Complaints
This profile includes complaints for RevLocal Hibu's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see
Customer Complaints Summary
- 8 total complaints in the last 3 years.
- 3 complaints closed in the last 12 months.
If you've experienced an issue
Submit a ComplaintThe 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.
Initial Complaint
Date:01/08/2025
Type:Status:ResolvedMore 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.
Attached is a letter describing my experience with Revlocal. In April 2024, we were sold a bill of goods for online marketing, website construction, social media presence, and local search premium. From month one, we have been dissatisfied with the service received. The website does not match the description or examples we were shown, and they have offered no marketing advice. Consistently website information has been posted incorrectly. Our locations have had misinformation posted, and our online presence has been harmed by this business. Recently they committed to releasing us from the contract, and now they have reneged on that. We have spent more than $15,000 on them, and they want an additional $3800 to stop hurting us.
Business Response
Date: 01/14/2025
Thank you for reaching out and providing a detailed overview of your experience with our services. We genuinely value our clients and are committed to delivering the highest quality service. We are sorry to hear that our partnership did not meet the value you were expecting.
We understand how critical a well-functioning website is for your business, especially during the grand opening of your new location. Please accept our sincere apologies for any frustration or inconvenience caused during the course of our partnership.Our records show that we made significant efforts to address your feedback and resolve the issues you raised, including updating the website to display accurate information for each of your business locations. Additionally, as a gesture of goodwill and to reinforce our commitment to delivering value, we provided a credit to your account in November 2024 to address concerns you shared regarding the effectiveness of our social media plan and frustration with the website updates. At this time, we agreed to make a formal adjustment to the contract for the remainder of the partnership. Nonetheless, the services were delivered as outlined in our agreement, and substantial work was completed on our end, and we stand by the resolutions weve offered as being both fair and constructive.
We understand that this outcome may not align with your desired resolution, and we deeply regret that our services did not fully meet your expectations. We sincerely appreciate the opportunity to have worked with you and wish you every success in your future endeavors.
Sincerely,
RevLocalCustomer Answer
Date: 01/14/2025
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]
Complaint: 22782930
I am rejecting this response because:Revlocal is adding a narrative to the account credit that was not present. As stated in the original complaint, on the date credit was delivered it was not to "make amends". When discussing with Pj on November 5th, it was made clear that services delivered did not match the services we were sold. Rather than end our contract in November, We made a commitment to each other to postpone the conversation until January to allow Revlocal time to recapture our trust and deliver results. In that time, new blunders and errors were made. We have never received what we were sold.
It is as though Revlocal sold us a reasonable automobile to get us from A to B, and then delivered a horse trailer to us. It doesn't matter if it has wheels, or if you're willing to fix a tail light. It functionally does not meet our needs, and is NOT what we signed up for,
To hear that you genuinely care about your clients and service, and in the same breath say, "Sorry we butchered your new location opening." goes beyond "frustrations".
Regards,
*** *******Business Response
Date: 01/24/2025
Dear ***,
Thank you for your reply. We truly regret that your experience with our services has not met your expectations, and we want to assure you that your feedback has been carefully reviewed.
We recognize that there were areas where we could have done better, and we sincerely apologize for any negative impact our services may have had on your business. When you previously raised concerns, we took immediate steps to address them, including crediting your account and making adjustments to align our work more closely with your preferences. While we acknowledge your continued dissatisfaction, we feel confident that we have made every reasonable effort to fulfill the terms of our agreement and resolve the issues brought to our attention.
Regarding your request for a refund, we must respectfully decline. We believe that the services outlined in our agreement have been provided and that prior efforts to rectify issues were fair and appropriate. As such, we do not feel that a refund is warranted. However, in acknowledgment of your concerns and as a gesture of goodwill, we want to remind you that the buyout option we previously offered remains available. This option allows you to end the remaining contracted services early by paying a portion of the remaining balance, should you wish to do so.
We deeply value your business and are disappointed that we were unable to meet your expectations. Should you wish to discuss the buyout option further or have any other questions, please feel free to contact us directly.
Thank you for your understanding.
Sincerely,
RevLocalCustomer Answer
Date: 01/31/2025
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]
Complaint: 22782930
I am rejecting this response because:If you feel you have made immediate action to resolve issues, you are sorely mistaken. We have at no point, been satisfied with work completed. We have been very clear with Revlocal from the first month that this was the case, and it has gotten worse over time. You keep referring to a "November credit" as though it was a great solution to our struggle. It was not, It was merely meant, and issued by Revlocal at the time, to postpone the disagreement and allow Revlocal a last effort to make correction and show results. After MONTHS of dissatisfaction, and again, stating that what we were sold does not match the services provided, ** offered a credit to give Revlocal more time to fix the issues. There was absolutely no "immediate action" to correct- it took months to be heard. It has been "bait and switch" and run-around from the beginning. You have mischaracterized the disagreement and mischaracterized the "solution"- which was not at all a solution.
I have made efforts to do so already, and hopefully will continue to find opportunities to refer people strongly AWAY from Revlocal and Hibu. This is a farce. I have requested multiple times to be referred to a higher department, and the truth is that Revlocal and Hibu DO NOT CARE. They trick you into signing a contract and then crush small businesses through their actions. Everytime we submitted a complaint- we were told to give it more time, at our direct cost. My company has been directly harmed by their actions. Once BBB posts this publicly, please take my experience seriously, do not trust this company. Empty promises.
Regards,
*** *******Customer Answer
Date: 02/11/2025
I guess it limits me to 5 files, I will continue to gather more. I wish I had recorded our meetings, it would have made it so clear that from our first monthly meeting, we were already on the wrong path. **** was cutting back on clear items we had laid out with *******. I am glad I have some screenshots of how messed up the website has been in the past. I wish there was a way to view the history of what the site has looked like. In Revlocal's "proof of service" files, if you look under the credit- the comments have ** saying clearly that the credit was an effort to "restore faith" in Revlocal, and that he admitted to a "mis sale". When you see the emails from before and after that credit date, I think the order of events I have laid out will seem quite clear. Please reach out if you need more information. I will continue to comb my email and phone history to find more events from earlier in our experience.Business Response
Date: 02/19/2025
The business has communicated they have reached out to you directly and reached a resolution.Customer Answer
Date: 02/22/2025
[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 accept the business's response to resolve this complaint. Thank you ****** for hearing me, and trying to make amends. Neither of us are made whole, but to treat each other with ***** and understanding is always a better solution. I appreciate your efforts.
Regards,
*** *******Initial Complaint
Date:10/29/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore 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.
On July 24, 2024, I signed a contract after being promised an exceptional experience in teamwork, communication, and marketing. I made an initial payment of $2,444.24, followed by a second payment of $1,465.24 on August 24, 2024. I was then assigned to ******* ********* on August 29, 2024.Unfortunately, the microsite created by ******* was of extremely poor quality, leading to complaints from both existing clients and potential customers. Despite my attempts to communicate my concerns and request adjustments, my emails went largely unanswered unless I followed up ten days later.I expressed my dissatisfaction to my local representative, ********* *******, but received no meaningful response. On September 24, 2024, I made another payment of $1,465.24, yet the microsite remained unchanged, and no further action was taken.On October 29, 2024, I finally spoke with *******, who suggested options that would require additional fees to cancel or change my contract. When I expressed my desire to cancel due to the lack of service, ******* spoke over me and was dismissive, which I found unprofessional.I attempted to contact ********* ******* for assistance, but she did not respond, and my call to customer service was directed to voicemail.Given these issues, I am requesting an immediate cancellation of my contract without penalties and a full or partial refund. I hope the BBB can assist in resolving this matter.Business Response
Date: 11/07/2024
We appreciate the feedback which ****** has shared. After reviewing the complaint details, **** confirmed that our Client Success Manager has addressed the concerns raised and taken steps to ensure a resolution was achieved. Attached for reference is a copy of an email sent to ****** which outlines the agreed upon resolution.Initial Complaint
Date:10/01/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore 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.
As a small business owner, I contracted RevLocal from Aug. 2022 through April 2024 for both of my businesses. I was billed and paid $1000+/mo, which totals approx. $18,000 throughout RevLocal's services. Contract services included completed, functional, secured websites for both businesses and a Local Search feature (search engine optimization). I was also led to believe they attempted to capture and track reviews. I never received any reports of search or review activities or provided any information on how I could obtain them for measurable results. I terminated my contract in May 2024 after failed attempts to deliver completed, functional websites. Without websites, the Local Search feature wasn't functional as well. I mailed a document to the CEO, President, CFO, and COO citing my complaint of undelivered services. I incurred additional expenses in hiring support to manage RevLocal's difficulties. I received a one-time adjustment of $300 in Nov. 2023. There has been a significant negative financial impact on my business, and RevLocal's undelivered websites have hindered the generation of new revenue. I received a response from a mid-level manager, ******* ********, stating, ". . .It is important to clarify that our team did deliver the Local Search and Website as contracted . . ." There isn't any tangible evidence of such deliverables. I've had to spend more time and money building a website from the ground up. I will file a civil suit against RevLocal and trust the BBB will provide a fair perspective on RevLocal's current business practices. Small business owners like myself cannot afford to be 'oversold' and taken advantage of by a business that cannot realize and take responsibility for their service limitations.Business Response
Date: 10/04/2024
Dear Ms. *******,
Thank you for reaching out and for the detailed overview of your experience with our services. We genuinely value our clients and strive to deliver the highest quality service. I am sorry to hear that you did not find the value you were expecting in our partnership.
We understand the importance of a well-functioning website for your business, particularly given the nature of your industry, where aesthetics and functionality are paramount. We sincerely apologize for any frustration and inconvenience caused during the time we worked together.
However, after a thorough review of your account and the services provided, we must respectfully decline your request for a refund. While we regret that the websites did not meet your expectations, we did provide the contracted services over the duration of your time with RevLocal.
Our records indicate that we made significant efforts to accommodate your requests and address the issues raised, including providing credits on two separate occasions (November 2022 and November 2023) to address concerns you raised about your websites. However, the services were rendered as per the terms of service, and substantial work was completed on our end.
While the focus of your request seems to be on the websites, it is important to clarify that our team did deliver the Local Search and Website as contracted. Additionally, there was no service in place for Review Capture Services, despite the mention in your letter.
We understand that this may not be the resolution you were hoping for, and we deeply regret that our services did not meet your expectations. We genuinely appreciate the opportunity to have worked with you and wish you the very best in your future endeavors.Sincerely,
RevLocal
Business Response
Date: 10/18/2024
Dear Ms. *******,
We take your feedback seriously, but we must correct some inaccuracies in your statement.
Our records show that we fulfilled the contracted deliverables. We successfully built and launched websites for both of your businesses, which were live and received traffic. Additionally, our Local Search services were active for the entirety of our partnership.
To provide transparency, we’ve attached the following documentation:
****** Analytics data, verifying that the websites we built were live and attracted visitors.
Lead data, demonstrating that leads were generated from our Local Search and website services.
These materials confirm that the services were delivered as agreed. While we are open to addressing any remaining concerns, we want to be clear that the contracted work has been completed.
Sincerely,
RevLocalCustomer Answer
Date: 10/22/2024
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]
Complaint: ********
I am rejecting this response because:We can provide documentation that the websites provided were never accurate, nor what we requested. Sites included inaccurate information, improper layouts, and spelling and grammar inaccuracies. The "work site", ********************************* was never to have been made searchable and was finally removed from the live search upon our request because it looked so unprofessional and inaccurate.
To say that we received the product that we purchased is not an accurate statement. In fact, the team that was "writing our web site" did such a terrible job that I brought in a content creator, and later, a marketing person. Even after providing full pages to be replicated in Canva, your team did not perform or provide an accurate representation.
This is like saying that I provided a five star meal when someone provides a McDonald's order that was incorrectly filled; not only was the quality that was provided substandard, but what we received was never accurate.
Regards,
******* *******
Initial Complaint
Date:03/12/2024
Type:Status:AnsweredMore 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.
On June 15 I submitted a cancellation request. 1 week later they did cancel my request but the also deleted all my online presence, the biggest one being my Google listing that I built with over 40 review years before hiring Revlocal. After 2 months of back and forth they could not get my listing back. There excuse was that Google was taking along time to respond. I finally hired another marketing company that got my listing back within 1 week.Business Response
Date: 03/25/2024
RevLocal is disheartened that Mr. **** was not satisfied with our services. While we acknowledge Mr. ****’s frustration, we feel confident that our company worked diligently to appropriately tend to each of Mr. ****’s concerns as they were raised. During RevLocal’s partnership with Mr. ****, we acknowledged some unfortunate service delays which were the result of technical issues. To compensate for the negative experiences caused by the service delays, RevLocal issued a credit of $569.00 to Mr. ****’s account on 5/14/2023. Later, following the cancellation of Mr. ****’s account with RevLocal on 7/15/2023, Mr. **** contacted RevLocal concerning status changes made to his Google Business Profile. Mr. **** became convinced that RevLocal deliberately caused his Google listing to be deleted, despite our reassurances to the contrary. While RevLocal did not purposefully or maliciously take any action to delete Mr. ****’s Google listing, we recognized Mr. ****’s dismay and made efforts to restore his Google profile, even after he was no longer paying us. With credit having already been issued to the account and services having been administered after cancellation, RevLocal rejects Mr. ****’s request for a refund of $4000.00.
Customer Answer
Date: 03/30/2024
Revloca, did not help through the process of retrieving my google listing back. It was about a 2 month process before I got my listing back and it was after hiring another company that had it back with in 2 weeks of me hiring them, wich makes me believe revlocal either doesnt know what they are doing or they were just not tryin to help anymore. On top of that I would reach out to ***** frequently and she would never respond, at one point she even texted me back (aren’t working with another company have them take care of it) the reason I’m requesting a refund is I was not able to get any costumer’s from Google for over 2 months which as a lot of business owners now marketing is a big part of getting jobs and I missed out on huge opportunities and obviously thousands of dollars in revenu.
Business Response
Date: 04/12/2024
Thank you for your reply. While we acknowledge Mr. ****'s frustration with the process, his statements that RevLocal "did not help through the process of retrieving my google listing" and that RevLocal was "not trying to help anymore" are false.
As stated in a previous reply, while RevLocal did not purposefully or maliciously take any action to delete Mr. ****’s Google listing, we recognized Mr. ****’s dismay and made efforts to restore his Google profile, even after he was no longer paying us. Attached is a document which outlines communication between RevLocal and Google support related to the attempted recovery of Mr. ****'s Google listing.
The document provides proof that efforts were made by RevLocal to recover Mr. ****'s Google listing. Because of the clear efforts made, as well as a credit having already been issued to Mr. ****'s account with RevLocal, our decision to reject Mr. ****'s refund request of $4000.00 stands.Initial Complaint
Date:10/30/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore 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 signed up with Rev Local for help with online marketing for my small private counseling business. The woman who signed me up sent me what the package Included, including a line that they offer no contracts. I mistakenly signed a contract and feel I was misled into doing so. From June- end of October I have had zero results from the company. When I run a search for counseling businesses in the area, mine does not come up. The micro site they created for me had spelling mistakes. I emailed about this and wanting to end services in July. They did not get back to me for 2 weeks. When they did, they said they would fix the mistakes They fixed one error and the other remained. It was poorly done. I reached out to the woman who signed me up and she apparently left the company. The communication throughout the entire time was horrible. They told me they would not let me out of the contract. I complained. They finally agreed to end the contract at six months but I should pay a cancellation fee as well as the final month. I’ve spend thousands of dollars and have never gotten one lead from them. The woman on my account told me I had the wrong package for my needs but no one tried to rectify this. The service , communication has been poor and I am truly bothered by being misled about the initial sign up and my package listing “ no contracts “ but then being made to sign one. Additionally I received a call from Yelp- one of the places RevLocal was supposed to have me listed on and they told me my listing with them was not completed. I feel so misled. I do not believe I should have to pay RevLocal any kind of final Payment. I have had no correspondence with them about what they’re doing/ have done for my business for the final months. They say services contribute till end of November but I have no idea what services those are. I feel totally scammed. They told me I have the wrong package for my needs.Customer Answer
Date: 10/31/2023
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Date: Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 1:29 AM
Subject: 20800848
To: <*************************************>
Hello:
I would like to add additional information to my complaint. I have forwarded the latest correspondence from RevLocal regarding the end of my service.
Just today I received the call and an email from YELP regarding my page that has not been managed whatsoever. In this email they claim that they will no longer be updating this listing, but I have proof that they never have to begin with.
The tone from RevLocal is typically pleasant, but they do nothing /have done nothing on the back end. I do have the email from Yelp letting me know that the page has been unmanaged. I also have the messages from META regarding the Facebook account and it not being managed properly either.
I have the emails from myself to REVLOCAL in July regarding my concerns over the errors on the MircroSite and evidence of them not being in touch for almost two weeks regarding this.
I am happy to provide anything useful to showcase that RevLocal took a lot of money for me, misled me into a contract, claims to manage accounts that they clearly have not, and appears to take no accountability.
Attached are screenshots of the email I received today from YELP letting me know the account has not been managed. There is also a screenshot showing that my business information such as hours of operation and such has never been added to this site. In the email from RevLocal you will see that they state that they will no longer be managing this listing. They never have.
Please let me know if I can provide anything further to not only get the automatic payment stopped but to also get a refund. My email to them below lists the majority of issues I've had and I am hoping it can also be used to detail my case.
Thank you kindly,
****** *******
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Date: Mon, Oct 30, 2023 at 2:20 PM
Subject: Re: RevLocal Account Cancellation Confirmation for ****** ******* Wellness
To: ****** ****** <********************>
Cc: **** ********* <***********************>
Hello ****** and ****:
I am reaching out today to let you know that I plan to put a stop payment on the final payment and cancelation fee.
In terms of your email above stating that " We will no longer be updating your Yelp and Bing listings."
I had Yelp reach out to me today to let me know that nothing was updated by you guys on YELP.
Additionally, my business has continued not to show up in a google search for counseling / counselors in my area.
My micro site was plagued with spelling issues and was poorly done. It took a ridiculous amount of time to fix this, as even though I specifically listed the errors in an email, they were not fixed at one time. I went in and had to let you know that one thing had been fixed but another error remained.
Ever since you've taken my Facebook page over, I continue to get META SECURITY messages telling me that my page has been disabled and that I'm violating terms of services. I have NO idea what that's about, but you guys state that you're managing that listing and will be removing yourself.
I was told I am on the wrong package for my needs but anything further would have been out of my budget. I asked to discontinue services at the end of July. It was almost two weeks before anyone got back to me. Payment of course came out as usual.
I was told there were NO CONTRACTS when **** signed me up. I was grossly misled into signing one.
I have the email that shows what my "LOCAL SEARCH MARKETING" plan was, and it included "We offer no contracts so the pressure is on us to perform." I suppose "we offer" is clever wording.
I have told you that since signing up in June, I have received ZERO leads through you and as I said, I don't even come up in a listing of counselors in my area.
I have reached out to the Better Business Bureau and I not only want payment stopped for this final month, I want a refund for all services. I feel truly scammed and misled by ****, ****** and your team. Offering to not charge me last month, followed by a full final payment and cancellation fee feels unacceptable for me.
Why take advantage of a tiny counseling practice? All I wanted was to discontinue services because of poor communication/ sloppy management of the microsite, not finding myself in listings and zero results. I could not afford your larger packages nor did I/ do I trust your business. I signed up to help my business not to hinder it.
I am in the business of helping people, I feel you are in the business of taking advantage of people, misleading people into signing contracts and holding yourself accountable to absolutely no deliverables.
Sincerely,
****** *******
On Fri, Oct 27, 2023 at 3:44 PM ****** ****** <********************> wrote:
Hi ******,
I **** you’ve been doing well. As you know, your request to cancel your account at RevLocal has been approved. Your final payment is November 1st and services will continue through November 30th. Your account will be closed on December 1st.
I have made updates to remove our mobile site from your listings and replaced the link with your website’s URL. It is important that you take steps to continue to manage your listings as we cannot guarantee updates we make will stick since we are not managing the listings full time.
Please note the following about your existing listings and how to manage your information moving forward:
Google listing:
Your Google My Business listing is already owned by your business through this user and we will be removing ourselves from the listing.
Facebook:
Your Facebook listing is already owned by your business through this user and we will be removing ourselves from the listing.
Yelp and Bing listings:
We will no longer be updating your Yelp and Bing listings. You will need to go to these links and follow the steps to claim and manage them yourself.
Yelp- ****************
Bing- ****************
Other Listings
We are no longer managing any of these directories included in the PDF attachment. Please consider claiming each of them manually or finding a partner to help you manage them.
Brand Expander Ads:
Ads will be live through 11/30/2023 to reach the guaranteed number of impressions and will pause on that date.
I would love to
schedule a call with you to answer any questions you may have following this email and next steps. We have enjoyed working with you, if at any time would like to restart services, please do not hesitate to reach out to **** ********* or myself. Thank you
again for the opportunity to work with you! We wish nothing but the best for you in the future.
Best,
*****
****** ******
****** ******
Senior Digital Marketing Strategist
O: ###-###-####
********************
For Billing Assistance please call ###-###-#### (Mon-Fri: 8 am-6 pm EST)
RevLocal Offices will be closed on November 23rd, December 25th, and January 1st.
Holiday promotions are due by October 20th.
--
****** ******* BA,MA,LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
###-###-####
*****************
--
****** ******* BA,MA,LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
###-###-####
*****************Customer Answer
Date: 11/09/2023
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Date: Thu, Nov 9, 2023 at 5:46 PM
Subject: 20800848
To: <*************************************>Hi there:I would like to provide these additional photos of emails exchanged.I find it bizarre that RevLocal suggests that everything about the Local Search package I signed up with originally is correct, except “no contracts. Where is the accountability?Additionally please find the images of the packages recommended to me when I let them know that I was receiving zero leads and being told I was on the wrong package. They knew my budget and offered only options twice as expensive and then held me into the “contract.”It’s been a horrible experience and I don’t think simply refunding me after my request to terminate isReasonable or fair.Thank you.Business Response
Date: 11/09/2023
Dear *** *******,
Your concerns are taken very seriously, and we would like to address them in detail.
First and foremost, we acknowledge the discrepancy in your understanding of the contract terms. It is not our intention to mislead any client, and we apologize for any confusion that may have arisen. In light of the proof you have provided that you were told you would not be on a contract, we will be issuing refunds for the months paid after the date you requested to cancel.
Regarding your concern about our management of Yelp, we can provide you with evidence that Yelp was managed through our local search advanced service. We understand that personal identifying information is a sensitive matter, and we will send the necessary proof directly to you to address this issue.
In your complaint, you raised concerns about errors on the microsite that we built for your business. We acknowledge these errors and want to assure you that they have been addressed. Additionally, as a gesture of goodwill, we had previously issued a credit to you in response to the errors.
Lastly, we would like to address the complaint that you were told you were on the wrong package for your needs. Our intent was to provide you with the best services to help your business achieve its goals. While other services were suggested to you, it was determined that these services were not within your marketing budget. We want to reiterate our commitment to working closely with our clients to find the most suitable solutions for their unique circumstances.
We take your feedback seriously and will use it as an opportunity to improve our services and ensure that such issues do not arise in the future. Our team will be in direct contact with you to provide the necessary documentation and support to address your concerns.
Customer Answer
Date: 11/09/2023
[If you do not say why you are rejecting the company's response, BBB must close your complaint.]
Complaint: 20800848
I am rejecting this response because:Upon receiving the complaint, the business decided what resolution worked for them and issues me a two month refund. They did this without communicating with me to see if this resolved matters from my perspective.
I had a lengthy conversation with ******* on Tuesday I let her know that this was not adequate.
She agreed that the original email regarding the contract seemed misleading. She did not take accountability for Yelp. She told me that another company, I have never heard of, manages the yelp account and doesn’t require them to log in If this was being managed why did Yelp not even know my business address?
I had issues with errors on my site, which were not fixed for months after my microsite was created, in fact the site was created in June and the errors fixed in August. I had to point the errors out to RevLocal in an email I am a children’s author and a licensed therapist… having spelling mistakes and the word “dysfunctional” spelled wrong on my site truly highlights the lack of attention to detail when creating my site.
When I began to realize that I was getting no results from my investment with RevLocal, and when I say no results, I mean that from June to present, I’ve had zero leads from them. Not oneI spoke to ****, the woman who initially set me up with my package, the package that listed “no contracts,” and let her know that I was unhappy. She then suggested I was on the wrong package for my needs; my needs being the generation of leads and new clients inquiring about counseling with me. She then sent me two new package options, both of which were over twice the amount I was paying monthly. I had told her that I couldn’t afford anything more.
This is when I asked to terminate services. This led to me being told I was bound by contract.
It took another month to have a call with the company and explain my situation.
The outcome of that conversation was to be told they would cut the year commitment to 6 months. They offered me a month ( October by this time ) without payment They told me I would be paying November plus a cancellation fee over $200I felt stressed, misled, and tied into a package that didn’t work for my business needs. I was unable to afford to explore options with other companies. The company didn’t once come forward at this time to suggest services in my budget that would be more aligned with my needs. They did however debit me as per my “contract”.
My whole experience with Rev Local was horrible and I truly feel scammed. I requested an entire refund but they processed a refund of the two months paid following my request to terminate. I had no part on deeming that resolution acceptable.
In my opinion, that’s not acceptable. There was to be no contact. I should not have had to waste my time and energy being held into something that was not working for my needs. Regardless of this knowledge, the company only pursued payment, not improved services.
I am now extremely cautious about signing up with any other company.
The errors on my site and the poor communication from the beginning are reason enough for a full refund, but add in the dishonesty, lack of integrity, accountability and blatant disregard for the needs of my business, I feel a full refund is the minimum I should be granted.RevLocal processing a 2 month return prior to ever speaking with me about my feeling of resolution, is just another piece of evidence to showcase how they don’t really care about the customer. Their priority is their bottom line My priority is helping as many people with mental health as possible. Our values are significantly misaligned
I ask for a full refund, including a sign up fee and ****fully an apology for the stress this has caused me on top of the wasted energy and inability to move forward with online marketing with another company.
Regards,
****** *******Customer Answer
Date: 11/14/2023
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Date: Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 11:05 AM
Subject: 20800848
To: <*************************************>
Hi There:I am forwarded the following correspondence with the BBB to see my troubles / lapses in communication, repeated requests for errors on the microsite to be fixed, and being told the "contract" would not be terminated.Thank you I will also be sending the contract they had me sign after telling me there would be no contracts.Thank you kindly---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Date: Wed, Sep 13, 2023 at 3:16 PM
Subject: Re: Errors on Linked Website
To: ****** ****** <********************>
Cc: **** ******* <*********************>, **** ********* <***********************>
****** and ****:Hello. It is Wednesday and I have heard nothing.Please advise,
From: ****** ****** <********************>
Sent: Friday, September 8, 2023 2:43:52 PM
To: ****** ******* <***********************>
Cc: **** ******* <*********************>; **** ********* <***********************>
Subject: RE: Errors on Linked WebsiteHi ******,
Thank you for reaching out. I wanted to let you know that I have received your emails and communicated them forward to management. The request to cancel your contract is still under review. My understanding is that RevLocal management will be contacting you directly at the beginning of next week.
Thank you,
******
****** ******
Digital Marketing StrategistDirect Line:***** ********
For Billing Assistance please call ###-###-#### (Mon-Fri: 8 am-6 pm EST)
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Sent: Friday, September 8, 2023 12:26 PM
To: ****** ****** <********************>
Cc: **** ******* <*********************>
Subject: Re: Errors on Linked WebsiteHello ******:
I am still waiting to hear back from management. I find it disappointing that ****, the person who helped me select the package I chose, is no longer working with Rev Local at this time. I received this news via text message. Clearly I chose the wrong package, but I cannot afford the others.
When I search places like Yelp, I find that my listing has not been claimed. Additionally, I have, to date, received zero leads from you guys. Furthermore, when I search practices in my area, mine does not even appear. I was appalled when I saw the spelling errors and grammatical issues on the microsite. For me as a very small business owner, I feel as though my investment is being wasted and I cannot afford it. I actually feel robbed. I asked to speak to someone prior to the end of last month, prior to payment going through, but have not had that chance.
I do not feel that text messages or emails are appropriate forms of communication with an unsatisfied client.
Simply telling me that they will not break the contact is unacceptable.
Please have someone reach out to me ASAP. I very much want the contract terminated due to the poor experience with communication, attention to detail and results.
****** *******
On Tue, Sep 5, 2023 at 3:33 PM ****** ****** <********************> wrote:
Hi ******,
Thank you for reaching out. This afternoon, I shared your request to discuss your contract and concerns with management and wanted to let you know that someone will be reaching out to you this week.
I also made sure the updates on your Microsite were completed, including adding additional links to your website. I look forward to updating the gallery once I receive the photographs from you.
The Microsite is one of our biggest tools for increasing your online visibility. The site is designed to work on all desktop and mobile devices; it also features customized, keyword-rich content, photos, links to your website, and a strong call-to-action to increase opportunities for potential customers to contact you. This Microsite works in relation to your website and points patients who want to learn more to your personal website. This site also allows us to track lead form submissions, clicks, and phone calls. There is a call tracking number listed on your microsite that differs from your listed business number. This number is registered with Google and allows us to track leads by phone through the Microsite. This number is only listed on our Microsite and is not listed anywhere else. Please let me know if you have any additional questions about your Microsite.
I want to ensure that you have a positive experience with RevLocal. If there is anything else I can do, please let me know.
Thank you,
******
****** ******
Digital Marketing StrategistDirect Line:***** ********
For Billing Assistance please call ###-###-#### (Mon-Fri: 8 am-6 pm EST)
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Sent: Tuesday, September 5, 2023 2:15 PM
To: ****** ****** <********************>; **** ******* <*********************>
Subject: Re: Errors on Linked WebsiteHi ******:
I am frustrated with the entire experience with RevLocal.
I feel stuck into a package that isn’t right for me and I cannot afford the more expensive ones.
There are still errors on the Microsite, even though I pointed them out in my prior email.
Who can I speak with in management to discuss the contract.
I understand **** has taken time off.
Please advise.
****** ******* B.A., M.A., LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
From: ****** ****** <********************>
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2023 4:03:08 PM
To: ****** ******* <***********************>; **** ******* <*********************>
Subject: RE: Errors on Linked WebsiteGood afternoon, ******,
Thank you for reaching out and providing your feedback on the Microsite. I’m more than happy to make the changes you’ve requested to your Microsite.
I also spoke to my leadership team about your request to discontinue our services and they decided not to terminate your contract. I would like to schedule a call with you to discuss what we can do to improve your experience with us as we work to fulfill the terms of our agreement. Are you available on Wednesday, September 6th at 1:00 pm CT?
Thank you,
******
****** ******
Digital Marketing StrategistDirect Line:***** ********
For Billing Assistance please call ###-###-#### (Mon-Fri: 8 am-6 pm EST)
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2023 12:49 PM
To: ****** ****** <********************>; **** ******* <*********************>
Subject: Errors on Linked Website
--Hello ******:
As I work on updating my website, I now realize that my Google Profile does not lead a person to my own website. I did remove Addiction from my site, so I'm wondering why it can't lead someone directly there. That is where I list my children's books as well as the info I wrote about myself.
I am unhappy with the site Google takes people to, mostly because there are spelling errors and I don't like the layout. Dysfunction is spelled incorrectly. The grammar is poor as it states " I strives to help them find a path forward." In my opinion this is sloppy and I'm quite upset with this considering I'm a writer, editor, and I've paid RevLocal enough money to ensure things are correctly done.
I'm also unhappy with the photos on my page. I can send new ones, but I would like my LOGO to be the main photo Google shows. Is this possible?
Can we please address this immediately. I am not comfortable paying another month when I have received zero leads and have mistakes like this that misrepresent my brand.
Please get back to me soon,
******
Customer Answer
Date: 11/14/2023
From: ****** ******* <***********************>
Date: Tue, Nov 14, 2023 at 11:41 AM
Subject: 20800848 -RevLocal_Term_Marketing_
Hi There:Here is a copy of the contract with Rev Local.Below you will see the plan i signed up for and how it was presented to me.The line about no contracts so the pressure is on them to perform is very misleading.I've sent previous correspondence showing that when I was unhappy I was offered 2 other options over 3 times the cost of the original. I was unhappy with the microsite from the very beginning as it was plagued with spelling errors which were not fixed until August. ]This whole thing has been such a stress, I've had to fight just be understood, I've felt that no compassion or consideration towards my situation was offered.I feel misled and I had zero results through RevLocal. Not one single lead ever came to me, and when I would search therapists in my area, I did not come up as an option. Yelp listing had never been claimed by then although they suggest they manage this. Sometimes it took weeks to hear back from RevLocal; but they always debited me on time.Their resolution to refund me for the months since I requested to terminate does not seem fair to me. I want a full refund including my initial deposit. I should never have been misled, and I feel upset that my business and work as a children's author was represented so poorly on a microsite with spelling errors and incorrect grammar. How could it have taken from JUNE-AUGUST for that to have been fixed. If they were actually working on my site would they not have noticed the problems?Furthermore, they chose the resolution that seems fair to them and refunded me two months of services. They did this without even asking me if I would accept that resolution. Even now it's evident that they really don't care about small businesses or misleading people.I found it so strange that the person who signed me up and was such a good salesperson on the front end, just disappeared when I had issues. I was left with no point of contact and no real options because I couldn't afford their other packages, and I wasn't allowed to get out of the 'contract."it was like....just pay even if your services aren't the right ones for you.I found that people at RevLocal would write with a warm , cheery tone but disregard accountability and present as impatient on the phone, making me feel like I was in the wrong.Again, I would like a refund from DAY 1 so I can find other options that may work for my business. That was a lot of wasted money and time trying to battle for what's fair. I should not have had to put up with Dysfunctional spelled incorrectly on my site, in addition to other grammatical errors from June-August. That's not a great way to portray a professional counselling office.Again,I received zero leads, zero results and remain feeling very taken advantage of and misled.Thank you for your help in resolving this matter,****** *******Here are the plans I recommend starting with:LocalSearchMarketing:We would place you on the top 65+searchengines and directories over the course of time
Contract (1).pdf
To: <*************************************>Initial Complaint
Date:09/28/2023
Type:Status:AnsweredMore 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.
My business: Buff’s Detail Supply signed up for services with RevLocal. There was a service contract for services. RevLocal did not provide the services agreed upon via contract. We contacted them on several occasions asking for better service. They replied with open agreement that they did indeed NOT provide us with our contracted services. With promise to make things right with us moving forward…they offered two free months of service! Wow how kind!! But the two months of “unpaid” service time absolutely nothing happened with our services. No change in communication as previously promised by them. That was last time they attempted contact with us. We have had to initiate all contact moving forward continuing to ask for our services we had paid for and are contracted to continue to pay. We continued to reach out asking for better service/any service at all and the only response we got was a snarky reply wondering why they would waste their time even reaching out to us because we don’t want to continue doing business with them. Yes we want to cancel our contract due to RevLocal not fulfilling their end of the contract. We are not receiving the agreed upon services therefore we should have a right to cancel our service without penalty. Why should we have to pay the remainder of an agreement for something we have never fully received? We have emails to prove that RevLocal admits to faulting on the contract and refusing to release us from the agreement without penalty. We are asking to release us from the agreement with no further charges or penalty or we will have no choice but to seek legal action to the full extent of Ohio State Law. This has been going on for several months now… never fully received our services and continue to be charged for services we are not receivingBusiness Response
Date: 10/19/2023
Thank you for sharing this feedback with us. We are sorry to hear about your experience as this is not typical for our clients. If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us directly.Initial Complaint
Date:10/20/2022
Type:Status:AnsweredMore 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.
The package that we signed up front for 4,785 and a monthly payment of $2,750. Was poorly delivered . The infos posted on my existing website was incorrect instead of CO was CA , the services posted is not part of what we offer. We get inquiries from from services that we don’t offer. The person in charge of our marketing cannot be reached and the response time was ridiculously long ! They post ad on our FB page for over a week - exactly what I requested not to be posted s ( pediatric area of practice ) as it will create conflict of interest Towards the end of agreement he communication sent to us was addressed to another doctor who doe not even exist in our company . Yet the content was meant for us. REv Local is a misleading - they are not even local..Business Response
Date: 11/02/2022
We are sorry that you did not have the experience you had hoped for with us however we will not be issuing a refund at this time. The concerns you mentioned in this complaint you had also brought up to us while you were an active client and your strategist reviewed them with you at the time and offered a solution as a courtesy outside of your services. That email response can be seen below
"So, these are all examples of listings that we do not have access/control of. We cannot publish you to those specific Medical and Government listings because they work too closely with people like you. In order to control and access these listings, you will typically need to submit your medical license for verification. I believe that the reason your cell phone is showing up under these searches is because you may need to update you NPI information. If your cell phone was ever tied to NPI, those other sites could easily pull that information and publish it without your knowledge. I’m also curious as to why all your examples are showing as LLC at the end. We are currently not publishing that part of the business name, so that is also something you may want to update. Now you may be thinking that ‘why is this information out there when I am paying RevLocal to manage my listings’ and it comes down to the fact that we can only manage those 50-60 we talked about during the progress call. Some listings require too much information from us and that would become cumbersome if we were having to ask all of our clients for their medical licenses and pretend that we were the Doctor. However, if you are able to update these listings and claim them, I’m happy to take that off your plate. It would require you to share that login information with me, but I have done that for clients in the past."
Your account rep and his manager also called you on August 1st to review ongoing concerns and all services you had signed up for again before you decided this partnership was not a good fit for you.
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.