If the counselors agreed to take your money saying that they will help to get your into Barnard or Cornell with a 29 ACT I would run in the other direction. The odds of getting into a super-selective college as an unhooked applicant with an ACT below the 25th percentile is very small. It is fine to apply and give it your all but you need to understand that these schools are major reaches. Even in holistic admissions academics (including standardized tests for schools that require them) are a priority. Note that in the common data set Cornell regards standardized test scores as “very important” while Barnard regards them as “important.”
If, on the other hand, the counselors took your money saying they can help you to find some great match schools you love taking your ACT into account (perhaps even some test optional colleges) then it could be worthwhile.