Consumer complaint received 2024-06-21
Product: Credit card — General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Problem with a purchase shown on your statement — Credit card company isn't resolving a dispute about a purchase on your statement
Company: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA (CA)

XX/XX/2024 I have disputed a charge for {$1900.00} for an XXXX program  that claims to help you sell your work and claims to be a cutting-edge program. I signed up for this program XX/XX/XXXX and after about a month in the program I realized the program was all fluff and didn't deliver what it advertised. I asked for a refund from the company XXXX XXXX art or schulmanart.com. They gave me a standard sorry there's only a seven-day money back guarantee response. 
On XX/XX/2024, I then disputed the charge with my credit card which was Apple card XXXX Goldman Sachs. I did receive an initial credit while the dispute was being investigated by the Goldman Sachs XXXX department. On XX/XX/XXXX Goldman Sachs asked me to provide additional information to support my claim for the dispute. I provided this on the deadline they suggested of XX/XX/XXXX. Then on Thursday XX/XX/XXXX I received an e-mail saying my dispute was not valid and I would be recharged for the {$1900.00}. 
On XX/XX/XXXX, I then called Apple card and got as many higher ups as I could on the phone least XXXX to XXXX different people and asked for a manager in the dispute department to be able to help me escalate my dispute. I was informed by a manager in the dispute department with Apple that I can not be transferred to the investigation department nor did they have a number I could call so basically I hit a dead end. The manager and the dispute department told me the only thing she could do was to make a note to escalate my complaint. However, my experience with the investigative department is that they don't respond to any emails, and they don't want to talk to you in person. 
After doing some research I found that I can complain to you regarding Goldman Sachs refusal to talk to me in person and having no way to contact them to have a personal discussion around this charge. 
Yesterday I immediately went back to XXXX art to ask them for a refund and have not received a response. The only action they have taken is to block me from their social media sites so that I can not leave a review. 
Hence This is why I'm escalating this complaint to CFPB. Below please see a summary of my reasons for my dispute with XXXX art. I presented all of these details plus a pile of other documents to the Goldman Sachs investigative department, and they still declined to uphold my dispute. 
I really do feel that Goldman Sachs is in the wrong here I feel like I have a very strong case proving my point that the {$1900.00} Let 's see I spent with XXXX art for a fluff art program claiming to be something that it is not, is a valid claim and that my dispute should be upheld and I should be reimbursed the money. 
Reasons for dispute With XXXX art : 1. The money back guarantee was for 7 days and this is a multi-week/month course and certain sections of the course are suggested for each week over an XXXX week period ( minimum! ). 
2. I did not sign any contract or agreement.

3. When I asked the merchant for a refund, the proprietor, XXXX XXXX, did not respond. She had a team member give a standard response. This is awful customer service. 
4. The Incubator course is sold as giving you secrets for selling your art. It is advertised for an XXXX at any level in their career. This is not true. The course is for beginners. Most of the material she teaches can be accessed for free on XXXX. 
5. Most of the video in the course is regurgitated prerecorded videos with XXXX minutes on the subject then a Q/A. Many of these are months/years old. 
6. The initial marketing video touted learn about art licensing, free templates for launching, marketing companies to submit to and a website review if you paid the full {$1900.00} up front. These were the main areas I wanted to do a deep dive in, and assumed the course had the goods. I thought it would be worth the money if indeed these were as she advertised. However : a. There are no templates for launching. She provided what she created for her own launches and graphic with those launches. I understood the templates would be fill in with your own copy. There are none of those. You have to create the entire launch series from scratch, since artists are not going to use the same graphic style and fonts that she used.

b. There was an example in the selling video of one of the Incubator artists that got into a major art magazine and sold about $ XXXX worth of work, yet nothing in the modules about which magazine that was or how to get into/which magazines to look into. The marketing companies is just a spreadsheet list of about XXXX podcasters, some of the contact links outdates. There is nothing about marking your work in publications, etc. which was touted as a selling point. Dont necessarily use social media, use publications and other forms of marketing! However, there is nothing in any of the modules about marketing in publications. There are publicity tips but no company/magazine suggestions. 
c. I still have not received a website review and I signed up at the end of XXXX! 
d. There is very little on art licensing and nothing in depth! The couple of interviews with art licensers did not have ANY in depth how tos they were both just general discussions for XXXX minutes with Q/As. I was so shocked that there was really nothing on licensing that I spent another {$500.00} with another company who had an entire course on licensing. 
XXXX. Her basic instruction, which is most of the course talks about things like : a. How to file b. General life coaching questions XXXX What to post on social media dXXXX XXXX XXXX instruction about XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX etc e. A Who Am I mastermind XXXX Possibility workshop XXXX how to create mixed media art nothing to do with selling our art XXXX. She includes Art Fairs and a packing checklist! I didnt sign up for that! I already know what Im doing in that area. Its like she threw a bunch of old documents that shes created over the years in her program to make it look deep but it is shallow! 
XXXX. Whats really telling is that she has written a book called XXXX which I have a copy of and have read the entire book ( after I signed up for the course ), and XXXX  %, including lists, suggestions, templates etc of what she teaches in her {$1900.00} course are in that book! 
Not worthy of {$1900.00} and I would not even have paid {$100.00} for the content in the course, if I had known ahead of time!