Complaints

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

close

Find a Location

Proactiv has 3 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

• 

  Proactiv

  3 Skyline Drive Hawthorne, NY 10532

• 

  Proactiv Solution

  5555 St. Louis Mills Pkwy #C12 Hazelwood, MO 63042

• 

  Proactiv

  120 Broadway #500 Santa Monica, CA 90401

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:02/11/2025

  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.

  Need account closed say I owe credit card declined Credit card is fine just process final balance owed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/28/2025

  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 purchased proactive it was set up on an automatic payment.. In June I called to cancel. They told me to return to sender that package and that they would cancel my subscription and credit it. I asked them if I had a balance and I was told no the next month I got another shipment which I called again and was told to write return to sender on it and sent it back. They told me Id receive a full credit. I did not receive any of the shipping credited (which I was told I would get due to them not canceling) NEXT.I received a notice from a collection agency stating I still owe money never received an email saying i was past-due. I spoke to them twice in June and July. Never once told me I was past due. I called and was told it was from April and May but I was told in June I didnt have a balance This is a scam. why would they have sent the next two shipments if I still had a past due balance with them. No emails were received in April or May(I checked for them). First past due I found was in July. I assume it was for the July shipment. I was told they were crediting it. Never thought anything more about it until I got a collection notice. So you they are telling me now the auto pay didnt come out from *********** (I have never had an issue with my auto pay). They confirmed I had a zero balance and they were refunding me shipment that I returned and did it again the next month as well. 4 missed opportunities to tell me I had a balance.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2025

   

  *** ********,

   

  Thank you for reaching out and bringing this matter to our attention. We sincerely apologize for any confusion or frustration this situation has caused.

   

  Please rest assured that your credit will not be affected, as neither we nor the collections agency report to credit bureaus. We have removed the balance of $49.90 from order #******** on your account, and you may disregard any further communication from the collections agency, as those messages are automatically generated.

   

  Additionally, we have processed a refund of $8.97 to your original payment method ******** to cover the shipping costs we previously promised. You should see this reflected in your ****** account within 10 business days.

    

  Thank you,

  *******

   

   

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

  Work Cell: *****************

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

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/29/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 purchased a RX from ************ on 10/17/24 for Clobetasol Prop foam which is distributed by Taro Pharmaceuticals located in ******** ,**. When I used the product I noticed it was not foaming so I contacted *** who said they would reorder it but that I needed to contact Taro. I tried to call the phone # on the box but they were closed for the weekend & was referred to another #, which I called & was no longer in service. I then called Taro on Monday & was referred to consumer affairs **** & the follow up team ,& left messages. I was initially told that I would get a new ********* would reimburse CVS but CVS told me I needed to pay for the new RX again& Taro would reimburse me. Taro said that was not the procedure. After leaving several messages from Taro I have not rec"d a response & still have not gotten my RX.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/22/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ********* *****
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2024

  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 Proactiv customer for years. My first contact there was a problem with my Proactiv account was 8/20/2024 when I received this email on my previous email address: We are reaching out to you regarding your seriously past due account. Unless your payment is made immediately, your account will be forwarded to a collections agency. If we do not hear from you within 10 days from the date of this notice, we will proceed with the collection process. I called the billing department of Proactiv on 8/21/24, and spoke to a woman named *******. I explained I didn't feel I owed the company any money from a shipment from 9/6/21. It was my recollection I had cancelled my subscription and switched to buying products from them as I needed them, and why am I hearing about this three years later? She claimed the company's attempts to contact me maybe went into my spam or trash, and the conversation went nowhere. Worried that my credit would be affected, I agreed to pay the ****** that now was showing up on my online Proactiv account screen - that I had never seen before - which listed the transaction as "processing." Once I paid the ******, I received an email from them saying: We have received your payment for your past due balance. Your account is now in good standing. We appreciate your attention on this ************ days later, on 8/27/24, I received another email with the exact same language regarding another shipment - this time from 12/18/21 - saying I owe another ******. This is also listed as "processing" on my account. I am outraged that this is happening. As a consumer, it's very difficult to recall all of my past purchases from years ago, and I don't believe they would have shipped any product without being paid upfront. I shouldn't have paid them the first payment, and I do not believe I owe them any further money and would like them to stop threatening collections. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/23/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *******
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/26/2024

  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 received an email from the business (Proactiv, part of Taro Pharmaceuticals) stating that I had an outstanding balance from 10/14/2021 and that I would be sent to collections if it wasnt paid in 10 days. This was the first communication that I have record of. Proactiv claims they sent a notification on 10/14/2021 stating that my payment did not go through. Regardless, they sent me no communication in between 10/14/2021 and 8/21/2024 notifying me of an outstanding balance. I believe that they have an accounting error. I do not feel that I owe the balance because I was setup on autopay at the time. And during the month of October 2021, I have an email from Proactiv stating that they had an outage (on their end) with autopay that affected an order (different than the one in question). It is very suspicious to me that in the same month (October 2021) that Proactiv has had internal errors that I also have an outstanding balance. I also have a email of $45.88 being refunded. Something seems very off. I was even concerned that this was a phishing scam. My resolution is for my account to be corrected and a zero balance confirmation sent to me.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/05/2024

  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.

  My daughter had a subscription to Proactiv that she cancelled. Proativ continued the bill me for a service we no longer used. After phoning them and explaining my displeasure, they reassured me they would no longer charge me a monthly fee of $23. My credit card card was billed $23 this month.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/21/2024

  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.

  I received an email today from this company saying that I have an unsettled balance from almost 2 years ago. It lists the order number as ********, order date of 6/16/2022, past due amount as $104.75. I don't know what to do but I do not believe I owe them any money. I was signed up for a subscription for proactive skin care products. My orders were never correct, I placed multiple calls and emails every time my order was incomplete or contained items I never purchased. I was only supposed to receive orders every 3 months but I would get shipments at the wrong times and then get asked why I didn't pay for that order even though I wasnt supposed to be receiving an order at that time. I ultimately called and cancelled my subscription because it was stressful, my orders were never correct. It made me nervous that the orders were always wrong because I didnt want to be charged for items I either never ordered or never received. Now almost 2 years later, I get a threatening email that I owe them $104.75 and I need to pay now or its being sent to a collection agency. I do not believe that I owe them any money because during the call when I cancelled my subscription I ask whether there was any balance on my account because I did not want to have to deal with that company any more. I was told that no, there were no issues with my account and my account would be closed. Now, almost 2 years later, I feel boxed in. And after all this time how am I supposed to defend myself. I have zero faith in this company or reason to believe that this is accurate. And now I'm very nervous that I'm being threatened with creditors. I have great credit because I pay my bills. I do not want this to affect my credit but I do not feel comfortable dealing directly with this company as I have had nothing but problems and do not trust that this is accurate. If I'm wrong I will pay because I want this matter resolved, but I cant just take their word for it.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/16/2024

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

  Dear *********,

  We sincerely apologize for the inconveniences you've experienced with your subscription, shipments and billing issues. We understand your frustration, and we want to address your concerns promptly.

  Upon reviewing your account, we found that one of our team members made an error when collecting your payment.  The order total amount was $104.75, but we never collected that payment. Rest assured, we have handled this matter internally and have cleared that remaining balance as our apology to you for the error and inconvenience and removed this order from the collections process. 
  You may continue to receive emails about the outstanding balance, but please disregard them as it may take a full billing cycle to update the emails.

  Again, we apologize for any confusion or frustration this may have caused and we appreciate your understanding.

  Warm regards,

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/16/2024

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/01/2024

  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 is an on-line/phone business for acne treatment products. We have decided to cancel the service after 3 deliveries. The website does not have the "easy cancellation" promised when we signed up. I am currently in a "chat" where I am getting the run- around.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2024

  
  

   

  Dear *****,

   

  We are so sorry for your experience with our cancellation process.  We hold ourselves to a much higher standard and we are always working to improve the process.  Feedback like yours is tremendously helpful.  After reviewing your chat and your complaint we made sure that your membership has been cancelled, and that theres no pending balance from your last order.  We also refunded $69.90 from your order# ********.  We want to express our gratitude for sharing this feedback with us and helping to make things better for everyone.   

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/02/2023

  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.

  When I signed up for the product initially, I was told that I can cancel at any time. I did not want a subscription and was very clear from the beginning about that. They said if I didnt like the product to contact them and cancel and they wouldnt charge me. I found out I was pregnant and my doctor advised me to discontinue use. I immediately contacted them via chat and call, and was assured that my unwanted subscription would be cancelled and I wouldnt be charged again. Unbeknownst to me, they had already continued my subscription and planned to charge me anyway. I was under the assumption that it was cancelled (which was confirmed). I hear nothing from them until 9 months later when I begin to receive fake looking emails telling me I had a balance overdue. I didnt receive an actual paper invoice, or overdue correspondence, or phone contact prior from Proactiv. After receiving the suspicious emails again, I decided to call them to double check. There is no contact information on the email, just a link to pay. I didnt want to click it in case it was spam and I dont want to give my card info to a random link due to fraud worries. I call a proactiv customer care number, they begin to argue with me, telling me that I have a balance due from a prior order that I had confirmed to be cancelled. They have no way of now cancelling the balance, and they have no way to contact their own collection agency. They just offered to walk me through the payment. They dropped the ball on their end with communicating my cancellation and failed to contact me when my payment didnt go through on their end in May. I was sent no correspondence to address this issue initially, they just continued to try a credit card they had on file that was cancelled due to fraud and never tried to contact me about it. Now theyre saying I have a balance due for a confirmed cancelled order. I am not responsible to pay this as I did my due diligence in cancelling, very disappointed.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/27/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  At this time, I have not been contacted by Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. regarding complaint ID ********.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/07/2023

  We appreciate you reaching out to us regarding your concerns, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you've experienced. ************************************** ******************** ****** ************* ***************congratulations on the addition to your family, and we completely understand the need for adjustments during such significant moments.

  Upon reviewing your account, we confirmed that we received your cancellation request on March 24th of 2023. However, wed like to clarify that the order in question was initiated 11 days prior to the cancellation, and as a result, it was already in process. Consequently, the product was fulfilled and delivered as part of the initial order.

  Our billing system is designed to process orders in three installments, with each installment charged 28 days apart. Unfortunately, our attempts to collect these installments on April 13th and May 11th were unsuccessful.

  We sincerely apologize if there were any lapses in keeping you informed about the outstanding balance. In the interest of resolving this issue to your satisfaction we are making a good faith gesture by refunding you the amount of $69.90 and removing you from collection efforts. You may still receive some overlapping email, but please ignore them until they cycle out of our system.

  If you encounter any issues, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly. Once again, we apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding.

  Warm Regards,

   

   

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

  Associate Director, Litigation

   

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

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/08/2023

  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 and the matter has been resolved. I paid this amount on 12/6/23, I assume this is the refund in which they are referring. Thank you.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **************
  
  
  
   
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2023

  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.

  In February, 2023 I contacted Taro Pharma. On 2/21/23 they responded with the attached letter. I sent the 2 tubes of medication immediately *** ******************* I left numerous voicemails for ****** (rep) @ *********************** *****(rep) *************** advising that the maximum refund without a receipt was acceptable. ***** advised the reason for no refund was their inability to reach me. I was also unable to reach them in person & had to leave voicemail repeatedly; 5/22,5/31,6/15 & 6/21/23. I finally reached out to Taro via ************* respond. (Attached emails) However, all I receive is empty promises. I dud as I was asked on 2/23/23 & returned the labeled, unopened tubes to them with their pre-printed *** next day air label. I would like the original refund, an apology for the delay of the refund on their end alone & compensation for the long overdue, promised refund. I was patient, however, I have been pushed to the limit. For a large company to disrespect a customer by not fulfilling a promise is unacceptable.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/03/2023

  Thank you for contacting us through the Better Business Bureau. We received your inquiry and sincerely apologize for any miscommunication or inconvenience.  Taro Pharmaceuticals takes these complaints very seriously and we truly appreciate the time you have taken to let us know about your experience. 
  

  We have reviewed your account and have been advised that two checks for the product you returned have been issued and mailed to you at your address (*********************************************************************************; *****).  Check #****** was issued on July 14, 2023 and check #****** was issued on July 24, 2023.  Please let ** know if you do not receive these checks.

  Once again on behalf of Taro Pharmaceuticals, our sincere apologies for any inconvenience this delay has caused

  Kindest regards.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2023

  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 and the matter has been resolved.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************