Business ProfileforCaligeeks INC

BBB files indicate that this business has a pattern of complaints where consumers are directed to contact CaliGeeks in order to activate their Roku streaming services and/or SmartTV.

CaliGeeks phone representatives claim to work for Roku Inc. or claim to be an authorized representative of the company. Consumers are told that an activation fee is required in order to activate and access the streaming service.

If consumers question the fee, they are provided a variety of reasons as to why the fee is now required (e.g. a new law went into effect, it is a new policy implemented by Roku, the device will not work without it, etc). Consumers indicate that after they are charged the activation fee, they discover on their own and/or contact Roku, Inc. directly and confirm that the activation fee is not required and CaliGeeks, Inc. is not affiliated or authorized by Roku, Inc.

On February 20, 2020, BBB submitted a written request to the company encouraging them to address the pattern of complaints. On June 19, 2020, the business provided a response to BBB's request and outlined a plan for how they planned to reduce the volume of complaints.

In December 2020, BBB evaluated the business' volume and pattern of complaints and determined that their action plan had failed to eliminate the noted pattern of concerns.

In February 2021, BBB began receiving complaints and customer reviews alleging similar practices outlined above, but related to accessing Amazon Prime video services.

In February 2020, BBB investigated the business practices of CaliGeeks Inc. This investigation was prompted by a large volume of consumer complaints alleging the business was misrepresenting their affiliation with the streaming service Roku, Inc. and charging consumers an activation fee for the free service. Additional information about the pattern of complaints filed against this company can be found in the "Pattern of Complaints" section of this report.

On February 20, 2020, BBB requested for CaliGeeks Inc. to confirm their affiliation and/or authorization with Roku, Inc. In June 2020, the business responded to BBB and confirmed that they are a third-party service provider and that "the one-time charges are time and labour to help you set up the device seamlessly."

According to the official support pages on Roku's website (dated January 20, 2020), "Roku does not charge an activation fee or charge for support. There is NEVER a charge to create a Roku account."

If you have paid a third-party company in order to activate or access your Roku streaming services, Roku, Inc. provides the following advice:

***Call your credit card company and ask to have any associated charges reversed.
***Check your bank and credit card statements for inaccuracies.
***Remove any software that this company may have installed on your computer, and change any passwords for programs used on your computer that was accessed by this company.
***Change the password on your Roku.com account.
***Visit the Federal Trade Commission website and file a complaint about the experience.
***If you believe that you have interacted with a fraudulent site, please email Roku Customer Advocate (customer.advocate@roku.com) and if possible, include the following:

1) The name (or URL) of the fraudulent support website.
2) The phone number of the fraudulent support website.
3) The terms you entered to search (if you found the site through search).