My rewritten article was ultimately posted.

      10.  Second placement. **************** states that,As a gesture of goodwill, I offered to position her on my parenting site, a very respected website with highly notable experts like ***************************** positioned on the site. This statement is problematic for a number of reasons.First, **************** told me that my articles were excellent, and that there was high demand for my topics. She said she would have no trouble placing all 5 articles, so a goodwill gesture was not needed. Second, she did not disclose that it was her site, nor is this apparent from the homepage. In terms of notable expert **************, there is a single article by ************** on the site.**************** often references ************** who is, in fact, nationally known, citing her as an example of the efficacy of *****************, but she told me in our initial conversation that ************** was a classmate of hers, and that she is not an active client.

      11.  More on second placement. **************** acknowledges that her site doesnt receive much traffic these days. In fact,the site appears to be a ghost website, with between 0 and 3 organic visits per month for all of 2021. 

      12.  Downplaying credentials. Finally, I would like to clarify that although **************** refers to me as ******************, I am *****************. I am an established, credentialed expert in childhood anxiety, the author of ******************************************************************************** 23 languages. I am often interviewed by the national media,have been on the TODAY Show, and gave a TEDx talk that has been viewed over ******* times.

      In closing, I felt it was my obligation as a professional to report ***************** as **************** solicits business from authors, uses high pressure sales tactics, talks a big game, fails to provide the services she promises and, when confronted, responds defensively with mischaracterizations and inaccuracies, as is abundantly apparent from her response to my complaint.

      Sincerly,

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


      Business response

      01/31/2022

      This complaint appears to be based (***************************) aka Client assertion that I was negligent.

       

      1. Consulting on website and ****************** was provided as agreed.

      2. Placement was provided utilizing content client approved. Editor mistakes do not constitute negligence on my part, per our agreement on file which specifically states this. Placement was corrected immediately prior to promotion.

      3. Content guidance was provided via formatting guides required by media outlets and ****************** consulting, wherein content topics and concepts are discussed. Email follow was provided.

      In no way was I negligent in offering a placement (Parentingbookmark.com) that client was free to decline. The site has been syndicated to many websites and is considered very credible and relevant to client work. However, she declined and it is not relevant as suggesting any media outlet is not a qualification of negligence.

      Our agreement clearly does not provide refunds due to the kids of issues Client expresses. There is no incidence of negligence or fraud. Media placements are often very time sensitive, thus suggesting high pressure tactics is also not relevant. 

      Consulting, editorial support relating to format and topics and placement were all provided. Due to Client termination of agreement, all services were not provided as hoped, for which we are not liable. The terms of the contract are clear.

      If there are other resolution that would be considered I am open to options. 

      Also. I worked with Dr. * ***** for more than 10 years. She is 13 years older than me and I never did or would suggest she was a class mate. She has endorsed my services enthusiastically testimonials and in her books we worked on together. 

      Sincerely,

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

      Customer response

      02/01/2022

      I am rejecting this response because:

      I do not accept the businesss response to my complaint, and continue to maintain that ***************** is engaged in deceptive business practices and does not provide the services advertised. Specifically, with respect to the BBBs 8 Standards for Trust, I believe that ***************** is deficient with regard to honest advertisement, truth telling, transparency, and integrity. It is my hope that my complaint can serve as a record of this businesss operating practices if/when additional complaints are made.


      Business response

      02/01/2022

      ***************** provides in-depth information on our website, initial emails and proposals regarding our services, particularly the ****************** services. We have many testimonials on our website that support that we do indeed provide what we promise to the satisfaction of our clients, which is the issue at hand. In addition, we provide specific and legally binding deliverables and stipulations in our agreement, which Client signed off on.  

      Client clearly did not find our services to work for her personally and that is very disappointing. Refund clauses are instituted for this reason, as we could never run a business that many, many people have valued over 20+ years, if we refund money simply due to someone not finding our services a good match after the fact. Refund must be based strictly on negligence as defined in the mutually agreed upon and signed contract. As a matter of integrity, that is the primary consideration. Without proven negligence. the contact is in full effect, including public discussions.

      The Proposal and ****************** overview client received prior to contracting with ***************** all clearly stated what the focus would be. It is attached for BBB review. Client confirmed in subsequent emails after the consulting that she found the consulting helpful and would be using the branding of 'freed', moving forward to supplement her current PR presentation. those emails have been provided, as has the contract.

      At no time was client not clearly informed as to the scope, purpose and goals of the consulting she would receive. At no time did client state at the time of consulting this was deceptive. All documents sent verify this to be true.

      Client repeatedly has said she wanted the focus to be on her 'work' and not her ****************** and messaging. That was not the scope of our agreement, proposal or phone calls. While Client work is relevant to her PR presentation, and was integrated into content and bio consulting, the focus of ****** PR consulting is marketing and online PR conversion driven. Based on research, what we know to be effective in our work with thousands of clients in 20+ years, that is what we choose to provide and fully disclose to clients regarding the nature of our consulting. We are not libelous for what the client wants us to provide, but rather negligence is based on what we promised to provide, agreed to provide, and indeed as proven throughout these conversations and materials provided, as indeed provided.

      Given that no negligence or fraud has in any way occurred and that the client has signed a legally binding agreement stating no public discussions of our work or issues ensuing from any work are allowed, Better Business Bureau should support the honest, credible, reputable and fully forthcoming manner this client was informed and consulted with and dismiss this complaint.

      We remain open to options to provide any solutions of other means to the client as a gesture of goodwill. Given that none have been provided and refunds are not provided without negligence as stated in the agreement, and that public discussions are prohibited unless the contract is null and void, this matter should be concluded. 

       

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

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

      Customer response

      02/02/2022

      I am rejecting this response because:

      I see that I have two options from the BBB: I can Acceptor Reject each of Ms. ******* responses. **************** has not offered any form of redress, and I do not accept her narratives. I stand by my initial complaint and the rebuttals I have made. Im hoping that someone from the BBB can provide information about how this process ends if the parties cannot reach agreement.Does the complaint simply remain on file as unresolved?

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