Minimax Consulting reviews and complaints
The good, the bad, and the ugly - discover what customers are saying about Minimax Consulting
Welcome to our customer reviews and complaints page for Minimax Consulting. We understand that making informed decisions about where to invest your time and money can be challenging, which is why we've created this platform for our community to share their honest feedback about their experiences with Minimax Consulting.
On this page, you'll find a comprehensive collection of reviews and complaints from real customers who have used Minimax Consulting's products or services. Our reviews are authentic and unbiased, providing you with a complete picture of the company, its products or services, and their customer service.
Whether you're considering doing business with Minimax Consulting, or you've already had an experience with them, our community's reviews and complaints will give you a valuable perspective on what to expect. Our goal is to help you make informed decisions about where to invest your time and money, and we hope that our platform will be a valuable resource for you.
Please feel free to browse our reviews and complaints and share your own experience with Minimax Consulting. Your feedback is an important part of our community and will help others make informed decisions.
Scam artist
I paid these complete and total ###s over $3000 and I had an experience similar to that which I am reading here. It should have been a red flag to me, or anyone that considers hiring Minimax, that they will not take credit cards or PayPal. They will only take money orders, wire transfers, etc… because they know that there is little or no recourse. It is nearly impossible to get your money back. At least with a credit card or PayPal you can file a complaint to get your money back.
I did find a website for a man named Patrick Lynch who is the Attorney General in Rhode Island. Apparently the Minimax headquarters, if they actually have them, are located in Providence, Rhode Island. There is an area on their website under forms, consumer complaints, and filing a consumer complaint where you can file a complaint against a business in Rhode Island. There is even a question on the form (#2) where you can specify what kind of resolution you are looking for in your complaint. You can, as I plan on doing, state that you want your money back. I do not know if it will do any good, but it is better than nothing and I am still looking at other options. I have listed the links to the website below.
Here are the links to the website:
http://www.riag.ri.gov/
http://www.riag.ri.gov/forms/
http://www.riag.ri.gov/documents/consumerprotection/consumer_complaint.pdf
The only thing I can think of when I read the good reviews about Minimax is that the people at Minimax actually create bogus Measured Up accounts and write the reviews themselves. There is also no possible way that they have a LEGITIMATE “A” rating from the Better Business Bureau, unless they paid the people at the Better Business Bureau off. I would not put it past them.
It is unbelievable to me that nobody has stopped them. Minimax is allowed to PREY (they are absolutely predators) on desperate students looking for help. Does no one in any position of authority care?
If anyone out there has hired an attorney in the Providence area I would love to know and possibly get the name of a good attorney. It sounds like there are enough victims out there. It is too bad that the victims cannot all “band” together.
Fraud
I paid more than $1, 500, and have waited for more than 3 months.
I keep emailing them so much, but now they just ignored me.
Since I am an international student, who is not fluent in English. They just abuse this point.
How can I report to the police or how can I refund my money?
I hired them for $1500 ($750 deposit) to do my data analysis, results write-up and discussion outline. My contract from super friendly yet completely full of BS PattiLou Normand stated a 10 day turnaround. About 5 days after the work was supposed to be done I reached out and started calling regularly. I'd get emails from Clark Guo "assuring" me that the work would be done on time. My project manager Zhongyi sounded half asleep each time we spoke. Each time he'd promise to get me something to work with by the end of the day. I never received anything, NOT A THING except a paragraph full of number that was completely incomprehensible! So finally I said I wanted a refund. I was very angry and at that point I was getting no response from them. So I filed my complaint with the BBB. 10 days later I got my full refund for my $750 deposit. Not sure why I got so lucky since it seems so many have been told they have a no refund policy. But I was ready to take legal action. PLEASE, if you are in the midst of your dissertation hell, DO NOT HIRE MINIMAX (i.e. MCG Consulting), you will be promised the world and then have your $ taken away. You will not get what you need. I lost a whole 2 months waiting on this company to help me with my dissertation. I finally gave in and re-introduced myself to SPSS and did the analyses myself. So far so good. I wish all of you luck with your studies, and again PLEASE do not use this company. Any positive reviews on here are clearly from their own employees.
Search engines too revealing
MCG, very recently known as Minimax Consulting -- so you guys wimped out from all the painful truths about yourselves and decided to change your name. Electronic footprints are difficult to erase these days, however. I think you may have spent your time and money for nothing. Oh my gosh, what irony! Now you're in the same position as all the trusting souls you defrauded.
Absolute fraud
You are hereby forewarned. This is an absolute FRAUD. Minimax Consulting = MCG International = MCG-Site.com They claim to have top notch "Analysts" and Statistical Consultatns who will review and complete your work but when you ask them to complete any work involving the skills of someone with better than a fifth grade education they simply shut down and...
Read full review of Minimax ConsultingAvoid them like a plague
As an editor who specializes in academic writing I responded to a craigslist posting seeking editors. The pay was very low; in response to my query I received a form letter telling me I would be required to do the first dissertation for free. If I did well enough I might have to do a second one for free. Since any outfit asking me to work for no pay raises an alarm, I googled and found an inordinately high number of writers who complained they were turned away after doing their "sample" work. Also, it appears they keep upwards of 90 percent of their fee. Hence, your dissertation is edited by someone who may or may not be qualified (since they are being tested) and if they are qualified, chances are they are very low pay (if paid at all) for a quick and stressful turnover time.
My advice: find a qualified editor in your area who works with your university. Or google "dissertation editor" and find a freelancer who takes pride in his or her work without taking you to the cleaners.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to write reviews of this company. I was thinking of using their services, but thankfully, I looked them up before sending them money. You have saved me a lot of money and time.
Minimax screwed me and countless others
Minimax Consulting will not send you statistical output that can be replicated -- an inherent part of the scientific method. They will not supply you with the most fundamental information about the procedures they followed: what stats package was used and the version, sample observations used, how they handled missing and outlier data, if the data had to be transformed and how, any randomization or jackknifing done, no CIs reported for any test statistic, no graphical output, whatsoever. When you request verification, PattiLou Normand will claim repeatedly that they have met all contractual agreements, and will refuse to supply you with any data matrices, or metadata, functions used, vector loadings, they will be unwilling to provide ANY of the ORIGINAL, statistical output. However, she will also insist that they are sorry you could not work together to rectify things (that places some of the blame on you), and they are still willing to speak with you about the situation (thin appearance of being cooperative, in case you decide to sue), all the while professing they have met all their obligations to you, contract terminated. All empty, non-sensical, and contradictory words. Keep your money, your reputation, and your sanity, people. I paid Minimax Consulting $1800.00 in advance (they require payment upfront, but also have a No-Refund Policy, another red flag), and after nearly 4 wasted months, 8 phone calls, and almost 30 of the same exasperating, cookie-cutter emails about an analyst working feverishly on my project, and after I demanded either my money back or the legitimate work for which I paid, they sent me a document that is utterly worthless, more than full of dubious results that I could never give to my committee or publish in a peer-reviewed journal. Any reputable statistician, company, or scientist will provide all necessary intermediate data so that their work can be reproduced. With Minimax Consulting, you will get far more dishonor and frustration than you ever bargained for, and far less quality and quantity of product for which you rightfully are due. Don't just believe my experiences, friends. Read the other complaints here (notice how Minimax never responds to complaints), and check out their record at the BBB of RI. It won't take too much digging for you to discover that Minimax Consulting runs a bogus operation. I just hope this warning gets to you: it vaporized earlier from this same site without a reason for rejection email. Maybe Minimax threatened them with a lawsuit like they have done me? It's called Freedom of Speech, guys, and I can prove everything I have written here is true. And while Minimax screwed me and countless others (based on the postings), I hope this message prevents someone else from being scammed by their glamorous, internet facade. If you have already been scammed by Minimax, report them to the AG of RI and the AG of your state of residence. You can also file investigative complaints with multiple agencies listed on scambusters.org. Good luck to all.
I too am a victim of their fraud! I also filed a complaint with the BBB and received no reply. I did check today however and they are no longer recognized as accredited by the BBB. I just want my money back. I was suckered, delayed and now this has costs me not only the price of their fraudulent service but two additional semesters and tuition. Certainly we can all pull together and somehow revieve a refund and put them out of buisness.
Please post back here if anyone has any further advice or is willing to pursue this further
Poor Service
DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY it is nothing but a scam. Today is May 2010 and they are still hooking us folks trying to get tutoring and editing support for college works. They will arm twist you to pay upfront, take your hard money and run, will ignore you, and you will never hear a peep out of them. People please stop using this company, they are a deceptive business to say the least. Learn from all the rest of us suckers that used them. We never got a dime of out money back and we never gor a pitch of the service. Also know that in RI you can take a company like this to small claims court but it is h to run them down and get the financial judgement awarded to you by the court. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.
Minimax's statistical consulting was very bad
Minimax's statistical consulting was very bad. They make it seem like they are very knowledgeable, but if you ask more questions, the whole facade crumbles.
I was using a model that they recommended. By the end of the process, I knew more about this technique than they did, and was shocked at how poorly they had advised me. They never looked at how well the model fit, they didn't care. I ended up having to redo the entire empirical analysis due to huge errors on their part.
Do not use them if you care about the reliability of your empirical research. They will always have an answer, but 50% of the time, this answer will be wrong and it will be your butt on the line. And then they will stop answering your emails or your calls, and you will be SOL.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Minimax sales representative promises that an expert will review your thesis, 3 chapters, in 5-7 business days for a fee of $1, 800. After 3 weeks, I began calling every day as I received no work. I received 5 emails stating that the 'analyst' was working hard on my project and it would be completed any day. Any day became 35 days. When I questioned the delay, I received an email from a Director stating that the work was being reviewed by a senior editor, and that I needed to submit $1, 800 more as my project was actually completed, 100 pages, 10 chapters. I was shocked - asking how could the analyst complete my master's thesis without any input from me. The Director assured me that the analyst was so good - he/she completed my work and all I had to do was send in another $1800. I continued to question this and after several emails, the 'Director' admitted only 3 chapters were done, and they would honor the initial agreement of $1800 for 3 chapters. The 'Director' further stated that a senior analyst was reviewing the 3 chapters and I would receive them soon. (Wow - I was impressed, the senior analyst was reviewing my work again!). To my surprise, on a saturday morning I opened my email and there was one chapter, chapter 2. No mention of missing chapters 1 and 3. I sent another email asking where the work was, after all, a senior analyst had reviewed it twice. I received a short email "We will check with the analyst". It has been 2 weeks. Either the analyst is on vacation or the senior analyst needs to review the work a 3rd time. Either way, its been over 40 days, I am out $1800 and the owners of Minimax have cheated another customer. Read the reviews about the owner and his previous scams. Do not send minimax any money - you have a better chance of winning the lottery.
I turned to Minimax when a series of personal problems kept me from devoting time to completing a fairly complicated analysis using SAS. The first write-up they sent me was a total joke and full of errors, and I insisted on a phone call to try and straighten things out. My "personal statistician" did not even know how to interpret odds ratios correctly, and completely botched a logistic regression analysis. I ended up having to re-do the entire thing myself, and barely completed everything in time to graduate. I am out $2500, and am wondering if there is any way to get my money back. Run from this company, and DO NOT pay them any money.
How it works: They promise you the world, build you up so you believe that the money you're investing is really going to a good cause (your dissertation - and blood, sweat and tears) and so you western union them $3000 to get your analysis. You wait for 6 months thinking that they must be putting in the extra effort - especially since it was only supposed to take a couple of weeks - you call and call and call, email after email until finally you get it...the biggest piece of crap you could imagine. And they say they've held up their end of the bargain with unverified results and shady (at best!) methodology. Refunds? Not here! Save yourself the heartache of being 100% duped. DO NOT SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS.
After $2017 of false editing and false claims, I finally find the reviews that state I'm not alone :( I highly urge against this company that literally STOLE my money and delivered me an APA edit that my dog could've done better. Visit http://mcg-site.blogspot.com/ to get information on how to file a complaint with the Rhode Island Attorney general and USPS if you mailed in your payment. These thieves have to be stopped. They are changing their name to MCG International to mislead other unsuspecting grad students.
I paid $3800 to Minimax for the organization of chapters 4 and 5 of of a proposed dissertation. After I got the result after a month of bothering them, results did not meet the standards I am expecting. The organization was very horrible. I am not sure if the reviewers had a degree or specializations or not. The results they provided was very poorly organized. So much issues to deal with them but I regret paying them the big amount for the horrible job they do. I do not recommend minimax at all to any vying doctoral student.
Do not support this busines
I contacted Minimax when I was desperate to complete my statistical analysis. Although I was told that the analysis could be completed within a two week period, I received a very basic and unprofessional type document six weeks later. At that point I had missed deadlines with my committee. Further the organization never took my calls and I was never provided basic customer service in terms of follow-up, etc. However, I did receive a courtesy call late April requesting additional money. Please do not use this service. I am currently in the process of trying to retieve funds. Do not support this business.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
mini max blew up in my hand
refund please
minimax blew up in my hand
After spending what seemed to be years but was only about eight months doing the research and finding sources for my literature review, I was still roughly 40 sources within the last five years short of even starting to write my literature review. I had already paid for my courses and every time I told myself, “it’s going to be different, I’m going to finish it all on time, this time, ” but the deadline would come and I had nothing. I had gone to several libraries in my state, researched the internet for days on end, paid for access to libraries of case studies, and still, my ability to find sources that were relevant to my study were just sub-par. I finally decided to consult a professional. I had looked around a lot, given all my practice at researching I was getting pretty good at finding the “good ones, ” from the lies that flood the internet. I eventually came across Minimax Consulting, who said they could provide assistance with my literature review including researching all necessary sources and have the reference list provided to me within just a week’s time. It sounded too good to be true, but I had to give it a try after all my frustrations. After speaking with a Ph.D. analyst directly at Minimax, I was assured they could help me. In exactly one week to the day, Minimax provided me with a reference list of 50 recent sources; just a few extra so that I had some wiggle room to my liking. I couldn’t believe it could be done but they proved to me that it could. I was able to use the sources they provided and finish my literature review. I can’t thank Minimax enough. They really saved me from having to re-enroll in another course only to fail again. I would highly recommend them.
My dissertation chapters 1 through 3 had been rejected by the committee; I was extremely upset and stressed so I made the mistake of taking a break from working on it. Before I knew it, it was about 2 weeks before my next review and I panicked. I searched over the internet for dissertation help and I chose Minimax because of the fast turnaround they offered. I decided to give them a call and it turned out to be true! I sent them what little work I had done on a Monday and I got it back, finished, on Friday of the same week. The suggestions they made were so useful that I made serious progress in the remaining week I had and I passed the committee without a problem. Minimax is one of the main reasons I was able to finish my dissertation, and If I had to do it again I would have gone to them from the beginning.
SCohen
Do not ever send them money
Baron Gati did the "bait and switch" -- promising and sounding legitimate... I paid $2000 for the whole dissertation to be edited...It never happened...DON'T EVER SEND THEM MONEY...It is equivalent to getting a lighter and just burning it. You think they are working on your stuff, you get it back, and nothing has been done.Baron who is the "deal-maker" (sociopath) inspires your confidence, collects the money, and then when you need some answers he is transferred to another part of the company. It is so dishonest. It is hard to believe. I am going to report them to the AG in Rhode Island...what a scam.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Data falsification
I agree with all of the other comments. These people are criminals. They will high pressure you to seal the deal and get your hard-earned money, lie to you for months about processing your work, then once you threaten them with legal action or demand return of funds, they will deliver a worthless, incomplete, totally spurious document that might as well have arrived on a cardboard roll beside a toilet. Heather Thompson is a major horse's ###, too. Don't even bother dealing with that hoser. Oh, and the real owner: Peter W. Chabot, a convicted felon. Google him for results. Contact the Attorney General of RI if they have scammed you. There are also multiple places to file complaints from scambusters.com, fraud.org, and so on. That's the only way to put these parasites out of business.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Whatever you do, DO NOT send this scam of a company any money. I wired over a $2000 via western union in the hopes that my dissertation would be properly edited and proofread.
Unlike others, I wasn't expecting anything from scratch. I put it all the work, I just needed some added content, reference check, and general editing.
Boy, did I get none of that. I got a perfectly unedited version of my dissertation. It was literally as if I emailed it to myself.
I REALLY REALLY REALLY wished I looked up this crappy company before I sent them my money. Do yourself a favor and do not deal with this company. Wonderful criminal history they have!
Whatever you do, DO NOT send this scam of a company any money. I wired over a $2000 via western union in the hopes that my dissertation would be properly edited and proofread.
Unlike others, I wasn't expecting anything from scratch. I put it all the work, I just needed some added content, reference check, and general editing. Boy, did I get none of that. I got a perfectly unedited version of my dissertation. It was literally as if I emailed it to myself.
I REALLY REALLY REALLY wished I looked up this crappy company before I sent them my money. Do yourself a favor and do not deal with this company. Wonderful criminal history they have!
Folks, I wish I had read these reviews before I fell victim to the scam artists in this company. I am out $2, 200 and no chapter four. The person that I initially contacted almost 10 weeks ago told me that my chapter four would be ready in two weeks! Now, I am not getting a refund and no chapter. And to be honest, according to these reviews, if I do ever get it, I don't have any doubt that it will be a piece of crap. What a waste of money - this is completely criminal!
Run from this company. Do not be a sucker like the rest of us, unknowingly were. They will take your money, and you will never hear from them again. I paid them $1800.00 to review a document that was already done. That was on April 20, 2010. It is now May 14, 2010, and they are long gone with my money ($1800.00). Again if you happen to see this before you give your money to them, run now! I am seeking help from BBB and an attorney and the RI State Attorney. But you need to run from this company!
Minimax done me the same way. It has been over 4 months and I am out $2200.00, with nothing to show for it. I am going to take my business someplace else and get my work done. I will chalk up my $2200.00 to experience and move on, I have a dissertation to do and what Minimax does to people will come back to them triple fold.
I would never do business with a consulting firm that calls itself "minimax". Thats not the name for a consulting firm, its something one would name their grocery store chain! Very unprofessional. Too bad you did not ask a fellow student to over your paper...
Not worth paying for
Minimax Consulting is definitely NOT WORTH PAYING FOR. I guess I can't call them a scam because they did send me a paper. However, I would say the writer's academic level of writing only deserved a C-. (That is the grade I received). Upon receiving the paper, I had a friend intensely revise it for me. It contained numerous spelling errors and typos. When I suggested to the writer that some revisions should be made because certain words were not used in the correct context, the writer reputed my opinion and told the 'info support' people that I am saying this because of my lack of knowledge. You may be thinking why I only got a C- if it was revised. This is my elective stat course, and we're all in Science. Hence, he could only proofread the spelling, grammar and structure mistakes. The big chunk of the marks lost was due to the lack of analysis and distinctive ideas.
If I had the time, I would've written this paper myself. I will definitely manage my time better and never use this or any other writing consulting websites every again. By the way, the writer had two months to work on my paper. It wasn't as though the quality of the paper was reduced due to time constraint.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Minimax will rob you of your money, provide sloppy work, and charge you more to fix it when your committee tells you your data anlaysis doesn't make sense. All I can say is buyer beware. Go to your nearest college or university and see if you can get one of the statistics instructors or tutor to help you.
Big liars
They are big LIERS.I throw $2000 in trash by trusting them. They pretend to be professional in what they are doing though they are just bunch of business people looking to get your money then providing you bunch of crabs, completely out of your subject . My experience with them was horrible.STAY AWAY FROM THEM if you care for your money, dissertation and committee!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Do not support this business
I contacted Minimax when I was desparate to complete my statistical analysis. Although I was told that the analysis could be completed within a two week period, I received a very basic and unprofessional type document six weeks later. At that point I had missed deadlines with my committee. Further the organization never took my calls and I was never provided basic customer service in terms of follow-up, etc. However, I did receive a courtesy call late April requesting additional money. Please do not use this service. I am currently in the process of trying to retieve funds. Do not support this business.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
For superb ghostwriter service, write to Vallabh at www.VallabhGhostwriter.com
This was false advertising and substandard work. I could have had a college freshman review my Ch 3 and made out better. What's worse, it took 2 full months to get my proposal reviewed and when my committee asked for edits, they wanted more money! Lies, lies, lies. I have never written a complaint about any business, but feel compelled to do so because Minimax was such a rip off. They delayed completion of my dissertation by months. Or, maybe I delayed completion by being dumb enough to believe they were professionals. I mean this with all sincerity--do not waste your money. Texaco
Minimax was a great investment for me... I've got my PhD thanks to the editing and guidance of these professionals. I would recommend Minimax to anyone that is serious about their education and future. They showed great costumer service and helped me prepare for my defense! A++ company!
If you are really looking for some real people, try out
(www.projectguru.in). They are professional and adhere to their time plan. I got my dissertation written by them and getting a lot of articles too. They are based in India. Try them out. They turned good to me, may to you as well.
I had alot of problems with Minimax as well. The best recourse that I could see was filing a complaint with the Attorney General of Rhode Island. I should have known they were a scam when they would only accept a wire transfer or cashier's check. I noticed that some of you stated that you were in the process of retrieving funds. I wanted to know how you are going about doing this and if anyone out there has had any success getting their money back from them. I asked for my money back after several months and I was told that the low quality "deliverables" that they sent to me did not merit a refund of my $3000, but they would continue working with me until I was satisfied.
These people are scam artists of the worst kind.
Erin
Hey Jim, I too am in the process of retrieving my funds. Did you have any luck? Thanks, April
Giving a Voice to Consumers
At ComplaintsBoard, we know how real consumer issues matter. Our platform is a special place for honest opinions, where people share their reviews openly and honestly, whether good or bad.
Our team checks each complaint or review thoroughly to confirm that each one comes from a real customer experience, keeping our platform trustworthy.
We're totally cool with complaints, as long as you've got some evidence to back it up. Whether it's a photo, a detailed story, or documents, providing evidence makes your complaint more believable and helps others make smart choices.
ComplaintsBoard is more than just a place to share complaints; it's a community where we talk things out fairly. We welcome reviews that not only point out problems but also mention any positive experiences, giving a balanced view.
We're dedicated to providing a fair and unbiased platform for all complaints. Every complaint is important to us, no matter what it's about, ensuring your concerns are heard and respected.
I should have know better when it took 2 months and $2k to get a review of my dissertation Ch 3. Foolishly, I asked for assistance for Ch 4 because I was told (in writing) that it would only take 2 days for the data to be returned. Then my Chair said the data was all wrong and poorly written. If you go with Minimax Consulting you are just throwing your money out the window.
Any customer who sent Minimax money via US Mail and has not received their work should contact the United States Postal Inspectors office. Minimax tries to get you to wire the money, but hopefully you were smart enough to mail - which then makes it mail fraud.
I have had a horrible experience with this company. The first analyst who worked on my work did not know what they were doing. A month of my time was wasted
Did it work?