ComplaintsforCerebral

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up for Cerebral in July 2023 and I found the service to be absolutely abhorent. The doctor was on the phone for just a few minutes, prescriped a random medication, and that was it. I tried to cancel but the website keeps saying I don't have an account. I've called and left messages at least monthly since August to ask them to cancel and no one answers or calls back. I have emailed them, and they say they can't because I don't have access to the account in question. They've charged me $99 per month for seven months that I have been trying to cancel.

  Business response

  02/26/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs. 
  

  We sincerely apologize for any confusion you have faced. We have reviewed these charges and have issued you a refund for $693. Please allow between 5 - 10 business days for the refund to fully process.

  If you have additional questions, please feel free to email ********************************** and we would be happy to support you however we are able.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I wrote in to cancel my subscription and was told by "****" that even though I have not used any appointments in February nor plan to continue I MUST pay for a full month of services because I didn't write in with 1 business day's notice. That is ******** and I demand this company to stop attempting to charge my card.

  Business response

  02/23/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs.

  We have canceled your account as of February 23rd, 2024. You should not receive any future attempts to charge the subscription plan fee. If you have additional questions or concerns, please feel free to email ********************************** and we would be happy to support you however we are able.

• Initial Complaint

  02/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I'm currently enrolled in a subscription plan to receive mental health care through Cerebral. The plan I was using is $295 per month. I have been quite pleased with the counselor I was provided with and very much want to continue using their services and seeing that particular Therapist.However I contacted Cerebral about simply changing the date of my billing cycle, because it coincides with my car payment for a car that I just purchased. It would help me out significantly if I could simply have the date changed to a different week from my car payment. The current date is the 8th of every month, and if it remains so I may not be able to continue using their services. I was told they could not do so. While I realize that my buying a car is not their issue, I would've thought my request was trivial and easy enough to do.

  Business response

  02/22/2024

  Thank you for your review, and I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. I will be sending you an email regarding your experience and how we can proceed. Looking forward to chatting with you soon!

  Customer response

  02/29/2024

   
  Complaint: 21327976
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Replied to email from Cerebral, awaiting confirmation that issue has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  02/29/2024

  Hello again, a response and resolution was sent to your email today, 2/29/24, at 8:32am PST. If you have trouble locating the email, please be sure to check your spam and junk folders. If you have additional questions, please feel free to email ********************************** and we would be happy to continue to support you however we are able. 

  Customer response

  03/02/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Cerebral charged me for a Month of service I never used initially, I paid a cancelation fee to a Doctor, which means the services were never used. I requested for that Month to be refunded and all charges to be stopped. Not only did they not refund that Month, but they continued to charge me for three additional months, totaling 4 payments of ***** for services I never received or used and requested to be stopped. I again, requested a refund, an employee ****** agreed to fully refund me and later I spoke to another employee named ******* who has refused to. Despite the company already agreeing they'd refund me. ******* refused to transfer me to a supervisor or escalate the matter, so that I couldn't seek the refund from someone above them. After looking around online, Cerebral has a history of doing this exact thing to many people. They continue to charge them, the people don't use the service, request it's stopped, request it's refunded and they just continue to charge and refuse to refund. Thats outright theft and fraud. Especially with this company doing this exact thing, to so many people, that it can be found all over the internet.

  Business response

  02/13/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs. 

  We sincerely apologize for any confusion you have faced. We have reviewed the charges from April 17th ($49), May 17th ($99), June 17th ($99), and July 17th ($99) in 2023. We have issued you a full refund for a total of $346. Please allow between 5 - 10 business days for this refund to fully process into your bank account.

  If you have additional questions, please feel free to email *********************************** and we would be happy to support you however we are able.
  

  
  

  Customer response

  02/13/2024

  Complaint: 21285181
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  There were 4 charges of ***** for a total of ******. It states that ***** was ***** in your response, however if you see the picture I sent for reference, you'll clearly see all charges are ***** for a total of ******. If you agree to this amount, I will accept. Thank you. 
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Business response

  02/14/2024

  Thank you for your response. I apologize for any confusion, however, the "description" part of the invoice describes the plan you were subscribed to, as well as the normal price. Since April 2023 was your first month, you received a promotional rate which was $50 off of the normal rate ($99). If you are able to view the invoice's PDF, the detailed explanation of the promotional rate should be listed. I am also happy to email you a copy of the invoice in question if you would like.

  Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns in the meantime.

  Customer response

  02/20/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I attended one session with a Cerebral physician to potentially be prescribed antidepressants. The business and it's representatives are claiming it is a subscription based business which directly conflicts the notes from the singular visit and provider I saw. The account was canceled and I was still charged month over month. Cerebral self described itself as a provider and instead is a fraudulent subscription service looking to prey on those searching for mental health providers virtually.

  Business response

  02/08/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs. We sincerely apologize for any confusion you have faced. We have reviewed these charges and have approved a full refund for $2,925.
  
  We will need to use an alternate reimbursement process due to limitations of our software. We will reach out to you at the email address listed on your account shortly for arrangements. Please feel free to let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns when we reach out. We are happy to support you however we can.
  
  

  Customer response

  02/09/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  Please ensure to reach out via email to ********************************************. I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  02/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Good afternoon I am writing this in hopes that BBB can help recover payments that were improperly charged to my account with **********************. After signing up for a promotional 1-month therapy appt I told the company that I couldn't afford to continue services and needed to stop. They told me they would stop/pause my account until I was ready to continue services again. This was completely false information. Below I have tried my best to lay out a clear timeline of events and payments that were improperly charged to my account. March 2023: I signed up for a discounted 1-month session for therapy with Cerebral. I was charged a discounted rate of $88.50 on 3/17/2023. I did receive an invoice & a payment notification for the this charge. I am not disputing this specific fee. April '23: After my 1st appointment I expressed that I wouldn't be able to continue with this service as I could not afford it. I also clearly stated to a support representative that I could not afford the services and needed to stop. 4/17/23 I was charged $295.00. I was not provided an invoice or payment notification as I was with my first payment.Sept 2023: After 5 months with no charges I received another charge of $295. No payment notification or invoice was sent. I then told Cerebral again I needed to stop services Oct '23: I received another charge of $295. No communications, payment notification or invoice Nov '23: I received another charge of $295. No communications, payment notification or invoice Dec '23: I received another charge of $295. No communications, payment notification or invoice Jan '24: I received another charge of $295. No communications, payment notification or invoice They refused to refund me despite my requests to stop service & never providing any services after the first month. Total Spent *******. I'm only ask for a ***** refund for the 5 months they charged w/o providing any service or notice of charging my account after me requesting a stop. Thank you for your help!!

  Business response

  02/01/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs. 
  
  We sincerely apologize for any confusion you have faced. These charges have been reviewed, and a refund of $1,475 total has been issued. Please allow between 5 - 7 business days for this refund to fully process. If you have additional questions, please feel free to email ********************************** and we would be happy to support you however we are able. 
  
  

  Customer response

  02/02/2024

   
  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. 
  
  Sincerely,
  RW

• Initial Complaint

  01/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I started using Cerebral in August of ***************************************************** September of 2022 when my care counselor was let go and replaced with someone who didn't show up to my first ***********. I requested a new care counselor multiple times but all they would do was send me a link that didn't work. I was paying $85 per month for medication plus care counseling, but I did not receive any care counseling since Sept 27th of 2022. The last doctor *********** I had was Sept 7th of 2023. I really liked my doctor ********************************** but she has apparently been replaced with another doctor ****************************** I had two prior bad experiences with ****************, one *********** she no showed, and the other she spent less than 5 minutes with me and didn't seem to care at all, and I had requested to not be assigned to this doctor again. I thought I had cancelled this service back in Nov, but apparently I didn't make it thru all of the "please come back" prompts or something because I was still being charged. I received no email communications about being charged, taking assessments, accessing my care team or making ***********s. It was entirely on me to manage my care. When I noticed I was still being charged, I cancelled the service today and got confirmation that it was in fact cancelled. But since I had been charged on January 16th, they said they were going to keep my $85. So I called and requested a refund since I am no longer using the service and they refused, since they have policies and I apparently agreed to this 2 and a half years ago and I should know this is how it works. Yes, I know this is how "subscription model" business is done. But I would like to remind you that this is a mental health service and I suffer from anxiety and ADHD, so taking advantage of me in this way is incredibly unethical. I believe I am owed a refund of at least Oct-Jan ($340) since I never used the service during that time.

  Business response

  01/22/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs. 
  
  We sincerely apologize for any confusion you have faced. We have reviewed these charges and have issued you a refund for $340 total. Please allow between 5 - 7 business days for this refund to process.
  
  If you have additional questions, please feel free to email ********************************** and we would be happy to support you however we are able.
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  The company continues to charge me for services not rendered. They sent an email stating that the account is closed but they continue to charge me for medical services that my son has not had. This is possible insurance fraud.

  Business response

  01/12/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs. 
  
  We apologize for any confusion you have faced with our billing structure. For in-network insurance clients, our subscription fee is $30 per month + applicable copays/coinsurance to be later billed through insurance.  
  
  We have reviewed this charge and see that it has been billed from your insurance company as a coinsurance payment. We are unable to adjust insurance billing. Please contact your insurance provider for assistance here. If you have additional questions, please feel free to email *********************************** and we would be happy to support you however we are able.
  
  

  Customer response

  01/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 21127099
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the insurance company has not been billed for services and I have an email from cerebral that services were cancelled.  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  We have processed a total refund of $180, refunding six of the $30 Cerebral in-network subscription charges. Please allow between 5 - 7 business days for your refund to fully process. Please note that applicable copays/coinsurance to be later billed through insurance and are not included in the $30 Cerebral in-network subscription fee, as these are indicated directly from your insurance company.

  Customer response

  01/18/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up to use Cerebral in March 2023. I agreed to pay the sign up fee of $175.00 There was a promo code of START175 that discounted $190.00 of the original $365.00 enrollment fee. I submitted insurance information, as requested, and was told that I had an In-network plan and that after the enrollment fee of $365.00 (with discount from promo code), I would pay $30.00 a month.After 2 months of use, I decided I did not care for the online therapy and cancelled my account on 6/6/2023. All of these dates and amounts can be confirmed in the attachments that are being submitted with this complaint.6 months after cancelling my subscription, I received a charge of $165.57 on 12/16/2023 and $130.44 on 12/19/2023.When speaking with the customer service representative today 12/20/23, I was told that they reserved the right to bill me for co-insurance. What Co-insurance? I do not have any type of co-insurance to submit, so this is an absurd claim.This is a deceptive billing practice and I did not agree to be charged an additional $300.00 6 months after cancelling the service.

  Business response

  12/20/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs. 

  We apologize for any confusion you have faced with our billing structure. For in-network insurance clients, our subscription fee is $30 per month + applicable copays/coinsurance to be later billed through insurance.  

  We have reviewed this charge and see that it has been billed from your insurance company as a coinsurance payment. We are unable to adjust insurance billing. Please contact your insurance provider for assistance here. 
  

  If you have additional questions, please feel free to email *********************************** and we would be happy to support you however we are able. Thank you again.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a therapist (*****************************) through Cerebral for 15 months. I have attempted to claim the recordings of the last session two sessions her and I had together (11/9 and 11/23). 3 times I contacted Cerebral in an attempt to collect the recordings, and I was specifically told that even though I'm no longer a client, the recordings were accessible to me. However, I have not been provided with the recordings, or answers as to why.

  Business response

  12/13/2023

  Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to do what we can to help you and ensure that we are being receptive to your needs.
  
  Cerebral does not record any sessions between patients and clinicians. There is a request for a copy of your medical records that is currently being review by one of our therapy clinical managers. Once this request has been fully reviewed, we will reach out via the email we have on file for you. We will be sure to continue to keep an eye on this for you and will update you accordingly. 

  Customer response

  12/13/2023

   
  Complaint: 20989978
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I was informed by 4 individuals from Cerebral that sessions are indeed recorded. The last person I spoke to - a man named *** - informed me that a supervisor would need to approve my request for the copies of the recorded sessions. He stated it could take up to 7 days for a response. 

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

  Business response

  12/14/2023

  Thank you for your response, and I sincerely apologize for any confusion surrounding your request. Cerebral does not record any sessions between clinicians and patients, therefore, we are unable to assist with this ask. If you have further questions, please reach out to *********************************** Thank you again. 

  Customer response

  12/14/2023

   
  Complaint: 20989978
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I do not believe you since I was told by several customer service representatives that ********************** does record. However, I will move on if I can at least get my therapists notes. I have the medical records, Id just like the notes now. 

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

*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. ↩