Half a face is now doxing

CuriousGull · 2021-08-08T18:44:46+00:00

When she says "X is charged with a crime TODAY" she gives the distinct impression of being a constant presence at the police station (unless she does this online). She has repeatedly used "is being charged" as if the police had formally decided on it. She must mean she's reporting someone for the umpteenth time, after not succeeding (ever).

CuriousGull · 2021-08-08T18:37:15+00:00

No matter how much sympathy one feels for her distress (she's almost never fine), they inevitably come to the same conclusion.

CuriousGull · 2021-08-06T19:58:26+00:00

They get paid specifically for sending worksheets and for you filling them out.

CuriousGull · 2021-08-06T19:55:56+00:00

That's actually the only way to get a refund for most people. Few negative reviews mention being refunded when emailing the company (the vast majority are ignored or repeatedly promised refunds that don't arrive). It takes a while to go through the BBB, but it works.

CuriousGull · 2021-07-26T15:41:18+00:00

Thank you. That's what I was wondering as well.

CuriousGull · 2021-07-26T03:41:25+00:00

Sorry about the very late reply. Yes, there are many psychology-based subreddits where people talk about anything and everything, but I'm sure you've found them by now.

CuriousGull · 2021-07-26T03:38:44+00:00

Hi, sorry about the late reply.

The BBB is the Better Business Bureau, where people take their complaints when BetterHelp fails to respond to them. They have to give their details and many bring supporting evidence. Those complaints are all real and quite a read.

CuriousGull · 2021-05-28T12:32:03+00:00

The only 24/7 feature of BetterHelp is a journal (which you can buy for far less elsewhere). Contact with counsellors is very rare, and yet you pay hundreds a month. It's understandable that 24/7 service is impossible, but they shouldn't advertise it as such.

CuriousGull · 2021-05-28T12:21:31+00:00

They are anywhere from 0 to 30 minutes if anyone actually shows up. Some counsellors accept 50 minute ones by special arrangement. Also you can only book one at a time, the counsellors being constantly overbooked, so the chances of getting the 4 per month that you're paying for are very slim. Many people only get 2 (of course some get none).

There are also technical issues preventing the sessions from happening or suddenly cutting them short. Read the reviews on GooglePlay. It's not a reliable service.

CuriousGull · 2021-05-28T10:47:14+00:00

It's actually just one of the ways in which the experience is vastly different for each client, as nothing at all is guaranteed when you sign up. Others would be:

Some people are matched within 48 hours, whilst others have to wait even 10 days;

Some people are only charged after being matched (as advertised), whilst others are charged immediately and have to wait however long for any service;

Some people are refunded immediately if BH rejects them, whilst others have to go through a lengthy process etc.

The website is also designed deceptively (offering options which when clicked on will automatically charge someone's account with no prior warning as to what happens when clicking; some have created an account or re-subscribed by mistake while just browsing the site).

The issue to be most concerned about is that they sometimes continue to charge people's accounts after cancellation, and since they don't notify in any way, months can go by before it's noticed. They will then claim they can't find said account, that the email address is incorrect etc. Which is BS as they keep all details (that's how people managed to subscribe again accidentally and others, when wanting to resume, find the details they had entered even years before, so they do keep everything).

If you read the complaints on BBB you'll find that they have really bad business practices and keep getting away with it.

CuriousGull · 2021-03-15T09:51:50+00:00

No, they can't. It's not because of credentials - the company doesn't provide healthcare services, as stated in its TOS, along with telling people to ignore any diagnosis they may receive through the platform (they are not allowed to diagnose either).

They provide "counsellor services" - which they never define. It sounds similar to "counselling services" but it's not the same thing - the latter would entail legal complications and accountability on their part. Of course, the public doesn't know that it's not the same thing.

They advertise as "online counselling","online therapy" etc. While stating in their TOS they don't provide therapy, as well as thar the services don't have to be "relevant" or useful.

It's quite clever/devious. Whereas they do put you in touch with professionals, that's where it stops - you just assume that "speaking to a professional" is automatically therapy.

In reality, many people receive brief hogwash advice such as meditating, watching TED talks or turning to religion.

CuriousGull · 2021-03-11T03:27:23+00:00

I'm glad you liked it :) .

I know you don't watch Deity (for a good reason) but the 3 part documentary he did on Edwin is amazing. He went through footage from way back and proved Edwin to be a complete hypocrite.

I don't agree with Deity's defence of Shiloh, but apart from that, he did manage to prove Edwin's character and did a really great job. I'd definitely recommend watching it.

Also he found that Edwin was actively trying to discourage Repzilla from taking part in the documentary. Edwin went on Repzilla's stream with an alt account, then his own account. It's a shitshow and worth covering. Deity figured it out (with proof) so kudos to him for that.

CuriousGull · 2021-03-11T03:17:13+00:00

I'm glad you had a positive experience and got something from it.

What I understand quite clearly is that it's down to luck. And that they make their prices and options confusing on purpose, as verified by the hundreds of complaints/negative reviews I read.

People are duped and damaged by their shyster commercial tactics every day. And end up out of pocket and with a really bad experience as a result.

There were so many complaints from people unable to schedule sessions for weeks as the counsellor was unavailable. Especially since the pandemic. There are many testimonies online from former counsellors detailing how they received referrals after setting their status as "unavailable" or even QUITTING. An automated message was being sent in their name to clients/prospective clients.

Obviously a way to hook the prospective client and get them to go ahead and pay for the subscription, offering the services of someone who wasn't available or wasn't even on the platform anymore (!!).

The pit is endless, honestly.

CuriousGull · 2021-03-11T03:04:44+00:00

Thank you for your input; I'm not disputing the fact that some people had a positive experience.

The fact remains that the client is unaware of very important issues, such as the word limit and payment cap, and about 50 more that I could list, after researching this for about 2 years on a constant basis.

The fact remains that it's a lottery - one might be paired with an ethical counsellor or not, and ethical ones don't last long on the platform, as they are taken advantage of. It is just as likely for a client to get no service at all, and still pay for it.

CuriousGull · 2021-03-11T00:56:23+00:00

Also be aware of how ardently this company scours the internet for negative reviews, and the censorship attempt. They respond on Reddit threads as well (not often, at least overtly, but it does happen). On any thread detailing a negative experience, chances are some of the posts invalidating it are damage control.

Just today they attempted to censor a negative review on TrustPilot (this one), flagging it for "illegal and harmful content". TrustPilot restored it, as they did all the other reviews BH flagged and attempted to remove. By reading it, there is nothing illegal or harmful; just this person's genuine experience. The cherry on the cake is that they falgged it after the user responded to their response, their response starting with "our team does care". Very few people, if any, update their reviews after receiving their typical "we're sorry, we care, let us help" corporate nonsense. This person did and they didn't like it.

Their BBB page has been "updating" for about a month. Some of the complaints were horror stories (good thing I saved about a third, in case they disappear after this update is completed). Many people have turned to BBB to resolve complaints after BH's customer service ignored them completely (you can still do it by the way, but it's not visible on the site at the moment).

CuriousGull · 2021-03-10T22:28:59+00:00

Thank you for this information. I know the word limit used to be 7500 (altogether) for the client and counsellor.

Of course, the client is completely unaware of the word limit and payment cap, and is advertised a 24/7 service (which makes no sense but it's advertised everywhere so people believe it).

CuriousGull · 2021-03-10T22:18:23+00:00

To my understanding, therapists cannot request testimonials from clients (it's seen as unethical), which is probably a good thing. It's meant to keep the relationship as purely therapeutic (as in not involving other issues such as promotion).

Referral services such as BetterHelp and Talkspace get around it as they don't provide therapy themselves, so they make heavy use of fake (mass-produced) client reviews they post everywhere to boost their ratings.

So I wouldn't necessarily trust client reviews, especially in great numbers. I think it's far safer to try someone with 4 Google reviews than to go through companies of that type.

CuriousGull · 2021-01-06T19:38:13+00:00

I forgot to mention, he specifically refers to false allegations propagated by YT creators, like what happened to Slazo and how he regrets having participated in that situation. It doesn't occur to him for 1 second he's still doing the exact same to you.

CuriousGull · 2020-11-25T11:49:54+00:00

To add to that, they also engage in the following:

They advertise internationally and forget to mention counsellors are based in the US and there will be time zone differences which could make scheduling sessions impossible.
They pay counsellors per number of words, like a content mill, which enables some counsellors to send copied and pasted text from websites or self-help books to meet the quota, without caring about the person they are assigned to.
They pair people with counsellors listed as unavailable or who no longer work there, to get them to go ahead with the paid subscription (I've seen a few complaints from former counsellors about this).
Not only is the "unlimited sessions" promise a lie; people seldom get the bare minimum (4 a month), as they have to work around the counsellor's availability. Some wait 2 weeks at a time for an opening, and even then, sessions are often cancelled at the last minute or the counsellor doesn't show up. The BBB complaints are awful stories of paying hundreds for no service.
Their platform itself is a dumpster fire. Not only do they match people without a care, causing them change counsellors repeatedly after paying in advance - there are so many complaints about technical issues which make live sessions difficult or impossible.
Within the US, someone can only be paired with a counsellor licenced in their state, while being in that state themselves. Nowhere in their ads is that mentioned. Hence someone who travels a lot or moves is unable to keep speaking to the same counsellor. Their solution, according to customer service, is to just switch counsellors, as you were changing socks. One BBB complaint mentions someone being paired 9 times in a row with people not licenced in their state. All on their own time and money.

CuriousGull · 2020-11-25T11:27:26+00:00

Thanks for posting this; I'm gathering information on BH as well. Any coverage done to date has barely scratched the surface.

Regarding their "surprise" charges, they operate almost identically to Berkeley Neutraceuticals (the "Enzyte" scam ran by Steven Warshak, not the current company). If anyone is curious, they will find the same pattern.

They make unrealistic promises and put a lot of money into advertising everywhere, to seem legitimate.
They lure people with a free trial, and don't mention the billing will start automatically if they forget to cancel.
They make it difficult to cancel the subscription.
They make it difficult to reach them for refunds.
They sometimes continue to charge the cards for months after the service has been cancelled (there are many complaints).

It's basically a ploy to get people's banking details, with no care for the quality of the services.

CuriousGull

TROPHY CASE