ComplaintsforCobalt Coaching

• Initial Complaint

  01/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  **** See Attached Document ****

  Customer response

  01/03/2022

  **** See Attached Document ****
  
  See Attachment/File: BBB LA Cobalt Coaching.docx

  Business response

  01/14/2022

  
  In response to the client's complaint regarding our coaching services:
  
  (A) On May 24th, 2021, the client enrolled in Mission Accomplished(r) Premium, a year-long coaching program delivered by COBALT Coaching. She read and accepted the Terms and Conditions of the program in writing, which specified that her payment was nonrefundable and would be applied to her program regardless of her participation.
  
  (B) The client agreed explicitly that her payment was nonrefundable, that she was making a year-long commitment, and that Cobalt Coaching does not guarantee specific results from the program.
  
  (C) We shipped our deluxe welcome package to the client on May 28th, 2021, which was delivered on June 4th, 2021 according to the tracking info provided at ****************************** (URL avail upon request).
  
  
  (D) We provided the client with group coaching calls, private coaching calls, Premium private support and the 24/7 online membership portal beginning June 8th, as promised. She responded positively and enthusiastically to the services she received. We continued to provide access and services even after she filed a dispute with **************** in September 2021 for the full amount of her fee for the year.
  
  **************** made a thorough review of evidence submitted to support our claim (all available upon request), and ruled in our favor, returning 100% of the funds to COBALT Coaching.
  
  Specifically, we addressed the following complaints, with supporting documents:
  
  "Client paid extra for premium access." Client had private, unlimited and confirmed access to Merchant via personal cell phone and private chat within the program.
  
  "The client requested to not be in a group format and was denied the request." The client explicitly agreed to the group format prior to her enrollment on May 24th in a private email to the merchant on May 21st. She reaffirmed her approval of the program format in writing on June 20th and July 5th, and continued to participate in the group portal throughout July, August and September, with positive feedback.
  
  "Client stated that they did not get initial access to program until 06/25/21." Client opened Premium welcome email on May 29th, attended program sessions on June 8th, 9th and 15th, and visited the membership portal 33 times before June 25th. Client also opened and clicked every program email sent between May 24th-June 20th.
  
  "When attempting to reach out to Merchant regarding refund, ******** advised that client signed a non-refundable contract." Merchant met with client for two hours on July 5th, 2021 to address Client's concerns. Client expressed her satisfaction in writing following the meeting. On September 1st, client requested a refund but did not respond to follow-up emails seeking resolution on her behalf.
  
  We wish that we could have resolved this more amicably, and we continue to wish the client all of the transformational results she originally sought but declined to pursue through our program.
  
  

  Customer response

  01/16/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  January 16, 2022
  
  I am not in agreement with the position of ***************** and the following is my response.
  
  1. In section (A) ******************************** notes the nonrefundable terms and conditions. When closing the deal in May 2021, I told merchant that I had concerns about the group format. She used coercive tactics and her influence as a life coach to manipulate me. She told me that I was acting like a child and rushed me by saying there was another client waiting to meet with her. The Mission Accomplished Outline and Bonuses document does not mention that the paid in full option is nonrefundable. (Exhibit A) Furthermore, the information provided on the Enrollment Form included payment options and a box to check to agree to the terms and conditions. In this form, there is no mention that the paid in full option is nonrefundable. (Exhibit B). ***************** has not been able to provide evidence that shows my agreement to the terms and conditions. She has not been able to produce a signed copy of the terms from the May encounter.
  2.In section (B) ***************** writes that Cobalt Coaching does not guarantee success. My dispute is not based on my personal success with the program, rather it is in response to the unprofessional, abusive and coercive manner in which she conducts her business.
  3.In section (D) ***************** comments that I responded positively and enthusiastically to the program. These comments were in response to her bullying, my desire to fit into the group format, and my effort to be successful in the program.
  4.In section (D) ***************** writes that she has continued to provide access and services even after I filed a dispute. This is absolutely not true. She removed me from ************ to coaching in September 2021. (Exhibit C) She terminated me from the entire program in November 2021. (Exhibit D)
  5.In the following sentence, she writes that **************** made a thorough review of evidence and ruled in her favor. This is absolutely not true. This dispute is open and ongoing.
  6.***************** notes that she has 100% of the funds I paid to her for premium coaching. It is egregious that she boasts on having the $15,870 that I paid for this premium program, while at the same time, she has blocked me from the program. Furthermore, she has violated her own terms and conditions which state that "within (20) calendar days from Client's last session in the Program, Client will receive pro-rata from Consultant any unexhausted portion of the Fee." (*********) We are in far excess of 20 days. She owes me a pro-rated refund based on her own terms and conditions.
  7.***************** notes that she met with me for two hours on July 5, 2021. During that time, I expressed my concerns about the program and agreed to her request that I participate in the program until September. She offered to provide a pro-rated refund if I was still not satisfied. On September 1, when I told her that I continued to have concerns about the program and wanted a refund, she told me that I would "never get that money back" and was demeaning and abusive. I decided that I was not going to allow this type of interaction to continue and had no other option than to file a dispute with ****************. (Exhibit F)
  
  In summary, I have filed a complaint with the BBB to ask for help with resolving this dispute. ***************** has not been willing to negotiate, compromise or work through this issue respectfully. She has used her position as a life coach in order to intimidate and control. Further, she has not been honest and forthcoming in her communication with ****************, the BBB and myself.
  
  I am interested in mediation as a way to work through this process with integrity and respect.
  
  Thank you for the work you do to resolve customer service issues with business owners and consumers.
  
  See Attachment/File: Cobalt Coaching BBB Exhibits.pdf

  Customer response

  01/18/2022

  Hi *******,
  
  I wanted to let you know that the business' reply did not address my concerns. I sent my response online and would like to learn more about options to resolve this issue with the help of the BBB.
  
  Thank you,
  
  ****
  

  Business response

  01/18/2022

  When ************** initially filed the dispute over her cancellation of the program, I personally called her and offered her 50% of her fee back. Even though she was in breach of her contract and was not entitled to any refund, I wanted to honor her experience and preserve the integrity of my program. I made the offer in good faith and she declined.
  
  She refers frequently to words like "bullying," "coercion" and "manipulate," which are clearly subjective and, with all due respect, do not describe the good-faith services my team and I provided. I am deeply, fiercely committed to my clients and their results. However, this is challenging personal work and I cannot do it for them.
  
  ************** declined to move forward once she reached a certain threshold of discomfort. My team and I went above and beyond the requirements of the program to serve and support her. Again, we regret that it came to this, but we are clear that we did everything we could and conducted ourselves with the utmost care and integrity.
  
  The claims ************** made about my contract and my supposed promises are false. My contract clearly states that no payment is refundable, unless the client is dismissed from the program, which did not happen. She essentially insisted that I "fire" her, which I did not do because I saw clearly, and still see, the potential for her enormous success.
  
  The time for any financial agreements has come and gone. The **************** dispute is, in fact, final. The team and I put enormous effort and time into proving our case, and we do not feel obligated to relitigate that here.
  
  However, since ************** is also complaining that she does not have access to the program, I am happy to reinstate her as a member in good standing, should she so desire. It seems odd that she would want such a thing after all she has claimed, but that is what I can offer, pursuant to our community guidelines and best practices.
  
  This will conclude our involvement in this matter.
  

  Customer response

  01/25/2022

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  ****************** states that when I filed the dispute, she personally called me and offered 50% of the fee back. What she did not mention in her BBB report is that she told me that I had 24 hours to respond and threatened (she framed it as a "courtesy") to *** me in small claims court if I did not accept. I told her that I was willing to accept a pro-rated refund based on the time I was in the program which was $13,225. She declined and was unwilling to discuss further or negotiate.
  
  ***************** says that my claims about her offer to give me a pro-rated refund in September are false. I have provided documentation that clearly supports the offer (in her words) she made in a written statement.
  
  ***************** says that the contract reads that no payment is refundable unless the client is dismissed from the program. She states that I was not dismissed. I have provided documentation to prove without a doubt that I was terminated from this program. I have provided cancellation notices and messages from the portal that indicates I am not in the program. If that isn't enough, ***************** says that she is willing to "reinstate" me in the program. If I was already in the program, I wouldn't need to be reinstated.
  
  ***************** is in breach of her contract by not providing a pro-rated refund based on her dismissal. I have provided documentation of her Terms and Conditions (Item 7) which states: "within twenty (20) calendar days from Client's last session in the Program, Client will receive pro rate from Consultant any unexhausted portion of the fee."
  
  In her own words, ***************** says that she wanted to "honor my experience and preserve the integrity of the program by offering a refund." I would hope that as a business owner, life coach, and entrepreneur, she would follow through with her intention. I have shown my desire to work through this dispute respectfully through the BBB mediation process. Ms ******* has refused. I hope that her public BBB record of not resolving a business conflict will at least make potential clients aware of her business practices when deciding to invest in her coaching program.
  

*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. ↩