Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Hibu Inc's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Hibu Inc has 2 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Hibu Inc

  221 3rd Ave SE STE 300 Cedar Rapids, IA 52401-1525

  
• 

  Hibu, Inc

  2701 Renaissance Blvd King of Prussia, PA 19406-2781

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/12/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  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 pay $1139 per month for the creation and management of social media *********************** for lead generation. The following are the issues I have had after 4 monthly payments (w/a 6 month contract):- For 2 weeks my ad did not run at all, no call and no contact regarding this. It wasn't until I called HIBU to find out what was going on that your team realized there was an issue. I was promised a discount (50% discount was discussed on a call with *******) on July 11th for this issue that I never received.- I also asked my media coordinator, *******, for a suggestion of a different type of ad to run to obtain leads at which time she stated "unsure what would need to be changed at this point". Your agreement clearly states that you provide "Creating and managing social pages" but nothing was created by HIBU. I had to create and manage all campaigns myself, HIBU merely posted them... sometimes.- I requested a change to the, active ad campaign on July 26th. I emailed images and the new ad text I wanted to be run on 7/26/22 and on 8/2/22 I was told the images were too large and the team couldn't use images sent. I called the HIBU provided me by my rep to resolve the issue the same day I was informed of this, 8/2/22, and uploaded the images directly to the HIBU website. I never heard anything back from anyone at HIBU. I called HIBU and left message at 10:14am MST on 8/9/22 to voice my frustration with no phone call back and as of 8/10/22, that ad was still not updated. Only to find out later from an email from HIBU at 10:35am MST that they still can't use the images uploaded to the HIBU website. However, I spoke to ***** in **************** on 8/10/22, who stated they use large image files for other clients all the time and HIBU is able to shrink them to the correct ad size. He confirmed the images were in my account and ready to use.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/22/2022

  Please see attached.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/24/2022

   
  Complaint: 17703795
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Out of the 9 weeks of service provided by HIBU only 4 of those weeks did they provide the services promised in their Terms and Agreements in the contract. They have offered a $500.00 credit for two of the weeks that my ads didn't run but they did not fulfill other promised obligations.

  I requested advertisement content and was refused any help or suggestions by my account manager, *****************************. I have emails proving her refusal to assist. Also, the ad content that I created and provided was not updated immediately due to my image files being too large. I called the HIBU number provided by ***************************** and uploaded my images directly to the HIBU website on August 2nd, 2022. I did not terminate that call prior to completion as claimed by HIBU's response.  I asked at the end of the upload process call if it was complete and was told that the process was completed and the images were in my file. I asked that representative if there was anything else I needed to do before terminating that call and I was told that everything was complete and there was nothing more I needed to do. I spoke to HIBU customer service representative, *****, on August 10th, 2022 who also confirmed to me that the image files were in my account as they should be and he stated he wasn't sure why they couldn't be used. I have asked ******* from HIBU for a copy of all call recordings between myself and HIBU and she verbally stated she refused to provide any call recordings.

  The offered $500 credit does not suffice for the months of lack of promised services and breech of contract on HIBU's behalf. I do not accept any credit from the company, nor do I want any kind of money-back refund. I would just like all services to be canceled.

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

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/29/2022

  Our position is unchanged.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/11/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  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.

  HIBU, the makers of Yellowbook, sent our business a letter in the mail stating that they were no longer publishing a physical phone book, but were now going to online only listings. Our owners decided that when the contract was up, that we would not renew. Normally HIBU had a sales person contact us annually to renew our contract. We were not contacted about a contract renewal this spring, as we had been previously. Instead, we were sent an invoice for online listings that we did not agree to. We DID NOT sign a contract renewal this year. We had NO verbal agreement. We have received multiple phone calls and bills stating that we owe HIBU for services we DID NOT agree to- we did not ask for. They refuse to cancel the charges but would only mark on our account that we refused to pay for something we never owed anyway. When we search online, we cannot even see where we are listed with HIBU. It seems they are trying to blackmail people into paying for services they did not contract for. We are not interested in online-only advertising. We only contracted with HIBU in previous years for a physical presense in an actual, tangible phonebook. We are concerned that HIBU will report this to credit bureaus, and this will affect our excellent credit score. This is unfair, illegal, and a huge waste of our time and resources. We are a tiny company and it seems we are being bullied by a large corporation.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/17/2022

  
  
  Hibu Inc.
  *********************************************************** 52401
  Tel: ************
  Fax: ************
  August 15, 2022
                              
  **********************;    
  Better Business Bureau Serving Greater ****, Quad Cities & Siouxland Region
  **** ********** 
  **********, ** 50310
  
  RE:    ***************** 
            ***********************;   
            5111 W. US ***********************;
            *********, ** 49431  
            Telephone #: ************                  
            Hibu **************************** and Mobile Boost
            Complaint # ********
  
  Dear ********************:
  
  This letter is in response to the correspondence received on August 11, 2022, about Mr. ****** claim that he did not agree to a contract for online advertising.

  
  The Client, ************* signed a 12-month contract for *********/********, ** 2022 publication. This contract ended in June of 2022. In March 2022 ************ was sent a letter which stated he would receive 2-months free of the ******************* and Mobile Boost products. In this letter it informed him that if he does not want the products to either call or email to cancel. There was no request for cancelation received by ************** until 7/12/22. The products were canceled that day.

  
  We have reached ************* and explained that there was no basis for an adjustment.

  
  I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

  
  Thank you,
  *********************
  Hibu Customer Service
  **************
  Email: ********************************************** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/09/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  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 for a marketing ad service through Hibu. The sales rep was not clear at all on pricing and terms. I had them build a website and initially run social media ads which I was told at the time once the website was built that I would be able to keep it and continue using it as it was my property not the property of Hibu. Found out that was false and was lied to about all of it, when you cancel a contract (if you are even able to do that, they discard the website and you can no longer use it you can only keep the "content" on the page but not the page itself). I have reached out to management and called in multiple times and not once since 2-26-22 have I heard anything from them, no emails in return, no phone contact, absolutely nothing from management. I have repeatedly asked the customer service line to cancel my service or get rid of the extra services that I don't want or need to no avail. Initially I told the sales rep the pricing should be approximately ***** a month and he agreed it would be about there and I got hit with a ****+ bill in the first month and over ****+ every month after that. Cant talk to anyone there and no-one will contact you back with your concerns. They just tell you "there is nothing we can do and only management can change anything". Management never contacts you or calls you back. Can't change my website to what I want and I never approved the design. All they did was reword my original website, can't fix the social media ads which are copies of what I posted. I just want my contract cancelled so I don't have to pay over a thousand a month for absolutely nothing. I talked to a customer service rep last week ****** and was told my contract was up this month so no more bills, called 8-9-22 found out that was a lie and they changed it to sept so I'm out another ****+ dollars. The sales reps are absolute liars and this company is a scam, worst company I have ever had the displeasure of doing business with.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/24/2022

  Please see attached.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/01/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  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.

  HIbu Frauds the services they render in digital marketing. The rep ******* told me I was going to receive bulk advertising prices because Hibu buys the ads in bulk. (This was a lie) What actually happened was the opposite. Hibu utilized the ******** newsfeed (a free posting service that has zero value and is not to be used for paid advertisements. As soon as I realized that ******* bait and switched me I demanded a cease and desist of the ads that I never approved to run on a free news feed. The free ads started on 5/26 and were deactivated on 6/9. HIbu flat cancelled the contract on 6/9 that was supposed to run 6 months . I paid ******* on 5/16 and was told by the same rep that I would not be charged and that the amount would be prorated from the date the ads started to run. Ads never ran Newsfeed posts (free) are not ads. I demanded a full refund and on 6/9 I received and email showing no monies due and the contract cancelled. Hibu again lied no refund was processed until 07/08/2022 in the amount of ****** This is not the ******* that I paid them it is short by over ******. My credit card company sent me an invoice that looks very different from the invoice that Hibu provided to me with a zero on it. Now Hibu is claiming that I owe them for prorated services performed on 6/10-6/11 That is days after the contract was completely cancelled. Hibu never received my signature on a contract. Hibu never had my credit card present to charge Hibu is falsifying invoices they have never provided to me as a customer. ********************** is charging customers for things that ******** provides free of charge and purporting they are paid advertisements. This is fraud on so many levels and I want to be refunded the balance of the monies I never agreed to pay to them after the contract was cancelled.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/10/2022

  Please see attached.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/12/2022

   
  Complaint: 17642037
  
  I am rejecting this response because: HIBU uses fraudulent methods to evade refunding fees that should not be charged as none of the ads that they ran on behalf of my company were paid advertisements. Hibu posted ads to the ******** marketplace which is a free marketplace and requires no payments. None of the ads were approved by me and none of the ads were ever to run on the ******** marketplace. HIBU allows the sales people to lie and bait and switch evading what the contract stated which was never signed by me. I was told that the month of *** would be prorated but it never was. The HIBU rep. that ****** stated what HIBU would be running became insulting and demanded that she was not going to tolerate hostility and that my contract would be flat cancelled. I then received an email with a zero balance as I demanded that all ads that were not approved cease and desist running. I would like the better business bureau to keep my complaint as unresolved because when I looked at BBB before choosing  to do business with this highly fraudulent company it showed an A+ rating. When I realized I had been scammed I looked at further reviews on YELP to find that this is a customary practice of HIBU to lie and Cold call companies fraud is a really good word for what this company pretends it will do in digital marketing. If the BBB does not understand that by supporting a company like HIBU  they are hurting small businesses. I don't take fraud lightly. I have reported HIBU to the State Attorney general as well. I told ******* the rep from HIBU that I was lied to by the HIBU rep that she pretended that HIBU buys ads in bulk from ******** and that is why the service is so much cheaper but reality is they dont buy ads at all they only post on the ******** marketplace AGAIN I will advise the BBB that this is a free service that ******** offers and is in NO WAY A PAID AD. HIBU Then turns around and charges small businesses after lying that they are placing ads what they are really doing is fraud and I will not stop until I receive a full refund! 
  HIBU further lied to CITIBANK Credit card to make them cancel the chargeback that I requested. I have reported them to the fraud department of citibank as well. 

  I demand the BBB stop facilitating a false rating for a company acting in such bad faith
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/19/2022

  Please see attached.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/20/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  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 have been a client of Hibu for 2 years. I pay $210 monthly for a website called DesignandSellHomesfl.com . Im March I spoke to my sales person about adding in SEO so I would get more traffic to my website. She said yes and it would cost an additional $400 a month for a total of $610 monthly. I agreed for her to do this. Two Months into the process I emailed her and asked to cancel it because I felt like I could better use of my marketing dollars. I have the email and will attach it where I asked her if we could cancel and she responded with NO...you must be invoiced 6 times before you can cancel. I NEVER signed any contract nor did I agree to a BINDING contract of a 6 month term. The company will not let me out of the 6 months and they continue to late **** me and they will not remove the website or service until after 6 months! I see on many BBB's that so many others have had the same complaints and have been scammed by this company. I spoke to legal counsel who told me I do not have a legal obligation to this company however they are now having collections calling me.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2022

  
  
  Hibu Inc.
  *********************************************************** 52401
  Tel: ************
  Fax: ************
  July 29, 2022
                              
  Cody **************************************
  Better Business Bureau Serving Greater ****, Quad Cities & Siouxland Region
  **** ********** 
  **********, ** 50310
  
  RE:    Design and Sell Homes 
            **** Daniel    
            6561 ************************* Suite 4  
            ******, ** 34105  
            Telephone #: ************                  
            Hibu ************** Online Presence and Local Ranking
            Complaint # ********
  
  Dear ********************:
  
  This letter is in response to the correspondence received on July 20, 2022, regarding ****************** claim that she was not in a 6-month contract.

  
  The Client, *************** authorized a contract on 3/18/22 for the Smart Online Presence and the Local Ranking products. **************** was told by her Sales Representative,*************************** and her Manager, ******************* that the contract was a 6-month term.On 6/20/22 **************** requested to cancel her contract and was told she was still within terms of the contract and a cancelation could not be processed at that time.  

  
  We have tried to reach **************** by phone and email it was explained that she was within contract and could not cancel.

  
  There would be no adjustment on the account.

  
  I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

  
  Thank you,
  *********************
  Hibu Customer Service
  **************
  Email: ********************************************** 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/01/2022

   
  Complaint: 17589875
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I was not told by ANYONE that this was a 6 month contract. Can they show me a signed contract or a verbal contract made by phone?? NO they cannot because they are misrepresenting the truth. Please see the attached email as PROOF that on June 10th I emailed ******** and asked her to please cancel the *** on my account and she responded to me by saying ....No that you must be invoiced 6 times before you can cancel. It is CLEAR that I had NO idea I was obligated to a 6 month contract. There was nothing verbally said or signed telling me the ***** of any of this. This company is deceptive and have done to many others as well. I didn't even speak to ******************* until mid June and I told him the same thing....that ******** never told me this was a CONTRACT. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2022

  Our position has not changed.