Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I applied to Apex Focus Group via LinkedIn. I was aware it was for surveys, focus groups etc and was overseas. Upon attempting to redeem points to the value of two ten dollar amounts through "Coles," an ********** supermarket chain, I was unable to. I was told it was because of an initial problem with verifying my account and wouldn't happen again. I was rejected again for trying to redeem a twenty dollar Coles voucher. I have since unsubscribed, especially after seeing the litany of complaints on consumer websites about similar misgivings including shutting down accounts, taking points away or participants unable to access voucher links upon allegedly receiving them. This company needs to be shut down. They got surveys and personal information from me for free.

  Business response

  11/04/2023

  *****,

  Good afternoon. I am so sorry that your experience with ****** surveys has been a hassle. I took a look at your complaint and I would be similarly irritated as well. When you signed up for Apex Focus Groups, you were under the correct assumption that our goal is to steer you towards effective ways to make additional income through similar opportunities that Toluna offers. I'm disappointed that this was not what you experienced though.

  I definitely want to help rectify the situation as best as I can, but I also want to clarify that ****** is a third party vendor who is a completely separate entity that Apex Focus Group. Our business specifically serves as a connection between consumers (such as yourself) and other companies that have offers that you can participate in (such as Toluna). I appreciate you sharing this experience with us though so we can address it with them, too. While we are ultimately not responsible for transactions that consumers have with these third party partners, that does not mean I am unwilling to help.

  I would like to personally provide you with the $20 that you were owed by ****** because they are one of our third party partner. It won't be in the form of a Coles gift card, which I hope is alright. You originally subscribed for our mailing list though, and I want to show our commitment to serving our subscribers as faithfully as we can by providing you with a good will payment of $20.

  If you have PayPal and can provide that information here, I can get $20 sent your way.

  Thank you for your patience.

  Customer response

  11/04/2023

   
  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,
  
  *********************** ******

• Initial Complaint

  08/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I originally signed up for a Data Entry position, i spent about an hour on ******** messenger for a interview(which i thought was strange), got threw all of that and said i got the job but then asked for a picture of my ID front and back, they even went a step further and had me give them my email password!!! Well this person stated i had to sign up for a bank online which i did but then said sign up for another one? 3 different banks he tried getting me to sign up for. Then it gets even better.....they went and filed for a credit card in my name without my permission!!!! def not cool at all and it is highly illegal to be doing so!!!!! i think i am taking this to authorities or a lawyer because im beyond mad right now!!!!!! Waste of my time, waste of anyones time!!!!!!DONT SIGN UP

  Business response

  08/18/2023

  Hi *********,

  We appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns regarding the situation you've described. We want to clarify that the situation you've detailed does not align with the practices and values of Apex Focus Group. We understand the frustration you must be experiencing and would like to address the points you've raised.
  
  Firstly, we would like to emphasize that Apex Focus Group does not provide employment opportunities directly. We serve as a platform that aggregates information about focus groups, clinical trials, and market research opportunities. These programs are operated by various organizations, and we merely help individuals find and connect with such opportunities.
  
  Regarding the interview process, it's important to clarify that we never conduct interviews through ******** Messenger or any other messaging platforms. Our process involves users completing a form on our secure website. Our advanced algorithm then uses this information to match users with relevant opportunities that suit their profiles.
  
  We absolutely do not request sensitive information such as ID, pictures or passwords. We understand the importance of safeguarding personal data and have stringent privacy measures in place to protect our users' information.
  
  The mention of banks and credit card details is deeply concerning, as this is not a practice we endorse or engage in. We want to assure you that in our over four years of operation, we have never requested or required users to provide banking or credit card information. Our longevity in the industry is a testament to our commitment to ethical and legal practices.
  
  It's important to highlight that your experience seems to be consistent with a scam, and we empathize with the distress this situation has caused you. We strongly urge you to take immediate action by contacting your banks to prevent any further unauthorized access.
  
  Additionally, changing your email password and reviewing other sensitive information you may have shared is crucial to protect your identity.
  
  In order to prevent any future instances of this nature, we kindly request that you provide us with any relevant information regarding the origin of your interaction with this scam. Did you click on any ads or URLs prior to reaching out to us? Any screenshots or URLs you can provide will greatly assist our internal investigation to ensure the safety of our users.
  
  We sincerely apologize for the distress you've experienced, and we are committed to resolving this matter in collaboration with you. Your insights can help us prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. We look forward to hearing from you soon and working together to put an end to this fraudulent activity.

  Customer response

  08/18/2023

  There is aloooot more i screen shot and saved. If you need me to i can email them to you. i just dont know where to email it at. there was 2 business pages that are Apex Focus Group that i had to interact with. I have honestly almost 200 pictures saved from everything i went threw with these people. I am NOT happy!!!! Someone needs to go look at IP addresses to figure out who is using there name because this was clearly scam!!!!! i changed my passwords and everything. they even filled out a credit card in my name...not cool at all!!!! And i dont wanna hear what company has to say because they were no help whatsoever....they lie to people and say were hiring.....they lie to draw people in. i read alot of complaints already about them and it isnt good. BBB you need to do something with this company! too many have gotten there identity stolen and scammed for free money on credit cards

  Business response

  08/18/2023

  Hi *********,

  First off, a big thank you for sending over those screenshots we really appreciate it.

  After taking a closer look at the info you shared and doing a bit of digging, it's pretty clear that you got caught up in a scam. Here's the thing: we don't actually have an official ******** page or any social media accounts right now. Our team is pretty small, and we're stretched thin as it is.

  It seems someone out there used our name to set up a fake ******** page and went around messaging folks like you. Just to be super clear, this fake page has absolutely nothing to do with us, and we're just as upset about it as you are.

  We totally get how frustrating and annoying this whole situation must be. Rest assured, we're on it, because we don't want our good name tarnished, and we sure as heck don't want others getting tangled up in this mess.

  Now, to help us get to the bottom of this and prevent it from happening to anyone else, we'd love to hear more about how you ended up with that ******** message. Did it pop up out of nowhere in your inbox, or was there something specific that triggered it? You mentioned you have more screenshots we'd be super grateful if you could send those our way too.

  You can drop us an email with all the info, screenshots, or anything else that might help us out at *******************************.

  Just so you know, we're here for you in this situation, and we're in this together to sort it out.

  We're really sorry you had to go through this, and we appreciate your patience and the help you're giving us to fix things.

• Initial Complaint

  01/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On October 31, 2022, I signed up to survey a Smart Bot Sweeper Vacuum Cleaner Order #******* on a website called apexfocusgroup.com with ***********************. Apex Focus Group, *********************************************, ************************************************************. There was a $5.99 fee for shipping and handling. I then canceled it the same day because I had an uneasy feeling. Their online customer service told me that I would have to go through the phone customer service at ************** and leave a voicemail because I could not cancel online. I left a voicemail and no one contacted me. I refused the Smart Bot Vacuum when it arrived. It was mailed back to the shipper. On November 7, 2022, they took another $71.97 out of my bank account and said that it was for a subscription. I contacted my bank to dispute the charges. I have not heard anything regarding the dispute. I did not authorize this company to take money out of my bank account. . See enclosed documents. I am requesting a full refund of $77.96.

  Business response

  01/26/2023

  *****,
  
  Good morning. We are disappointed that youre having this experience with the Smart Bot Vacuum order. I would definitely be frustrated as well if I was getting the lack of response and additional funds being deducted from my account. Unfortunately, Apex Focus Group is not responsible for the order. Apex Focus Groups is simply a service that connects people with various third party focus group offers. We are a connector to these third parties, but we an entirely separate entity from the one that you ordered the smart bot vacuum from. Apex Focus Group does not collect your credit card information at any point in time, and we have no mechanism in place to accept payment for anything since that is not the service we provide. The third party smart bot vacuum company that you placed the order with would be the company that you would want to pursue and make your complaint with to get your refund processed. Being a bridge for these third parties, however, we will certainly take a close look at this particular vendor to examine whether we will continue referring our subscribers to them in the future.
  
  I am very sorry that there is nothing further that we can do to assist you in this matter since we were simply not involved in this order, transaction, or refund request at all.

  Customer response

  01/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 18813471
  
  I am rejecting this response because: you are very aware that this company that you connected me to is stealing money from innocent people. In your response you did NOT provide a Name, Address Phone Number or contact information. I will have to file a small claims court case and subpoena your company for providing me with this scammer. What is the CORRECT Name, Address, Phone Number and Contact Information for the company you connected me to that stole my money? I would like to request information from the scammer you connected me to.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  01/26/2023

  *****,

  I understand that our previous response didn't really help you arrive at the desired outcome. As promised in my rejected response, I did some research on ****** and found, unfortunately, that this Sweeper ****************** has been recognized by other people who they have taken advantage of. 

  Here is what I would like to do. First of all, I would really like to know, if possible, what series of steps took you from our application page to this scam survey. We try to vet and stay on top of our third party partners, but it can be an on-going process.  It is concerning that you feel we're responsible because you signed up in good faith believing that all of the offers we would strive to provide you with would be authentic. Clearly, this offer that our third party partner provided you with was not. As previously stated, while we are NOT the company that is responsible for this scam, that doesn't mean we don't want to help you directly. With that in mind, we would also like to offer to pay you the amount due from this scam as a gesture of goodwill. I know you said you already reached out to your bank to stop future damage, so covering you for the amount previously debited from your account should help resolve the issue moving forward.

  If you could provide any additional documentation or explanation of the steps that led you to this scam offer, I'd appreciate it. I will also reach out to you directly to get the information for where we can send the amount that you listed in your initial complaint. I hope these steps will help provide peace of mind and resolution to a couple months of headaches for you.

  Customer response

  01/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 18813471
  
  I am rejecting this response because: You can accept the request to send $77.96 to me. ******************************* from PayPal. Screenshot attached 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  01/31/2023

  Hi *****, accounting just informed us that the payment had been sent to your paypal account successfully. Would you please confirm if you have received it on your end?
  
  Could you also provide us with any documentations (Screenshots, url, etc) or explanation of the steps that led you to this scam offer? We take this matter very seriously and want to do our best to weed out all bad actors from our platform, to ensure a safe  and secure environment for our members to participate in focus group discussions.

  Customer response

  02/01/2023

   
  Complaint: 18813471
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Customer response

  02/03/2023

  I believe there are many owners. One of the owners of Apex Focus Group located at **** *************, Suite *****, ******************************************************************; or his address could be  Apex Focus Group ********, ******* has devised a scheme to rip off  millions of *********. I believe it is because of hate. This company is doing business under several different companies to scam millions of innocent ********* out of their pennies. Compressed Rigid Cameras, and Captivating Royal Games UCA has taken money out of my bank account with out my permission. I believe that both companies are owned by Apex Focus Group.

  Captivating  Royal Games UCA took money out of my bank account on December 20, 2022. When I called the number **************. It was the same story as Compressed Rigid Cameras.
  
  I was very saddened to see that someone is benefitting off of taking something from an innocent victim and living off of their deceit.
  
  The person ******************** also known as ***********************; I doubt if any of those are his his real name. ******* sent my refund of $77.96 through PayPal using a International Credit Card. When I withdrew the money they charged me a $3.50 fee on PayPal and said that is was because the sender did not pay the International Processing Fee. He then somehow was able to cheat me out of a *****. I was only given back $74.45. The total that is still owed to me is $3.51. It looks like he told PayPal that he purchased something from me. I have enclosed a copy of the PayPal receipt and I have also enclosed a copy of a charge from Captivating Royal Games UCA for your records. I am still owed $3.51

  Business response

  02/08/2023

  1. We attempted to explain the situation rationally and maturely that we were in no way, shape, or form responsible for the issue because ************** was a victim of a DOCUMENTED SCAM that a cursory ****** search illuminated.

  2. We conveyed understanding and empathy that, even in the light of the information that we presented, ************* insisted, rather gregariously, that we were involved and complicit with this scam. Her rationale being that she had previously signed up to be a member of our subscriber base which ONLY connects prospective focus groups and trials with prospective people who are wanting to participate. Of all the documents that she attached, not one of them connects how we could/should be responsible for her predicament with this documented scam.

  3. Out of our own generosity and good faith, we attempted to make ***************** bank account whole again by sending her the requested refund even though we were, in no uncertain terms, not involved with this vacuum cleaner scam. In fact, we NEVER collect anyone's payment information at any point in time because we have no mechanism in place to collect payment. That is not our business model.

  4. Upon receiving the funds from us, ************* then complained that PayPal deducted a service fee from her payment because the payment came from my business partner who is located in *********. In response to this, because we are quite frankly beyond exasperated at the ludicrous claims by *************, we have now sent her an additional $10 which is ABOVE and BEYOND the amount that she requested.

  5. At this point, we have PAID out more money than ************* has had deducted from her and responded to each and every one of her responses. We ask nothing more than that this issue be closed and resolved so that we can proceed with our business since ***************** responses have turned more towards attack than trying to resolve a problem.

  Thank you and have a great day.

  Customer response

  02/08/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  ******* contacted PayPal to request a Goodwill credit. I have enclosed a screenshot. I will give the $6.04 that is left over, to a homeless person. 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

  11/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I applied like I would apply for a job where I thought I was going to be filling out surveys or being on a panel (physically going somewhere and giving information about a product.) And yet all Ive gotten is being inundated with ridiculous emails that say that I might get money! So they take a lot of information from me but I literally go into computer loopswhere I keep answering their questions and never get satisfaction. I dont even get a freaking sample of what they were talking about. I have applied to different survey groups, completed surveys that supposedly should give 100 points and I get three points! And then I finally got like $10 worth of points over the course of a month and I requested to get the money put into my account. So they now have all of my information yet they want a copy of my ID and a picture of me! Then they respond by telling me they are working on it and then never get back to me! So now I really feel like this is fraud. *** tried to contact the guy, ***********************, from APEX about it but he really doesnt get back to me. I just keep getting emails saying that they are working on things. *** tried to close all the survey accounts, *** tried to unsubscribe to each one of the emails that I get, and *** actually sent an email telling him that Im going to report them to the Better Business Bureau and explaining that this is freaking ridiculous. So the information that they have on me is voluminous yet I got nothing for the time money and energy; now maybe not money, but Im not getting any compensation that was promised. I havent gotten one free sample, I havent gotten asked to be on one panel, Ive completed survey after survey after survey, I have accrued points, and I get 20 scam calls a day! And now they wont let me get my money for my points! I probably wont get that money but at the very least I think that the Better Business Bureau should know about this company; unsuspecting people like myself should be forewarned.

  Business response

  11/09/2022

  I'm so sorry that you've been having this experience. I know it can be maddening to feel like you're taking all the steps and not seeing the fruits of your labor or getting any support and assistance when you ask for it. We try very hard to monitor and stay on top of our marketing partners to avoid situations like this where someone is getting their inbox and phone blown up repeatedly. The offers and surveys that they send out in response to your expressed interest should not escalate to the levels that you're experiencing. We are terribly sorry for the stress and frustration this has caused. Unfortunately, Apex Focus Groups does not have access to the customer support services for these other marketing partners, nor do we have any influence on who they ultimately accept for their studies, surveys, and trials. Part of the terms and conditions that you agreed to when you subscribed include receiving correspondences from marketing partners outside of Apex Focus Group that have access to offers, studies, and trials that are inline with your expressed interest, but we do not have any governing control over how and when they send out their messages. We wish there were some greater, more concrete action that we could take to specifically help resolve the issues that you've been experiencing with their lack of response, difficulties getting chosen for studies, and struggles to get points redeemed; however, what we can do on our end is make sure that we remove you from our email list and re-examine the partner relationships that we have to better prevent our marketing partners from abusing our subscribers like yourself in the future. Your feedback also helps us better determine whom we wish to partner with moving forward because it is important to us to correspond respectfully and within the confines of common sense which is certainly not been the experience you've been having.
  
  Thank you so much for your candid feedback and sharing your frustrations with us. Our goal is to avoid this type of situation in the future, and your honesty has illuminated some items that we need to address with our marketing partnerships.
  
  Once again, we are truly sorry that these experiences have reflected on us poorly, but, more importantly, we apologize for the irritation, frustration, and anger that this has caused you. There's enough frustration in the world today, and we're never wanting to add to it.

*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. ↩