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:07/08/2023

  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.

  *************, Hometown Values Savings Magazine in the ******************* :: He is practicing deceptive marketing and advertising on website www.myhometownvalues.com - ads and graphics that misrepresent the geographic origin of goods, services or commercial activities for the *********** Market, ***********************, Carbon ************** in *******. Here in *******, we were doing business with ************* for over 12 years and ended doing business with him February 2023. We formed our own legal and registered business in ******* for Hometown Values Saving$ Magazine as the cost of doing business with ************* was getting out of hand and extraordinarily high. ************* was properly notified by all ******* publishers of his dismissal as a print broker.We have reached out to ************* via email, text and registered mail to remove all marketing material and ads for the ******* market on the website www.myhometownvalues.com. ************* does not respond to any of our correspondence.We have also reached out to Wave Networks and Website Sandwich also located in ****************, the company that built and hosts the website for *************, to have these changes made.We have been reaching out to ************* to get this resolved since February 2023 with no communication and no results from him. His business is misrepresenting his business and the ******* market.Can the Better Business Bureau help us with this situation?Thank you,*******************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/08/2023

  ******************* contacted me in Aug 2010 seeking my expertise and experience to help her start a Hometown Values coupon magazine edition in Great Fall, MT.    I helped set her up in business by provided print brokerage services and mentorship to her for over 12 years.  In essence, I handled all the printing and mailing logistics to make sure the *********** edition of Hometown Values magazine was printed, labeled and delivered to the homes in ***********. 

  Like many industries during the ***** period, supply shortages, labor shortages and reduced production effected the costs of goods of products and services.  The printing industry was no different as we experienced frequent increases in costs related to paper, print production, freight as well as postage increases.   Many printed moved away from printing publications and shifted to fabricating and printing shipping boxes as they could make more money with the demand of increase online sales and fulfillment requests.  Nobody likes price increases.  However, when the printer or freight company raise my prices, I would then in turn pass those increases on to the Area Publishers I work with.    A few times I was giving notice of a paper or production increase within ***** days from our next publication going to press.  I too wish we had more advanced notice to adjust our prices of said increases but the paper ***** gave little notice to the printer who passed the increase on to me and I onto the Area Publishers I serviced.  It's the world we lived in for nearly two years.   All increase were clearly communicated to the Area Publishers in a timely manner.

  However, ******************* would not accept these cost of goods increases and started making demands that were outside the print brokerage and licensing agreement she signed.  ******************* is a disgruntled ex-area publisher who is now in violation of using the company name which has been trademarked since 2004.    Her requests to remove the Montana editions from the corporate website (www.myhometownvalues.com) were done prior to her cease-and-desist threat letter.   However, she continues to complain.   Not much more I can do to accommodate her demands as they have already been addressed and dealt with.   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/09/2023

   
  Complaint: 20292613
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The complaint in place is not why ************* was fired as a print broker.  As a business owner, there is plenty of documentation to support that decision which was made in February 2023. None of the area publishers were ever ***************** employees.  His logo is not trademarked with plenty of documentation to support that continued misrepresentation on ************** part.  Moving forward:

  The issue at hand is the mis-representation for the ******* edition and markets that is being displayed by ************* on the www.myhometownvalues.com website.  

  All ********** needs to do is read through the information provided (again) in this complaint, copy and paste the url information in the browser tab and he will see that the pages are still there along with titles, etc.

  While ********** had the website provider disable a couple of links back in April/May, that is not the same as page and information deletion of information, meta tags, titles, keywords from the "corporate" website.  The detailed page and information concerns, which is showing on the provided attachment, was and has been brought forth to ************** attention.  The page deletions and anything *****************************, etc. for the ******* Editions have not "been addressed and dealt with" as ********** so states in his response to the complaint.

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