Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  After initially speaking with this company in early January 2024, I have been receiving spam calls from them every day since, multiple times a day, from a different phone number every time. It's late April now, so I have received calls from them every day, a few times a day, for over 3 months. If this does not cease I will consider a legal pursuit.I have not done any business with this company as no services were ever hired, only an initial conversation.

  

  Business response

  04/23/2024

  Zoek includes the option to opt-out of emails in every email that is sent. When selected by the recipient, the system automatically flags the account to not send anymore emails and calls are stopped as well. The opt-out link was not clicked for this contact and therefore, emails were continuing to be sent in accordance with the contact's request for help. 

  Zoek has been notified of this request and has updated the account in their system at this time. 

  Customer response

  04/23/2024

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me, under the condition that no more phone calls are received in the future.  However, it should be noted that there is no option to opt-out of phone calls, so they're explanation does not pertain to me, as I'm sure a lot of the customers they have bothered.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  
   
  

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to file a formal complaint against Zoek, a company I hired to build a website for my new small business. My experience with Zoek has been extremely disappointing and frustrating, and I believe it is important to bring these issues to your attention. Firstly, I have encountered a significant lack of communication from Zoek's team, particularly from the designer and the CEO, who offered her email address for direct contact. Despite my numerous attempts to reach out via email, I have received no response, leaving me feeling ignored and undervalued as a customer. Additionally, I have faced difficulties in arranging a meeting with Zoek's sales team to discuss hosting packages and what is included. Despite my requests for clarification, I have been met with refusal and uncooperativeness, making it challenging to understand the services I am paying for. Furthermore, Zoek failed to deliver on their promised timeline, taking 12 weeks to build a basic website instead of the 4-6 weeks as initially agreed upon. Even more concerning is the quality of the website itself, which is being deemed "ready to launch" despite lacking any functionality. The website closely resembles a free site I created on Wix.com, which is unacceptable for representing my business. Despite these issues, I have been informed by Zoek that I cannot cancel my contract and receive a refund. As a result, I am currently paying $50 a month for hosting for an incomplete and non-functional website that cannot be used by my customers. I am deeply disappointed with the level of service and professionalism demonstrated by Zoek, and I believe that their actions are unethical and unacceptable. I kindly request that you investigate this matter and take appropriate action to ensure that Zoek honors their commitments and provides me with the service and quality I deserve as a paying customer. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

  

  Business response

  04/23/2024

  Zoek is in communication with this client and has a meeting scheduled for tomorrow to discuss the concerns that the client has made regarding the website.

  Customer response

  04/24/2024

  During our conversation today, I found David's demeanor to be unprofessional and dismissive, particularly when he referred to me as "riled up," which did not accurately reflect my demeanor or intentions. What a rude way to start the conversation. He also said my complaint to the BBB was "unnecessary" and I advised that I deemed it necessary and it's my right as a consumer.

  
  Despite my efforts to address the discrepancies between what was promised to me and the final product, I was met with resistance and a lack of willingness to understand my perspective. I explicitly requested that David review the sales call to better comprehend the commitments made to me, but this request was not fulfilled.

  
  Furthermore, I must emphasize that the website, which David claims to be "finalized," is far from ready for launch and does not meet the standards outlined in our agreement. As a result, I am formally requesting a partial refund of the fees paid thus far. I have also requested the cancellation of my contract, but as of now, I have not received confirmation of this cancellation.

  
  I expect a prompt resolution to this matter and request that the partial refund be processed without delay. Please acknowledge receipt of this message and provide a timeline for when I can expect a resolution.

  

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  Thank you for your response. We appreciate the opportunity to review the claims made. 

  At this time, a refund is not able to be provided to the client as all services have been provided (please see signed agreement attached), the website has been approved by the client (please see approval form attached), and Zoek has been reaching out to assist the client with the final steps of service, which is establishing the eCommerce portion of the website. In order to finalize this, Zoek does need the website to be hosted on a domain, which has been asked of the client for the work to be completed but has not been done. Zoek has also offered to assist the client in the domain connection process, typically a service that is charged for, and has not heard back from the client. 

  Zoek has provided a refund for the most recent charge and has stopped any recurring billing associated with the client at this time. Zoek is more than happy to help complete the final steps of the eCommerce portion of the site with the client's cooperation. 

  Customer response

  05/02/2024

  I must express my disappointment with the outcome. I feel that my concerns have not been fully addressed, and there has been a lack of empathy towards my situation. It's obvious in the pedantic phone call and written response here.
  
  In my previous correspondence, I mentioned my dissatisfaction with the project timeline and the lack of clarity regarding the reasons for the delay. Additionally, what you are explaining is not how it was explained to me in the sales call. I would like to reiterate my request for a thorough review of the sales call recording to see that this project was presented to me in bad faith, and nothing has come to fruition that was promised.
  
  I understand that refunds are subject to your company's policies, but I believe that my circumstances warrant further consideration and perhaps an exception due to the delay and misrepresentation. I'm not asking for all of my money back, just a partial refund reflecting the termination of my relationship with your company. I do not think this is unreasonable.

  I kindly request that you reconsider my refund request and provide a more detailed explanation of your decision, including your findings from the sales call.

• Initial Complaint

  03/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I spoke with a woman named ******** who promised to design ***********************. I paid the 800$ within 48 hours I submitted a cancellation of services and requested a refund. This company is absolutely refusing to refund my money even though no services were rendered on my behalf.

  

  Business response

  03/29/2024

  We appreciate the opportunity to address this with the client. 

  Zoek has been in communication with this client and is working with the client again. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Incessant marketing calls for over a year.

  

  Business response

  03/22/2024

  Zoek was not made aware of the request to stop contacting. This has been updated in their system and phone calls should no longer be made.

• Initial Complaint

  03/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2021 I initiated a request for a website to be developed with the added addition of peoples ability to donate to our nonprofit. I was contacted by way of phone and guaranteed all services and ability to create what I needed, as well as perform the task of turning the service over to me so that I could add more content as the months required. a lot of phone contact went on for the next several months the contact became less than 2022. Was able to see an example of the website along with my Food Pantry information regarding opening and closing times. . a lot of phone contact went on for the next several months the contact became less than 2022. Was able to see a example of the website along with my Food Pantry information regarding opening and closing times. The website was never functional enough to release to me in order to add more content. It has never been released to the community as I needed, and I have never been able to actively add anything other than the initial information that was added by the website builder. There was an account that was automatically being debited each month and I left it to, allow it to continue to be billed with the understanding that I would have a website that was operational, and although my representatives would always change, I was guaranteed someone would work with me directly and get back to me even though they were many many delays. because they are not in the state that I do business in I was only able to call or email since there was nowhere to walk into and deal directly with ****************** Eventually I stopped, allowing for the Automatic billing ., I do not have a website although now Im receiving calls and emails regarding the bill that the company feels needs to be paid. I would like them to either finish the job and give me my completed product or refund me for a job that was never completed. Therefore Services that would never render to me. This is a breach of contract by my understanding of contractual law .

  

  Business response

  03/22/2024

  Zoek has contacted this client to resolve their frustrations and is currently assisting the client with their requests. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/02/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Zoek Marketing charged my credit card without consent prior to presenting me with a contract. The contract that was sent to me via email after they charged my credit card were not the terms discussed with the account executive. The contract outlined via a small link within the contract a non - ethical practice of subscription based charging for services quarterly without an exit clause if they failed to produce work. I would have never agreed to these terms if they were discussed, and I certainly did not sign their contract that would bind me to those terms. Zoek charged my credit card prior to me entering into a contractual agreement with them and for services not rendered. This is a fraudulent company.

  

  Business response

  03/06/2024

  We appreciate the opportunity to address the claims made in this complaint. 

  One of Zoek's main focuses is transparency with clients. Zoek does not ask for or obtain credit card information without the client expressly understanding that they will be charged for services the day that they sign up. This is explained to every client prior to services being purchased. Agreements are also sent out to outline and detail the services to be delivered as well as the terms and conditions of those services in order to ensure that clients understand what they are purchasing and what to expect. If, at that time, a client chooses not to move forward, a refund for services is provided as has been provided to this client. 

  Agian, this client has already been refunded prior to this complaint being filed and their account closed in Zoek in accordance with the request made directly to Zoek.

  Customer response

  03/06/2024

  I was never sent a contract for services prior to being charged. Zoek sent me a contract after they charged my credit card. I never signed their contract or agreed to their terms.  I also have not received a refund.  

  

  Business response

  03/08/2024

  Zoek is provided credit card information by clients who are knowingly paying for services discussed. No client is charged without the credit card information and consent to be charged for services. 

  This client has been refunded and it has been explained that it takes 7 - ************************************************ their account. ********************** has no control or ability to control the time it takes for a refund to be processed as it is in the hands of the client's payment/banking institution. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/26/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I continue to receive emails harassing me about using their services. A person named ************************* continue to inundate my inbox despite please through email and phone call to stop. there is no ability to unsubscribe from this barrage of emails.

  

  Business response

  03/06/2024

  We appreciate this matter being brought to our attention. 

  Zoek sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this has caused. Each email sent does include a link to unsubscribe but an email response was sent to an email with vulgar remarks that were a clear indicator the lead did not want to further communication with Zoek. At that time, ******* who received the email failed to mark the account to not call and not send emails anymore because it was not explicitly selected in the email or asked of *******. 

  ******* has been counseled and the account has been marked as do not call and do not email.

• Initial Complaint

  02/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I hired Zoek because they were recommended by ***.We saw a tiny boost on ******* but a lot of their recommendations for my site content was written in broken English with grammatical and spelling errors out the wazoo.I should have run then.Fast-forward almost a year.I suddenly get a call from a client asking why my business number (for my small business that I answer the phone for) was going to an INDIAN CALL CENTER.I immediately panic and search my ****** listing, only to be horrified when the number on my profile is NOT MY PHONE NUMBER OR ANY THAT I RECOGNIZE.I and several others called this number repeatedly. It was three Indian people who barely spoke English. They were asking what services we needed and tried to get credit card info. They were selling any service under the sun, literally anything you asked for which means they modified MULTIPLE BUSINESS LISTINGS.I chatted and called ******* we were able to get my number changed back, but they informed me it had been changed for FIVE DAYS.Five days I went without that revenue, and who knows what hit my reputation took. Who knows what it did to the other businesses and if how long it took for them to notice.******* yes, ****** confirmed the email ********************************** the manager on my account and the ONLY OTHER USER TO -EVER- HAVE ACCESS changed my profile phone number. (screenshot).This was confirmed by ****** tech services AND ****** consumer affairs.The Zoek rep ******** denied and put the burden of proof on me, forcing me to call ****** again and again for more proof, finally asking for a screenshot of the tech's screen which they obviously would not provide.He even tried to say "we aren't open on Sundays" like that somehow means scamming employees can't access this stuff during time off or do it during work hours.They canceled my account but no refund. Cybercrimes letter said they could not pursue due to out of state jurisdiction so I'm here.THIS WAS ILLEGAL AND THIS COMPANY IS A SCAM.

  

  Business response

  03/08/2024

  We appreciate the opportunity to address the claims made in this statement. 

  This was brought to Zoek's attention in May of 2023. At that time, Zoek performed a thorough internal investigation that included reviewing employee emails, checking IP addresses of users and the times that accounts were accessed, a thorough scan of all emails and accounts, and were unable to verify that anyone from Zoek changed any information on the client's ****** Business Profile. The management dashboard of the client's account had not been accessed by Zoek at any time near the date that the change was made. 

  Zoek also contacted ****** to perform an investigation with them to ensure that nothing was missed in Zoek's internal investigation. ****** stated that while Zoek had access to manage the client's ****** Business Profile, they could not determine that Zoek was responsible for making the change. Additionally, each ****** Business Profile gives the public the ability to suggest an edit and if it is not responded to by the owner of the ****** Business Profile and/or the person submitting continues to, ****** will automatically update the profile to reflect the suggested information. Unfortunately, this does give scammers the ability to "hack" ****** Business Profiles but suggesting their phone number be used in place of the phone number on the profile. 

  At the conclusion of Zoek's internal investigation and correspondence with ******, it is determined that the client's phone number was updated via the "Suggest an Edit" option. Zoek sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this caused. 

  Customer response

  03/11/2024

  Zoek's response is complete and utter BS. The BBB does not display photos, but I attached around 10 screenshots proving all of this before their robotic response.

  NO internal investigation was performed as evidenced by one of my screenshots for this complaint. The manager for this case was dismissive and accusatory and in no way cooperative.

  I just added my screenshots AGAIN, and this time with GIGANTIC RED ARROWS AND UNDERLINES since you clearly didn't read them the first time and opted to respond with flat out lies and ZERO PROOF AT ALL.

  For those reading this complaint, this is quoted VERBATIM from the ****** email and is one of my screenshot attachments: "We understand that the phone number was changed without your knowledge and after investigation, we found out that the edit was made by your previous manager ******************************* which is the only manager on your profile."

  After investigation, Zoek was to blame. They hounded me relentlessly for more and more proof, trying to get screenshots of a ****** tech's screen which obviously they refused to do because it is a security concern. Zoek is a bunch of liars and crooks.

  Here is MY proof, Zoek. Where's YOURS? ***********************************************************************************************

  

  Business response

  03/15/2024

  Zoek did perform a thorough investigation in reviewing employee access times and IP addresses. At the time that the change was made, no Zoek employees were accessing Zoek's system and would not have been able to access the management of the client's ****** My Business without accessing that. The change was also made outside of standard work hours when any employee access point triggers a notification to admins and no notifications were sent the day or weekend that the change was made. 

  Zoek needs to use Gmail in order to manage ****** My Business profiles and there is risk of a hacker accessing the account, as with any email address, and it is possible that someone hacked the account. That being said, this is the only ****** My Business profile that any information was changed on so it is unlikely that that is the case. 

  The most likely reason behind the change was the "Edit Information" status that is available on all ****** My Business profiles. 

  Zoek does apologize for any inconvenience this has caused but cannot assume responsibility due to the internal investigation and availability to the public to recommend changes. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Dec. 11, 2023, I spoke with Zoek sale rep and told him what I wanted. He assured me they could provide the service I needed-add schedule and update my existing web page to *********** classes. I paid $700 (see attached receipt) for first installment.I filled out a questionnaire and submitted it explaining what I wanted again to web design team. I met over phone on Dec. 28 with *************************, but in first 5 minutes, she told me they would not be updating my schedule and I would have to do it. They would only install the "widget," which I have already done and did not need help with. I asked to cancel immediately. She sent email to her boss,************, on 12/29/23. I have asked him repeatedly to cancel and refund since 1/5/24. On Jan. 11, **** they took an additional $700 from my **** account. Then,, 1/15/24 ************** tells me I owe them 25% ($350) for set up costs and time( which they never did), and as of 2/12/24, he stated they have fully processed my refund as of 1/25/24 and I should check with my bank. He does not answer phone calls. My bank today 2/13/24 assures me Zoek has made NO attempt to refund any of my funds.

  

  Business response

  02/13/2024

  We appreciate the opportunity to address this complaint. 

  There was an error in the billing system that showed that the refund was processed when it hadn't been due to a block from the payment processor. Zoek was able to identify this and has manually processed the refund and contacted their payment processor to rectify the issuse so that it does not happen again. Zoek apologizes for any inconvenience this has caused the client and appreciates being made aware of this so that it could be addressed and resolved.

  Refunded - Trans-ID: **********
  Refunded - Trans-ID: **********

• Initial Complaint

  02/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have been a member of GoZoek marketing for quite some time now Id say maybe about a year or two. However I started to learn that the customer service was poor and somehow all of my questionnaires were in Spanish. I dont speak Spanish. I moved onto an upgraded site with a designer who provided better customer service. The real issue is that I have been trying to cancel my account for about three weeks. I spoke with someone on the phone three weeks ago and they said my account has been canceled, great right? Well not so much. I have since been charged multiple times on my credit card in which I have had to put a block and request a charge back. I have reached out numerous times, countless times, via email and phone requesting that my account be canceled and to stop charging me. No one will respond and if they do its a we appreciate you reaching out, someone will be with you shortly over and over and over again. It actually feels like they are purposefully messing with me at this point. I had a Manager reach out to me confirming that I would like to cancel my accounts and obviously I replied yes I am confirming that I would like to cancel my account. they have since not responded and again charged my credit card. Now they are threatening to take it to collections when I have for three weeks, Ive been trying to cancel my account. There is no contract. This is what led me to the site and filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. GoZoek needs to do better with customer service because they are milking my credit card as long as they can with the cover-up of taking days and even weeks at a time to respond.

  

  Business response

  02/07/2024

  We appreciate the opportunity to address the claims made in this complaint. 

  The client signed up for Hosting and ************** through Zoek and was being charged for that. When the website was completed, Zoek purchased hosting on behalf of the client and hosted the site in their account which is why the client was being charged. When the client asked to cancel services in January, they were contacted by a Zoek representative but never responded. Zoek is not able to cancel hosting services without ensuring that the client understands that Zoek will need to transfer the site into their ownership and the client will need to purchase hosting through Wix because their website will no longer be available online once hosting is canceled.

  The client has now gotten in touch with Zoek and hosting services have been canceled. 

*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. ↩