ComplaintsforBehind the Markets LLC

• Initial Complaint

  05/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Feb. 27, 2024 Purchased Biotech Insider from Behind the Markets. 12 months for $1,497 was the only offer. I clicked on ORDER NOW and was jumped to a new page/screen where I entered my credit card info.BTM sales pitch and $1,497 offer uploaded March 5 Saw $2,497 charge from BTM on my account. Left a written message on BTM website.Message to BTM website March 5 uploaded. March 6 BTM account manager phoned me. I stressed that I was misled in ordering a lifetime membership as that had been pre-selected for me. For at least 20 minutes she tried to persuade me that I should keep the lifetime membership. I said I still had time to decide before the 30-day return guarantee ended.March 6 email from Sr ******* Manager uploaded March 26 email from account manager asking me to contact her.March 27 I replied that I would keep the 12-month membership and asked for $1,000 refund.April 3 I emailed account manager asking how long it will take to get the refund.Emails Bitton, Stead, March 26, 27, Apr 3 uploaded April 11 *************** I disputed $1,000 of the charge on my credit card.April 19 ********** temporary credit for the disputed amount. April 26 email from BTM saying my lifetime subscription is now expired (I assume based on ********** action).April 26 email from BTM uploaded I have been denied access to Biotech Insiders on BTM website. My password does not work. The email makes it plain that I have been kicked out.I unknowingly paid $2,497. With $1,000 credited by *****, Ive paid $1,497 for 12-months. I was able to access Biotech Insiders from Feb. 27 to April 26, so I have 10 months of membership left, which Im unable to access.In order to settle this I need 1. $1,497 refund or 2.$1,497 = $124.75 per month. Refund 10 months = $1,247.50.The offer to purchase 12 months for $1,497 was the only offer. There was no mention of a 2-yr or lifetime subscription. I was duped into buying the lifetime subscription which had been unknowingly pre-selected for me.

  

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  Dear ***************,

  We apologize for any misunderstanding here. An unhappy customer is the opposite of what we're going for here, and for that we apologize. 

  I also understand that you've already received your money back.

  Tarah was absolutely confused by your understanding of events. When I asked her, this is what she said - 

  "***** ordered lifetime a biotech insider on February 27. She called in a week later stating she did not intend to do so and requested a downgrade  

  I  took the call and informed her that no matter who selected which level of service it would have to be approved on her end before the order could go through. She agreed
  

  I  informed her she could gladly downgrade her for a $1000 refund. But then she would be up for annual renewals, as opposed to the one-time lifetime membership charge. 
  

  After being informed the value of the lifetime upgrade and going over the entire track record of the service, she agreed to keep the service at the lifetime level  
  

  Since ***** agreed to keep it and did not see anything changing within the 30 day trial, the manager a free 30 day access to other premium service called Takeover Targets. 
  

  ***** agreed to the terms and conditions and even submitted a copy of the confirmation email stating this in the complaint herself. 
  

  ***** then called again exactly on the 30th day of her former trial to request the same $1000 downgrade refund.
  

  I had to remind her of the previous conversation, help her to login again and showed her the track record so she could remember why she kept it to begin with. 
  

  She then remembered previous conversation, the value of the lifetime upgrade, and the performance of the service. 
  
  ***** then emailed in again on April 3 requesting for a third time the same refund. 

  By the time I could reach her again for a third time, the chargeback had already been issued.

  I thought ***** and I had good rapport. She shared personal details about her life and health and I did the same. 

  I wish her the best, Tarah."

  

  Business response

  05/16/2024

  Here is the confirmation email for the upgrade that we did for ************** and please let us know if there is anything else we can provide to help!

• Initial Complaint

  03/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I keep getting emails sent to me. I click unsubscribe and follow all the instructions on how to unsubscribe, but I still receive 10 to 20 emails a day. I called the company and asked to be removed as I have never signed up, used or paid for any of there products but they keep emailing me.

  

  Business response

  03/20/2024

  Dear ******************,

  I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. 

  I checked to remove your email address from any of our internal lists, but your email addresses wasn't on any of them. 
  

  Therefore, I have added your name to our "suppression file" which tells outside advertising agencies marketing our products to stop sending our offers to you immediately.

  You should stop receiving any advertisements from anyone marketing our products within 48 hours.

  Respectfully,
  ***********************

  Customer response

  04/03/2024

  As of today I am still receiving emails from this company and from:

  ***********************, CEO & Founder

   

  

  Business response

  04/03/2024

  I contacted the person directly. I wanted to get to the bottom of this.
  This is what I said. 

  "Hi ******,
  
  I wanted to reach out to you directly and ask if you could forward me the email you received from "***********************."
  
  We added your name to our "suppression file," so any emails going to you with our stuff is happening against our will. 
  
  It would help me greatly to see who sent you this. Otherwise, I'm fighting a bit blind here. 
  
  Can you please send me the email?
  
  
  *****

• Initial Complaint

  02/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I receive over 10 emails a day from different addresses for this company. I click the unsubscribe button and fill out the required information for each email I receive, I even reply to the sender that I do not wish to receive these spam emails but I keep receiving them. Ive even gone to their website and requested that my email address be put on their do not contact list. This so called company is clearly in violation of the *** CAN-SPAM act. Alls I ask is that they remove me from any and all of their spam email list and come into compliance with the CAN-**** act.

  

  Business response

  02/19/2024

  Dear ***,

  I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. 

  I checked to remove your email address from any of our internal lists, but your email addresses wasn't on any. 

  Therefore, I have added your name to our "suppression file" which tells any advertising agencies marketing our products to stop sending our offers to you immediately. You should stop receiving any advertisements from anyone marketing our products within 48 hours.

  Respectfully,

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

  Customer response

  02/22/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  02/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  *********************** sends me tons of emails from different email addresses. I never once subscribed to any financial email that he is involved in. I keep on unsubscribing and blocking his emails and he keeps on spamming me with new emails from new email addresses. It is harassing in my opinion. I never subscribed for his pitches. He keeps bothering me from new email addresses.

  

  Business response

  02/18/2024

  Dear Mr., 
  
  Thanks for writing in.  I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. 
  
  I do not see your email address on any of our internal lists. But I've added your email address to our "suppression file," which tells any outside advertising agency to stop marketing our offers to this email address. 
  
  "The Buck Stops Here,"

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have made multiple attempts to unsubscribe from emails coming from multiple email addresses, and yet I consistently receive more emails from *********************** and affiliates.

  

  Business response

  01/12/2024

  Dear **************,

  Thanks for writing in. 

  I have added your name to our unsubscribe list. You will not be contacted by **.

  We will also notify any outside affiliates marketing our offers and tell them to stop marketing our offers to your email address.

  "The Buck Stops Here,"

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

  CEO

   

  Customer response

  01/17/2024

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  12/31/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I wanted to purchase a financial advisory service and unfortunately hit the wrong amount of money. I called **** (the head of customer service) at the company to fix this issue and said instead of fixing the amount, said he would add a lifetime subscription without my consent. The product was "takeover targets". I asked for my money back and he said he would not issue a refund and only suggested other subscriptions. He said to call him if I needed any help. I phoned him for the refund a few times and he stopped receiving my calls. I phoned the customer service line for a month and a half and never received a call back. I also sent a letter to the owner of the business with no response.I am looking for a refund for the paid amount of 1,997.00.Transaction date - roughly early November 2023.

  

  Business response

  01/02/2024

  Dear *****,
  
  Thank you for reaching out to us. We understand your concerns and would like to address them in a fair and satisfactory manner. Customer satisfaction is very important to us here at BTM.

  I think there may be some confusion here. Our records show you signed up for a Lifetime Membership to Takeover Targets on June 18, 2023 (as opposed to November 2023). Therefore, youve already had use of the service for six months.

  On June 19th, you contacted our customer service team to discuss the service and at the time you requested a downgrade from the lifetime plan to the annual plan. After review of your call with ****, it seems you expressed your satisfaction with its value, and decided to keep the lifetime status.

  But as a token of appreciation for your loyalty, we provided you with three months of Breakthrough Wealth free of charge. So upon reviewing your request it looks like the only thing ******* added after your conversation was another service that was absolutely free to you.
  
  Furthermore, we have notated multiple interactions with our customer service team on various dates, including 6/23/23, 7/13/23 7/14/23, 8/9/23, 8/17/23, 10/02/23, 10/20/23, 10/25/23, 10/27/23, 11/16/23, 11/07/23, 11/23/23 and more..
  
  Upon checking the notations it's seems as if the majority of these call ins were related to looking for information from Takeover Targets or you were provided your log in information to access your account.
  
  These interactions demonstrate our commitment to providing ongoing support and assistance to our valued customers. They also demonstrate that youve had full use of the service available to you and took advantage of it.
  
  Considering the above information, we believe that our services have been consistently available to you, and we have made every effort to address your concerns and provide you with a satisfactory experience.

  But we are not hostage takers. We dont want to do business with anyone who doesnt want to do business with us. Therefore, we have decided to issue you a pro-rated refund.

  We are sorry you didnt find our services to be satisfactory and wish you the very best of luck in the future.

  Warm regards,
  
  Behind the Markets

  Customer response

  02/05/2024

   
  Complaint: 21073851
  
  I  WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE AMOUNT YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY BEFORE I KNOW IF IT ACCEPTABLE .  I  WOULD LIKE TO SAY ALL 12  DATES YOU PUT IN YOUR  LETTER WAS  BECAUSE I WANTED TO TALK TO ****. HE WOULD NEVER GET ON  THE *** NE OR CALL ME BACK.  I ONLY HAD QUESTIONS BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE SAID I HAD TO SPEAK  TO ****.. I JUST WANTED TO KNOW YOUR KEY CODE WHICH I COULD NOT FIND IN YOUR REPORT AND I WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE $997.00 CREDIT YOU SENT ME AN EMAIL ABOUT.   

   

  THANK YOU   

   

  **********; ****
  
  

  

  Business response

  02/05/2024

  Dear ************, I'm confused. Did you not already get a $997 refund from us? We went to great lengths to process that because your subscription was so old. We had to call our merchant broker and have them do it manually. They said it was done. But if they made a mistake or there was an error, please let me know.

  *****

  Customer response

  02/07/2024

   
  Complaint: 21073851
  
  YOUSENT TO ME TODAY WAS CONCERNING A DIFFERENT  MATTER-A CREDIT YOU  TOLD ME ABOUT IN AN OLDER   EMAIL.  THIS AMOUNT  WAS NEVER RECEIVED

  I AM WRITING TO YOU ABOUT $1997.00 THAT I  $NEVER HEARD ABOUT FROM YOU.

  PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON .  I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING ABOUT THE $997.00 

   

  THANK YOU 

   

     *******************

  
  

  

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  This is what my processor just sent me. It was a $1,000 credit, not $997. 

    the last four digits of the card: 5528. 

• Initial Complaint

  12/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 8, 2023, I subscribed to Behind the Markets' Takeover Target newsletter. I was promised a full refund if I did not like the newsletter/service. It did not meet my expectations. One the first business day after 30 days (Monday, December 11th), I emailed customer service using the form on their website. I asked for a refund and to be notified via email when the refund had been processed. Crickets. On December 26th, I directly emailed customer service. Again, crickets. (I always correspond with businesses via email so that I have a "paper" trail.)

  

  Business response

  12/28/2023

  Dear *****************,

  I truly apologize for your experience with our firm. I have personally issued you a full refund for both Takeover Targets and for Behind the Markets.
  

  Many folks who write in to complain tell incredibly one-sided stories whose facts dont match the truth.
  

  That is not the case with you.
  

  After reviewing your account notes, I can say you are 100% in the right. We are 100% in the wrong. 
  

  The truth is that we've seen dramatic growth in new customers in recent months, and our customer service department is scrambling to keep up. Put another way, we got ahead of our skis.
  

  The good news is that these issues should subside in the coming weeks, as we add more staff and train them up. But until that happens, some folks have had their legitimate complaints lost in the cracks and have become rightfully angry.
  

  I am deeply sorry you met us under these circumstances. It was a bad first impression to give you. Its like we showed up to a job interview with a stain on our tie.
  

  We are working hard to make sure this doesnt happen much longer.
  

  I do pray you have a peaceful New Year,
  

  The Buck Stops Here,
  ***********************
  Chairman & CEO

• Initial Complaint

  12/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 11/24/2023 I bought the subscription to Behind the Markets in good faith, with a 30 day money back policy. To date Behind the Markets has refused to refund me for the subscription I cancelled. See my attached Word document to BBB below for full description of the issue. I can forward additional emails if you need them. *********************

  

  Business response

  12/23/2023

  Dear ***************,
  
  I apologize for your experience with our firm. 
  
  I have processed your refund personally. You should have already received a notice. 
  
  But I woke up this morning and read your letter. I then logged into your account and read the notes. (I have not yet listened to the recorded call as I dont know how to access that system without my customer service manager, and it is the Saturday before Christmas).
  
  What I discovered is that youve been buying and then cancelling/refunding our products for the past year and a half. Its a clear pattern. And, of course, weve always honored our refund policy.  
  
  -On May 30, 2022, you purchased Behind the Markets ($79) and Behind the Markets Lifetime ($150). Then on June 27, 2022, you requested we cancel and refund both services, which we did.
  
  -On June 2, 2023, you purchased a lifetime membership to Breakthrough Wealth for $2,497. On June 6, 2023, you contacted us and told us that you made a mistake and only meant to purchase a one-year membership. When then refunded you the difference of $1,000.
  
  -On June 8, 2023, you contacted us to say you had issues navigating the account. ******************** helped you with these issues.
  
  -On June 29, 2023, you contacted us to say you wanted to refund your account. Our rep tried to call you to confirm but didnt get you on the line. He followed up with an email that said:
  
  "Hello Kitty,
  My name is **** and I'm an Account Manager with **********************. Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your account with us!
  Please contact me directly at 561-XXX-XXXX so I can process your request as well as answer any additional questions you may have regarding your account.
  Looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.
  Best regards,
  ************"
  
  -On July 5, 2023, your account was cancelled for a full refund.
  
  On November 24, 2023, you once again purchased Breakthrough Wealth lifetime for $2,497.
  
  On December 20, 2023, you again contacted us and told us that you made a mistake and only meant to purchase a one-year membership.
  
  At this point, we tried to break the pattern. Having people who constantly buy and refund is not the kind of business we want to be in. We trying to build long-term relationships with our customers, not one-night stands.
  
  And its very expensive for us. It costs us processing fees, customer services fees and time that could be better spent helping people who actually value our products.
  
  Thats why at this point we offered you a choice: you can get the $1,000 refund you requested or we could give you all of our additional products for life for FREE (a $4,997 value). This meant you would never have to pay for any of our services every again. You happily accepted this offer.
  
  But just a day or two later here we are again.
  
  Look, we believe we were being generous and helpful with our offer. But I'm afraid there is little we can do that will ever make you happy (short of giving you our work for free).  I hope you find what you are looking for elsewhere, because Im quite sure we dont have it.
  
  I wish you the very best of luck. 
  Best Regards for a Happy New Year,
  ***********************
  Chairman & CEO

• Initial Complaint

  12/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed up to a stock market newsletter and $79.00 was withdrawn from my bank account on 9/25/2023 to Behind the Market that included in the promotion a 30 day refund if not satisfied. It was not the information that I was interested in investing in, so I called ************** and talked to a young lady who tried to talk me out of canceling newsletter as I was inside the 30 day advertised window. I told her that I was not interested and to cancel and return the $79.00 to my bank account. She said that she was canceling my account and that it would be 7 to 10 business days before showing up in my account. After more than 10 business days the $79.00 return was not in my account and I called and got a rather rude man that after hearing my explanation told me there was nothing he could do and hung up. In All I made 5 calls and the last two consumer reps were named ******************* and ****** who I told her that I was going to file a complaint with the BBB in **********, ******* and with the ************************ in ******* who referred me to the Complaint *************** ******** Services @ ************ which I did and they Emailed me a Complaint which I filled out and sent back yesterday. I did not want to do these 2 complaints but there is a Principle here that any company should not be allowed to do this to me and who knows how many more! I am asking for help in my situation. THANKS!

  

  Business response

  12/09/2023

  Dear ********************,
  I apologize for your experience with our firm. 
  I stopped what I was doing and immediately processed your refund personally. You should have already received a notice. 
  Because I was so shocked at your accusation that we didnt honor our 30-Day 100% Money Back Guarantee, I took a look at your account. 
  What I discovered is that youve purchased the same product two times before and cancelled both within the 30 day period. And you were refunded in full both times.
  You first purchased our product on October 13, 2022 and were refunded on October 20, 2022.
  Your second purchase was on January 12, 2023 and you were refunded for a second time a on January 25, 2023.
  But the trouble happened when you purchased for the third time on September 24, 2023. 
  On October 2, 2023, you called and asked that the auto-renewal be stopped, which we did of course.
  On October 31, 2023, you called in and asked for access to the website again. You were sent an email with instructions and relayed to our customer service team that you received the email and understood the instructions. 
  On November 22, 2023, you called and asked for a refund. At this point, you were advised that you were outside your 30-Day 100% Money Back Guarantee. 
  What our customer service rep should have done in this case is give you a pro-rated refund. That is our actual policy. But he failed at his task and will be reprimanded by me personally. And if he ever makes a mistake like this again, he will be fired. 
  I wish you the very best of luck. 
  Best Regards for a Happy New Year,
  ***********************
  Chairman & CEO

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In October I began a Behind the Markets stock advising service called biotech insider for $1499, which offered a 30 day moneyback guarantee. Dissatisfied with the service I called again in October around a week and a half later to cancel the service and be issued a refund. I was transferred to a department that handled these types of issues and repeated my request, only to be met with an excessive amount of questions. The pushy representative would simply not accept my response of something along the lines of no I just want to cancel. Rather, I was assaulted with endless benefits of the service, explaining why I needed to keep it, and how great a financial boon this would be to me in the future. So engrossed by this cleverly constructed narrative, when I was offered to turn the subscription into a lifetime service for no additional money I agreed having temporarily forgotten the valid reasons I had wanted to cancel in the first place. After recovering from my embarrassment at falling for this tactic I once again called in late November to attempt to cancel the service for final this time. After being given the runaround and being hung up on while waiting to speak to someone, I was eventually put on the callback list for that very day. Two days later without a response, I called for the final time and was finally able to talk to an account manager only to be told that I was now outside the cancellation window. it appears that this company uses underhanded tactics to delay the customer until outside of the stated cancellation window.

  

  Business response

  11/30/2023

  Dear ****************,
  
  I am genuinely sorry you had a bad experience with our firm.
  
  I always investigate these to find out what our reps are saying to our customers. As such, I spoke with the rep who handled your account. 
  
  Here's what I found - 
  
  From their perspective, you guys had a rational conversation between two adults about a product you owned. They believed you weren't satisfied because you didn't realize the value you were getting. Thus, they thought it was their job to walk you through the product so you can understand the full benefit of the service.
  
  In the reps view, they were just doing their job: demonstrate product value and try to do something nice for the member as a way of showing our gratitude to you. To express our gratitude, they offered you to the opportunity to upgrade to a lifetime membership for a large discount, which you admit in your note that you accepted.
  
  Demonstrating value and offering our customers extra benefits is kind of our standard playbook. There was no harm intended. 
  
  But look, we're not "hostage takers." We're not interested in doing business with people that don't want to do business with us. 
  
  Therefore, I've refunded you your money. For both your subscriptions. And I truly wish you the very best of luck.
  
  "The Buck Stops Here,"
   
  ***********************, CEO
  
  

  

  Business response

  11/30/2023

  I would like to edit my response. This customer literally THANKED US for upgrading him to lifetime at such a discount. 

   

  "*********************** replied
  8 mins ago
  Active
  ****,
  Thanks for the upgrade to lifetime membership.
  Sincerely,
  ***********************"

  Customer response

  12/01/2023

   
  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.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

*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. ↩