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:12/23/2024

  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.

  Was told for over a year that my product will be completed and no more contact from these individuals unless they need payments with no product

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/09/2025

  Dear BBB Team 
  
  Mr. ****** has defaulted on his payment obligations under the binding agreement signed with Flynaut. Despite multiple reminders and good-faith efforts to collect amounts past due, Mr. ****** repeatedly failed to make timely payments as required. Moreover, when Flynaut sought payment in accordance with the terms of the agreement, Mr. ****** became uncooperative and ceased communication. To date, he has been unresponsive to calls, text messages, and emails from our team.
  
  Flynaut has, in fact, performed more work on Mr. ******* project than was covered by the payments received thus far. In light of the continued and repeated defaults, Flynaut had no choice but to exercise its contractual right to suspend further work on the project until Mr. ******* outstanding balances were resolved.
  
  Please note that a copy of the relevant agreement is attached for your review and records. Flynaut remains prepared to assist Mr. ****** if he wishes to proceed. In the event he decides to fulfill his financial obligations, Flynaut stands ready to discuss a restructured payment plan in good faith to facilitate the projects completion.
  
  We respectfully request that the Better Business Bureau acknowledge Flynauts position and our willingness to cooperate in resolving this matter amicably. Should you require any additional information, please feel free to contact me at the information provided below.

  Thank you for your time and attention.
  Sincerely,
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/09/2024

  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.

  Initial contract for Flynaut, LLC to develop a self-care mobile app was signed 8/4/22. To date, I have paid $40,727.72 Per written correspondence, Flynaut would launch my mobile app on 2/14/23. I have multiple emails with dates of expected launch dates including: 3/27/23, 5/2/23, 6/2/23, and an email from 10/16/23 from them saying the project "is more than 90%" complete.As of 7/9/24, the app has still not launched and due to employee turnover (on 3rd project manager) we are back to where we were on 10/16/23. I launched a book on 10/24/22 (physical & digital copies) that had a marketing page for the mobile app launching "Q1 2023." I've been on multiple podcasts promoting it as well as being a keynote speaker at a mental health conference. Failure to provide this service to my clients after all the hype has been detrimental to my business - as it was also launching my coaching business, including app only text coaching. With notification to Flynaut, I stopped my contracted monthly payments in 4/2024 and do not feel I should have to pay them the remaining $18,419.28. As they've cost me, at least that, in loss of business.On 6/18/24, they offered me a $10K discount and launching the app by 6/30/24 contingent on me removing the honest reviews I posted in 4/24 ******** Thumbtack and Clutch). I do not agree to those terms, as I do not feel I should have to pay them any more money, especially not until I have the working source code in my possession and can vet is as complete.Any dates or promises that Flynaut gives cannot be trusted. There is nothing holding them accountable for launching my app.I'm requesting that Flynaut provide written notification that my project is paid in full, complete the app (within 30 days of paid in full notice), and provide me the working source code that I have 60-days to vet as complete and not broken. As well as a refund of $3,122 for a server and legal services that were paid for, but not provided.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/30/2024

  Please see the attached business response and documents. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/04/2024

   
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Flynaut has continually given me the run around. I have been stood up for multiple Zoom calls, emails gone unanswered for weeks at a time or ignored altogether, and they have failed to provide timeframes, which were asked for repeatedly, as well as a request for the billable hours on the project (what/when/who worked on the project). I have been promised and told numerous times that they would do x, y, or z only to never have that happen. I was even promised a pre and post-launch marketing plan, within 24 hours on May 2, 2023, along with 10 hours of free development to show our appreciation for your business. Not only did I not get a marketing plan, but the meeting we ended up having about it, I was pitched a 3-month marketing service for another $11K+. I cannot trust Flynaut or take them at their word that they will do or deliver anything, especially within the timeframe(s) given.

  I have expressed concerns with the timing of the app development, in writing, as early as 8/27/22. Unfortunately, I had also hired Flynaut to revamp my website and although they said that the delivery of the app would not be affected, I certainly believe that it was. I ended up firing Flynaut from completing my website as they failed to deliver that by the expected and agreed upon delivery date, too.

  Flynaut is trying to skirt around the facts and say that because the *** does not contain a hard-n-fast launch date that they are not obligated by other written or oral communications and promises of the 2/14/23 launch date. A contract goes both ways. I agreed to the terms in the proposal that they would develop my mobile application per the scope of work in or around the estimated timeframe for our agreed upon price. Their failure to do so in an appropriate amount of time is why Im asking them to consider me paid in full and complete the project providing me the working source code.

  The proposal indicates an 8 month build time, which would have been April of 2023. In Flynauts response to my complaint they said Flynaut did not stipulate a fixed completion date but rather outlined a collaborative development process contingent upon timely feedback and approvals from the client.  Yet I have multiple emails of Flynaut agreeing to the app being delivered by 2/14/23. As that date came and went, promise after promise (in writing) was made for new launch dates.

  I have never changed the scope of work (if I had there would be an addendum to the contract and more money expected), I have been extremely responsive and always provided excellent communication around my needs on this project. To this day they have never once told me that I have unrealistic expectations on launching the app or given me a reason why the app has not launched, other than bugs and in October 2023 that there were issues with the server and getting notifications to correctly respond. Instead, they continue to promise date after date only for the project to remain uncomplete with bugs, missing data, and no timeframe.

  Flynaut also stipulated in their response that multiple changes and iterations requested by the client, which naturally extended the project timeline and due to further change request and feedback delays from *******, the finalization of the project has been impacted and it is essential to note that the delays were significantly influenced by the frequent changes and delayed feedback on her part.  My response is that this is simply not true. I have 2 years worth of email evidence that would say the contrary including the attached: 12/6/22 where I said I was told that on 10/31 I would have a timeline (plan) for both the website and app. Ive had a communications with ***** and now have Samaah providing me with updates, but still dont have a timeline that were all able to follow along with, no set meetings to fit into those timelines. And the biggest worry for me is that Ive asked repeatedly for when/what is needed from me and wanted that to be a part of the timeline, so I could make sure that Im not the reason things are being help up. I also asked multiple times for the frequency of our weekly Zoom calls to be increased. As we sit today, not only are my meetings only once a week, over the past few months they have been almost non-existent. Mostly because there is nothing new to discuss. And when there was a meeting, it was less than 5 minutes saying they would provide me with a new build shortly. Just today, 8/1/24, I was told that theyre hopeful to get the project launched by the end of the month. Since Ive heard this more times than I can count, it doesnt mean much to me, but I sure do hope that its accurate.

   

  I have asked for nothing outside of the scope of work. Any changes or iteration requests are to get things back on track per the scope of work. As they also indicated, we were all in agreeance that my project was 90% complete in the email dated 10/16/23, but with the multiple project managers (3) and designers/developers (2) working on my project, somewhere along the way, around November 2023, my application somehow reverted back to an old version some features from 8+ months prior were incorrect or missing from the app. In the attached email dated 2-5-24, I even asked them if they backed up old versions because there were so many things missing. I have attached the email regarding this matter, as they tried to claim that things that were already apart of and in working versions of the app I had were now somehow outside of the scope of work.

   

  I appreciate Flynaut continuing to work on my app, even after I provided written communications that I was going to stop my monthly payments. My goal, and the entire reason I hired them was to develop a mobile application to enhance my business offerings and services.

  Ive attached various other emails to show that Flynaut agreed to launch the app at various times along the way, again with no mention of my lack of response or changes causing a delay. I included emails where I specifically expressed concerns with the delay and even asked to pause payments until the app was launched in April 2023 that was met with, thats not our agreement and that the app would launch next week. And lastly, I included the email chain spanning from 3/25/24 to 5/2/24 letting them know that I was looking into legal options.
  
  Flynaut claims that me posting honest reviews and filing a claim with the BBB amount to blackmail and are unfair business practices. This statement is just absurd. Prior to me posting any reviews, I attempted to get Flynaut to make things right. At one point I was promised an additional 100 hours of development work and 3 months of marketing free of charge, that was supposed to help off-set the delay verses considering me paid in full. I never was able to get that in writing. As the clock continued to click, I final came to the realization that Flynaut has nothing holding them to timeframe or launching my app. Thats when I made the decision to stop my monthly payments and to post the reviews. I want other small business to know that this is a potential. If you read my reviews, they do state that there work is good, its just not done in a timely manner. The app being 90% completed has happened twice: 10/16/23 and again 3/31/24. If that was the case, then why as of 8/1/24 am I being told its still another 3-4 weeks away? 

  My request remains the same. Due to the exorbitant delay in launching the app (we are now just a couple days shy of 2 years in development, over 17 months past the expected/promised delivery date) I feel compensation should be that Flynaut consider my project paid in full (accounting for an $18,519.28 discount). As my company has lost more than that in this delay.

  Per the contract, Flynaut will not release the source code of the application until the account is paid in full. Thats why I would like Flynaut to acknowledge, in writing, that the project is paid in full and complete the application within 30-days. I, sadly, do not trust that I will receive the complete source code in working order. So, my request also stipulates that I would like 60 days to verify that the source code is not broken.

  The $3,122 refund request is for two things: 1) $1,972 for one-year of server usage, that is an annual fee. I was charged this is 12/2022 and they wanted the fee again in 12/2023, but with the app not launched I did not pay it the second time. 2) $1,150 is for legal writing services that I was told is specialized and required if I didnt want the app to get rejected for approval in the app stores. There were 7 agreements: app privacy policy, terms & conditions, end user license agreement, refund policy, cookie policy, GDPR agreement, terms of service for my app. To this date, I have not seen all off them, I was asked to write my own refund policy, and the initial privacy policy they put in my mobile app was taken verbatim from my website. When I called them out on that, they changed it to dummy text with a different companys name. I have complained further, and the privacy policy has since been corrected.  The fact is that the only two that are in the app are the privacy policy and the terms of use, both of which I could have written and had by the time the app was originally supposed to launch in 2/2023 verses when they were completed in the app in 2024.

  My requests are not outrageous. Its more than fair to be given a 33% discount for Flynaut being more than 17 months delayed. And the $3,122 refund is only right given the above statement.

  Thank you for your time and consideration to this matter.

  ******* ******
  Wellness Spoiled Owner

   

   

  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/20/2024

  Response to Danettes Claims:
  
  Attached is the detailed response. 
  
  Summary:
  Flynaut has worked diligently on Danettes project, despite challenges caused by scope changes and delays on her part. Claims of unresponsiveness and a lack of communication are inaccurate, as Flynaut maintained regular updates and meetings. The timelines provided were always estimates, contingent on timely feedback and approvals. Danettes additional requests, including scope changes and revisions, extended the original estimated timeline.
  While Flynaut proposed a marketing plan, it was outside the original scope, and ******* declined it. Despite stopping payments, Flynaut continued work in good faith but must assert that continued allegations and non-payment are demotivating and in violation of the agreed terms. Flynaut reserves the right to halt the project if payments are not made.
  
  Flynaut offers a 40% non-negotiable settlement discount on the outstanding $18,519.28 and will release the source code only after full payment is made. Upon payment, Flynaut will provide 60 days of support post-launch to ensure the app functions properly. If this offer is not accepted, the matter will be escalated to collections.
  
  This settlement reflects Flynaut's good-faith effort to resolve the matter fairly, while standing by the quality of its work.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/25/2024

   
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  Reply to Flynaut's response dated 9/20/24:

   

  1) Communications have been underwhelming. Although we maintained a weekly Zoom meeting for the majority of the project, I put a stop to them, just recently, because they were a waste of my time. More often than not I was simply logging into a Zoom for 5 minutes or less to be told information that I already knew. Especially in the past year, Flynaut did not use the time to ask questions of me, go over any technical issues, or share with me any details of why things were being "held up." We used to have a shared ****** Spreadsheet that had all of the bugs in the app that were preventing it from launching. We worked together to add comments and address them one by one. There were completion dates, that Flynaut entered at my request, for each of the bugs, so there would be accountability as to the timing. These completion dates were all throughout the month of February 2024, because I had been promised that the app would launch in the first part of March 2024. As those dates came and went, when I went back to the spreadsheet all of the completion dates as well as the column heading "Deadline by developer" had been deleted. I have proof of this, if needed. The last functional build I've received from Flynaut was 7/1/2024. 

   

  2) Pre and post-launch marketing plan rebuttle. 1) When the marketing plan was first purposed to me in September 2023 they were asking that I pay additional money for it - the cheapest was a 3 month plan for $11,157.30 up to a year plan for $29,400. Not only was my app now delayed by 6 months, so my confidence in them following thorough was low, but I also did not have the additional money to spend on it. 2) A phone conversation with ****** in early March 2024 yielded a that they would provide a 3-month marketing plan free of charge along with an extra 100 hours of development. I was told that an addendum to my contract would be emailed to me by 3/5/24 and I never received that. 3) How can you have an effective pre and post-launch marketing plan without a solid launch date? I've provided countless emails with promise after promise of delivery dates.

   

  3) Timelines and Scope/Project Iterations. I have always provided prompt feedback and have numerous emails to prove the my timely feedback. I even have emails where I specifically ask Flynaut what I could be doing on my end to stay on top of everything. We are well beyond calling the 2/14/23 agreed upon launch date an estimate at this point - over 20 months delayed is not even remotely close. Flynaut keeps asserting that numerous scope enhancements and change requests were made - I can promise you that Flynaut would NEVER do work outside the original scope of work without an addendum to the contract and collection of more money. There were a few instances where I asked Flynaut to do something and when they told me it was outside the scope of work and highlighted the requested action within the original scope of work and they had to fulfill the request. At one point, early in 2024 I was told that to have a column header centered (which it had already been) was outside the scope of work. It was at this point that I realized that my app had starting reverting back to old designs. In October 2023 the app was about 90% complete. The main issue at that time was getting notifications to work and the Admin Panel needed work. As of October 2024 we're less than 90% complete and the team had to redo much of what had already been done. There was a shift in team members at the end of 2023 - I got a new project manager and new developer. I think they reverted back to old designs without talking to me and we've spent this year playing catch up on things that had already been complete. I have a TON of documentation on this. As far as iterations go, that's the nature of building a mobile app. You tell them what you want, the developer designs something to show you and you provide feedback. Every time we go back and forth is a "new iteration" that is not what's caused the delay. While I do understand that with software development it's common to encounter technical challenges and I have been more than patient throughout this process as they've certainly been encountered. What's unacceptable is being 20 months past the initial launch date. Plus, there are features that are supposed to be in the app per the original scope of work that I've decided to omit - because I was trying to get the project to move along and not have additional delays.

   

  4) Project Versions (note multiple teams was not addressed). Beginning in January 2024 I expressed concerns about being on my 3rd project manager - stating that I was worried that things were getting lost in communications and expectations. I also said " Versions of the app that were accurate seem to be reverting back to old feature/designs, etc."  On 2/5/24 I specifically asked, " I was curious IF there is a backup of previous versions?"  I provided specific 5 specific exampled (condensed versions): guided meditation tracks had incorrect titles, images for the guided meditation tracks were inaccurate, hydration tracker animation screen, multiple spelling/punctuation and display errors, and services within the coaching section are incorrect. The answer I received on 2/6/24: "Regrettably, reverting to the prior version of the application is not feasible, even though we possess all the code for that iteration. Re-implementing the previous version carries inherent risks to the overall stability and functionality of the application. While we do have the capability to scrutinize the code for individual functionalities, attempting a complete rollback may introduce inconsistencies or conflicts with the current version. Thus, it is wiser to concentrate on evaluating and enhancing specific functionalities within the existing framework, rather than embarking on a comprehensive overhaul that could potentially disrupt the application's overall performance."  I clarified that I was not asking them to rollback to a prior version, but rather use it as a reference to see the way things used to be and bring the new version/designs up to speed.

   

  5) Refund Request: The $3,133 refund request was a plea for Flynaut to do the right thing. There were many monetary components to launching a mobile app that Flynaut is not upfront with them not covering as part of your project. One of those was the dedicated server, an annual fee, they said was required. I paid for it in December 2022, for an app with a launch date of 2/14/23, and when December 2023 came around and I was supposed to pay for the server again I declined the purchase and said I would resume once the app launched. Since then I've looked into the need for a dedicated server and this is something that can be housed by me or a third-party of my choosing, if I need. This was not presented to me. I was simply told I had to pay for the server or my app wouldn't launch. As for the legal service that they're saying the app wouldn't be approved without the proper language. I suggested that I could do it myself and it was asserted that if I didn't want delays or want ***** to reject the app due to the failure to use proper language then I had to pay for their legal writing service. I did and then proceeded to not have it provided. When it was it was pulled directly from my own personal website. When I called them out on that, they threw in a template with another companies information. Eventually I fought hard enough that it's my company info and sounds legit, but this is not something that I could not have done easily myself.

   

  6) Stopped Payments: Flynaut is hiding behind a contract stating that dates are estimates and that I am the one causing the delays. And they are not taking ownership of being ********************************************* April of 2023, just a couple months past the 2/14/23 launch date I requested a pause in my payments until the team could get the app launched. My reasoning was to motivate them and ensure accountability. Because not only had I been told that the app would launch in the first quarter of 2023, but I was also told that I would start making money on the app around December 2022 with the marketing efforts and getting early adopters. They denied my request stating that if I paused my payments they would stop working. So I continued my monthly payments as agreed upon. A year later, March 2024 with the app no closer to launching than the year prior I wrote Flynaut and told them I was stopping my payments (payments were up to date until 4/4/24). While I still owe Flynaut over $18K per our contract, they still owe me a mobile app. Had they launched the app prior to 4/4/24 I would have continued payments without question, even though they were over a year delayed. Where is the protection for the consumer? I'm supposed to pay Flyanut the full $56,025, but they don't have to provide me a product within a reasonable time frame?
  
  7) Settlement Offer: Discussions of how to make this right started back in January 2024. I started by seeking a full refund $40,727.72. We got lawyers involved and I then suggested that Flynaut consider me paid in full (discounting the remaining $18K owed for failure to provide app in timely manner), complete and launch the app and provide all the source code. We're 10 months into trying to figure out a way to make this right, the app is still not launched, so most recently, on 10/23/24, went back to my initial request - a full refund OR give me a 70% refund of $28,299.40 + all the design files (which aren't even complete). 

   

  I reject their settlement that I still owe them $11,111.57. At this point I have reason to believe that even if my mobile app were ready to be launched that it's not in my best interest to do so. The do not believe the app will be able to handle a large audience and it will have lots of bugs. With only 60 days of post-launch support, there is no way I can trust that they would actually do the work to fix everything in that short period of time. This project has been underway for over 3 years and it's still not launched. I also believe that if the source code were to be provided it would be broken and unusable. Due to my lack of trust in Flynaut integrity and work, at this point in the project timeline is why I'm reverting to a refund or partial refund and designs. I'd like to be able to take my ideas to a more reputable company to be able to handle my project in a timely manner.

   

   

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