ComplaintsforPower Brands Consulting, LLC.

• Initial Complaint

  08/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We contacted Power Brands and Spoke to *********************, President of Power Brands and discussed using their services to create a product for us. We paid them an initial deposit of $9,000. We then worked with their Development Team and sent Power Brands our "Home Recipe". The Development Team sent us their version and we were very disappointed and expressed our concerns immediately to the Development Team. We also expressed our concern to *********************, President and we discussed the option to cancel our contract and what our refund amount would be. *********************, President put us in contact with ***************, Project Manager (PM) at Power Brands and he confirmed our refund would be $6,500 which was the $9,000 deposit minus their hours worked. Then ***************, PM informed us that he did not have the authority to issue a refund and required *******************, CEO of Power Brands authorization. From this email on 6/8/23 to 7/26/23 we received zero responses to our 6 emails and multiple phone calls. It was not until we called the Power Brands *********** and threatened to take legal action did we get an email on 7/26/23 from ***************, PM and a text message from *******************, CEO . We spoke to *******************, CEO on 7/26/23 and informed him of our frustrations and that we did not work with Power Brands and that *********************, President (and his wife) had already approved the refund. He informed us that ********************* was actually a Sales Associate with no authority to authorize a refund. Which we confirmed was a lie, and ********************* is President of Power Brands. After our call, *******************, CEO was supposed to respond to us by the end of the week 7/28/23 regarding our refund, which he never did, so we sent *******************, CEO a final email on 8/7/23 and received another out of office email from him (we received a total of 3 out of office emails from *******************, CEO of Power Brands). He then responded to me within a day after receiving his out of office email with an aggressive and threatening email.

  

  Business response

  09/08/2023

  To the Better Business Bureau,

  We appreciate your attention to the recent complaint regarding our company's handling of a project dispute with one of our valued clients. As the *** of the company, I would like to address the key points and considerations outlined in the complaint.

  Firstly, we have a highly skilled beverage scientist leading the project, underscoring our dedication to perfecting our client's project. Their expertise, along with an equal experienced and dedicated leadership and supporting play a crucial role in tackling the complexity of this type of beverage formulation.

  Complexity of the Formulation: Converting this clients highly unusual and unique home recipe into a mass-produced formula is intricate, often necessitating adjustments and optimizations. It's important to emphasize that achieving the exact replication of a home kitchen experience is a very high bar indeed due to various factors inherent in the mass production process that follows.

  Client's Actions: The client's demand for a refund after receiving a single sample does raise concerns about their expectations and understanding of the project's intricacies. We acknowledge that we might have communicated more clearly about the potential challenges and limitations, however we may had assumed this would be self evident and it was not.

  Unreasonable Standards: We have diligently documented the project's challenges and communicated them to the client. If their standards are indeed unreasonable and cannot be met within the constraints of food science in the timeframe they expect, we would continue to provide evidence and maintain transparent communication.

  Refund Offers: Our staff's decision to offer a refund, pending *** approval, was greatly influenced by the client's aggressive approach, we do have a clear and consistent refund policy in place. This contract had past the time constraint on a refund. We will review our policies to ensure they align with industry standards and practicality.

  Sustainability of Refunds: We understand the need to strike a balance between customer satisfaction and the practicality of refunding projects that encounter inherent challenges. We will assess our refund policy to ensure it is fair and sustainable.

  ***'s Intervention: I intervened in this dispute to demonstrate our commitment to resolving the issue. We are keen on maintaining open communication with the client and exploring alternative solutions before considering further escalation.

  Client Relationship: We recognize the significance of building and maintaining strong client relationships. We attempted to rebuild trust with the client and find mutually acceptable solutions, involving further collaboration or adjustments to the project scope. The client was not interested and so again we questioned the standards that were being applied from the clients end. It did not appear as if a resolution was what they were interested in.

  Revisiting the Discussion: We are committed to going back to the table with the client, engaging in open and honest communication, and seeking a middle ground that addresses their concerns while considering the complexities of the project.

  In summary, we value your insights and are actively taking steps to address the issues raised. Our priority is to find a constructive resolution to this dispute, maintain our commitment to quality and innovation, and prevent similar issues in the future.

  Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to resolving this dispute to the satisfaction of all parties involved.

  Kindest regards,
  ******************* ***,Power Brands

  Customer response

  09/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 20541492
  
  I am rejecting this response because the information provide by *******************, CEO of Power Brands in his statement below is false and our entire interaction with this company has been nothing as he described as you can see form the 12 email attachments and lack of response from him and his team for 2 months which are all documented in the email attachments. Furthermore, *******************, CEO of Power Brands has been one of the leading concerns with our experience with this company which includes his lack of communication and responses from several emails as well as his final correspondence with us that was insulting and threatening (see the attachment 12). Below we have responded to the inconsistencies to his response.   

   

  We appreciate your attention to the recent complaint regarding our company's handling of a project dispute with one of our valued clients.

  *RESPONSE: We are clearly not a "valued client" given the lack of responses to our multiple emails for 2 months from him or his team. 

   

  Complexity of the Formulation: Converting this clients highly unusual and unique home recipe into a mass-produced formula is intricate, often necessitating adjustments and optimizations. It's important to emphasize that achieving the exact replication of a home kitchen experience is a very high bar indeed due to various factors inherent in the mass production process that follows.
  

  *RESPONSE: This is not what was communicated to us when we engaged with Power Brands. We communicated very clearly to *********************, President of Power Brands what our expectations were and she assured us that this would not be a problem for their team. *******************, CEO of Power Brands is now backtracking and saying this is a complicated recipe that *** not be achievable. Our home recipe is not complicated as it only has 2 ingredients. We explained our ingredients and development process to the Power Brands before we signed up and had multiple conversations about this. They consistently informed us that this was straightforward and something that they could do. In addition this statement gives us even less confidence that they can produce this product.   

   

  Client's Actions: The client's demand for a refund after receiving a single sample does raise concerns about their expectations and understanding of the project's intricacies. We acknowledge that we might have communicated more clearly about the potential challenges and limitations, however we *** had assumed this would be self evident and it was not.

  *RESPONSE: The request for a refund was after we had conversations about how unrecognizable the first sample was. The sample did not look, smell, or taste anything like what we were trying create let alone our kitchen recipe that we sent Power Brands for reference sample. We were very specific that we wanted an organic product with minimal ingredients from the initial engagement with Power Brands. After receiving our sample we then were told by the Power Brands team that in order to accomplish something similar to our kitchen recipe we would have to add several additives that we are very against. Our final conversations with *********************, President of Power Brands who approved the refund in prior communication was the one who explained that this *** be something they could not achieve since we did not want added color or flavors which is why she approved the refund.  

  
  Unreasonable Standards: We have diligently documented the project's challenges and communicated them to the client. If their standards are indeed unreasonable and cannot be met within the constraints of food science in the timeframe they expect, we would continue to provide evidence and maintain transparent communication.

  *RESPONSE: Power Brands has NOT provided us with "diligently documented project challenges" nor have they "communicated them to the client" as *******************, CEO of Power Brands has stated.

  
  Refund Offers: Our staff's decision to offer a refund, pending CEO approval, was greatly influenced by the client's aggressive approach, we do have a clear and consistent refund policy in place. This contract had past the time constraint on a refund. We will review our policies to ensure they align with industry standards and practicality.

  *RESPONSE: 1. The "staff" that approved the refund is ********************* who is the President of Power Brands and is the spouse of *******************, CEO of Power Brands. 2. We were never aggressive and there are 12 attachments to provide evidence to our professional communication with the entire Power Brands team. 3. This is the first we are hearing that the refund is "past the time constraint" from either *********************, President of Power Brands, ***************, Project Manager of Power Brands, or *******************, CEO of Power Brands. Further there is no explanation of a refund timeframe in the contact that *******************, CEO of Power states in his statement above.  

  
  Sustainability of Refunds: We understand the need to strike a balance between customer satisfaction and the practicality of refunding projects that encounter inherent challenges. We will assess our refund policy to ensure it is fair and sustainable.

  *RESPONSE: We are requesting a refund given that we still do not have a completed project and the Power Brands team has delayed our development by almost 6 months.

  
  CEO's Intervention: I intervened in this dispute to demonstrate our commitment to resolving the issue. We are keen on maintaining open communication with the client and exploring alternative solutions before considering further escalation.

  *RESPONSE: Our only solution is to be refunded the money that we provided this company. They had promised that they could create our product and do so within a certain timeframe. None of the contract we signed has been upheld and we are not interested in working with this company moving forward. Further the minimal communication we have had with *******************, CEO of Power Brands has been aggressive, insulting and we have caught him in multiple lies leading us to further believe that he or his team is not capable of creating our product. 

  
  Client Relationship: We recognize the significance of building and maintaining strong client relationships. We attempted to rebuild trust with the client and find mutually acceptable solutions, involving further collaboration or adjustments to the project scope. The client was not interested and so again we questioned the standards that were being applied from the clients end. It did not appear as if a resolution was what they were interested in.

  *RESPONSE: This is again another lie by *******************, CEO of Power Brands. We were severely disappointed in the first sample that as we stated did not look, taste or smell like our discussed product or the sample we sent to Power Brands. The first communication we ever had with *******************, CEO of Power Brands was after 6 unanswered emails spanning over almost 2 months starting on 6/8, multiple phone calls to their center and finally a phone call on 7/26 (2 months after our initial email). On the 7/26 call *******************, CEO of Power Brands did anything buy rebuild our trust and we actually questioned him on his lies from our call with him in our email dated 8/7. After our 7/26 call, *******************, CEO of Power Brands informed us that we would let us know by Friday 7/28 regarding our refund. We NEVER received a response from him and so sent our email on 8/7. Our "standard being applied" is that we have been consistently lied to and been ignored by the Power Brands staff, Executive Team, and *******************, CEO for a 2 month period of time, which has significantly delayed our development.

  
  Revisiting the Discussion: We are committed to going back to the table with the client, engaging in open and honest communication, and seeking a middle ground that addresses their concerns while considering the complexities of the project.

  *RESPONSE: Power Brands actions have created an environment that is not recoverable. As you can see in the multiple emails and attachments Power Brands has violated our agreement, delayed our development, lied to us on multiple instances, ignored our communication for 2 months, and have reneged on their promises. At this point we would like to sever our relationship and no longer engage with Power Brands on this development. 

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

  

  Business response

  10/04/2023

  We appreciate your response and the opportunity to address the concerns you've raised in your recent communication.

  It's essential for us to clarify our perspective on the matters you've mentioned.

  Lack of Communication: We acknowledge the concerns you've raised regarding communication. While there may have been instances where responses were not as prompt as we would have liked, it's important to note that we made genuine efforts to maintain communication throughout the project. We have records of our interactions and will be happy to provide them for your review.
  

  Complexity of the Formulation: We understand your frustration with any perceived inconsistency in our communication regarding the project's complexity. From the outset, we aimed to be transparent about the challenges of converting a home recipe into a mass-produced formula. While your recipe may have only two ingredients, it's crucial to consider various factors, such as scale, production processes, and regulatory requirements, which can affect the final product's characteristics.
  

  Refund Request: We appreciate your feedback on the refund request. Our decision to consider a refund was influenced by various factors, including the product's unique nature and your stated preferences for organic ingredients. This decision was made in the best interest of both parties, and we believed it was a fair resolution at the time.
  

  Unreasonable Standards: We must address your assertion that we failed to document project challenges or communicate them to you. Throughout our interactions, we have consistently shared insights into the complexities we encountered and the adjustments needed to meet your requirements. It's important to note that the project's difficulties were not solely the result of our actions. Your expectations and preferences also played a significant role in shaping the project's trajectory.
  

  Refund Offers: Our refund policy is designed to be fair and practical, taking into account various factors. We understand your perspective on the refund timeline and will review our policy to ensure it aligns with industry standards.
  

  Sustainability of Refunds: While we appreciate your concern about project delays, it's crucial to recognize that unforeseen challenges can arise in product development. We remain committed to resolving this matter and ensuring a satisfactory outcome. It's worth noting that the project's challenges were exacerbated by an unwillingness to compromise on certain aspects of the product, which significantly impacted the development process.
  

  CEO's Intervention: Our CEO's involvement was aimed at finding a resolution and maintaining open communication. We regret if our efforts did not align with your expectations. Our primary goal is to address your concerns and reach a mutually agreeable solution.
  

  Client's Role: We cannot ignore the fact that the project faced numerous difficulties due to the unreasonably high standards and inflexibility demonstrated throughout the collaboration. While we always strive to meet our clients' needs, it's essential to acknowledge that achieving a successful outcome also depends on a willingness to collaborate and make necessary adjustments.
  

  Client Relationship: We understand that you have decided to sever our relationship, and we respect your decision. We will proceed accordingly and ensure that any outstanding matters are resolved.
  

  We want to emphasize our commitment to providing excellent service and resolving issues amicably. While our perspectives may differ on certain aspects of our interactions, we are dedicated to addressing your concerns professionally and working towards a resolution that benefits both parties.
  

  If you have any additional questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out.
  

  Sincerely,
  

  ******************* CEO, Power Brands

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