ComplaintsforVictory Media

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On March 13th I hired Go Victory Media to do an advertising campaign with the goal being to get laws passed to protect **********'s children from the fentanyl crisis. I paid them $5000 that day. Our agreement was that they would do the Scope of Work in exchange for $5000 a month. Due to my complete ignorance of how an advertising company works and gets paid I asked a lot of questions. One question was, "Is your billing similar to an attorney's hourly for phone calls, meetings etc. ?" I was told, "No, our billing is only based on the Scope of Work, however often we speak to clients has nothing to do with our billing." In April I began to get concerned at the lack of engagement on the internet sites. I met with ***************************** who Victory had hired to help with my campaign. I paid her $3000 that day after asking ***** (owner of Victory) if I could pay ******** or If I needed to drive the cash to Victory's office, (they wanted the payments in cash). I stressed to ******** my desire to see an accounting of where my money was getting used. I did not get the accounting until the night before I was going to pay her another $2000, The accounting has charges that are outright lies, and charges for conversations. I had already talked to ***** about the deliverables on the scope of work not being done. He said that he had that problem with *** and other clients as well. I hired Victory. I did not hire ***. All I want is for Victory to do the work I paid for. Now victory wants me to pay $3000 plus $1000 for paid adds. I am personally financing this. I am not trying to make profit. I do not receive donations. I an trying to save ***'s lives. Please help me to get Victory to do the right thing.

  Customer response

  05/16/2024

  
  *************************;<***************************************; 6:01?AM (3 hours ago)
  
  
  to info
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I forgot to upload to my complaint the below email I sent to Victory Media hoping that they would do the right thing. My desire was not to have to complain. I have not received any response.
  *************************
  ************
  ******* **
  
  ---------- Forwarded message ---------
  From: *************************;<***************************************;
  Date: Fri, May 10, 2024 at 1:41?PM
  Subject: Moving forward
  To: ********************************** <**********************************>
  
  
  Dear *****,
  I was both shocked and devastated at your email. 
  " Currently, there is $1,500 held in your account, which I have set aside for future collaboration. I would be happy to refund this amount and consider us square. The remainder of the budget was allocated to ***. To proceed, I would need to establish a retainer of $3,000 per month for the outlined services and $1,000 for advertising spend to promote posts and messages."
  You know that I've paid $8000. 
  You know that none of the below deliverables were done in 2 months.
  ? Execution of monthly email campaigns.
  ? Creation and support of two social posts per week.
  ? Assistance with weekly live video production and posting.
  ? Production of 1-2 bullet videos per month (content provided by *******).
  ? Production of impact videos including "Visit Spokane" and "A Mothers Cry."
  Nor was any of the Enhanced PR Component
  ? Robust PR Strategy: Develop and implement a comprehensive PR strategy to amplify the
  campaigns message across various media platforms.
  ? Media Relations: Establish and maintain relationships with key media personnel and outlets to
  ensure widespread coverage of the campaigns activities and milestones.
  ? Press Releases: Regularly distribute press releases to inform the public and media about
  campaign updates, events, and successes.
  ? Public Speaking Engagements: Organize speaking engagements for ************************* and other
  key campaign figures to discuss the campaign goals, progress, and impacts at public forums,
  conferences, and events.
  ? Social Media Amplification: Utilize social media to further engage the public, influencers, and
  stakeholders, creating viral content that highlights the campaigns messages and achievements..
  I still have a hard time believing that you wrote this,  " Currently, there is $1,500 held in your account, which I have set aside for future collaboration. I would be happy to refund this amount and consider us square." A client pays you $8000, the work does not get done, and you consider yourself and the client square by refunding $1500???
  Dayne you know I am not doing this to make profit. You know that God told me to do this and then led me to you. You know that this mission is time sensitive and it is too late for me to start over with a different company. You wrote, "The remainder of the budget was allocated to ***** I, your client, never asked for that. That is between you and ***. I can't believe that you, a ********* are going to make God's mission that you said you believed in suffer so that your company doesn't have to do the promised work. 
  I sincerely hope that you are going to do the right thing by this mission and complete the monthly deliverables that I already paid for. I'm not going to pay you another $3000 retainer to move forward. You can use the $1500 remaining in my account to pay for the paid ads while you are completing the promised work. When half of the promised work is completed I would be happy to meet with you about my resuming a monthly payment schedule. I understand that whatever *** is going through combined with your friendship makes this difficult for you, but you are a good man and you know right from wrong. 
  Please let me know as soon as possible what your decision is so I will know what action I will need to take.
  Sincerely *************************

  

  Business response

  06/13/2024

  Thank you for sending this to me and bringing this matter to our attention.  It has been going to my junk folder, so this is the first I have seen it. We at Victory Media are committed to resolving all concerns raised by our clients and appreciate the opportunity to clarify the situation with *****************************.
   
  Since the initiation of our engagement in March 2024, we have dedicated extensive efforts to accommodate ****************** needs despite some uncertainties regarding her project's direction. We have engaged in numerous discussionstotaling countless hoursaimed at refining her campaign's objectives and deliverables. These conversations were intended to align our strategies with her vision, particularly concerning the complexities of public advocacy and digital promotion.
   
  Our team developed several scope proposals based on the feedback ************** provided. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, these proposals were not approved, and a clear, actionable plan was not finalized. This lack of direction has significantly hindered our ability to execute the project effectively.
   
  Recognizing the importance of Ms. ****** mission to advocate for childrens safety concerning the fentanyl crisis, we have already proposed a refund of $1,500 and have expressed our willingness to continue working on the project. We are prepared to fulfill the agreed-upon services promptly should we receive specific, actionable requests from **************.
   
  Please be assured that our goal is to resolve this matter to the satisfaction of all involved parties. We are open to further dialogue and are willing to explore additional solutions, including mediation through the BBB, to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
   
  Thank you for facilitating this process. We look forward to your guidance on the next steps and are eager to bring this to a resolution that reflects our commitment to service excellence and client satisfaction.
   
  Sincerely,
  

  
  

  Customer response

  06/13/2024

  Complaint: 21719831
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Victory Media provided me with a Scope of Work that was explained to me as the equivalent of a contract with advertising companies. I was thrilled to see all that they were going to do and happy to pay them $5000 a month to do it. Knowing nothing about the advertising industry I specifically asked *************************** if they billed like attorneys regarding phone calls, emails, etc. He said no that they agree on a scope of work with their clients and a price for that work. Any communication with their clients is not part of their fee. Yes, there were multiple calls, emails, and text messages. The majority would not have been necessary if they were doing the promised work. For instance, ***** wanted me to do vlogs. I told him that I was willing but they would need to show me how. They never taught me how. The first one took me four days to complete. Victory was also supposed to be creating videos. They did not. I had to create videos. I disclosed to Victory that I have MS and my cognitive symptoms make learning new things very difficult. I had to repeatedly contact Victory to get instructed in how to do the work myself that they had promised to do. Until ***************************** angrily complained to me that I had no content on the social media sites that Victory had set up for me I hadn't even looked at their Scope of Work since receiving it. I was shocked to see what they had not been doing. I have short term memory loss due to MS ******************* was informed of that). When Victory told me the necessity of the social media sites, I told them that I could not manage them. It's very time consuming due to MS for me to do anything on a computer. Victory was supposed to be doing that for me, and that was included in the Scope of Work. 
  If ***** did not receive your correspondence that is very unfortunate. I know that he received mine and he never responded. I'm adding my last attempt to get Victory/Dayne to do the right thing. That was sent on May 10th. He never responded so I filed a complaint with BBB. I would have attached the email, but I can't remember how to, (MS). To this day Victory/Dayne has not responded to me. I have also attached the Scope of Work and the invoices with notes I made on each page for the complaint I filed on June 11th with the state consumer protections division. Victory Media clearly did not do their promised work that I paid $8000 for them to do. I trusted a ***************** to do what I could not do. I am not making money nor getting donations for doing this. I am using every extra ***** I have to finance this. My goal is to save the lives of God's children. So, the answer is no I do not accept this response from Victory Media/ ***************************. 
  

  
  

  Customer response

  07/09/2024

  In regards to complaint #********. After my filing a complaint with the state's **************************** Victory Media refunded $7000 of the $8000 that I had paid them. I received the check on the afternoon of Monday July 1st and was able to cash it. I would have paid them $1000 to do the work they did actually do, so the amount of the refund is acceptable.  
  The goal of the campaign I was paying Victory Media to do was to get a law passed next session that would specifically protect children from drug dealers. The stages of the campaign were meant to build momentum before the elections and the next legislative session. The campaign started in March and had specific goals for each month that needed to be accomplished to achieve the final goal. Victory Media simply never did their promised work. Now there simply isn't enough time to achieve that goal. I recently learned that *************************/Victory Media has over 1500 followers on one of his social media sites. He never even bothered to ask them to follow the campaign. My complete ignorance about advertising, social media, campaigning, and computers, combined with my MS cognitive symptoms, (all of which Victory Media were fully aware of) were grossly taken advantage of. This whole experience has been very heart breaking. I wasn't doing this for profit. I was trying to save children's lives.
  Regardless of how I feel about the outcome, since they refunded the unearned money I paid them, I want to either withdraw my complaint or state that it is resolved, however your agency does that.
  Thank you for providing me a platform to complain to and for your efforts in helping with a resolution.
  Sincerely *************************
  

  
  

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