Business Profile

Recruitment Services

Cheeky Scientist, LLC

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Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Cheeky Scientist, LLC's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

61 total complaints in the last 3 years.
12 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

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The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

Initial Complaint
Date:03/10/2025
Type:Order Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.

Complaint: 23043522

I am rejecting this response because:
My complaint is one of 687 total BBB complaints in 3 years made
against the Cheeky Scientist LLC. Clearly, they are still engaged in deceitful business
practices and must be held to account. I have never filed a BB complaint
before, but this was such an egregious experience I had to speak out.

I was lied to when I signed up for this program – I was told that Dec 15th was the last day for this option, but they continued to accept new clients afterward. Please note that they have not responded to this claim. They know it’s true and cannot defend their actions. It is clearly a common practice to pressure buyers, as similar claims are present in other complaints against this business.

“Custom” is the key term here – nearly every word on that resume was from the CV I shared previously to the Cheeky Scientist team. Nearly every word they added was copied/pasted from a resume word list and also appears on many other clients’ resumes. This is not custom, this is a reshuffling of my resume with some buzz words copied in. They promised a “custom plan” and did not provide it. Another common complaint made against them in BBB and FTC filings.
False claim: “She also had her LinkedIn profiles and resume written just for her in a custom fashion”. They did not write either of those items, but did offer some generic buzz word guidance to enhance them. Not the same thing at all and certainly not worth thousands of dollars.

I did have a major life circumstance that changed my availability to attend meetings because I was in the hospital with my husband, but I never said I was “satisfied” with the program. That is a bold lie, proven wrong by the actual email they copied just below their lie that I was satisfied. Once again, they are lying.

I don’t know what they mean by reading an article by a competitor. I made my first complaint before reading anything else. Only after my clear dissatisfaction did I realize there are hundreds of complaint pieces on the BBB, FTC, CFPB, Linked In and Reddit, etc. As far as I can tell, none of these sources offer competitive services for pay.
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I purchases a “lifetime membership” to this program. Of course I attended meetings because I wanted it to work. How else would I know if the program is effective? They can’t have it both ways – they cannot require you to attend to get a refund and then claim that your attendance negates your right to a refund. I gave them a good chance to provide their service, they failed at every turn.

I had one short meeting with two mentors (12/19/24). I believed that was how the program would proceed, which is part of why I stayed on. However, as evidenced by their own video evidence, there are no more custom meetings to follow, only group zooms.

In sum, I attended 3 meetings and received some generic career
buzz words from this company. I feel embarrassed that I was pressured into this
purchase, although the hundreds of other well educated people who now regret their
purchase provides some solace. It is clear that their business model continues
to rely on pressure-filled, deceitful sales practices. They prey on people who
are desperate for support. They trap you by saying that you must attend
meetings to get a refund, but if you attend them, that’s proof that you used
their service. It’s an impossible trap.

I hope to put this chapter behind me and move on with my
career, whether that’s in academia or not. I also hope that the numerous complaints
(67 in 3 years, averaging nearly 2 per month!) is enough to help resolve the ongoing
problems with the Cheeky Scientist business practices.

Sincerely,

***** ****
m having adequate time to understand the contract. This was intentional.

Misleading statements from the contract include:
"Company will help the Customer create a custom plan for their job search. . . " They do not provide anything custom to the individual, but serve us in small groups with generic materials.

When I signed/paid for this service, they asked what I was most looking forward to. I replied that I needed someone else's help writing my materials and finding career opportunities. They have failed to provide anything close to what was promised and it's clear from the many BBB and FTC complaints that this is common practice for this company.

Additionally, 3 weeks after signing on my family experienced a severe health crisis. I asked to quit, knowing I would be unable to attend. They refuse even a partial refund and are using my inability to attend as an excuse to not refund me. I literally cannot attend from the hospital. There must be a refund plan for this circumstance.
Business Response
Date: 03/23/2025
3/22/25
RE Complaint ID: 23043522

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of ***** ****.

Ms. **** purchased the product on 12/15/24 and for the duration of that time Cheeky Scientist has complied with its Terms of Service, including providing the agreed-upon services and followed its refund policy described therein. Ms. **** has continued to use the program during this time including meeting with the mentorship team on 1/9/25, 3 weeks AFTER purchasing. We have evidence of this in the attached document. We also have evidence of her logging into his dashboard 14 days after purchasing and evidence of her engaging in 51 member forum posts since joining.

Importantly, email correspondence in the attached document shows that Ms. **** requested a refund due to a “change in life circumstances” on 3/4/25 prior to her complaint here, confirming that she was satisfied with the product and was requesting a refund for other reasons. She also wrote an email confirming to us that she would stay in the program for 12 months to honor the contract. Instead, she has continued to make fraudulent claims about high pressure when again, she stayed in the program and used it for weeks without complaint.

Ms. **** also claims in her complaint that “They do not provide anything custom to the individual, but serve us in small groups with generic materials”. This is also a fraudulent claim. Video evidence in the attached document shows her in a private meeting with just her (one-on-one) and 2 of our mentors. She also had her LinkedIn profiles and resume written just for her in a custom fashion. In other words, she is brazenly lying about the custom mentorship she received in her complaint and this should be recognized by the BBB and others.

Ms. **** was under no obligation to buy our program at all and purchased it in our company’s Zoom meeting office. She requested a call with us, requested our services, purchased our product on her own computer, and used our product. Further, Ms. **** filled out a detailed form requesting a call with us and consented to the call on the form.
She is only now complaining because he read an article about us from a competitor published years ago that does not apply to her in any way as she signed a different contract, bought a different program and did not use financing.

As shown in the attached document, Cheeky Scientist has provided Ms. **** with mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. She continues to have access to the program and as shown in the attached document, has used its services continuously.

Ms. **** currently has login access to our program. She has logged in and accessed the program 5 times including as recently as 12/27/24, 13 days AFTER purchasing the program. The date stamp in the attached confirms this, next to her IP address information to confirm it was her. She also has access to weekly meetings that are laid out for her in a calendar in her dashboard. The most recent meeting offered to her was 3/21/2025. Again, she did not login just once and then try to cancel. She logged in again and again and again, using our materials repeatedly and going to multiple mentorship meetings. This is shown in the attached document.

Please also see evidence of Ms. **** meeting with our team in the attached document She met with members of the mentorship team including on 12/15/24, 12/19/24, and 1/9/25, and continues to have weekly mentorship meetings available on Fridays as the calendar provided in the attached document has shown. Attached is also image evidence of Ms. **** attending our mentorship meetings on 12/15/24, 12/19/24, and 1/9/25.

Mentorship meeting on 12/15/24 (THIS IS A PRIVATE, CUSTOM MEETING with just Ms. **** and 2 mentors):
**********************************************************************************

Video of Ms. **** attending her mentorship meeting on 12/19/24:
**********************************************************************************

Video of Ms. **** attending her mentorship meeting on 1/9/25:
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Ms. **** also received immediate access to online workbooks and documents. The document shows the information she continues to have available.

Ms. **** also received access to the Accountability Forum. Since her purchase of the program, she engaged in FIFTY-ONE (51) posts in the forum, which is shown in the document attached.

Exhibit A in the document attached also shows one of the resumes that the Cheeky Scientist mentorship wrote for Ms. ****.

Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Ms. ****’s purchase allows for a refund only if the customer (1) completes the tasks laid out in the contract, including, without limitation, program attendance, completion of workbooks, resume reviews, interview training and other similar tasks; (2) they provide advance notification to Cheeky Scientist that the customer has not yet received a job offer, six months and two months before the end of the twelve-month guarantee period; and (3) they did not receive a job offer following purchase of the Program.

Cheeky Scientist’s refund policies are stated in its Terms of Service. The Terms of Service were available to Ms. **** on Cheeky Scientist’s website prior to her purchase: ************************************************* At the time of purchase, Ms. **** checked a box indicating he had reviewed the Terms of Service. Ms. **** also executed Cheeky Scientist’s Welcome Letter with the same Terms of Service.

Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Ms. **** through her job search. We have many success stories as shown here: ***************************************************

We would be happy to hear from her and support her in any way in her job search.

Thank you,
Rayanne Hoopes
Chief Operating Officer
Cheeky Scientist
509.720.0258

Business Response
Date: 04/14/2025
4/13/25
RE Complaint ID: 23043522

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond further to the complaint of ***** ****.
Ms. **** has provided no new evidence and she has falsely stated the number of complaints we have at the start of her reply. We do not have 687 complaints. We have a tenth of that. We have very few complaints for a company that has been in business for 12 years and has served over 18,000 members. The complaint rate is less than 0.38%. If she can’t even get her numbers right here - numbers the BBB can verify, what else is she not getting right in her statements?
Ms. ****’s entire argument is merely pointing to posts on a social media platform that academics talk on anonymously. Anonymous views from non-members of our program on social media carry no weight here.
She says she didn’t read anything from our competitors, but then she lists what she read from several of our competitors, including Science Careers who gets paid to help PhDs stay in academia (their service) rather than getting industry jobs (our service), and After Your PhD, who is another direct competitor that helps PhDs get job too. Statements from our competitors are clearly biased and Ms. **** referring to them is meaningless.
The facts are simple. As is the timeline:
1. Ms. **** filled out a document requesting a call with us. We did not cold call her or cold contact her in any way. She signed up for our events, our materials and again, filled our a document requesting a call.

2. Ms. **** joined the program from her computer under no obligation to buy (we were not at her doorstep and she could have left at any time).

3. Ms. **** joined on the last day of the enrollment period she was a part of and our enrollment process is listed transparently on our website’s FAQ page. The enrollment is the only reason Ms. **** received her discount.

4. Ms. **** used the program happily for 3 weeks (video evidence has already been provided showing her using the program repeatedly).

5. Ms. **** asks for a refund and mentions she has another potential academic job offer and might be taking it (this is the real reason for her refund).

6. Ms. **** is denied the refund because based on the contract she signed, a refund cannot be processed until 12 months (her circular claim that attending the meetings negates the refund makes no sense - she is not due a refund review until 12 months per the contract she signed, and she signed the contract right next to this clause).

7. Ms. **** gets increasingly frustrated and aggressive and starts looking for negative comments against us online (this is called confirmation bias) and then demands a refund after getting a job offer. She then claims that she is somehow the victim despite evidence she used our program extensively.

This is a very similar sequence that several other academics have followed and has no relevance to our program or how we sell our program. The BBB should take into account the nature of lifetime academics like Ms. ****, the anonymous social media accounts they spend their time on (instead of teaching or doing research) and the fraudulent statements she has made about the reasons why she initially reached out for a refund. Simple discovery would show that she did indeed ask for a refund for getting a job offer and we plan to find out what that job offer was and who offered it since it is relevant to this complaint.

Overall, Ms. **** is still contractually obligated to pay for the services she used and we plan to continue seeking the payment that is owed to us given her replies here.
As mentioned, Ms. **** did in fact have her LinkedIn and resume *custom* written by the Cheeky Scientist team and is still, as of 4/13/25 using the LinkedIn headline written for her by the Cheeky Scientist team as shown in the attached document.

All of Ms. ****’s concerns have been responded to below in detail.
Ms. **** purchased the product on 12/15/24 and for the duration of that time Cheeky Scientist has complied with its Terms of Service, including providing the agreed-upon services and followed its refund policy described therein. Ms. **** has continued to use the program during this time including meeting with the mentorship team on 1/9/25, 3 weeks AFTER purchasing. We have evidence of this in the attached document. We also have evidence of her logging into his dashboard 14 days after purchasing and evidence of her engaging in 51 member forum posts since joining.

Importantly, email correspondence below shows that Ms. **** requested a refund due to a “change in life circumstances” on 3/4/25 prior to her complaint here, confirming that she was satisfied with the product and was requesting a refund for other reasons. She also wrote an email confirming to us that she would stay in the program for 12 months to honor the contract. Instead, she has continued to make fraudulent claims about high pressure when again, she stayed in the program and used it for weeks without complaint.

Ms. **** also claims in her complaint that “They do not provide anything custom to the individual, but serve us in small groups with generic materials”. This is also a fraudulent claim. Video evidence below shows her in a private meeting with just her (one-on-one) and 2 of our mentors. She also had her LinkedIn profiles and resume written just for her in a custom fashion. In other words, she is brazenly lying about the custom mentorship she received in her complaint and this should be recognized by the BBB and others.

Ms. **** was under no obligation to buy our program at all and purchased it in our company’s Zoom meeting office. She requested a call with us, requested our services, purchased our product on her own computer, and used our product. Further, Ms. **** filled out a detailed form requesting a call with us and consented to the call on the form.
She is only now complaining because he read an article about us from a competitor published years ago that does not apply to her in any way as she signed a different contract, bought a different program and did not use financing.

As shown below, Cheeky Scientist has provided Ms. **** with mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. She continues to have access to the program and as shown below has used its services continuously.
Ms. **** currently has login access to our program. She has logged in and accessed the program 5 times including as recently as 12/27/24, 13 days AFTER purchasing the program. The date stamp in the attached document confirms this, next to her IP address information to confirm it was her. She also has access to weekly meetings that are laid out for her in a calendar in her dashboard. The most recent meeting offered to her was 4/11/2025. Again, she did not login just once and then try to cancel. She logged in again and again and again, using our materials repeatedly and going to multiple mentorship meetings. This is shown in the attached document.

Please also see evidence of Ms. **** meeting with our team below. She met with members of the mentorship team including on 12/15/24, 12/19/24, and 1/9/25, and continues to have weekly mentorship meetings available on Fridays as the calendar above has shown. In the attached document is image evidence of Ms. **** attending our mentorship meetings on 12/15/24, 12/19/24, and 1/9/25.

Mentorship meeting on 12/15/24 (THIS IS A PRIVATE, CUSTOM MEETING with just Ms. **** and 2 mentors):
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Video of Ms. **** attending her mentorship meeting on 12/19/24:
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Video of Ms. **** attending her mentorship meeting on 1/9/25:
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Ms. **** also received immediate access to online workbooks and documents. The attcahed document shows the information she continues to have available.

Ms. **** also received access to the Accountability Forum. Since her purchase of the program, she engaged in FIFTY-ONE (51) posts in the forum, which is shown in the attached document.

Exhibit A below also shows one of the resumes that the Cheeky Scientist mentorship wrote for Ms. ****.

Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Ms. ****’s purchase allows for a refund only if the customer (1) completes the tasks laid out in the contract, including, without limitation, program attendance, completion of workbooks, resume reviews, interview training and other similar tasks; (2) they provide advance notification to Cheeky Scientist that the customer has not yet received a job offer, six months and two months before the end of the twelve-month guarantee period; and (3) they did not receive a job offer following purchase of the Program.

Cheeky Scientist’s refund policies are stated in its Terms of Service. The Terms of Service were available to Ms. **** on Cheeky Scientist’s website prior to her purchase: ************************************************* At the time of purchase, Ms. **** checked a box indicating she had reviewed the Terms of Service. Ms. **** also executed Cheeky Scientist’s Welcome Letter with the same Terms of Service.

Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Ms. **** through her job search. We have many success stories as shown here: ***************************************************

Thank you,
Rayanne Hoopes
Chief Operating Officer
Cheeky Scientist
509.720.0258
Initial Complaint
Date:03/03/2025
Type:Order Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to file a formal complaint against Cheeky Scientist, LLC, located in Panama City Beach, FL. On Feb 14th, 2025, I was subjected to high-pressure sales tactics by their representative, leading me to sign an agreement and pay $2,498 for their services. Upon further research, I discovered numerous complaints against Cheeky Scientist alleging similar experiences, including misleading sales practices and difficulties in obtaining refunds.

Within the allowable period (6 hours) after signing the contract, I exercised my right to cancel the contract, as per New Hampshire's 3-day cooling-off rule. I promptly notified Cheeky Scientist of my decision and requested a full refund. However, my request has been ignored, and no refund has been issued.

I believe Cheeky Scientist's practices are unethical and violate consumer protection laws. I seek the BBB's assistance in resolving this matter by facilitating a full refund of $2,498.

Sincerely
Business Response
Date: 03/16/2025
3/15/25
RE Complaint ID: 23006916

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of **** **********.

Mr. ********** purchased the product on 2/14/25 and for the duration of that time Cheeky Scientist has complied with its Terms of Service, including providing the agreed-upon services and followed its refund policy described therein. Mr. ********** has continued to use the program during this time including meeting with the mentorship team on 2/20/25, 6 days AFTER purchasing. We have evidence of this below. We also have evidence of him logging into his dashboard 7 days after purchasing and evidence of him engaging in 111 (one hundred and eleven) member forum posts since joining.

Mr. ********** was under no obligation to buy our program at all and purchased it in our company’s Zoom meeting office. He requested a call with us, requested our services, purchased our product on his own computer, and used our product. Further, Mr. ********** filled out a detailed form requesting a call with us and consented to the call on the form.

He is only now complaining because he read an article about us from a competitor published years ago that does not apply to him in any way as he signed a different contract, bought a different program and did not use financing.

As shown in the provided document, Cheeky Scientist has provided Mr. ********** with mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. He continues to have access to the program and as shown below has used its services continuously.

Mr. ********** currently has login access to our program. He has logged in and accessed the program 3 times including as recently as 2/21/2024, 7 days AFTER purchasing the program. The date stamp on the attached document confirms this, next to his IP address information to confirm it was him. He also has access to weekly meetings that are laid out for him in a calendar in his dashboard. The most recent meeting offered to him was 3/14/2025. This is shown in the attached document as well.

Please also see evidence of Mr. ********** meeting with our team in the attached document. He met with members of the mentorship team including on 2/14/25 and 2/20/25, and continues to have weekly mentorship meetings available on Fridays as the calendar provided has shown. Image evidence of Mr. ********** attending our mentorship meetings on 2/20/25 is in the document provided, and please see the video evidence here.
Mentorship meeting on 2/20/25:
**********************************************************************************

Mr. ********** also received immediate access to online workbooks and documents. The attached document shows the information he continues to have available.

Mr. ********** also received access to the Accountability Forum. Since his purchase of the program, he engaged in 111 posts in the forum, which is shown in the attached document as well.

Exhibit A in the attachement also shows one of the resumes that the Cheeky Scientist mentorship wrote for Mr. **********.

Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Mr. **********’s purchase allows for a refund only if the customer (1) completes the tasks laid out in the contract, including, without limitation, program attendance, completion of workbooks, resume reviews, interview training and other similar tasks; (2) they provide advance notification to Cheeky Scientist that the customer has not yet received a job offer, six months and two months before the end of the twelve-month guarantee period; and (3) they did not receive a job offer following purchase of the Program.

Cheeky Scientist’s refund policies are stated in its Terms of Service. The Terms of Service were available to Mr. ********** on Cheeky Scientist’s website prior to his purchase: ************************************************* At the time of purchase, Mr. ********** checked a box indicating he had reviewed the Terms of Service. Mr. ********** also executed Cheeky Scientist’s Welcome Letter with the same Terms of Service.

Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Mr. ********** through his job search. We have many success stories as shown here: ***************************************************

We would be happy to hear from him and support him in any way in his job search.

Thank you,
Rayanne Hoopes
Chief Operating Officer
Cheeky Scientist
509.720.0258
Initial Complaint
Date:01/30/2025
Type:Order Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.

Complaint: 22876307

Dear Better Business Bureau,
I am rejecting Cheeky Scientist’s (CS) response as it fails to address the misleading and predatory sales practices I experienced. Their rebuttal misrepresents my claims, selectively ignores critical facts, and attempts to justify deceptive tactics. Below, I clarify the key points of dispute.
1. False and Misleading Success Rate Claims
In my complaint, I stated that during the sales presentation, Isaiah Hankel claimed 99% of CS clients receive job offers within six months. The contrast between this verbal assurance and the explicit contract disclaimers constitutes a bait-and-switch tactic.
Ms. Hoopes’ rebuttal states:
“No where in our contract, Terms of Service, or online materials do we guarantee a 99% success rate or a percentage success rate of any kind. Statements to the contrary are completely false.”
However, my complaint is not about the contract or online materials—it is about verbal misrepresentations made during the sales pitch. By failing to acknowledge these verbal claims, CS is either:
Denying that Mr. Hankel made these statements, or
Admitting that the statements were false and misleading at the time they were made.
The contract’s disclaimer does not erase the high-pressure, deceptive sales pitch that induced me to sign.
2. Rushed and Perfunctory Contract Review
I described how Mr. Hankel reviewed the entire five-page contract in less than one minute, directing me where to click to sign without allowing for meaningful review.
Ms. Hoopes’ claim that the contract was “carefully reviewed” is inaccurate. The rushed nature of the process either intentionally or unintentionally discouraged careful examination of the terms, including the refund policy.
Additionally, this transaction meets the definition of a “Door-to-Door Sale” under Title 16, Chapter 1, Subchapter D, Part 429 of the Code of Federal Regulations, which requires:
The seller to provide a fully completed copy of the contract at the time of execution.
The seller to furnish the buyer with a Notice of Right to Cancel at the time of signing.
CS violated both requirements.
I did not receive a copy of my contract until 1/27/25—four days after signing.
I was never provided a Notice of Cancellation or informed of my right to cancel.
When I emailed Ms. Hoopes to cancel, she responded that I could not cancel (Exhibit 3), further violating consumer protection laws.
3. CS’s Mischaracterization of My Post-Sale Interaction
CS’s main justification for refusing a refund is that I “used” their services. Ms. Hoopes states:
“He met with our mentors, had his resume written, and engaged in other job search activities with our team.”
This is a misleading characterization of events:
The only interaction I had with CS after purchase was a 12-minute call on 1/23/25—the same day I signed the contract.
Most of this call was a continuation of the sales pitch, with Mr. Hankel touting CS’s methodology and available resources.
During the call, Mr. Hankel performed a demonstration of a resume template, copying and pasting fewer than 30 words from the resume I had written into a new template.
This was done on his screen, not mine, and I never received a revised resume or work product.
CS falsely claims that my resume was "written for me.” Ms. Hoopes reiterated this claim in both the rebuttal and a 1/29/25 email.
4. My Attempt to Cancel Within 12 Hours
I notified CS of my intent to cancel within 12 hours of signing (Exhibit 2).
At this point, I had not received or meaningfully engaged with any services.
CS’s refusal to honor my cancellation request, despite their failure to provide a legally required Notice of Cancellation, is further evidence of their deceptive business practices.
Final Request for Refund
Given the false success rate claims, misleading refund policy, rushed contract review, violations of federal consumer protection laws, and refusal to honor my timely cancellation request, I stand by my demand for a full refund.
I urge the BBB to recognize the pattern of deceptive business practices employed by CS and take appropriate action.
Sincerely,

Jason ******* for Bait and Switch.

2) I was repeatedly assured that there was no risk to the purchase because there was a money back guarantee in the event that no job offers are received within 12 months. In reality there is no functional guarantee at all as it requires a panel of CS corporate officers to agree to provide the refund.

3) Isaiah created a false sense of urgency by claiming that there were only three remaining openings available for this year’s cohort and that he was booked on transition calls for the rest of the afternoon to fill those slots. Evidence from a class action law suit (that CS lost), other BBB complaints, and posts on Reddit all indicate that this never in fact true.

For the actual contract signing, Isaiah spent less than 60 seconds reviewing the 5 page contract, rushing through the process, indicating where to click a mouse to insert initials or a signature. I informed CS of my intention to cancel the contract withing 12 hours of signing it (Exhibit 2).
Business Response
Date: 02/13/2025
2/12/2024

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22876307

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of Jason *******.

Mr. ******* was not misled about our services. To the contrary, he signed a contract detailing our Terms of Service. No where in our contract, Terms of Service, or online materials do we guarantee a 99% success rate or a percentage success rate of any kind. Statements to the contrary are completely false. Mr. ******* initiated several discussions about the general odds of someone with his background being employable after a gap on their resume and all conversations were very clear that there was no guarantee of success but only a guarantee of a refund should he not get hired in 12 months. This was repeatedly communicated, as was the 12 month timeline. To this end, the contract he reviewed carefully and signed has a large disclaimer at the top that reads (emphasis added):

“Examples of people who have successfully transitioned should not be considered typical and there is never a guarantee of results. By using this product or any related materials you agree to take full responsibility for your own results, or lack thereof.”

Mr. ******* also signed his name directly to a provision stating there are not refunds (the full contract is further below):

Mr. ******* was under no obligation to purchase our program. He requested a call with us in writing, requested our services on the call, and purchased our product on his own computer without obligation to do so. He also attended a second meeting with us after purchasing the program, accessing the program, and using the program. He met with our mentors, had his resume written and engaged in other job search activities with our team.

Mr. ******* references Reddit social media posts from anonymous people from years ago. He also mentions a case from years ago affecting a very small and specific group of our members, which has been appropriately and willingly settled, despite other options available. These past examples have no relevance here. Mr. *******’s contract is different. The program he purchased is different. His situation is also different as he used the program after purchasing, as is shown below. Importantly, Mr. ******* conveniently leaves out examples of our program’s success, including the hundreds of examples he was shown here: ***************************************************
Please see image evidence in the attached document of Mr. ******* receiving support via one on one meetings with our mentors including meetings on 1/23/25.

Mr. ******* has continued to be offered meetings and support as shown by the calendar in the attached document.

Cheeky Scientist has continued to adhere to its Terms of Service and provide deliverables to Mr. *******. As an example, the resume our team wrote for Mr. ******* is in the attached document.

Mr. ******* agreed to and signed our Terms of Service. His signed contract is in the attached document.
These same Terms of Service are publicly available here: ************************************************* and linked on every page of our website.

Cheeky Scientist also provides members with an FAQ page where policies are available including the refund policy and the enrollment policy:
********************************

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Mr. ******* purchased. Mr. ******* is not due a refund per the Terms of Service he agreed to and signed.

Cheeky Scientist is here to support Mr. ******* through his job search. However, we are unable to help him in full if he continues to refuse to meet with us. We are ready and willing to continue mentoring him.

Respectfully,
Rayanne Hoopes
COO
Cheeky Scientist
5097200258
Business Response
Date: 03/10/2025
3/10/25

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22876307

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond further to the complaint of Jason *******.
The only new information Mr. ******* offers in his complaint is that he was not given a copy of his contract right after signing and he is due a cancellation period due to the transaction being a “door-to-door sale”.
For the former claim, Mr. ******* specifically states, “I did not receive a copy of my contract until 1/27/25—four days after signing.” This is false, as shown by the documentation in the attached document showing he was emailed a copy of his signed contract right after signing it at 19:57 UTC to [email protected] from the signing software domain email address. The contract at the end of the attached document shows he signed at 19:56:45 UTC. Thus, he received a copy within seconds and upon requesting it again, was resent another copy.

For the latter claim, the sale was not made door to door. We were not at Mr. *******’s home in person. The statutes he’s referencing do not apply to online sales. Further, Mr. ******* signed a contract that states in Section 5 of the Terms of Service that the location of the call is in our Cheeky Scientist Zoom office (“Cheeky Scientist’s virtual offices”) which are our normal place of business. He entered our Zoom office after requesting a call with us in our office.

We ask that the BBB consider these clearly false claims from Mr. *******, backed up with image files shared above, as proof of his malice toward our organization; malice that wasn’t caused not by our purchasing process or the service we provided, but by reading an article written about us by a competitor from two years ago that does not apply to him, how he purchased, or the program he purchased. In short, Mr. ******* was fine with his purchase and the program until he read an outdated, inflammatory article from a 3rd party competitor. He stated as much in his emails to us and in his initial complaint.

Mr. ******* is free to count the complaints against us by actual members and divide that count by the 18,000+ professionals we have helped in our program over the past 12 years. But as far as guarantees, we only guarantee what was carefully spelled out to him in the contract he signed. He was fully aware there was no guarantee of results. And, he was fully aware that the only guarantee was that he could get a refund after 12 months in the program if he wasn’t successful. He’s simply trying to twist things around after reading an article from our competitor.

All other claims in his reply are simply the same claims Mr. ******* made in his initial complaint. For those, we will reiterate that Mr. ******* was not misled about our services. To the contrary, he signed a contract detailing our Terms of Service. No where in our contract, Terms of Service, or online materials do we guarantee a 99% success rate or a percentage success rate of any kind. All conversations were very clear that there was no guarantee of success but only a guarantee of a refund should he not get hired in 12 months. This was repeatedly communicated, as was the 12 month timeline. To this end, the contract he reviewed carefully and signed has a large disclaimer at the top that reads (emphasis added):

“Examples of people who have successfully transitioned should not be considered typical and there is never a guarantee of results. By using this product or any related materials you agree to take full responsibility for your own results, or lack thereof.”

Mr. ******* also signed his name directly to a provision stating there are no refunds. The contract is also in the attached document.

Finally and as mentioned previously, Mr. ******* was under no obligation to purchase our program. He requested a call with us in writing, requested our services on the call, and purchased our product on his own computer without obligation to do so. He also attended a second meeting with us after purchasing the program, accessing the program, and using the program. He met with our mentors, had his resume written and engaged in other job search activities with our team. Mr. Design did use the program via one on one meetings with our mentors including meetings on 1/23/25 as shown in the attached document.

Mr. ******* has continued to be offered meetings and support as shown by the calendar in the attached document.

Cheeky Scientist has continued to adhere to its Terms of Service and provide deliverables to Mr. *******.

And Mr. ******* did have his resume written for him by the Cheeky Scientist team which he had immediate access to as shown in the attached document.

Mr. ******* agreed to and signed our Terms of Service. His signed contract is shown in the attached document.
These same Terms of Service are publicly available here: ************************************************* and linked on every page of our website.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Mr. ******* purchased. Mr. ******* is not due a refund per the Terms of Service he agreed to and signed.

Cheeky Scientist is here to support Mr. ******* through his job search. However, we are unable to help him in full if he continues to refuse to meet with us. We are ready and willing to continue mentoring him.

As mentioned, we ask that the BBB consider this false claim from Mr. ******* as proof of his malice toward our organization; malice that he himself admitted in that his claims were due to reading an article written about us by a competitor from two years ago that does not apply to him, how he purchased, or the program he purchased. Further, we ask that the BBB consider this is not the first claim of this kind that Mr. ******* has made about a company. On his call with us, Mr. ******* also spoke negatively about a past company he has worked with and blamed them for why he was currently without work. The language was in a very similar vein to his language here, showing a pattern of blame and a lack of accountability.

Respectfully,
Cheeky Scientist

Customer Answer
Date: 03/20/2025

Complaint: 22876307

I am rejecting this response because:

Mischaracterization
of Home Solicitation Sale
CS
denies that our transaction constitutes a Home
Solicitation Sale by arguing that a Zoom call is their “place of business,” which I
“entered.” Federal
consumer protection laws as well as those of Oregon (my
location),
Ohio (applies as
per CS contract),
and Florida (state
of CS incorporation) are
consistent; there
is no requirement for the sale to take place in the buyers home. I
will reference Ohio statutes in accordance with section 21 of the CS
contract.
Ohio
Revised Code Section 1345.21: “A
Home Solicitation Sale occurs when the buyer's agreement or offer to
purchase is made at a place other than the seller's place of
business.”
According
to Ohio law, “place of business” is defined as a main
office, permanent branch office, or permanent local address (Section 1345.21(H)). Google Maps results (Exhibit 6) show that
Cheeky Scientist’s listed location is in Liberty Lake, WA, with no
indication that a Zoom call qualifies as their “place of business.”
Since I was at my desk in my home during the transaction, this sale
is, by definition, a Home Solicitation Sale. Furthermore, Section
1345.23(B) requires that sellers provide written
notice of the right to cancel.
CS has failed to acknowledge that I was never provided such notice.
This omission is a violation of both Ohio law and Federal
Regulation 16 CFR 429.1,
which classifies such omissions as deceptive business practices.

Clarifying
Receipt of Contract and Contributing Factors
Upon
reviewing the evidence, I acknowledge that I did receive a copy of
the contract on the day of signing. However, my initial belief that I
had not received the contract was due to several contributing
factors:
The
email containing the contract arrived 11
minutes after the transaction, not seconds as CS claims (Exhibit 4).
The
email did not originate from a Cheeky Scientist domain, which led me
to overlook it (Exhibit 4).
The
immediate receipt I received from the CS domain did not contain the contract as an attachment (Exhibit 5).

Rebuttal
of Ad Hominem Attacks
Cheeky
Scientist’s reply engages in ad hominem attacks, accusing me of malice,
lying, and “showing a pattern of blame and a lack of
accountability.” I reject these accusations, which are not only false and irrelevant but also a
clear attempt to distract from the substantive legal and contractual
issues at hand.
CS
falsely claims that my alleged malice stems from “an
outdated, inflammatory article from a 3rd party competitor.” This statement is provably. The article in question, “Cheeky
Scientist Promises Ph.D.s a Better Career—But at What Cost?” (Exhibit 7), was published by Science,
one of the most prestigious scientific publications in the world.
Written by Catherine
Offord,
an award-winning investigative journalist, the article critically
examines CS’s business practices, including high-pressure sales
tactics and misleading marketing claims that closely mirror my
experience.
Contrary
to CS’s blithe
dismissal,
this article was a finalist
for the Association of British Science Writers investigative
journalism award (Exhibit 8), which underscores its credibility and relevance.
Dismissing this article as the work of a “competitor” is
demonstrably false and an attempt to discredit a legitimate
investigative journalist. As
evidence, please
do look at the 14 pages of Exhibit 9, citing the articles she has
authored.

Fabrication
Regarding My Professional History
CS
further claims that I have a history of making similar claims about
other companies and suggests that I blamed a past employer for my
current situation. I
can only assume that I am being confused with another unwilling
customer, otherwise
this
is an outright fabrication. I left my previous role voluntarily and
remained to train my replacement at the request of the company’s
owner. I have never engaged with any employment consulting service
before my experience with CS. I challenge CS to produce any evidence
to support these false claims.

Exaggeration
of Services Rendered
Cheeky
Scientist consistently uses misleading
plural language to inflate the extent of my engagement with their program. They claim
I “met
with mentors” and “engaged in job search activities,” when in reality:
One
Mentor, One Meeting: I met with a single mentor, who was also the salesperson, in one
brief and superficial mentoring session.
Resume
Services Misrepresented: CS asserts that I “had my resume written,” but this is false.
Every professional resume writing service begins with a 30-90
minute interview to thoroughly review professional experience, accomplishments, and
career goals—this was the agenda for the next scheduled meeting,
which never occurred. CS presents a sham
document to
create the illusion that I engaged with their services more
extensively than I did. Their claims are an attempt to undermine my
legitimate cancellation and refund request by suggesting I benefited
more from the program than is true.

Minimal Usage
Compared to Full Program Offerings
To
further highlight this exaggeration, I contrast my limited
use with the
extensive services advertised (Exhibit 10) in the Cheeky Scientist Diamond Association program. Their
promotional materials promise:
Multiple
Mentoring Sessions: Access to numerous industry experts.
Personalized
Career Guidance: One-on-one strategy sessions.
Extensive
Resume Development: Detailed feedback and interview preparation.
These services, which were
prominently advertised as part of the program, stand in stark
contrast to the single 12 minute
meeting I
attended. This disparity reinforces that my interaction with
CS was negligible and does not justify their refusal to issue a refund.

Failure
to Provide Recordings to Substantiate Their Claims
CS recorded
both of our virtual meetings in their entirety. However, despite having the ability to share these recordings, CS has
failed to do so. If these recordings substantiate their claims of “careful
contract review”, “mentoring meetings,”, or supposed
“negative
comments about a
past company”, CS should produce them. Instead, they rely on unfounded assertions
and repetition of contract language while avoiding transparency.

Conclusion:
Denial of Basic Consumer Protections
CS’s
refusal to acknowledge the cancellation of the contract, their
failure to provide the required Right to Cancel notice, and their
misleading assertions about both the Home Solicitation Sale
classification and the content of the Science article all point to a pattern of deceptive business practices. I
stand by my request for a full
refund in accordance with Ohio
Section 1345.23 and relevant consumer protection laws.

Sincerely,

Jason *******
Initial Complaint
Date:01/24/2025
Type:Order Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.

Complaint: 22850727

I am rejecting this response because:
I am writing to formally reject Cheeky Scientist’s response to my complaint, as it does not accurately reflect my experience and contains misleading statements.

Misrepresentation of Services & Lack of Value Provided

While Cheeky Scientist claims that I received substantial one-on-one mentorship, the reality is that the program did not deliver the career support and job placement assistance that was promised at the time of enrollment. The meetings referenced in their response were largely generic and lacked actionable guidance. Their mentorship program did not provide tailored strategies or industry connections that were advertised.

Additionally, the program’s marketing materials misrepresented the value of its services, leading me to enroll under the impression that I would receive structured, effective career transition assistance. Instead, the content and coaching were largely ineffective and did not justify the cost of the program.

Failure to Address the Core Issue – Misleading Sales Tactics

Cheeky Scientist’s response focuses on my level of participation as a way to deflect from their own failure to provide the services they promised. I engaged with the program in good faith, but after realizing that the services were not aligned with the expectations they set, I saw no value in continuing participation.

Many other former clients have reported similar experiences, indicating a pattern of misleading sales tactics, overly restrictive refund policies, and failure to deliver on advertised promises. The company’s refusal to issue refunds despite clear dissatisfaction further reinforces this pattern.

Predatory Contract & Unfair Terms

While Cheeky Scientist claims I agreed to their Terms of Service, these terms were not properly disclosed before payment, nor were the refund restrictions made clear upfront. Additionally, their insistence on binding customers to these terms despite failing to deliver meaningful career support highlights their exploitative business practices.

Request for Further Review

Given the number of similar complaints against this company, I respectfully request that the BBB further investigate Cheeky Scientist’s business practices. The numerous reports of dissatisfied customers suggest a systemic issue that warrants greater scrutiny.

I stand by my original complaint and request a resolution that includes a full refund for services that were misrepresented and failed to provide the advertised career support.

Sincerely,

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

I informed on how to use any of the tools from their "vault" during group or individual meetings.
3.Misleading Marketing and Promises:
The support provided was not effective for my goals and in fact the changes made rendered less requests for interviews than before joining the organization.
4.No Return on Investment:
Despite paying a significant amount of money, I have not seen any tangible benefits from this program. The services do not align with the promises made during the sales pitch, and I feel that my money was wasted on a program that does not deliver the value it claims to offer. I also see from others complaints I paid a lot more for the same product.

Desired Resolution:
Given the lack of personalized support, access/direction to promised tools, and tangible results, I am requesting a full refund of the amount I paid for this program. The services provided do not meet the expectations set during the onboarding process, and I believe I was misled into making this investment.
Business Response
Date: 02/06/2025
2/5/2024

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22850727

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of ******** ******.
We have images and videos demonstrating that Ms. ****** was given one on one support via private Zoom meetings despite her complaint stating she did not receive this kind of support.
Ms. ****** was not misled about our services. To the contrary, she signed a contract detailing our Terms of Service.
Ms. ****** was under no obligation to purchase our program. She requested a call with us in writing, requested our services on the call, and purchased our product on her own computer without obligation to do so. She used our product starting on 8/13/23, nearly 18 months ago. Unfortunately, Ms. ****** consistently refused to meet the participation standards in the program during this time. At one point, we invited her to meetings for 10 weeks in a row without her responding to or opening any invitations. Further details are articulated below.
Ms. ****** herself acknowledges that she was looking for one on one support to help transition into an industry career and was given one on one support via private Zoom meetings with herself and a mentor during which she received support with her LinkedIn and resume.
Please see image evidence in the attached document of Ms. ****** receiving support via one on one meetings with our mentors including meetings on 3/1/24, 3/4/24, 3/11/24, and 3/22/24 all of which were private and one on one focusing on her job search. This is in addition to small group meetings on 8/15/23, 8/17/23, 8/22/23, and 8/29/23.

There was a distinct lack of participation from Ms. ******, despite her being emailed and messaged by us consistently (shown in the attached document) and invited to weekly mentorship meetings that are in her calendar (also shown in the attached document). Please note the constant “Unopened” response from Ms. ****** despite our consistent emails providing meeting times.

Though Ms. ****** refused to follow our participation standards, our team did continue to offer her help. As an example, a resume our team wrote for Ms. ****** is presented in the attached document as well.

Ms. ****** agreed to and signed with our Terms of Service. Her signed contract is provided in the attached document. These same Terms of Service are publicly available here: ************************************************* and linked on every page of our website.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Ms. ****** purchased. Ms. ****** is not due a refund per the Terms of Service she agreed to and signed.

Cheeky Scientist is here to support Ms. ****** through her job search. However, we are unable to help her in full if she continues to refuse to meet with us. We are ready and willing to continue mentoring her.

Respectfully,

Rayanne Hoopes
COO
Cheeky Scientist
2085188108
Business Response
Date: 03/06/2025
3/3/2024

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22850727

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of ******** ****** again with more detail.
Ms. ****** has provided no new information or complaints in her new response nor has she provided any evidence for her claims (zero attachments). However we have attached all of our evidence to the document here to refute these allegations.
We have images and videos demonstrating that Ms. ****** was given one on one support via private Zoom meetings despite her complaint stating she did not receive this kind of support. Now, she claims this fact is irrelevant. Her fraudulent charge here is enough to discount her entire complaint and should be reviewed by others. She stated she didn’t receive one-on-one support. We provided video proof that she did on multiple occasions.
Ms. ****** was not misled about our services. To the contrary, she signed a contract detailing our Terms of Service. She signed it in multiple places including at the beginning AND the end of the agreement. We also have these same Terms of Service on every single webpage on our website. Further, the document has an all caps disclaimer with key details disclosed. Finally, Ms. ****** refers to other complaints that are different from hers. The Terms of Service she signed is different and the program is different from complaints from years past. Also, as outlined below, she used the program for 18 months after purchasing.
Ms. ****** was under no obligation to purchase our program. She requested a call with us in writing, requested our services on the call, and purchased our product on her own computer without obligation to do so. She used our product starting on 8/13/23, nearly 18 months ago. Unfortunately, Ms. ****** consistently refused to meet the participation standards in the program during this time. At one point, we invited her to meetings for 10 weeks in a row without her responding to or opening any invitations. Further details are articulated below.
Ms. ****** herself acknowledges that she was looking for one on one support to help transition into an industry career and was given one on one support via private Zoom meetings with herself and a mentor during which she received support with her LinkedIn and resume.
Please see image evidence in the attached document of Ms. ****** receiving support via one on one meetings with our mentors including meetings on 3/1/24, 3/4/24, 3/11/24, and 3/22/24 all of which were private and one on one focusing on her job search. This is in addition to small group meetings on 8/15/23, 8/17/23, 8/22/23, and 8/29/23.

There was a distinct lack of participation from Ms. ******, despite her being emailed and messaged by us consistently (shown in the attached document) and invited to weekly mentorship meetings that are in her calendar (also shown in the attached document). Please note the constant “Unopened” response from Ms. ****** despite our consistent emails providing meeting times.

Though Ms. ****** refused to follow our participation standards, our team did continue to offer her help. As an example, a resume our team wrote for Ms. ****** is also in the attached document.

Ms. ****** agreed to and signed with our Terms of Service. Her signed contract is shown in the attached document. These same Terms of Service are publicly available here: ************************************************* and linked on every page of our website.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Ms. ****** purchased. Ms. ****** is not due a refund per the Terms of Service she agreed to and signed.
Cheeky Scientist is here to support Ms. ****** through her job search. However, we are unable to help her in full if she continues to refuse to meet with us. We are ready and willing to continue mentoring her.

Respectfully,

Rayanne Hoopes
COO
Cheeky Scientist
5097200258
Customer Answer
Date: 03/07/2025

Complaint: 22850727

I am rejecting this response because:

Dear Better Business Bureau,
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to respond to Cheeky. I am rejecting Cheeky Scientist’s response as it continues
to deflect from the real issue: the misrepresentation of services, misleading
sales tactics, and refusal to provide refunds despite clear dissatisfaction.
1. Contradictions in Their Argument: Are We Using the
Service or Not?
Cheeky Scientist repeatedly claims that I did not fully
participate in the program and that this justifies their refusal to issue a
refund. However, at the same time, they claim I used their services for 18
months and cite evidence of meetings, emails, and account logins.
If I
have been using the services, then what constitutes "true" use
of the program?
If I
am actively engaging with the services, how does that not qualify for a
refund if I find them ineffective?
If I
do not find value in the program, am I required to continue wasting my
time simply to fulfill an arbitrary participation metric?
This contradiction reveals that Cheeky Scientist never had
any intention of issuing refunds, regardless of customer satisfaction. Their
refund policy is structured in such a way that it is impossible to qualify for
a refund, which is deceptive and unfair to consumers.
2. Our Right to Decide If the Service Meets Our Standards
As paying customers, we have the right to evaluate whether
or not a service meets our needs. Cheeky Scientist cannot dictate whether their
services are valuable to us—that is our determination to make.
The mentorship
provided was not as advertised and consisted of generic, repetitive
content that did not help with job placement. We revised the resume that I submitted by changing a couple terms and adding some numbers. It is still in the format it was given to me by Hire Heros USA. If you truly helped the format ot the resume you "wrote for me" surely should have changed.  Their “one-on-one
support” was surface-level and did not provide actionable strategies,
industry referrals, or real career connections as promised.
We do
not wish to continue using the service because we find it to be a waste of
time—and that is a valid reason for requesting a refund.
Rather than addressing these concerns, Cheeky Scientist deflects
blame onto the customers and fails to take accountability for the program’s
shortcomings.
3. Misleading Contract Practices – The “Standards” Are Not
Disclosed Before Signing
I have sent images via registered mail showing that the standards
and refund policies were only presented after I signed the contract.
If Cheeky
Scientist is truly transparent, I challenge them to release a full,
unedited recording of my sign-up session from start to finish, including:
-How
the Terms of Service were explained
-When
the refund conditions were disclosed
-Whether
I had the opportunity to review the so-called “standards” before signing
If their policies were truly fair, they should have nothing
to hide.
4. The Real Issue: A Company That Never Intends to Give
Refunds
It is clear from both my experience and the numerous other
complaints on the BBB that Cheeky Scientist operates with one goal: to take
customers’ money with no intention of issuing refunds.
Their
response follows a scripted pattern where they accuse customers of not
participating, despite clear evidence of engagement.
They
rely on technicalities and arbitrary participation standards to deny
refunds under any circumstances.
They
fail to acknowledge that many customers feel scammed by their misleading
sales tactics and lack of real job placement support.
5. My Request for Resolution
Given these concerns, I request that the BBB further
investigate Cheeky Scientist’s practices and hold them accountable for their
deceptive business model.
I stand by my request for a full refund based on the misrepresentation
of services, failure to disclose refund conditions upfront, and the deliberate
structuring of a program that prevents customers from qualifying for a refund.
I appreciate the BBB’s continued attention to this matter
and look forward to their review of these ongoing concerns.

Sincerely,

******** ******
Initial Complaint
Date:12/11/2024
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.

Complaint: 22672719

Thank you for providing the opportunity to respond to Cheeky Scientist's reply regarding my complaint.
While they have attempted to frame my concerns as a lack of engagement on my part, I firmly reject their response because:
1. Misrepresentation of Onboarding and Agreement Terms:
Cheeky Scientist claims that their Terms of Service were “in plain language and very clear.” However, critical refund requirements, such as the six- and ten-month written notifications, were never clearly explained during the onboarding process. These conditions, buried in legal language, were not explicitly emphasized during my intake meeting or subsequent communications.
Moreover, during my intake call with Ryan ********, I was explicitly told that Cheeky Scientist would assist me in finding employment in the United States and securing sponsorship for visa requirements. This assurance was a significant factor in my decision to join the program. However, this promise was not fulfilled, nor did I receive any targeted support for U.S.-based job applications.
2. Engagement and Support Concerns:
Cheeky Scientist alleges that I did not participate in the program, citing my absence in their Accountability Forum and failure to complete workbooks. However:
The program's resources and mentorship meetings were not tailored to address my specific needs, particularly the challenges of international job placement and visa sponsorship, which were promised during onboarding. Their claim of “consistent emails and messages” is misleading. Many communications were automated or generic and did not address the personalized support I required.
While they mentioned providing a resume, this single instance of assistance is inadequate compared to the comprehensive support they promised during onboarding.
3. Unreasonable Refund Policies:
The notarized affidavit I provided in November 2024 confirms my unemployment status, fulfilling a key condition of their refund process. However, my refund request was denied solely due to the notification requirements, which were neither clearly communicated nor reasonably enforceable. Denying a refund based on this technicality, despite my documented compliance with other conditions, demonstrates bad faith and an intention to avoid accountability. The “specific rubrics” they reference were fabricated with arbitrary weightages designed to deny refunds. These rubrics were not shared upfront or during onboarding, further demonstrating a lack of transparency in their refund process. It is biased, making it almost impossible for members to qualify, regardless of their circumstances.
4. Ethical and Transparency Issues:
Cheeky Scientist’s practices raise concerns about transparency and ethical business conduct - Their public promises of a "vast network" and personalized support for job placement conflict with the generic nature of their services. Many of their responses to my inquiries were vague or dismissive, undermining their claim of robust support.
Resolution Requested:
I respectfully request a full refund based on the following points -
The services I received did not align with the promises made during onboarding.
The refund denial is based on poorly communicated and unreasonable conditions.
My documented compliance with the affidavit requirement should qualify me for a refund.
I hope this response clarifies my position and highlights the legitimate concerns I have with Cheeky Scientist's handling of my case.

Sincerely,

**** *****
entist claimed I failed to send written notifications at the 6- and 10-month marks as outlined in Section 10 of the agreement. This requirement was not clearly explained during onboarding or throughout the program, and it seems like a loophole to disqualify refund requests.

Participation Requirements:
The company cited insufficient participation, such as not using forums or completing workbooks. However, the agreement lacked clear participation criteria. I applied the program's tools, documented my efforts, and kept job application records. Their evaluation ignored my work.

Lack of Transparency:
Though they responded within 30 business days, the refund evaluation lacked transparency. No clear criteria for assessing participation were provided, and they didn’t request additional information.

I believe Cheeky Scientist’s practices are misleading and unethical. Their refund guarantee appears to be a marketing tactic, and their sales and refund processes do not align with their promises.
Business Response
Date: 12/23/2024

12/22/2024

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22672719

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of **** *****.
Mr. ***** requested a call with us in writing, requested our services on the call, purchased our product on his own computer without obligation to do so, and used our product. Further details are articulated below.
Importantly, Mr. ***** states the following (emphasis added):
“In November 2024, I submitted my refund request, including a notarized affidavit confirming my unemployment. However, my request was denied for the following reasons: Notification Requirements: Cheeky Scientist claimed I failed to send written notifications at the 6- and 10-month marks as outlined in Section 10 of the agreement. This requirement was not clearly explained during onboarding or throughout the program.”
Mr. ***** himself acknowledges there was an agreement that he executed prior to joining the program. The agreement includes our Terms of Service, which are in plain language and very clear. Terms of Service exist to avoid confusion. Mr. ***** signed these Terms of Service.
The reason the Terms of Service include a notification requirement is because we cannot help those who choose not to engage in the program. If someone disappears for months at a time, as Mr. ***** did, and refuses to engage during that time, as Mr. ***** did, despite our consistent emails and weekly mentorship meetings guiding members on our process, then we cannot help them effectively. However, we are here to continue to help Mr. ***** and hope he will now start to engage in the program.
Even if we waived the notification requirement, Mr. ***** did not even meet the most minimum standards of engagement in our program. As shown below, he never posted in our program’s Accountability Forum (not once over 12 months), nor did he complete one single workbook over the entire year, despite us providing weekly mentorship meetings walking members through these workbooks.
Our refund review process includes a specific rubric that Mr. ***** was provided. We have provided refunds using this rubric. Mr. ***** did not meet the notification requirement he agreed to and fell very short of meeting the minimum standards of participation in the program.

This lack of participation was despite Mr. ***** being emailed and messaged by us consistently (shown below) and invited to weekly mentorship meetings that are in his calendar.

Despite Mr. *****’s lack of engagement, our team did continue to offer him help. Attached is a resume our team wrote for Mr. *****.

Attached is the agreement that Mr. ***** signed with our Terms of Service. These same Terms of Service are publicly available here: ************************************************* and linked on every page of our website.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Mr. ***** purchased. Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Mr. ***** through his job search.

Respectfully,

Rayanne Hoopes
COO
Cheeky Scientist
5097200258
Business Response
Date: 01/07/2025
1/6/2025
RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22672719

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond further to the complaint of **** *****. Mr. ***** did not bring up new concerns in this most recent response. Please see our response below addressing Mr. *****’s reply.
Mr. ***** signed a contract with a bold label, Notification Requirement and an explanation in plain language that we cannot help him get hired if he does not 1) participate fully in the program and 2) notify us a mere 2 times over a 1-year period that he has not been hired, which is very reasonable. He failed to do both. Having Terms & Conditions are standard practice and ours are transparently listed on our website publicly here: *************************************************
Importantly, Mr. ***** did not participate in the program for months at a time and, in some cases, never participated. Mr. *****’s complaint claims that our network is not vast. To the contrary, as shown in the attached document, we have over 18,000 PhDs and doctoral equivalents in our network. However, as described in our previous response, Mr. ***** has refused to interact with our network even once over 12 months despite repeated prompting by us in our live weekly mentorship meetings.

Our rubric for evaluating participation is discussed in Section 1 of our Terms & Conditions that Mr. ***** signed. Any other reasonable rubric would show that Mr. ***** did not participate in any meaningful way in the program. Maintaining a standard of participation and notification is important because we cannot ensure results if Mr. ***** refuses to participate, which he has continued to do, or disappears for months at a time.
As shown in the attachment, the program dashboard Mr. ***** has access to includes specific modules on visa options and strategies for international PhDs. However, Mr. ***** did not complete these modules.

Mr. ***** requested a call with us, purchased our program without obligation and signed our Terms & Conditions. Unfortunately, he did not do the work in the program necessary to get hired. He refused to participate and has continued to refuse to participate.
Importantly, this is not a discussion about someone who participated in a meaningful way and barely missed the mark. In this case, Mr. *****’s participation was negligible and his notification of status was nonexistent. He did almost none of the work. In some cases, he never participated as described. He disappeared for months at a time despite our constant reach out and weekly mentorship meetings. He refused to follow even the most basic directions in the program, which is why the decision was made.
We are here to continue to serve Mr. ***** per our Terms & Conditions and hope that he will agree to meet with a mentor so we can help him achieve his goals. He continues to have access to the program.

Customer Answer
Date: 01/09/2025

Complaint: 22672719

I appreciate Cheeky Scientist’s continued engagement on this matter, but I firmly reject their response for the following reasons:
1. Lack of Transparency in the Notification Requirement- Cheeky Scientist claims that the notification requirement was communicated in "plain language" under a bold heading in their contract. However, at no point during the onboarding process or in subsequent communications were these requirements clearly explained. Terms buried in lengthy agreements, especially when critical to refunds, are inadequate without proper emphasis or reminders during the program.
* Reasonableness of Notification Requirement: While Cheeky Scientist argues that notifying them twice a year is “very reasonable,” they neglect to acknowledge that I was never made aware of the importance of these notifications during my engagement with their platform. A reasonable company would proactively remind participants of such requirements, especially when they directly affect refund eligibility.
2. Allegations of Non-Participation- Cheeky Scientist continues to rely on a subjective “rubric” to discredit my participation, without providing transparent criteria on what constitutes adequate engagement.
* Generic Participation Expectations: While they claim I did not engage meaningfully, I did attend multiple live mentorship meetings, reviewed program materials, and attempted to make use of the available resources. However, the program lacked personalized guidance, and the materials were too general to be useful for someone with my specific needs.
* No Clear Structure or Guidance for Modules: They also mention “specific modules on visa options and strategies for international PhDs.” However, I never found these modules, nor was there any clear structure or guidance provided on how to navigate or complete the modules effectively. If such modules existed, they should have been highlighted or recommended as essential resources based on my profile, which they were not.
3. Exaggeration of Program’s Scope and Support - Cheeky Scientist claims they have a vast network of 18,000 PhDs and extensive resources. This number, while impressive on paper, does not accurately reflect the accessibility or usefulness of their network in practice.
* Quality Over Quantity: Despite my attempts to engage with the program, I found that the resources were generic and lacked the tailored support promised during the initial sales pitch. For international PhDs like me, the program failed to provide meaningful guidance on unique challenges such as visa issues or global job applications.
* For a program that markets itself as offering personalized support and actionable strategies, it failed to provide either. Instead, I encountered a rigid framework with minimal practical guidance.
4. Shifting Blame Instead of Acknowledging Program Shortcomings - The crux of Cheeky Scientist’s argument is that I did not "do the work" or participate in a “meaningful way.” This blame-shifting tactic ignores the core issue: the program did not deliver on its advertised promise of effective support and actionable results for job seekers.
* As a paying customer, I expected guidance, mentorship, and resources that could genuinely aid in my job search. Instead, I encountered a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach with little personalized support.
* Despite repeated claims of offering mentorship, Cheeky Scientist never provided personalized feedback or actionable steps tailored to my circumstances. Without this, the program’s offerings were inadequate in helping me achieve my goals.
* Additionally, their emphasis on continuing access to the program is irrelevant. I am not seeking further access; I am seeking a refund because the program did not fulfill its advertised purpose.
5. Failure to Provide Clear, Actionable Feedback - Despite their repeated claims of outreach and invitations to mentorship meetings, Cheeky Scientist failed to provide constructive, personalized feedback on how I could improve my engagement or job search strategy. Their approach appears focused more on rigid adherence to terms rather than genuinely helping participants succeed.
Overall, Cheeky Scientist’s response relies on subjective assessments and vague participation criteria to avoid issuing a refund. They failed to provide a clear structure for navigating the program, timely reminders about critical requirements, or personalized guidance that would have helped me succeed. Their approach appears more focused on enforcing rigid terms to disqualify members from refunds rather than genuinely helping them achieve their career goals.
I respectfully request that Better Business Bureau continue its review of this complaint and facilitate a fair resolution. Given the lack of transparency, inadequate support, and failure to deliver on the program’s promises, I believe a refund is justified.
Thank you for your attention.

Sincerely,

**** *****
Initial Complaint
Date:09/26/2024
Type:Order Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.

Complaint: 22340350

I am rejecting this response because:
1. I believe that have been purposefully misled by Mr. *******, onboarding specialist, who during our phone conversation made a very clear verbal statement that I will be able to find a job in a matter of one or two months. I have an audio recording of this phone conversation. In addition to that Mr. ******* did not walk me through any of the Cheeky Scientist onboarding documentation (company policies, disclaimer and agreement) that Ms. Hoopes is mentioning in her response. I believe that I was silent out on purpose.
Instead, Mr. ******* explained me that as soon as I joined the Association as a Diamond member, I will be provided a full overview and training on how to leverage any company resources, e.a. how to use the Cheeky Scientist platform, volt etc. None of these trainings have ever been personally provided to me. I have a hard time to navigate their resources. The company hires specialists who never worked for any US -100 or 500 fortune companies, and who do not hold any professional degrees in HR/ Recruiting or any other HR or couching related licenses or certifications
2. During the onboarding process I clearly communicated with Mr. *******, that I am requesting personal mentorship sessions with Mr. Isiah Hankel, on the weekly basis. Instead, the Cheeky Scientist Association is offering me some personal 30 minutes sessions with individuals who live outside of US, who do not hold any HR or other couching professional certifications, and whose English language is simply impossible to understand. What are the benefits that I can get from this sort of "couching"?
3. The CEO of the company does not care about any of the member of his Association. This is why.
It is absolutely impossible to schedule any personal meetings with Mr. Henkel or Ms. Hoopes. During these 2 months I called the Cheeky Scientist Association provided phone number, I contacted Mr. ******* and left him several voice messages. Any of the company Executives are not accessible by both: email, or phone. I have been trying to express my concerns multiple times with no luck
Every Friday morning the members of the Association are invited to the meeting at 10 am EST. I have been attending all these meetings to which I received my invites but none of these meetings are helpful for me. Most of these meetings are focused on discussing the same general topics. Every Friday, Mr. Henkel discusses the Harward Business Review articles on how to create the resume, how to improve the LinkedIn profile and so forth. Every Friday there are exact the same topics discussed. I do not see how these meetings could be personalized to address my specific job seeker needs. Altthough, the company Diamon membership disclaimer clearly stated:
"By joining this bundled offer, you will get access to the world's premier job search training platform, and referral network, targeted programs, that you can choose the right career for you, private consulting, meetings, and forums that will hold you accountable for getting hired". I have 20 years of my previous professional career experience, and do not need anyone to hold me accountable for my next career move.
None of these promises work. The referral network does not work, the private consulting sessions have very low quality of which CEO of the organization is not even aware of. The resources are all web recorded and not functional.

These services do not meet my personal expectations. I do not see how I personally getting helped (outside of some general helpful tips and advises) to resolve my job situation. I made Ms. Hoopes aware that I DO NOT see any return on my investment, regardless being a member of the Association for 2 consecutive months or 1 year. I am certain that I will not be able to get all necessary personalized help to get hired by the company.

I would like to get my money back now

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

The CEO and COO are not responsive. They do not care about any member of their Association. They hired individuals across the globe who do not speak clear English, and I have a hard time to communicate with any of them.
Within the last 3 months of which I am a member of the Cheeky Scientist Association, I have had only 1 mentoring session (20 minutes) on September 25, 2024. During this session Ms. Suneeva ******* was not able to address any of my questions and concerns. She wrote her email to Ms Rayanne Hoops whom I never received my response from.
During my onboarding session on July 27, 2024 Mr. ******* stated that if there is any issue occurs, I can always contact him regarding the issue. I made a phone call to Mr. Ribert ******* and have never receive any response back

I would like to get my money back in the amount off $2,000 that I paid for the membership. I do not see this membership meets my expectations. I do not receive any return on my investment.
Business Response
Date: 10/09/2024
10/9/2024

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22340350

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of ******* *******.
Ms. ******* requested a call with us, requested our services, purchased our product on her own computer, and used our product. Further details are articulated below.
Importantly, Ms. ******* states the following (emphasis added):
“The organization claims to help highly educated PhD professionals to transition from the Academia environment to the corporate within 12 months with guarantee of finding employment On Friday, July 26, 2024 I joined the organization with hope that they will assist me with finding my next job. On the transition call (run by Robert *******) I received a promise to be hired within the time period. I have a record of the call. I was charged $2,000. During these 3 months period, I do not receive any return on my investment.”
As you can see, Ms. ******* herself admits that she was given a 12 month time period and that she’s only been in the program for 3 months. She will need to remain in the program to see the full investment on the program. She agreed to the 12 month time period contractually as well. Please note, this time period will only work if she shows up to mentorship meetings and participates in the program and further described in our Terms of Service.
Exhibit 1 attached separately shows the Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Ms. *******’s purchase of the Cheeky Scientist Diamond Program. Exhibit 2 attached separately shows the service contract she signed with the same Terms of Service. Section 1 Terms of Service provide details of the product Ms. ******* purchased, which includes mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. Specifically, the Terms of Service provide the following description:
Services Provided. Company will provide Customer with an online mentoring program for the life of the program. The program includes weekly live meetings, or review of live meeting recordings, in Company’s virtual Mentorship Dashboard. Complete access to live meeting workbooks, forms and other documents are delivered immediately upon execution of this Agreement in the Mentorship Dashboard, including job search templates in Google Drive. Access to help from PhD mentors is immediately available in the private PhD Accountability Forum or one-on-one in Voxer, as well as in a series of private, live small group Zoom meetings focused on the Customer’s job search needs. Company’s mentors will strive to get back to any questions the Customer posts in the Forum or Voxer about the job search process within one to two business days and likely much sooner. Questions unrelated to the job search process may take longer. Company will help the Customer create a custom plan for their job search through additional programs, meetings and mentorship with the goal of helping the Customer update their resume, update their LinkedIn profile, get interviews and get job offers. Company will provide immediate access to a Member Directory with thousands of members, many working in industry so that Customer can actively network and work to get referrals. Company may introduce Customer to past members once the Customer’s resume, LinkedIn, networking and interviewing expertise, and overall professionalism meet the Company’s standards of excellence. Company does not procure, offer, or promise employment or engagements to Customer. Company does not contract with employers, match customers with employment opportunities, provide customers lists of employers or employment opportunities, and does not distribute lists of customers to employers. Company never provides direct referrals because Company does not contract with employers.
As shown in the attached document, Cheeky Scientist has provided Ms. ******* with mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. She has attended numerous private meetings with our team over a 2 month period, including small group meetings on 8/16/24 and 8/21/24 and one-on-one meetings on 7/28/24 and 9/25/24. Please note that date is THE SAME DATE of her complaint in which she states she cannot get meetings with mentors. She had resumes provided to her as well as access to software to create resumes and cover letters. Attached shows snapshots of Ms. ******* receiving help from our mentorship team, as well as accessing her program materials and dashboard using her computer’s IP address and receiving further support via Voxer. Please also see the resume our mentors wrote for Ms. ******* attached.

Ms. ******* further claims she has trouble receiving responses to inquiries. Ms. ******* has been responded to within 1 business day every time she has reached out via email or Voxer. Please see email examples below. We have no record of her calling the office number. Please note Ms. ******* has also rescheduled her meetings and no showed meetings at the last minute as shown in emails attached

The attached shows an image which shows that Ms. ******* has accessed our Members Dashboard 9 times and most recently on 9/23/24. Further below is an image of the Dashboard with our workbooks and training videos per our Terms of Service.

Attached is a resume our team wrote for Ms. *******.
Attached is the full service contract that Ms. ******* signed with our Terms of Service.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Ms. ******* purchased. There is no fine print in the agreement or terms and conditions. They are stated in plain language in the contract at standard font sizes. As mentioned, this information is also publicly available on our website and was agreed to prior to purchase.

Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Ms. ******* through her job search.

Respectfully,

Rayanne Hoopes
COO
Cheeky Scientist
5097200258
Business Response
Date: 10/24/2024

10/23/2024

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22340350

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to further respond to the complaint of ******* *******.
Ms. ******* requested a call with us, requested our services, purchased our product on her own computer, and used our product. Further details are articulated below.
Importantly, Ms. ******* states the following (emphasis added):

None of these trainings have ever been personally provided to me. I have a hard time to navigate their resources. The company hires specialists who never worked for any US -100 or 500 fortune companies, and who do not hold any professional degrees

The personal mentor provided for Ms. *******, Suneeva is a PhD who was employed by an Estée Lauder owned company prior to starting with Cheeky Scientist. You can see attached image evidence of Ms. ******* meeting privately with Suneeva.

Ms. ******* has continued to be offered one on one mentorship with industry professional PhDs throughout her membership.

As you can see, Ms. ******* herself admits that she was given a 12 month time period and that she’s only been in the program for 3 months. She will need to remain in the program to see the full investment on the program. She agreed to the 12 month time period contractually as well. Please note, this time period will only work if she shows up to mentorship meetings and participates in the program and further described in our Terms of Service.

Exhibit 1 attached separately shows the Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Ms. *******’s purchase of the Cheeky Scientist Diamond Program. Exhibit 2 attached separately shows the service contract she signed with the same Terms of Service. Section 1 Terms of Service provide details of the product Ms. ******* purchased, which includes mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. Specifically, the Terms of Service provide the following description:

Services Provided. Company will provide Customer with an online mentoring program for the life of the program. The program includes weekly live meetings, or review of live meeting recordings, in Company’s virtual Mentorship Dashboard. Complete access to live meeting workbooks, forms and other documents are delivered immediately upon execution of this Agreement in the Mentorship Dashboard, including job search templates in Google Drive. Access to help from PhD mentors is immediately available in the private PhD Accountability Forum or one-on-one in Voxer, as well as in a series of private, live small group Zoom meetings focused on the Customer’s job search needs. Company’s mentors will strive to get back to any questions the Customer posts in the Forum or Voxer about the job search process within one to two business days and likely much sooner. Questions unrelated to the job search process may take longer. Company will help the Customer create a custom plan for their job search through additional programs, meetings and mentorship with the goal of helping the Customer update their resume, update their LinkedIn profile, get interviews and get job offers. Company will provide immediate access to a Member Directory with thousands of members, many working in industry so that Customer can actively network and work to get referrals. Company may introduce Customer to past members once the Customer’s resume, LinkedIn, networking and interviewing expertise, and overall professionalism meet the Company’s standards of excellence. Company does not procure, offer, or promise employment or engagements to Customer. Company does not contract with employers, match customers with employment opportunities, provide customers lists of employers or employment opportunities, and does not distribute lists of customers to employers. Company never provides direct referrals because Company does not contract with employers.

As shown in the attached document, Cheeky Scientist has provided Ms. ******* with mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. She has attended numerous private meetings with our team over a 2 month period, including small group meetings on 8/16/24 and 8/21/24 and one-on-one meetings on 7/28/24 and 9/25/24. Please note that date is THE SAME DATE of her complaint in which she states she cannot get meetings with mentors. She had resumes provided to her as well as access to software to create resumes and cover letters.Attached shows snapshots of Ms. ******* receiving help from our mentorship team, as well as accessing her program materials and dashboard using her computer’s IP address and receiving further support via Voxer. Please also see attached the resume our mentors wrote for Ms. ******* too.

Ms. ******* further claims she has trouble receiving responses to inquiries. Ms. ******* has been responded to within 1 business day every time she has reached out via email or Voxer. Please see email examples attached. We have no record of her calling the office number. Please note Ms. ******* has also rescheduled her meetings and no showed meetings at the last minute as shown in attached document

The document attached shows that Ms. ******* has accessed our Members Dashboard 9 times and most recently on 9/23/24. Further is an image of the Dashboard with our workbooks and training videos per our Terms of Service.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Ms. ******* purchased. There is no fine print in the agreement or terms and conditions. They are stated in plain language in the contract at standard font sizes. As mentioned, this information is also publicly available on our website and was agreed to prior to purchase.

Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Ms. ******* through her job search.

Respectfully,

Rayanne Hoopes
COO
Cheeky Scientist
5097200258
Initial Complaint
Date:09/26/2024
Type:Order Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I come with an agreement with this company after they told me that they would help in landing on a job opportunity and connect me with their people to advocate for me and helping me in getting the position. Though the process of getting me into this agreement is very forceful and pushy. I got into this agreement and sign a document to fund the program which deduct 97$ per month from my account. I attended their session in the first two months and it was supposed that they provide a personal coach and communicate weekly, and despite I contacted them and file my intention to have this session, I have not received any service and I did not use their website and software for a while now. Since I am out of work and I do not have enough financial fund, that is a big burn on me and I can not pay 97$ per month for the service that does not help me and did not provide to me. After agreement in one session he deliberately said that they have connection but that does not mean the connection have willing to help you. It is completely contrast of their pitching talk to get client into agreement. I would ask to terminate this contract and they would not withdraw from my account any more. Thank you
Business Response
Date: 10/09/2024

10/8/2024

RE: The Cheeky Scientist, LLC
ID: 22339828

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of ******** ********.

Ms. ******** requested a call with us, requested our services, purchased our product on her own computer, and used our product extensively.. Further details are articulated below.
Please note that Ms. ******** has never reached out to Cheeky Scientist to express any dissatisfaction or request a refund at any point and she joined the program 6 months ago.
Exhibit 1 attached separately shows the Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Ms. ********’s purchase of the Cheeky Scientist Diamond Program. Exhibit 2 attached separately shows the service contract she signed with the same Terms of Service. Section 1 Terms of Service provide details of the product Ms. ******** purchased, which includes mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. Specifically, the Terms of Service provide the following description:

Services Provided. Company will provide Customer with an online mentoring program for the life of the program. The program includes weekly live meetings, or review of live meeting recordings, in Company’s virtual Mentorship Dashboard. Complete access to live meeting workbooks, forms and other documents are delivered immediately upon execution of this Agreement in the Mentorship Dashboard, including job search templates in Google Drive. Access to help from PhD mentors is immediately available in the private PhD Accountability Forum or one-on-one in Voxer, as well as in a series of private, live small group Zoom meetings focused on the Customer’s job search needs. Company’s mentors will strive to get back to any questions the Customer posts in the Forum or Voxer about the job search process within one to two business days and likely much sooner. Questions unrelated to the job search process may take longer. Company will help the Customer create a custom plan for their job search through additional programs, meetings and mentorship with the goal of helping the Customer update their resume, update their LinkedIn profile, get interviews and get job offers. Company will provide immediate access to a Member Directory with thousands of members, many working in industry so that Customer can actively network and work to get referrals. Company may introduce Customer to past members once the Customer’s resume, LinkedIn, networking and interviewing expertise, and overall professionalism meet the Company’s standards of excellence. Company does not procure, offer, or promise employment or engagements to Customer. Company does not contract with employers, match customers with employment opportunities, provide customers lists of employers or employment opportunities, and does not distribute lists of customers to employers. Company never provides direct referrals because Company does not contract with employers.

As shown in the attached document, Cheeky Scientist has provided Ms. ******** with mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. She has attended numerous meetings with our team over a month period, including meetings on 5/12/24 and 5/16/24, 5/22/24 and 5/28/24. She had resumes provided to her as well as access to software to create resumes and cover letters. The attached document shows snapshots of Ms. ******** receiving help from our mentorship team, as well as accessing her program materials and dashboard using her computer’s IP address and receiving further support via Voxer. Please also see the resume our mentors wrote for Ms. ******** attached as well.

The attached document shows an image which shows that Ms. ******** has accessed our Members Dashboard 14 times and most recently on 6/13/24. Further attached is an image of the Dashboard with our workbooks and training videos per our Terms of Service.

Attached is a resume our team wrote for Ms. ********.

Attached is the full service contract that Ms. ******** signed with our Terms of Service.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Ms. ******** purchased. There is no fine print in the agreement or terms and conditions. They are stated in plain language in the contract at standard font sizes. As mentioned, this information is also publicly available on our website and was agreed to prior to purchase.

Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Ms. ******** through her job search.

Respectfully,

Rayanne Hoopes
COO
Cheeky Scientist
5097200258
Initial Complaint
Date:09/12/2024
Type:Order Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I purchased a plan for this company to help me get a job. It was not at all what I thought it would be. After paying them over 1000 dollars and being unhappy with the service after trying it, I would no long like to work with them. Yet they still want my money, after they didnt help me get any employment. They promised after a year I could leave if I wanted, but then when time came, they said I missed the cut off. I am unhappy with the service, this is a game they are playing to get money from people. They say I owe 4000 more dollars, but I didn't get a job through anything they said after spending time with them.
Business Response
Date: 09/26/2024

9/25/2024
RE Complaint ID: 22276035

Dear Better Business Bureau,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint of Jamie ******.

Mr. ****** purchased the product over 18 months ago on 2/22/23 and for the duration of that time Cheeky Scientist has complied with its Terms of Service, including providing the agreed-upon services and followed its refund policy described therein. While Mr. ****** ultimately chose not to participate in full in the program, Cheeky Scientist’s product was delivered as promised and Mr. ****** used the product including as recently as 4/2/2024.

Mr. ****** was under no obligation to buy our program at all. He requested a call with us, requested our services, purchased our product on his own computer, and used our product. Below shows the application Mr. ****** filled out requesting a call, including his consent for us to reach out to book him on call after he submitted his application.

Exhibit A shows the Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Mr. ******’s purchase of the Cheeky Scientist Diamond Program. Section 1 Terms of Service provide details of the product Mr. ****** purchased, which includes mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. Specifically, the Terms of Service provide the following description:
1. Product. Cheeky is providing the following e-Product: The Cheeky Scientist Association online mentoring program product (“Product“). Product is generally described as weekly live meetings or reviews the live meeting recordings are available in our virtual career centers. Instant, complete access to live meeting workbooks, forms and other documents are delivered immediately in the Purchaser’s Mentorship Dashboard, including job search templates in Purchaser’s Google Drive folder. Access to help from industry PhD mentors is immediately available in the private member’s only website referred to as the PhD Expert Accountability Forum, as well as one-on-one help in the Voxer Private Mentorship platform. A custom plan is created through a 101 Meeting, 201 Meeting and additional meetings that the Purchaser will go through to prepare the Purchaser’s resume, LinkedIn profile, and to help the Purchaser obtain and prepare for industry interviews with the goal of getting industry job offers.
As shown below, Cheeky Scientist has provided Mr. ****** with mentorship meetings, resume and job search help, access to online workbooks and documents, access to an “Accountability Forum” and access to support in a “Voxer” app. He continues to have access to the program and as shown below has used its services continuously.
Mr. ****** currently has login access to our program. He has logged in and accessed the program 7 times including as recently as 4/2/2024. He also has access to weekly meetings that are laid out for him in a calendar in his dashboard. The most recent meeting offered to him was 9/6/2024. This is shown in the attachment.

Please also see evidence of Mr. ****** meeting with our team attached. He met with members of the mentorship team including on 4/5/24 and 4/2/23, and continues to have weekly mentorship meetings available on Fridays as the calendar above has shown. Attached is image evidence of Mr. ****** attending our mentorship meetings on 452/23 and 4/2/24.

Mr. ****** also received immediate access to online workbooks and documents. The attached information shows the access he continues to have available.

Mr. ****** also received access to the Accountability Forum. Since his purchase of the program, he engaged in 226 posts in the forum, which is shown in the attachment.

Exhibit B also shows one of the resumes that the Cheeky Scientist mentorship wrote for Mr. ******.

Finally, the attachment shows an example of Mr. ****** receiving support in the Voxer app.

Cheeky Scientist’s Terms of Service effective at the time of Mr. ******’s purchase allows for a refund only if the customer (1) completes the tasks laid out in the contract, including, without limitation, program attendance, completion of workbooks, resume reviews, interview training and other similar tasks; (2) they provide advance notification to Cheeky Scientist that the customer has not yet received a job offer, six months and two months before the end of the twelve-month guarantee period; and (3) they did not receive a job offer following purchase of the Program.

Cheeky Scientist’s refund policies are stated in its Terms of Service. The Terms of Service were available to Mr. ****** on Cheeky Scientist’s website prior to his purchase. At the time of purchase, Mr. ****** checked a box indicating he had reviewed the Terms of Service. Mr. ****** also executed Cheeky Scientist’s Welcome Letter, which summarized the refund guarantee requirements and stated that members agree to and understand that “The full terms and conditions of the guarantee can be found on the next page”.
The Terms of Service effective at the time of Mr. ******’s purchase were provided on the Cheeky Scientist website. Cheeky Scientist also provides members with a FAQ page where the refund policy is available.

Cheeky Scientist has provided and continues to provide all the services that Ms. ****** purchased. There is no fine print in the agreement or terms and conditions. They are stated in plain language in the contract at standard font sizes. As mentioned, this information is also publicly available on our website.

Cheeky Scientist is proud of the services that it provides and is here to support Mr. ****** through his job search. We have many success stories as shown here: ***************************************************

We would be happy to hear from him and support him in any way in his job search.

Thank you,
Rayanne Hoopes
Chief Operating Officer
Cheeky Scientist
509.720.0258

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