Complaints

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:09/14/2022

  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.

  On or about March 3, 2022 I was contacted by *************************** from Townsquare Interactive. ******** told me about Townsquare and what they could do for my new business. I decided to have them build my website and sign on with them for $199 a month. I paid the $199 initial payment. I made it very clear that I would need some time to write copy for the website. It took me a while to write the copy and I got back with her in about 6-8 weeks. Unbeknownst to me they were billing me while they were doing absolutely nothing. To be clear I made the initial $199 payment and this was a month to month contract. When I wrote ALL the copy and got it over to them for build the website they dragged their feet for weeks. At this point my contacts were ********************* and ***************************. After numerous calls to anyone at Townsquare that would listen they sent me a demo site for me to review. From the very beginning I was told I would have 4 business days to review and make changes, and once that was taken care of, with my permission, they would go live. Well, about 6 hours after I was sent the demo website I was sent an email that my site was now live. It was filled with inaccuracies and misrepresented me and my company to the point I was trying to get a hold of ****************************** or ******* to take it down. After countless phone calls, texts and emails, two days later I was contacted. I told them to take the live website down and cancel my month to month contract. It took them four more days to take it down and it took them at least 6 weeks to transfer my domain back to me. Fast forward to today and they say I owe them $398 and Im being contacted by a law firm for payment. This company did nothing they said they were going to do. ****************************** and ******* never would return calls, texts or emails. I would like account zeroed out and the harassment to stop.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2022

  Hi *****,

  Please give us a call at ************ and ask to speak with a manager to discuss your complaint. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2022

   
  Complaint: 18023381
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I called the number provided in the reply above. I spoke with *****. He was trying to have me talk to *************************** but she was off today. ***** left her message to call me. Ill be shocked if I get a return call. This company must have the most generous personal day/days off of any company in the world. In the 20 or so times Ive tried getting a hold of anyone they are always off. The only time I was able to reach anyone was prior to signing on with them.  At that point *************************** was blowing up my phone. Once she got the CC info she went radio silent. I picture this com  pop any as a boiler room sales scam office. Worst experience ever. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2022

  Hi *****, 

  I can see you spoke with a representative last week who has submitted a credit for your account to the finance team. This will remove the outstanding balance from your account. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/27/2022

   
  Complaint: 18023381
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  When I called to speak with a manager, as was referenced in Townsquares initial response, I was told I needed to speak with ***************************.  I never received a call from ***************************.  I did receive a call from ********************* and he requested I send emails and/or texts to him to forward to *************************** for review.  I did that. I never heard back from either of them.  Obviously I received this response yesterday and read, opened it today.  This response states my balance will be corrected.  Being that I was promised so many things from this company and they did not follow through on any of them, I do not accept this response at face value.  I will need something in writing via email or snail mail showing my account is $0 and the account is closed.  I will also need something in writing from the collection agency/law firm that was harassing me until I filed this complaint.  The name of that agency is *************************, Attorney & Associates, LLC.  The lead harasser is a lady by the name of *****************************.  Ironically, ******* is the one who told if I dont have something in writing its just a promise and a promise is just that, a promise.  And I actually have that in writing.  Please provide the requested documentation from your company and the ************************* agency.  Once that is received I will gladly accept your response.

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

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2022

  Hi *****,

  I see you were able to speak with ******* this week. Please let us know if there is anything else you need. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/01/2022

  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.

  This company promised optimization on the web. They completely erased my company off the web. Then after canceling with them, they charged additional fees without authorization. Complete scam!

  Business Response

  Date: 09/02/2022

  Hello ****,

  We have looked over your account. We see that we just launched your website on an alternate domain a couple weeks ago. We were unable to get the proper access to your primary domain. We did not wipe your business off ******* We are optimizing your website and also the top online directories. Your primary website actually is still live on ****** at https://www.sempergreenlawn.com/ We do see you requested to cancel services with us on August 25th. Coincidentally your bill date is also the 25th. Per our terms of service you would need to cancel 24 hours before your bill date to not be charged again. We realize you might be seeing the charge on the 26th but that's because it took an additional day for your credit card company to recognize the charge. We are sorry for the confusion here. You are in the infant stages of building a strong web presence, there isn't anything we could have done that has affected your rankings that quick. Typically it takes 90 days to start to see ranking results.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/26/2022

  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.

  Never received my promised refund. In late June I cancelled services because my husband found 3 other companies that had the same look as our webpage Townsquare Interactive created. We were promised our website would look unique. They copied and paste our website with 3 other companies and we paid $499 for this service for 2 months & $349 for 1 month before we found out about this. I was told we would receive a refund asap but nothing has happened. I keep getting the same response via email the matter is being handled and they will get back to me. I called again today, was told "*****" will handle my account issue but he was conveniently in a meeting when I called. I would have settled for the 1 month refund if they would have done what was promised now after waiting so long it should be only right they refund the 3 months of fraudulent service they provided my company. I'm sure other potential clients seen our website look like our competitors and refused to go with our company because of the copycat look. I fear knowing how many clients we may have lost because of Townsquare copy paste website scam. How many other companies have been robbed for poor service?? **************** personnel are friendly but they are not getting my problem resolved. Because of the scammed service I'm requested a full refund of my 3 months of service. April 7th $349, May 7th $499 & June 7th $499 totaling $1,347.00 I was tempted to contact the other companies with the duplicate websites. I took pictures of the duplicate websites. Attached is a copy of my website main page and another company main page.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/26/2022

  Thank you for reaching out. We will have a manager reach out to discuss your account shortly to ensure everyone is on the same page. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/09/2022

   
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I had a previous complaint #******** for this problem. It was closed because I didn't respond in a timely fashion. Was dealing with a family issue. Anyway, I never received my promised refund. In late June I cancelled services because my husband found 3 other companies that had the same look as our webpage Townsquare Interactive created. We were promised our website would look unique. They copied and paste our website with 3 other companies and we paid $499 for this service for 2 months & $349 for 1 month before we found out about this. I was told we would receive a refund asap but nothing has happened. I keep getting the same response via email the matter is being handled and they will get back to me. I called again today, was told "*****" will handle my account issue but he was conveniently in a meeting when I called. I would have settled for the 1 month refund if they would have done what was promised now after waiting so long it should be only right they refund the 3 months of fraudulent service they provided my company. I'm sure other potential clients seen our website look like our competitors and refused to go with our company because of the copycat look. I fear knowing how many clients we may have lost because of Townsquare copy paste website scam. How many other companies have been robbed for poor service?? **************** personnel are friendly but they are not getting my problem resolved. Because of the scammed service I'm requested a full refund of my 3 months of service. April 7th $349, May 7th $499 & June 7th $499 totaling $1,347.00. I took pictures of the duplicate websites. Attached is a copy of my website main page and another company main page. Update: I received a call 9/8/22 claiming they didn't hear the rep offer me a refund which I know is false. I will make sure everyone know not to use there fraudulent service. They stole my money with there fraudulent website copycat service.

  Desired Outcome:

  FULL Refund

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

  Business Response

  Date: 09/15/2022

  We will have this situation escalated to ensure you receive another call about your complaint. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/20/2022

   
  Complaint: 17770322
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  There is nothing to talk about.  They provided copycat fraudulent service which requires a refund that was promised by their company representative. No company would pay for a website that looks practically identical to their competitors.  They're just mad that it was caught by my husband.   
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/26/2022

  While I cannot speak to what the finance team will decide, I can see one of our managers has reached out and left a voicemail for you. Please give **** a return call at ************. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/29/2022

   
  Complaint: 17770322
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  I will need to speak first with **** regarding my refund and if refund is issued then BBB will be notified with an accept or satisfactory response.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************************

  Business Response

  Date: 10/03/2022

  Hi *****,

  I am including an additional client services manager's information here for you: 

  ************************;| Client Service Manager 
  phone | ************

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/22/2022

  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.

  Townsquare took money out of my account unauthorized. When asked to cancel my service. They drop responding and stole my domain for my website. They continue to harass me and have debit my account 4 times without permission after my service was canceled and will not removed themselves from my web domain! Please help me

  Business Response

  Date: 07/25/2022

  Hi *****,

  We did our due diligence on your account and see that you have done some chargebacks on your credit card. Our finance department continually is trying to **** your credit card because of the monthly charge that was not paid for services rendered in March and April. From our records we have a cancellation dated May 5th. We are trying to collect the March and April payments. We did deactivate your website due to non-payment. The website was built on our proprietary platform and cannot be transferred to another provider. You are entitled to the domain and the content used on the website. Please let our team know if you need these items and we can get them to you. Thank you and we hope you have a good day!

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/25/2022

   
  Complaint: 17598431
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I cancelled my service in April, I have given proof to my bank as well. My account was debited by town square March 31, April 1, May 31, and June 1 after numerous text messages and phone calls and emails. I do not owe Town square any money. I have responses from town square apologizing for their employees not responding when I called to cancel.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/28/2022

  Hello *****,

  May 5th is the earliest cancel request we have on file. If you have proof of of an earlier cancel date please send it to us. We are trying to collect the March 28th and April 28th charges for the website, search engine optimization and retargeting services that were provided for your business. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/15/2022

  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.

  This company operates under the guise that they will help your business by promoting you online, creating a website, and publishing your business on ****** so that you may generate more clients. I moved to ***** and brought my business over here but was finding a hard time finding new clients. Townsquare Interactive called me several times to try and convince me they would win me new business and generate me new leads.It has been 6 months, they charge my credit card once a month and are no where to be heard from. I have yet to find our website published, I never receive any info from them. Whenever I call to cancel the service, they put me on hold and hang the phone ** in my face. After that, they will leave the phone on busy to ignore my calls.I have sent several emails, phone calls, etc to stop this & yet they continue to predatorily charge my credit cards every month without any remorse. This service is a scam made to drain your credit cards, nothing more. Do not do business with these people, you will regret it. ******* is a useless lying human being, they all are.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/15/2022

  Hi *******,

  We will have a manager reach out to discuss your account with you and find a resolution. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/11/2022

  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.

  6/16 Request sent to **** to make some changes to the site 6/17 changes not made-received email from **** Email me any edits you have and I will definitely get those done!6/25 still no changes made and another request sent for changes sent to **** 6/28 I ask **** why changes havent been made and I **** why the changes havent been made yet, along with pictures updated and **** responds with Did you send them to *******? What were the changes requested? We can get them completed for you but youll want to send them into *******.6/28 I forward the request, now for the 4th time, to ******* this time and I get no response and there are no changes made When I just now searched for the site, even specifically stating Tacoma (which is something I wanted changes as well) Ive counted 71 companies and still do not see mine listed. Attempts continue to be made to **** another $400 . So, Ive paid $400 for a site that doesnt look much better than what I created on godaddy myself. I cant get changes made. And my site cant be found unless the exact website address is typed in. Im very disappointed and at this point, would like a refund of my $400. And all attempts at billing another $400, to stop.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/13/2022

  Thanks ********,

  We will have someone reach out to discuss this with you today. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/15/2022

   
  Complaint: 17548155
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  There is nothing to speak about. So not only did they not live up to what I was promised but they charged me about $400! Even after I asked for their services to be canceled! I want a full REFUND of both $397 charges. 
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/15/2022

  Hi ********,

  I will have someone reach out to help you with this. We are unable to issue a refund directly through the BBB platform. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/16/2022

   
  Complaint: 17548155
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  This was my prior complaint. 6/16 Request sent to **** to make some changes to the site 6/17 changes not made-received email from **** Email me any edits you have and I will definitely get those done! 6/25 still no changes made and another request sent for changes sent to **** 6/28 I ask **** why changes havent been made and I **** why the changes havent been made yet, along with pictures updated and **** responds with Did you send them to *******? What were the changes requested? We can get them completed for you but youll want to send them into *******. 6/28 I forward the request, now for the 4th time, to ******* this time and I get no response and there are no changes made When I just now searched for the site, even specifically stating Tacoma (which is something I wanted changes as well) Ive counted 71 companies and still do not see mine listed. Attempts continue to be made to bill another $400 . So, Ive paid $400 for a site that doesnt look much better than what I created on godaddy myself. I cant get changes made. And my site cant be found unless the exact website address is typed in. Im very disappointed and at this point, would like a refund of my $400. And all attempts at billing another $400, to stop. Response from Townsquare Interactive is that they cant issue a refund on the BBB platform but that someone will be reaching out to me, to issue the refund. SEPTEMBER 16th. TWO MONTHS AGO. July 26th-email sent to ******* regarding refund and no response. August 15th-2ndemail sent to ******* regarding refund and no response. This is exactly how they do business as well. They dont care what you say after youve paid them!!
  
  
  Desired Resolution:     
  Refund
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business Response

  Date: 09/20/2022

  A senior manager should be calling you this week. Please reach out to ********************************************* if you haven't heard from a senior manager by Thursday. Very sorry for the trouble here. The Client ******************** is not familiar with your case and would be better handled by a senior client services manager

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/06/2022

  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.

  Engaged in a contract for them to first build a website and perform SEO marketing with the understanding that this is a slow and steady process but we also had the plan to have them run *********************** once the site was built. Nearly five months later and I have not been able to get follow up from the department that handles the ***********************, despite empty promises. All I've gotten is minuscule rankings on obscure search terms and calls from telemarketers wishing to replace Townsquare. All attempts to take this to the next level have been ignored. Replies to my emails have been auto out of office replies with instructions to contact someone else - who also sends an auto reply that they are out of the office, Calls are only taken by representatives seeking to sell new business. This lack of follow up has meant that all investment to this point has been a waste of time and money as this second piece is not being added. Given the horrendous experience, I no long want to do business with this company. I have given them three weeks beyond when I warned them that I would pull my business if I had no action and they do not perform. I will not be satisfied unless and until my entire monetary investment is refunded to me.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/12/2022

  Looking in our files it looks like this business was originally sold by a representative that is no longer with Townsquare. It appears the client spoke with the sales representative regarding retargeting ads but the client was never charged for those ads and the sales representative left the business before following up with the client to speak about adding those ads to the campaign. When the client raised these concerns recently we were able to begin the process with our Ignite team. Unfortunately when you increase a businesses visibility online this means that you are also increasing visibility from marketing companies. It is common to see increased calls from marketing companies as a businesses online presence grows. As far as taking the campaign to the next level those requests were not ignored. The client requested that we broaden the range our SEO is focused and we spoke with the client about ******s best practices and how ****** only allows for slow growth to surrounding areas and the campaign is not yet at that level. 

  We were able to speak with the client multiple times a month to update them on the campaign, go over changes, and discuss future plans. There was a time around the recent holiday weekend where their dedicated marketing specialist was on vacation and another member of their team had to step in to handle things. Since we provided services for all products that the client currently pays for we are unable to issue a refund.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/06/2022

  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.

  After multiple attempts and being unable to reach my rep by phone I sent her an email on 5/26/22 to terminate services. I did not receive a response and, due to the holiday weekend, i was unable to reach anyone before the billing day that fell on the holiday weekend. To my dismay I saw the money had been taken from my account. I called and was unable to get a person. I wrote an email on 6/3/22 requesting a refund but received no reply and called on 6/6/22. I again failed to get a person on the phone and left a voicemail. When I finally got a response I was told my emails had ended ** in a spam folder. I was informed that they would issue a refund but that it could take up to 14 days. I found this unacceptable but was unable to get any movement. 14 days passed and still no refund. Due to my busy schedule it was not until 6/29/22 that I was able to call during business hours. No manager was available but that one would contact me by 5:00 the next day. I made it clear I would like a manager to contact me by end of day that day and 24+ hours was unacceptable. The person I spoke with confirmed the notes stated I was told it would be up to 14 days. As the end of day approached I called multiple times and was unable to get a person. No reply came by 5:00 on 6/30 as promised. Again, unable to get a live person, I was forced to wait through the July 4 weekend. When I called today I waited on hold for 25 minutes while a manager was tracked down. he again told me it would be several days for a refund to be processed. At this point, especially after reading other reviews complaining of similar issues with being charged after asking to terminate services, I have no reason to believe I will receive a refund without taking additional steps.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/11/2022

  Hi *****,

  On behalf of the Client Relations team thank you for bringing this to our intention. We do see a refund ticket that was sent to our finance team earlier this month. We apologize for the long wait times. We have been working through internal issues with our finance ticketing system. Rest assured you should get a refund of $197 very soon. We have contacted our finance team to move your ticket ** in the que. Again we do apologize for the delay. We hope you have a good rest of the week!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/01/2022

  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.

  I was month-to-month with this company. I paid in advance so when I quit using them at the end of the month as long as it didnt go over the first day. I wouldnt be charged as what I was told. Are use their services for 6 to 7 months after getting no results I decided to quit using their services. So I emailed them to notify them that I was no longer going to be using their services and canceled the card associated with this business. After about a month went by they called me and said that my card had been inactivated. I told them that I was no longer using them and that I had emailed them they acted like they had not received the email but the email showed that Ive been viewed. I have quit using them and I went through the proper channels this company refused to stop services and continue to **** me. When they called and asked me to pay up again I told him that I had already told him that I was quitting services. so this was the second confirmation that I no longer wanted their services. Three months later I get a letter from an attorney saying that I owe them money. For two months of service that should have been canceled. I posted about this on another website and I was a contacted by an attorney saying theres a multi person lawsuit at this point against them. If youre thinking about using them run they are not ethical or honest. I was promised many times that I would be in the top three on ****** within three months and I never got there. I was also promised a money back guarantee if in six months I didnt like the services I never got that either and I didnt like the services.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/01/2022

  Hello. We responded to this same complaint in BBB reviews on June 27, 2022 with the following:

  "Hi ******. I'm sorry these services did not meet your expectations. While we strive for certain goals, there are no guarantees with local SEO as there are many factors that contribute to the success of a campaign including population, local competition, among others. If you believe you requested to cancel and were incorrectly billed after that cancel request, please forward your time-stamped cancel request to *********************************************."

  We have not received any time-stamped proof of cancellation prior to a text on 5/31/22.