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:07/07/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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 went into business with Steel Blue Media on February 17th 2023 for the service of "design and develop a custom, responsive, e-commerce website" that included "7 main pages and up to 20 subpages." This website was going to hopefully be something I could use and continue to develop over the years as I am on a journey of a small online business. The proposal stated that it could take approximately 6 to 9 weeks. It has now been over 19 weeks and I have never received a working link to my website nor a "sneak peak" or "updates" on what the site is looking like thus far, even after numerous requests. I have currently paid the amount of $2,925.00. On February 17th 2023 I paid $1,950.00 and then on March 31st I paid an additional amount of $975.00. Furthermore I requested that the job be wrapped up by releasing the company of having to upload my content for the sake of moving forward and ending the poor business relationship. I requested that Steel Blue Media just use "placeholders" in an effort to get the project finished. I also was told that I had requested a "4th concept" to be created which was false and just continued to move the completion of this project further back. Finally, Steel Blue continues to send me numerous emails asking for the last payment, in addition to "chargeback" fees. Again, it has been 19 weeks with no current updates or working link. I have now lost $2,925 with nothing to show for it. When I asked for my money to be refunded I was refused and I continue to receive additional charges and threats to this day. I am being called things like dumb, dense, idiotic, narcissistic, *****, foolish, princess, entitled, and more. Looking for help. Thanks

  Business Response

  Date: 07/27/2023

  Please see the attached letter and attachments (Agreement/Proposal, and supporting documents) as evidence the work was provided by Steel Blue Media, LLC., to ****************** up to the day she terminated the contract.  ****************** has been threatening to ruin the reputation of Steel Blue Media, LLC., if we do not give her a full refund to which she is not entitled. 

   

  Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need clarification or have questions.  I can be reached at ************** or via email at *************************************.  Thank you.

   

  Sincerely,

   

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

  Principal | Creative Director

   

  see attached

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/29/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I do not agree with Steel Blue Media's claims that any services were rendered within the 19 weeks we worked together. Furthermore, I ask for said proof of her creative journey with my project. I released the company of their obligation to include my content (see attachment) and after 19 weeks I was still NEVER presented with updates, pictures, links, etc to the site *********************** stated she had been working on. Furthermore, I asked ***** politely if I could work with one of her colleagues to see the final stages of the project halfway through and I was denied. 

  I have received threats that I will be a "felon," that I "will be served papers in front of people," that she knows the "comfy house I live in," that she is going to **** me," and that she is going to "garnish my wages."

  To this day, she continues to send me emails and invoices. I have received four from her so far in the last 24 hours. I have replied "STOP" to each one, and yet she continues. I would like a refund or I will continue to seek justice for what she stole from my family. 

  Regards,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2023

  Please see the attached letter and supporting text messages as evidence in response to Ms. ******** Complaint ID 20286112, dated July 31, 2023 showing Ms. ******** claims are false and the work was completed well within the estimated timeline up to the day she terminated the contract.  ****************** has been threatening to ruin the reputation of Steel Blue Media, LLC., if we do not give her a full refund to which she is not entitled. 

   

  Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need clarification or have questions.  I can be reached at ************** or via email at *************************************.  Thank you.

   

  Sincerely,

   

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

  Principal | Creative Director

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/06/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I ask for Steel Blue Media to give a refund. I see their response did not provide any proof of their creative process for my project.

  After 19 weeks of waiting for Steel Blue Media to provide a website, I decided to adventure into the journey on my own. I very quickly realized the amount of time and creativity that is needed in order to produce a live website. It opened my eyes to the lack of correspondence, content, updates, and collaboration that Blue Steel promised they would provide during their "contract."

  I fully believe that this company steals money. I am a kindergarten teacher who taught myself how to do what I paid someone over $2,500 to do. It took me one month. I now have a working website in 4 weeks (that I did 100% on my own)! 

  To this very day, I am STILL receiving emails from Steel Blue Media stating that I owe money and that it will continue to increase every time I do not pay. At week 19 I told Steel Blue to STOP.

  I have asked the owner that I be granted the opportunity to work with someone else in her company and also to stop emailing me. She refuses and I continue to receive harassing emails. 

  Should I not get a refund I am filing in my court system for small claims. I have nothing to lose. Because she took some of my last dollars. 

  Thank you. 

   Regards,

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

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2023

  August 7, 2023
  
  *************************
  Better Business Bureau of *********
  ***********************************
  *********, ** 53214
  BBB File: 20286112
  Red Headed Teacher *****************************
  Re: Correspondence dated July 31, 2023, ** BBB File No. 20286112
  Dear ********************,
  I am writing today in response to Ms. ******** Complaint dated August 7, 2023.
  ****************** continues to make false allegations and statements with absolutely no proof the
  work was not completed up to the date she terminated the contract, two days before she agreed
  to view the updated website. ****************** was free to terminate the contract at any time during
  the process, however she waited until AFTER she received the work (prior to the updates to the
  website).
  She continues to make threats to harm the reputation of Steel Blue Media, LLC if she does not
  receive a full refund to which she is not entitled. ****************** stated that she was terminating
  the contract and would build her own website. She is entitled to do so, however that does not
  make her eligible for a refund since Steel Blue Media, LLC performed the work prior to the
  contract termination.
  In addition, ****************** stated that she will file a lawsuit in her jurisdiction knowing full well that
  she is in breach of the contract, and it is improper jurisdiction. ****************** is going so far as to
  purposefully file a false complaint in the wrong jurisdiction, wasting the courts time, the judges
  time, and other staff members of the judicial system in an act of retaliation, and an attempt to
  cause harm to Steel Blue Media, LLC. Again, this is just another example of the threats, and the
  length ****************** will go to, (malice) with the intent to cause reputational harm. Based on her
  statements (threat) she is willing to go so far as to perjure herself and abuse the judicial system
  in an effort to cause harm to the reputation of Steel Blue Media, LLC.
  Please see the terms of the contract below advising ****************** is not entitled to a refund (to
  which she signed her name to the contract in agreement with the terms). And, the proper
  jurisdiction, Pierce County, *********.
  Please see the Terms and Conditions in the agreement:
  Section 11 Term and Termination
  Subsection **** This Agreement shall commence upon the effective date and shall remain
  effective until the Services are completed and delivered. Termination of this agreement by the
  client does not entitle the Client to a refund in any circumstance.
  
  Steel Blue Media, LLC
  
  Section **** In the event . . . The client is responsible for the agreed upon payments as
  scheduled even if the agreement has been terminated by the Client.
  Section **** By their execution, the parties hereto have agreed to all of the terms and
  conditions of this Agreement effective as of the last date of Signature, and each Signatory
  represents that it has the full authority to enter into this Agreement and to bind her/his
  respective party to all of the terms and conditions herein.
  I, *************************, agree to the terms of this agreement and I agree that my
  typed name below can be used as a digital representation of my signature to
  that fact
  *************************
  Signed by: *************************
  Signed on: 17 Feb 2023 at 06:09
  IP Address from signature location: 35.145.236.8
  
  12.5 Governing Law and Dispute Resolution. The formation, construction,
  performance and enforcement of this Agreement shall be in accordance with
  the laws of ********* and Pierce County without regard to its conflict of law
  provisions or the conflict of law provisions of any other jurisdiction.
  The Company has performed all of its obligations due to ****************** under the contract.
  Given the nature of this Complaint, we would ask that you do not publish her FALSE and
  MISLEADING Complaint as it would only fulfill her goal of causing harm to the reputation
  of Steel Blue Media, LLC., and cause a financial hardship by limiting earning capacity.
  To date, the Company remains unpaid for $325.00 it is owed for services performed on the
  website. Any refund for services already rendered would represent unjust enrichment for Ms.
  ***************
  
  Please feel free to contact me at ************** if you need any clarifications or wish to speak
  further. Thank you.
  Sincerely,
  /s/ /***********************
  ***********************
  Principal | Creative Director
  Steel Blue Media, LLC
  Mobile | **************
  Email | ********************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/15/2022

  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.

  story is long so i will make it short. ***** director quickly received 4000dollars from me for a website within 2weeks and 450dollars to be paid before website launch. this was in ************************************************** nov. 2022 no website. half done all information i gave is not present on the website. we have gone back and forth for ever and website is still not done. she claim i kept adding information for her to add to the website meanwhile all information i kept sending are corrections to the poor job that was done to the pages, listing in some areas are not complete, some information overlapping in some areas, information that came with the website template are still present on the website... then now she want to charge me additional 1500dollars for a page which she claim need coding. building a website includes coding so i am not sure why she wants to charge me seperate now. i cannot sign on to the website, there are still images and writings on there that came with the downloaded skeleton she is using for my website, all images, colors i choosed for the website are not on there. then she demanded i sent in all information, i sent that ***** till now 4months in no changes to the website. in short this is so frustrating. i could have been making some kind of income from this site by now. she collected 4000dollars from me and remaining 450dollars i still owe. but service have not been delivered so i need all my money back plus interest

  Business Response

  Date: 12/19/2022

  Dear ********************,
  Our office represents Steel Blue Media LLC, a ********* limited liability company (the
  Company) and is responding to your offices letter dated November 28, 2022, which requests a written
  response to Ms. ******* complaint dated November 15, 2022 (the Complaint).
  We would first like to note that our client only recently received the Complaint because it was sent
  to the wrong address. Once received, the Company immediately forwarded to our office to respond in a
  timely manner.
  With respect to the agreement between the parties, the Company has not only performed its duties
  and obligations to **************** in all material respects, but has exceeded all of those duties and obligations.
  It is rather **************** who is in breach of the agreement by failing to pay for services which were rendered
  by the Company, and which we will touch on in more detail here.
  The Complaint arises from Ms. ******* unrealistic, inexplicable and unilateral expansion of the
  scope of the Companys duties and obligations under the contract, which is unsupported by the contract,
  was never bargained for or agreed to by the parties, and is patently unreasonable. There is no legal or factual
  basis, or application of equitable principles which would warrant Ms. ******* interpretation of contract or
  otherwise lend support to her assertions in the ************************* ceased work on the project when it became clear that **************** was no longer
  upholding her end of the bargain, after she refused to make payments to the Company. To date, the
  Company remains unpaid for $450.00 it is owed for services performed on the website. The Company
  disputes many of the facts **************** cites in her Complaint. Moreover, any refund for services already
  rendered would represent unjust enrichment for ****************; moreover, the $2,000.00 she claims for
  purported emotional damages further demonstrates the patent unreasonableness of her position.
  Please feel free to reach out to my office should you need any clarifications or wish to speak further.
  Thank you.
  Sincerely,
  /s/ *************************
  *************************
  *******
  4770 ******************
  ***************, ** 55110
  **************
  **********************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/22/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  I was responding to the BBB and suddenly got logged out and couldn't continue with my rejection response and explanation

  But l will like to inform the BBB that l have also filed my complaint with ************ court

  All information given to *************** is not on my website and the site is not live..she had all the logged in information for my website so l don't have access and cannot make any changes..so it's ridiculous to say my website is complete.

  This website was supposed to be generating income for me and my children but we have not collected a dime since she collected our money in 2021

  
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 01/06/2023

  Correspondence dated Thursday, December 22, 2022, ** BBB File No. 18407020
  Dear ********************,
  Our office represents Steel Blue Media LLC, a ********* limited liability company (the
  Company) and is responding to your offices email dated Wednesday, December 28, 2022, pertaining to
  a response from ***************************** dated December 22, 2022 (the Response), which was made in
  response to our letter dated December 19, 2022 (the Company Letter) responding to Ms. ******************** filed with your office on November 15, 2022 (the Complaint).
  Ms. ******* Response does not present any new information to respond to; moreover, the
  Company Letter adequately addresses all of Ms. ******* complaints. To wit, the Company disputes Ms.
  Ndifors allegations in her original Complaint, and again reiterate that the Company has performed all of
  its obligations due to **************** under the contract. In other words, material facts are in dispute about the
  nature and substance of the ************************** Ms. ******* apparent filing of a complaint in court makes BBB resolution
  inappropriate, pursuant to Item No. 7 of the BBBs acceptance criteria: The Complaint is not in litigation
  when filed with the BBB and has not been resolved by a previous court action, arbitration, or settlement
  between the parties.
  Please feel free to reach out to my office should you need any clarifications or wish to speak further.
  Thank you.
  Sincerely,
  /s/ *************************
  *************************
  *******
  4770 ******************
  ***************, ** 55110
  **************
  **********************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/17/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  

  this issue has not been resolve..how did u come to that conclusion?...l don't have a functioning website,  l don't have credentials to make changes to my website all information l gave Steel Blue Media to add to my website since july of last year is not on the website, customers cannot make any payments on  there, my website is not life and lm out 4050dollars

  This issue has not been resolved..so plse help us resolve this issue

  Thank you so much

  
  
  Regards,
  
  *************************