Complaints

This profile includes complaints for John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center has 38 locations, listed below.

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  John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center

  2 City Place Suite 200 Creve Coeur, MO 63141

• 

  John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center

  5425 Beaumont Center Blvd STE 918 Tampa, FL 33634-5214

• 

  John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center

  1 Dunwoody Park STE 128 Atlanta, GA 30338-6723

• 

  John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center

  5660 Nolensville Road, Suite 5654 Nashville, TN 37211

• 

  John Casablancas Modeling & Career Center

  5020 Thoroughbred Ln Brentwood, TN 37027-7506

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:04/15/2024

  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.

  This place is an absolute Scam. They reached out to me claiming that they are modeling agents (when they are scouts trying to make you sign a contract for a school) claiming I would do an audition for an opportunity to get a modeling or acting role. They then proceed to sit in front of a of a screen of actors who didn't even go to their school and sell you a fake dream. I did join one class believing it was an opportunity for an acting job and it was just a bunch of older gentlemen dancing around like toddlers screaming which I assume they sold them a fake dream as well claiming they should by makeup kits and such. I will dispute these charges till the death of me cause my contract is not valid legally because if you are lied to to sign a contract then the contract is not valid. I was told to try it out and if I didn't like it it would be 80 dollars to leave the auditioning roles , then when I left they sent me a 2000 dollar bill. I have all the texts and emails claiming that you have auditions and talent agents working for us when in fact they are scouts and a school and I will be going with legal action unless my 400 dollar payment is sent back to me.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/25/2024

  We would like to thank the Better Business Bureau for the opportunity to respond to any and all thoughts,comments, concerns or inquiries from customers or prospective customers regarding our business. 
  
  While **************** claims are difficult to follow and seem quite emotionally charged, we welcome the opportunity to respond to them. Regarding the statement, they reached out to me, ************** spoke with two representatives of our company before he sat in front of a screen of actors who didnt even go to their school and sell you a fake dream. During these preliminary discussions, our representatives discussed our programs, what would happen during a virtual event he was invited to and subsequently what would happen after the virtual event. ************** obviously felt comfortable enough with those conversations to attend this virtual event. Additionally, ************** felt comfortable enough to enroll, pay money and start a class based on the information that he received during the correspondence he had with our staff members before, during and after the virtual event. Regarding the statement, I will dispute these charges till the death of me cause my contract is not valid legally because if you are lied to to sign a contract then the contract is not valid. We can confidently say ************* was not lied to when he enrolled into our programs and he understood the terms of the agreements. Attached you will find agreements and contracts that ************** personally signed that expressly and clearly state and define what he would be signing up for regarding many things that range from type of program, class times and schedule, installment plans, expectations, bookings and more.
  
  Regarding the statement, I was told to try it out and if I didn't like it it would be 80 dollars to leave the auditioning roles, then when I left they sent me a 2000 dollar bill. We are unsure what the first part of this statement means as it doesnt follow any contractual or operational procedure ************** signed or that we have, but we would like to acknowledge the part where ************** mentions being sent a $2,000 bill. This number is simply inaccurate. Per the terms of the agreement ************* signed, he owes $688. ************** attempted to chargeback two payments in late March, but these attempted chargeback payments were rejected on March 28, 2024 by ******** Services after their investigation. Regardless, while under no contractual obligation or duty to do so, we are willing to waive the balance that ************** owes and zero out his balance, thus absolving him of any further debt owed to our company. We will consider the matter closed unless we hear otherwise.
  
  We want to wish everyone at the Better Business Bureau a very happy and healthy spring season.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/25/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising 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.

  This week this company contacted my 13 year old daughter by email trying to entice her into doing business with their scam company. They are targeting vulnerable adolescents who are interested in modeling or acting. This is about as unethical as you can get.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/06/2024

  We always appreciate the opportunity to respond to any and all thoughts, comments, concerns or inquiries from customers or prospective customers regarding our business. While we take pride in the fact that the demographics of our customers and prospective customers vary amongst all walks of life, which include but aren’t limited to various ages, genders, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations and more, the notion that we are “targeting vulnerable adolescents” is completely unfounded and quite honestly is offensive. We searched our records and can’t verify that Ms. ****** or her 13 year old daughter have ever been customers of ours, or even spoken with a representative of our company, because of the limited information provided. If we are to go from the information that Ms. ****** provided, we can say that we have never met with her or her daughter. However, we recognize that this could be inaccurate and we need more information, so in an effort to allow all involved to amicably move forward, we would appreciate if Ms. ****** could provide further information (an email address will do) so that way we can remove her daughter’s information from our system. We encourage her to email us at ******************************* so we can assist.
  
  Lastly, our business does not contact prospective customers unless they are referred to us or directly contact us. We encourage Ms. ****** to monitor her daughter’s activity online to ensure that this does not happen again with our company or the next company that may contact her daughter. We will consider the matter closed unless we hear otherwise.
  
  We would once again like to thank the Better Business Bureau for allowing us the chance to respond. Our hope is that everyone has a wonderful 2024!

  ***** ****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/07/2023

  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 have been in contact with company to cancel my son's classes since he is not getting any help with his questions and they have been very rude to him. I paid 2,050 to have him start classes to a model. 4 classes in we are asked to sirens more money on clothes, makeup, and hair care products with no help on picking out what they are looking for. My son did not have the right products for his one class and was told he was to just sit through the Zoom class and not partake since he did not have the right stuff. He was never told what he actually needed. Another class he was told what he could not wear to a photo shoot but never told what was allowed only assume people got their questions answered. I paid extra money for that shoot that we never attended since he was told he could not have facial hair or piercing of any kind since he was a boy. Offended on that. I called to talk to some about this and I got nothing but rudeness. Then I was given the number to the finance department to cancel his classes only to laughed at by the pain who answered and told to send an email to client services. Which was sent back as undeliverable. I need to get some answers from this rude and unprofessional company.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2023

  We did finally received the cancelation from Ms. *****.  Her refund was calculated and should post to her credit card on or about November 24, 2023.  We do not have control over when credits are posted once we process the refund.  We are sorry Ms. ***** was disatisfied with our company.  Our records do not indicate any complaints or issues prior to this email.  We show that she spoke to our Customer Service Department on November 7, 2023 and have discussed with the representative she dealt with how the interaction was handled.  We were assured no one "laughed" at her or did anything except attempt to assist in her in the necessary steps to withdraw from the classes.  Obviously, Ms. ***** is responsible for the classes taken and that is all she is being charged per the terms of the contract.

  We shall consider this matter closed unless we hear further from your office. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/21/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  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.

  My daughter is a student with John Casablanca modeling and I was notified on 06/26/23 that my account was going to collections for non-payment. I contacted the office on 06/26/23 to get clarity as I was under the impression all modeling classes were complete. I was told that she had not completed two classes and had to fulfill them to gain certification of program completion. The representative said I had avoided collection and my daughter was scheduled for class completion on 07/01/23. On this day we were unable to login and when we spoke with the JC help desk they stated the account had been sent to collections; which they stated on 06/26/23 had been avoided. At that time I connected with a “supervisor” to make payment and was told they would connect with the collections team to expedite confirmation of payment to reactivate my daughter’s account. It is now 08/21/23 and I have contacted the JC help desk every week (2-3 times a week) since July 2023 to confirm this matter has been cleared. I have been told it would be “cleared in a week, it would be cleared in a day; next Monday, it’s an “IT” issue.” On 8/21/23 I spoke with ***** (who was disrespectful) and said she was a “Manger” and she reluctantly gave me the name of her “Supervisor” Andrea. She refused to provide full names and titles or a corporate entity to escalate the matter. She also gave me the same information that they would “contact the collection agency”. This company has been doing this for over a month and this should not take this long. There is no corporate entity to reach to for support and they don’t return calls. I am extremely disappointed and I have paid over $3000 for this experience and my daughter cannot apply for modeling opportunities without her certificate of completion. Please help me in holding this company accountable to expedite this issue so my daughter can complete this program and move on with her modeling aspirations; despite the unprofessional behavior of John Casablanca!!!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/12/2023

  The company contacted me for resolution.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/20/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  Date of transaction: July 5 2023 Amount of money I paid 2,050 I was contacted by sherry,National Talent Scout with John Casablancas Modeling and acting. It stated congratulations your audition is booked for this Friday night 6:45 pm est 06/30/2023 .Remember to have zoom down loaded fog THE AUDITION. we will text you the meeting ID CODE Tomorrow. Be prepared to read the attached commercial script. The script read :WW know you are ready for a vacation! AND the waves are calling you.Our resort offers a spa ,two restaurants and a idle beachfront location.It is time for you to enjoy something special at Sandpearl Resort. So my thinking is you are auditioning for a commercial that is how it is directed to me . I read my script after the audition they say we will be in touch with who ever passes the audition. So I get a call thinking I’m going to do a commercial the next day I get talk into paying the 2,050 for acting classes. I said what about the commercial. They changed the subject and talked me into paying 2,050 for classes I never took. I have tried to get in touch with John Casablanca acting and modeling to have my money returned but no return calls or emails…….

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2023

  Mr. *****'s refund was made in a timely manner. We do take exception with Mr. *****'s depiction of what took place.  Mr. ***** was told during his first meeting that this was NOT an audition but we wanted to see if he had the ability to read a script.  He was also informed that if he returned for the second appointment he would be required to take training.  To say he was "talked into it" makes no sense. He had a full day to think about it, research our company and he certainly didn't have to show up on the seond day or pay anything if he chose not to move forward.  We are pleased he has received his refund and will consider this matter closed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/14/2023

  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 am not liable for this debt with John Casa Blanca . I do not have a contract with United Credit & Collections they did not provide me with the original contract requested.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2023

  Attached is a copy of the contract signed by Ms. *****. As can clearly be seen, Ms. ***** signed this contract and thus is responsible for it per the terms of this agreement. Ms. ***** attended two classes on 12/19/2021 and 12/26/2021.  Ms. *****'s was withdrawn from the program for lack of attendance and letter of the amount she owed, per the terms of the contract, was sent to her.  Ms. ***** chose to ignore all notices for payment and the account, per the terms of the contract, was assigned to a collection agency.  We are no longer involved in this matter and Ms. ***** needs to contact the collection agency to have her concerns addressed. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/16/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  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.

  This agency is a scam. They had my teenaged son do an "audition". His dream is to be an actor and so naturally he was excited when he got the callback and was "chosen" by the agency. Then the agent scheduled an online meeting with him. He was so excited and I sat through the meeting with him. The person who talked to him made it sound like he was so lucky to be the chosen one for some sort of role. This person said she was his "recruiter" and would be with him for his whole journey, then proceeded to tell him he needed training first. So this training cost money but was going to make him a successful actor. Once she saw how excited he was to get the part, she said if he didn't put a deposit down right then and there during the call, he would lose his opportunity. I gave him my credit card and paid $295 deposit on 9/15/2022 to hold his spot. The class was held online with a bunch of other kids from all over the country. Then every week was charged $71 just to join in on the call. The first week was everyone introducing themselves and why they were there. Yes, I paid $71 that week to hear why everyone else was there to be scammed by **********. Turns out they didn't choose my son to get a role, they accept everyone who auditions. He ended up doing about 4 or 5 online classes. Each week was a different person teaching, so it was very inconsistent. They varied from hygiene, reading sentences to each other and how to put lotion on your skin. The last online class he took was being taught by a very young girl wo was very nervous and didn't really know what she was doing. That one was about applying lotion to your skin and washing your face. After that class, my son and I both agreed this was a complete waste of time and money and he stopped joining the weekly calls. Now, 9 months later my son gets a collections letter in the mail saying he owes $355 for cancellation fee and it's been reported to the credit bureau. We never got any notification that there was going to be a cancelation fee or that it would be going to collections. So now, my son who is now 18 now has a derogatory **** on his credit because of this scam company that made false promises and never gave warning that it was going to collections. I should even ask for the money back that I wasted on those weekly calls, but I'm not. I don't need the money back that we wasted. I just want the cancellation fee of $355 waived and the derogatory **** removed from my son's credit report.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  We apologize for the delay in responding to your inquiry concerning your son.  Our records indicate this contract was signed by ********************* and not by his mother.  In fact, ****************** the only signatory on all of the documents and it shows his age as 21.  We normally cannot respond to non contractual parties to a transaction but in an attempt to resolve ****************** mothers concern, we will charge off the remaining balance due and notify the collection agency to cease all collection efforts.  

  We shall consider this matter closed unless we hear further from your office. 

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/29/2024

  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

  Date:05/07/2023

  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.

  Hello my names ***** **** as of today May 6th 2023. I had a zoom meeting with ****** ***** about going with **** ***********. They had me pay the 295$ sign on fee. Within a few hours after today I did some digging and found out this is a huge scam. I have the contract screen shots and download saying I’m guaranteed that sign on fee back if I cancelled within 3 days. I called their helpline and they gave me the email ******************************* she told me I simply needed to send them an email about canceling and they would help me proceed. I know it hasn’t been any time at all. However they’re dodgy and if I don’t get my money back as well as a guarantee that everything has been cancelled card file removed I will have no choice but to have my lawyer move forward with a legal Dispute. I would like to get it resolved before then if this matter can be handled within several days.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/10/2023

  Please excuse our delay in responding to this complaint.  On May 10, 2023, a refund of $295 was credited to the cutomer's credit card account.

  Unless we hear further from your office, we will consider this matter closed.

  Sincerely,

  ***** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/31/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  this company allowed us to send a cancel noticed which i did called over and over no on reached out and my son dint go to any classes in asking for a full refund PLEASE

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  We apologize for the delay in responding to the BBB. We have discussed the issue that caused delay with your office.  Regarding the above, the original charge was charged back by the credit card company so we will consider this matter closed.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/22/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  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.

  This business offered Modeling and acting classes. The recruitment person said they would be my agent and they completely disappeared after I signed the contract. Further more we were told to listen to our coaches (the most important detail) yet every class we had different coaches with different instructions That were contradictory to the previous classes. Not only did I invest ****** in makeup and products I also was double charged twice. I complained several times to the help desk and basically was told to pick and choose what advice I wanted to take. This is a class that made no sense to me so I cancelled back in early December. I took 7 classes and they said I took 8. They are telling me I owe the ****** now in late March and that they are turning me into collections. I am so furious I had planned to get all my money back but I was ok with bygones being bygones. But this is ridiculous I feel they broke the contract by lying in the first place. Saying I had an agent which was untrue and when I couldnt contact them days later I should have realized it was a scam and never start classes.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/28/2024

  We just recently received your correspondence and apologize for the delay.  After reviewing your concerns, and most importantly based on the amount of time that has passed, we will write off your balance and notify the collection agency that this debt is no longer due.  We are sorry things didn't work out as you had expected.  If you will review the paperwork you signed at enrollment I think you find it clearly outlines what you could expect from us and what we would expect from you.  

  We shall consider this matter closed unless we hear further from you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/28/2024

  This matter was solved long ago. I accept the terms. There is more to this but I decline to continue any further discussions.