Company never did anything to promote my idea as my idea. They stole my idea and claimed they didn't. They use very clever techniques. I paid an outrageous amount (8,000) for a book and CD. This is all I got from them. None of the services they promise was delivered. It is only a facade. Everything about this company is fake, even their name. They changed their name three or more times. Please do not be fool by this company. Someone should stop them.
Just don't understand how american dreams can be destroyed by an act of dishonesty in the business world.
There are listed over 1000 complaints on this scamion.com site pertaining to the invention companies, over the years. Then the lawsuits, and the companies just went on doing what they do best, just take inventions away, after the conversation and inquiry was made from the would be inventor.
Yet these companies, are still in business, take a few minutes of your time and read some of the inventions, that were taken from innocent people, who counted on their invention being marketed, by them, and to get the credits and rewards due them.
Clik on consumeraffairs.com and you will read at least 20- 25 more complaints about the invention companies. Consumeraffairs.com
Dept. Of justice, ftc please if you have issues with any invention company report it, get legal advise, get the ftc involved,
My dream was taken, and someone else got the credit.
Why isn't the law stepping in? Don't understand. Just don't get it. What am i missing to figure out how these business people operate and are still in business.
Isn't there such a thing as fraud discovery verses statute of limitation? Are there exceptions to the rule? Are these exceptions for just some and not for all?
ISC or Invent Help promised me they would promote my product but the onlything they promoted was thier bank account. I recieved a book and some schematics that a third grader could have drawn. The book was pre printed with specifics added, very general. They reassured me that everything was progressing fine, i have never heard from anyone, i called once a month. They make you sign of on a sheet saying everything is great.
The bottom line is they do nothing to promote your invention, you would be better of on your own. The finance company they use and tell you they cant report you, universal payment, because of secracy, well they can and they will. They will call you daily if you dont pay them. as far as the patent, i dont know if it is really real, its been 3.5 year still havent heard a thing. troy Troy littleton, Colorado
I had my idea for 13 years but did not do anything about it until i saw the add on tv for Invent Help. I called the number and they send me to the Manhattan NY location. They told me that they need 1000.00 for the research and proposal book. I told them that I do not make alot of money. I was told not to worry about it because with my idea I will make back the money plus more. So I paid the money from the money Iwas saving to buy a house. When the research came back they told me that there is no one else outh there with my idea, now i am excited. Then they told me that I need to pay over 12,000 more for them to do the marketing and everything else. I told them I did not have all that money. They told me if I can come up with 5,000 there is fininical service called Universal Payment.
Universal Payment would pay them up front and I would pay them back with a Monthly installment. I got had 1,500 they rest from my life saving and money for my house, them my dad because he believed that my invention would make money took from from his 401k to make up the difference. Every few month they sent my a letter of companies that I have never heard of before (never one of major comapnies) that they sent my idea to review. Out of they hundreds of companies that they sent it to I find it hard to believe not one of them called them back. Invent Help also said that they sent to Magazine company to set up interviews. This has been going on since March of 06.
Now i get a letter from them that my 2 year comtract has expired. I am very upset because out of the 2 years I got robbed. I am still paying back Universal Payment my bills are pilled up and I did not get to buy a house not even a shack to call mine. My kids will probably grow up leaving in someone else house. They are just robbing people, they are getting richer while we are getting poorer. They need to be stopped. I want back all my money back and for they to pay back the payment center. PLEASE HELP ME. THANK YOUI Stacia LOGANVILLE, Georgia
I signed up for invent help to submit my invention to companies. At first I paid them about $400 or so then it was $8000 to do the submissions.. why it was so much who knows but I fell for it! Anyways I paid $250 a month for a year without really any information about what was going on with my invention! After realizing that I was paying for nothing I stopped paying.. They started calling me harassing me for the money mind u it was almost a year and my invention wasn't submitted to anyone!
Then I get a letter saying that I owed about $8000 which I thought that was the total price?? So they just added another $2000 or so to it? Don't get involved with this company because they give you the run around and they don't do anything with your so called invention!! Why does it cost so much $$ to submit your idea anyways? Who knows but they're getting alot of people with dreams to sign that paper! Don't do it!! Scam scam scam
It's time for invent help to go away. Class action suit needs to be done to stop the bleeding they have caused honest and creative people who beleaved them when they said they would help. Should be called Invent Hopeless..
I hired them to do something with my invention. I paid them over 2 and a half years of almost $300 a month. sometimes doing without. And 2 and a half years later after much thought and research come to find out, YES, they are a scam company. I didn't not want to believe it for over a year and kept paying them. But it is true. They have taken more than $9,000.00 and have done nothing for me. It is sad that peope can rip someone off for a living and sleep and go to work the next day as though nothing happen. What is the world coming too?
After seeing a commercial I called and researched this company by looking them up using the better business burro. In doing this I found they had nothing against them. I went to them in 2006 to see how their company works Mr. Brian k. Wood of Inventhelp (ISC)explained their process along with the amounts that they would need to process my idea. The process was first researching my idea to see if it was a patent on it all ready, purchasing a design patent witch from what I researched is useless in the process of introducing an invention, then marketing the invention.
The first time I went in 2006 I was told that the first part would coast $960 the second part of the process would include the patent and the marketing of the invention and this would coast any where from $960 to $1300. The second I went to Inventhelp with the money to pay for the research witch was $960 I paid them and got a $165 Discount. Then I was told that I would have to get a design patent for $1700.
When I got my packet in the mil it stated that I would also have to pay a standard submission fee of $9600, a concept catalog galleria submission of $12,490 and a package submission service fee of $13,990. So far I have only paid $795. Right now Im just trying to see if and how I can get my money back, and how can I get my inventions out. Justin Raleigh, North Carolina
Inventhelp is a scam; they are in violation of the consent decree covered under the FTC violation from 1994 where they agreed to no longer rip people off through their sales/representative tactics. Their Seattle Rep. Jim Folger blatantly lied about the services, gave a verbal appraisal of our invention, talked us out of a patent. He completely misrepresented what this company does. Basic info package is still incomplete to this day, to the tune of $945.00, have paid over $8800.00 for invention submission services that they have no intention of seeing through. Checked out their Database of "elite companies" and contacted every one I could find(they only supply you with a co. name and state)several companies stated that they had never received my "presentation brochure"- one company owner told me that Inventhelp was a scam and that they were a bunch of "shysters". This coming from one of their supposed companies interested in new inventions from Inventhelp I have filed two FTC complaints since they have definitely violated the decision handed down upon them by the FTC in 1994.
Contacted the company and their "manager" Angela Beauchamp is a pit bull intent on not refunding my money she continually argues and harrasses you every step of the way. Going on two months of arguing and she still wont return my money. This company is making 20 million a month off of people that hope to have their inventions taken seriously and sent to the right companies to get their products marketed.Most people have borrowed to the hilt to get their product marketed and this is what this company preys upon. When this company gets into hot water with the Feds, they change their name.They are no longer Invention Submission Corp; now they are Inventhelp.
They are still a part of Intromark, the mother company and they use their own in-house finance company Universal Finance company, which is now called Universal Payment Corp; do you see a pattern here? All owned by Intromark! This company needs to be put out of business and the peoples' money returned. Would have found out they were a scam a lot sooner had they not changed their name to Inventhelp; they have offices all over the country running this same scam over and over. Every day another person gets ripped off, supposedy the Seattle office makes 2 million a month.
Their Rep.in Seattle, Jim Folger is an assistant pastor of a church in kent, Wa. he uses his "people" skills to snow people out of millions. Daily. They have just moved their Federal Way , WA. office to another location in the last 4 months since things are going poorly for them here in WA. Several people besides myself have wised-up and are going after them! Including Inventhelps own EX-district manager, who has filed a law suit against them. Deborah Orting, Washington
Here's the inside scoop on InventHelp (formally Invention Submission Corp., Invention Marketing Inc, IntroMark). All of this information is true. This company has been operating under different names for 40 years and has been perpetuating the same scam all this time. They have been sued by the Federal Trade Commision (paying over $1M dollars in fines), many State Attorney Generals, and countless clients).
They do comply with invention laws (in writing), but the salespeople (consultants) minimize these warnings on the telephone and encourage people to pay thousands of dollars for worthless services. The few inventions that they claim are successful - they've paid to have manufactured by a contract manufacturer. Practically none of their clients have made money by "submitting inventions to Industry." In fact, their system of promoting inventions is one of the oldest scams around. Here's how it works:
You'll see a TV commercial (or an internet ad) for an “invention marketing company” to help you market your idea. They offer a free “inventors package” that includes a “Non-Disclosure Form & Confidential Agreement” that they want to you to fill-out and return to them for a free review.
After a week or so, an “invention consultant” will call you (or send an email) to tell you that your idea has been “accepted” by their firm. Additionally, they’ll tell you that: 1) your idea has tremendous potential, 2) their research dept. is very excited about it, 3) they’ve never seen anything like it, 4) there’s nothing else on the market that is similar, and 5) you could make a lot of money.
Next, they’ll send you a contract for $300 – $1500 for “a research report,” and they’ll tell you that if the report comes back “negative” – you’ll receive a full refund (beware: none of these reports are negative or critical). In fact, each report is filled with standard language (boilerplate) that describe the various stages for developing any invention. You might also receive “a preliminary” patent search (which is completely unreliable) along with a drawing and some other useless information. At the conclusion of the report, it will state that your idea is sound, practical, or useful. So, now the company wants to submit your idea to the manufacturing “industry” and bilk more money from you.
Within ten days, you’ll receive an “Invention Submission Agreement” asking for $2,000 – $20,000 that will provide completely useless services for developing and promoting your idea. They’ll probably give you a choice: you can pay a very high amount and keep 90% of your future or you can pay a few thousand dollars less and keep 65% – 70%. This ploy is just a trick to encourage you to pay the highest fee and keep the highest percentage of “royalties” (that you’ll never see) – for example: you can pay $12,000 and keep 90% of future “royalties” or pay $10,000 and keep 80% or pay $8,000 and keep 70%. Most inventors choose the $12,000 – 90% plan because they’ve been convinced by the salesman (invention consultant) that they’re going to make millions.
They may also want to file a “Design Patent” which only protects the exact outer shape of your idea. However, a Design Patent does not protect the way the invention works. In some cases, the invention company will offer to file a “Provisional Patent Application” which does not protect the design and function of your idea. This application simply registers your invention at The US Patent Office on a specific date for $130 and gives you one year to file a real patent application (non-provisional). After the one year has expired, you will still need to file a real patent application (usually $8,500 – $15,000 for a simple invention). Needless to say, the invention company has no intention of paying for a real patent application that offers the only form of legal protection.
Your consultant will continue to deceive you by stating that: 1) the company will use every form of promotion to license or sell your invention, 2) you could receive a “cash-buyout” of millions of dollars, 3) you might receive a 5% royalty in addition to a huge upfront payment, and 3) they will pay all the costs associated with securing a royalty agreement (beware: they rarely – if ever – receive any legitimate interest from reputable manufacturers, corporations, venture capitalists, or organizations).
Now, this is just a small dose of the lies, misrepresentations, and outright deceptions that you will encounter with every single invention marketing company that asks you for money. So, how do they stay in business? Well, many of these firms have been closed down by the Federal Trade Commission. However, new ones keep popping-up who are more clever than their predecessors. For example, in their contracts, they include mandatory “Warnings to Inventors” that disclose the high-risk nature of inventing and the fact that most inventors lose their money. Federal and State laws require all invention companies to include a long list of warnings that describe the perils of trying to launch a new product.
The problem is that the salesman (invention consultants) are unbelievably skillful at dismissing these warnings and know exactly how to keep you hyped up. When you speak to a salesman on the phone (or in their office) they are well-rehearsed at making you believe that your invention has a very good chance of success; and it’s one of the best they’ve ever seen. Also, they’ll pump you up by saying: “this could be your one chance to make a fortune.”
The salesmen will stop at nothing. They’ll call you day and night to tell you how excited they are about your invention. They’ll also tell you that if you don’t market this invention – someone else will – and they’ll make all the money. The truth is: your salesman will say anything to motivate you to pay the fee because they receive a huge commission on your payments. In fact everyday, your salesman is telling other inventors the same exact lies that they’re telling you. Somewhere along the line, these salesman have lost their conscience and will say whatever is necessary to get your money.
You may find it hard to believe that these “nice salesmen” are devious liars because they sound so sincere on the phone or during meetings at their office. They seem to be your best buddy, but in reality they’re your worst nightmare; they know that you’ll never make a dime, and they couldn’t care less. For the salesman – it’s all about the commission.
Question: Are all fee-based invention marketing companies a scam? 99.9% (especially those that advertise on TV and the internet).
Within 4 months, you’ll feel the pangs of regret and realize that your invention company has absolutely no expertise in marketing inventions. You’ll also realize that your hard-earned money has been wasted, but you’ll find out how to receive a full refund by reading the section below.
To verify the allegations made here, simply ask your salesman to answer each question below in writing. There is a 100% guarantee that you’ll never receive any specific, truthful answers:
1) How many of your salesman’s clients have made money from marketing their inventions? (They’ll tell you that this information is confidential). What are the names of any successful ideas that were marketed by the invention company and where can you buy one? or find one on the internet? Did any of the company’s “successful” inventions go through the same exact process that you’re paying for? or did the invention company invest in these inventions or make special arrangements to get a few products on the market for their own credibility?
2) What are the total number of inventors that have made money with the company vs. the total number of clients that have paid a fee?
3) What are the names of a few successful clients who have made money? Where can they be found on the internet?
4) How can they promote your invention without an in-depth patent search and a legal opinion of patentability? What if the same exact idea has already been patented? What if the same exact idea is already in a “patent-pending” status?
5) How many prototypes has the company built-in order to improve and promote the inventions they represent?
6) If the invention company promotes inventions at trade shows – how are the patent rights be protected?
7) Who is the person at the company that has negotiated either license or sale agreements for an invention? What are the qualifications of this individual? Please provide the name of a patent attorney (hired by the invention company) who has filed a real utility patent application (non-provisional)? Is this patent attorney registered to represent you at the US Patent Office?
8) Who is the owner of the invention company? What are his/her qualifications in the field of invention development? Does the owner have any experience in selling an invention or acquiring a patent? Do any of the “invention consultants” (salesmen) have any experience promoting an invention – if so, what happened?
9) Have there been any lawsuits against the invention company for misrepresentations, fraud or wrongdoing? If so, how much money did the invention company pay to settle these claims? and to whom were the payments made?
10) Has the invention company changed its name or started a new company over the last 20 years? What were the names of these former companies and were they investigated or prosecuted by State or Federal agencies?
After a while, you’ll realize that you’ll never receive any specific answers in writing to the questions above. Hopefully, at that point, you’ll forget about working with any fee-based invention-scam.
I'd just like to say that invent help is of no help at all. The only thing they will help you do is go broke. I had a meeting with a woman in my city and sure the meeting was good, but i still left not feeling very confident, my idea was good but the cost was amazingly high. She told me between 10-14 thousand dollars. This was so my idea could be researched, a patent would be put on it and oh by the way they could finance me if i put down 2-3k. The thing that bothered me was that she couldn't even give her opinion, it could be the worst idea in the world and she couldn't tell me to go home and think of something better she 'd just get the paperwork ready and yup rip you off. Eventually they submit it to big companies. They give you nice little book, one you just bought for nearly 14k..
I also know if you finance with them you are still paying after they are done representing you which is 2 years. So at this point they've got you, hook, line and absolutley sinker. I filled out the paper work and even gave her my credit card # for the "first payment" ... Thought about and called her first thing in the morning and said nevermind. I told her that feedback, for me was very important, she can't give me her feedback but she told me how her boyfriends x just got out of jail and that she was worried. All i want to say is that if anyone is trying to submit their ideas to a company be extremely careful. Invent help doesn't care that they will likely make you broke, it made me mad when this woman had appointments all day and people are just getting ripped off. I told her it was wrong. She said she'd have her boss call me and then called back and said he won't call me, that i would see for myself then i'll call them. Didn't have to call them, found a good company who has given me feedback and they love it. She mentioned to me that is was like having a small biz, never know what's going to happen... Really? I get that sometimes their are places that need the $ to get the ball rolling but if the boss won't call to clear up some questions you may have then they are not worth it. He wouldn't answer my ?'s. I'm currently working with invent sai the've been great. If you really feel like you have something good try invent sai or moneyfor ideas.com or lambert and lambert. If your product is worth inventing one of these places will get it done. Lambert and lambert and money4ideas you pay a one time only fee. Seriously, that's it. The rest they pay for and no $ for them until they get you an offer. When submitting remember that you love your idea and you should but don't be offended if a company doesn't like it, they know what sells and if your idea doesn't sell this time, maybe the next time it will. I'd rather be out $200 instead of $14,000. That's what happens at invent help, they promise nothing, at least the other companies have faith in your idea, if it can work they will make it happen. I've investigated all of them and a few scamion came back because they didn't accept their ideas and people were mad, but remember only a few are accepted. It's not personal but it's for them to be objective. Again lose $200 or $14,000, keep your eyes and ears open.
Inventhelp - Intromark - Invention Submission Seattle Washington
Inventhelp is a scam; they are in violation of the consent decree covered under the FTC violation from 1994 where they agreed to no longer rip people off through their sales/representative tactics. Their Seattle Rep. Jim Folger blatantly lied about the services, gave a verbal appraisal of our invention, talked us out of a patent. He completely misrepresented what this company does. Basic info package is still incomplete to this day, to the tune of $945.00, have paid over $8800.00 for invention submission services that they have no intention of seeing through. Checked out their Database of "elite companies" and contacted every one I could find(they only supply you with a co. name and state)several companies stated that they had never received my "presentation brochure"- one company owner told me that Inventhelp was a scam and that they were a bunch of "shysters". This coming from one of their supposed companies interested in new inventions from Inventhelp I have filed two FTC complaints since they have definitely violated the decision handed down upon them by the FTC in 1994. Contacted the company and their "manager" Angela Beauchamp is a pit bull intent on not refunding my money she continually argues and harrasses you every step of the way. Going on two months of arguing and she still wont return my money. This company is making 20 million a month off of people that hope to have their inventions taken seriously and sent to the right companies to get their products marketed.Most people have borrowed to the hilt to get their product marketed and this is what this company preys upon. When this company gets into hot water with the Feds, they change their name.They are no longer Invention Submission Corp; now they are Inventhelp. They are still a part of Intromark, the mother company and they use their own in-house finance company Universal Finance company, which is now called Universal Payment Corp; do you see a pattern here? All owned by Intromark! This company needs to be put out of business and the peoples' money returned. Would have found out they were a scam a lot sooner had they not changed their name to Inventhelp; they have offices all over the country running this same scam over and over. Every day another person gets ripped off, supposedy the Seattle office makes 2 million a month. Their Rep.in Seattle, Jim Folger is an assistant pastor of a church in kent, Wa. he uses his "people" skills to snow people out of millions. Daily. They have just moved their Federal Way , WA. office to another location in the last 4 months since things are going poorly for them here in WA. Several people besides myself have wised-up and are going after them! Including Inventhelps own EX-district manager, who has filed a law suit against them. Deborah Orting, Washington
Inventhelp is a scam; they are in violation of the consent decree covered under the FTC violation from 1994 where they agreed to no longer rip people off through their sales/representative tactics. Their Seattle Rep. Jim Folger blatantly lied about the services, gave a verbal appraisal of our invention, talked us out of a patent. He completely misrepresented what this company does. Basic info package is still incomplete to this day, to the tune of $945.00, have paid over $8800.00 for invention submission services that they have no intention of seeing through. Checked out their Database of "elite companies" and contacted every one I could find(they only supply you with a co. name and state)several companies stated that they had never received my "presentation brochure"- one company owner told me that Inventhelp was a scam and that they were a bunch of "shysters". This coming from one of their supposed companies interested in new inventions from Inventhelp I have filed two FTC complaints since they have definitely violated the decision handed down upon them by the FTC in 1994. Contacted the company and their "manager" Angela Beauchamp is a pit bull intent on not refunding my money she continually argues and harrasses you every step of the way. Going on two months of arguing and she still wont return my money. This company is making 20 million a month off of people that hope to have their inventions taken seriously and sent to the right companies to get their products marketed.Most people have borrowed to the hilt to get their product marketed and this is what this company preys upon. When this company gets into hot water with the Feds, they change their name.They are no longer Invention Submission Corp; now they are Inventhelp. They are still a part of Intromark, the mother company and they use their own in-house finance company Universal Finance company, which is now called Universal Payment Corp; do you see a pattern here? All owned by Intromark! This company needs to be put out of business and the peoples' money returned. Would have found out they were a scam a lot sooner had they not changed their name to Inventhelp; they have offices all over the country running this same scam over and over. Every day another person gets ripped off, supposedy the Seattle office makes 2 million a month. Their Rep.in Seattle, Jim Folger is an assistant pastor of a church in kent, Wa. he uses his "people" skills to snow people out of millions. Daily. They have just moved their Federal Way , WA. office to another location in the last 4 months since things are going poorly for them here in WA. Several people besides myself have wised-up and are going after them! Including Inventhelps own EX-district manager, who has filed a law suit against them. Deborah Orting, Washington
Hi, everybody, do not ever go to that company, or any eventhelp.com. I went there 12.14.2010. Fred Robinson asked me how my idea works. He asked me very privet questions about my invention. I trust him but understand he is not allowed to ask me about it. So I told him everything. I paid about 15000.00 for help and he wants also 20 % of my invention for the help the company will provide. It was a time for bedbug problems in USA. It was my invention. He told me keep it in secret. He gave me a lawyer from Florida to do the patent. It took about 3 years till I got a rejections of record, he told me lets file it again. I was shocked. I start do it myself to get a patent. And I got it. Eventhelp no help at all, they use word help to use us. They use people for the money. I lost my money. I don't need that scam company no more. They did nothing. I need my money back. I paid about 15.000 dollars. I lost even more money for my invention. If you a new inventor take lawyer yourself, it will cost you just about $3000.
This company has been sued by many Attorney Generals and has had class-action lawsuits. They get away with robbing you blind by putting disclosures in their contract that they don't promise anything. Instead, the salesman hypes you up and makes you think you're going to be a great success. It's a sucker's game that's been going on for 50 years.
Here's a terrific website that offers detailed information about this scam: https://inventorwarning.wordpress.com/
UNPON GIVING INVENTHELP,1500.00 THEY WERE TO EVAUATE MY PRODUCT,TO SUBBMIT MY PRODUCT TO DIFFERENT COMPANIES,INWHICH THE NEVER DID, BUT WANT ME TO CONTINUE TO PAY A MONTHLY FEE SO THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO SUBMIT MY IDEA TO COMPANYS. AFTER 6 MOS. THERE WAS NO RESULTS SO I STOPED SENDING MONTHLY PAYMENTS, AND NOW THEY REPORT TO MY CREDIT OF A BALANCE OF11,000.00. WHICH I HURTING MY CREDIT BADLY
In July of 2000, I took a unique design for a yard barn to Invention Submission Corp. office in Independence Oh. I had professionally done blueprints which I displayed to their rep. He gave me high pressure tactics along with a request for about $4000.00 to "make up prints" and to patent the idea. I stated that was too much and to forget it. He asked if he could show the prints to an "engineer" as this was such a good idea, they might fund part of the cost. I agreed and after about 20 min. he returned stating no one was there. I left and about a month later received a phone call asking if I was going to go with this patent. I stated no. In the fall of 2003, I happened to be in a local branch of a large lumber supply company and lo and behold, they were selling a barn constructed exactly the same as my design. I contacted the president of the Lumber Co. and explained the situation and inquiring as to where this barn design came from. All I received was the run around in subsequent phone calls. I reported this problem to the FTC but have not as yet heard from them. Did the rep. copy the prints and after determining that I was not going to file for a patent, then sell those drawings to this lumber company? You decide. Denny Copley, Ohio
InventHelp's sales representative was awesome and really, really good. He called me right back and answered every question I ever had. He has helped me out tremendously. Also, their process is simple. They sent me the 3D copy and I had a revision of it - 90 percent of it was good, but I have to change one part and sent it back. I contacted them and talked to the gentleman. He said that they were in the process of it right now and even he was great. They make it seem really easy. I hope it's as easy as he explained it and it goes that good. But so far, so good. - Vincent of Warren, MI
InventHelp is very thorough. I love the information package that has everything in it and the surveys gave me comfort. When I did not check one of the boxes because I didn't understand it, somebody called me immediately. We discussed it and once I'm okay with it, they sent me a new survey and we went from there. I also like the follow-up and the materials. All of these have potential, but we haven't started talking to manufacturers or to the marketers. It's where it will really tell whether it's a good service or not. But right now, with getting the press release done and getting the patent, which is a big step, the attorney has been fabulous to keep me informed and I'm very happy at this point.
The sales representative, Richard, is very precise and everything he said was absolutely correct. I'd ask a question and he flat wouldn't give me an answer if it was something too subjective, and I appreciated it. I called him yesterday for a very short question and he called me back within ten minutes. At my age and the things that I've been through in my life, I've learned to understand the oversell/under-deliver. InventHelp has broken that mode. I really expected a lot less and got more than I expected. I'm a pretty tough judge. Up to this point, they have done every single thing they said they would do. I asked to hold off on the brochure until we got to a patent pending and it's what we did. They sent me a draft and let me review it. I couldn't have asked for better. - Mike of Dallas, TX
I came up with an invention and I started Googling how to present it. And it hit me, "Oh, wait. What about InventHelp?" So I sent an email and I got a reply back. I met up with them in my local InventHelp office and we went over it. It was a very smooth and very professional experience. I would recommend InventHelp to anybody that has an idea that he thinks might not work. They made me feel confident enough to share personal ideas and lifestyle. Right now, I'm still with them.
They sent me a few things in the mail with a preview model of my invention. I'm currently having conversations with my patent attorney that they recommended. I get friendly and quick response from everybody, from phone calls, to emails, to letters in the mail that I have to respond with my confirmation and my signature to agree or change what they've done so far. It's been awesome and I'm very much enjoying it and hopefully, this all pans down and works out. It was an unforgettable experience. - Hanud of New York, NY
My experience with the Company Inventhelp has been an 11 month ordeal from which I now want nothing but liberation. After paying a $3000 down-payment on a roughly $12,000 promotional package, I went through a several month period where literally nothing happened. When they did start their alleged marketing, it consisted of several poorly-drafted paragraph-long documents. The brochure could have been done by a high school student and turned out better than their professionals.
As the months rolled along and their finance department drained my account at a rate of $370/month, they sent me periodic updates as to what they've done for me. They sent lists of companies to which the idea was submitted, along with a very nice letter of inspiration. The mailing consisted of about a dozen pages, including the glossy flyer they had printed up to describe the idea to those companies with whom they had confidentiality agreements. When I contacted them, asking for more detailed documentation regarding these submissions (copies of the mailings they sent out, names of the recipients, dates, etc...) I was turned down yet again. They actually refused to explain to their client exactly what their service consisted of.
At this point I asked that they terminate my contract. Paul the man who had made initial and repeated contact with me in response to my preliminary interest in the company. I spoke with Mike, from client services, who quite jovially explained that I was well past my 7 day termination period. A 7 day termination period on a 2 year contract. Moreover, they actually refused to stop working on the marketing. Mike explained to me that they would only terminate if I stopped allowing them to debit my bank account-in which case I would face the collection agencies, a ruined credit rating, and potential lawsuit. When I asked Mike what percentage of their clients got a positive return on their investment, he claimed not to know the specifics. This came as a shock because after a sizeable lawsuit was successfully leveled against Inventhelp in 1994, they were ordered to disclose their success rate to any future clients. Mike ventured a guess, stating it was "probably less than 1 percent". In fact, it's closer to .25 percent. This translates to about 15 happy clients out of a pool of 6000. It is of little doubt to me that this statistic is well known to every employee of the company. However, their reluctance to ever utter it out loud-even to clients whom they've already trapped-is extremely telling of the results that can be expected of their services.
Their reluctance to deal with their clients, however, goes even farther. The company refuses to communicate by email. They will receive them, but will never respond, preferring instead to talk on the phone where documentation is far more difficult. Email addresses for the company are very hard to find in general, and when they are found they are always generic addresses such as [email protected]. There is never a specific name attached to any correspondences. Their official mailings are always signed at the end: "the Client Services Department".
In fact, in my entire 11 month relationship with them, I have yet to receive a single document from this company signed by an actual person. It seems that they will do anything to avoid any personal responsibility for their actions. Given such a diehard commitment to their own anonymity, it comes as no surprise that their thousands of clients and tens of millions of dollars in fees are balanced by just a handful of happy endings.
Of course, as Inventhelp will point out, they do everything their contract says. They do not promise results-which is reasonable. What they must promise, however, is a good faith effort to achieve a result. Evidence of this good faith, as the above story illustrates, is not available to those to whom it matters most-their clients. But while the good people at Inventhelp may consider their treatment of their clientele to be enough to stay in business, it in no way makes their business justified or ethical. Their business model depends on hopeful but naïve laypeople rushing into purchases they often cannot afford, and then paying the consequences. If an invention gets sold, it generally has little if anything to do with their marketing efforts. I urge anybody who is considering this company to go elsewhere-preferably a company that does not charge a fee in advance and actually has a selection process for the products they market.
Invent Help is a total rip off! This company prays on consumers who don't have knowledge of the invention marketing industry. They tell the public that they can get your invention to store shelves, when really they are padding their pockets. They will not act in the best interest of the client. If theyou secure a deal for you, they charge 20% of what your deal is. The USPTO only recommend you pay 10%. I was an Invent Help Client. Paid almost $400/month, that was automatically debited from my account, after a 1,000 down payment. My total contract was just over $10,000 and was a 2 year contract. I consider myself one of the luck ones, because I got off cheap compared to others. Partly because they couldn't truly protégé my invention, so that was a service I didn't need. The only service that I received that proved to be worth the money, was the independent patent search. Which was done by an independent attorney. I then paid for marketing research. That was later found to be not of any use because it was done "in house".
After being with the company a year, having spent over $5,000, I realized they were doing nothing on my behalf. Invent Help represent their company as if it has many relationships with manufacturers to market your product to. When really, if a manufacturer is not in their database of companies who have signed a non disclosure with them, they will not send or market your invention to them. So you just have to hope they have a vast list of companies in your invention's SIC code or category. When I tried to cancel the services they told me I was out of the 7 day termination period. It literally took more than 7 days to get a completed contract for services. That I could discontinue services but still had to pay. The only thing Invent Help did on my behalf, by way of marketing in a years time, was send out letters to request submission. A 3 page list of companies, in which they state the only received 1 response for more info but that company later declined. I never once saw an official document that they sent out or that they received from that company. I contacted them to cancel in Sept. 2014 and aside from being told I couldn't cancel, I was told they would send out more letters in that coming January. That was supposed to excite me and regain my faith in them. Be very leary of this company. They literally have a .25% success rate.
This company Inventhelp has been scamming people for forty yrs. They lower you in with the promise to patent your idea. The send you junk mail while you're paying thousands of dollars Then they send you a so call prototype foto of your idea,they tell you your idea is being summited to there so called database and ITS A SCAM,All they want is your money your idea so they sell it
This company has been sued by many Attorney Generals and has had class-action lawsuits. They get away with robbing you blind by putting disclosures in their contract that they don't promise anything. Instead, the salesman hypes you up and makes you think you're going to be a great success. It's a sucker's game that's been going on for 50 years.
Here's a terrific website that offers detailed information about this scam: https://inventorwarning.wordpress.com/
InventHelp Reviews
Company never did anything to promote my idea as my idea. They stole my idea and claimed they didn't. They use very clever techniques. I paid an outrageous amount (8,000) for a book and CD. This is all I got from them. None of the services they promise was delivered. It is only a facade. Everything about this company is fake, even their name. They changed their name three or more times. Please do not be fool by this company. Someone should stop them.
Just don't understand how american dreams can be destroyed by an act of dishonesty in the business world.
There are listed over 1000 complaints on this scamion.com site pertaining to the invention companies, over the years. Then the lawsuits, and the companies just went on doing what they do best, just take inventions away, after the conversation and inquiry was made from the would be inventor.
Yet these companies, are still in business, take a few minutes of your time and read some of the inventions, that were taken from innocent people, who counted on their invention being marketed, by them, and to get the credits and rewards due them.
Clik on consumeraffairs.com and you will read at least 20- 25 more complaints about the invention companies. Consumeraffairs.com
Dept. Of justice, ftc please if you have issues with any invention company report it, get legal advise, get the ftc involved,
My dream was taken, and someone else got the credit.
Why isn't the law stepping in? Don't understand. Just don't get it. What am i missing to figure out how these business people operate and are still in business.
Isn't there such a thing as fraud discovery verses statute of limitation? Are there exceptions to the rule? Are these exceptions for just some and not for all?
ISC or Invent Help promised me they would promote my product but the onlything they promoted was thier bank account. I recieved a book and some schematics that a third grader could have drawn. The book was pre printed with specifics added, very general. They reassured me that everything was progressing fine, i have never heard from anyone, i called once a month. They make you sign of on a sheet saying everything is great.
The bottom line is they do nothing to promote your invention, you would be better of on your own. The finance company they use and tell you they cant report you, universal payment, because of secracy, well they can and they will. They will call you daily if you dont pay them. as far as the patent, i dont know if it is really real, its been 3.5 year still havent heard a thing. troy Troy littleton, Colorado
I had my idea for 13 years but did not do anything about it until i saw the add on tv for Invent Help. I called the number and they send me to the Manhattan NY location. They told me that they need 1000.00 for the research and proposal book. I told them that I do not make alot of money. I was told not to worry about it because with my idea I will make back the money plus more. So I paid the money from the money Iwas saving to buy a house. When the research came back they told me that there is no one else outh there with my idea, now i am excited. Then they told me that I need to pay over 12,000 more for them to do the marketing and everything else. I told them I did not have all that money. They told me if I can come up with 5,000 there is fininical service called Universal Payment.
Universal Payment would pay them up front and I would pay them back with a Monthly installment. I got had 1,500 they rest from my life saving and money for my house, them my dad because he believed that my invention would make money took from from his 401k to make up the difference. Every few month they sent my a letter of companies that I have never heard of before (never one of major comapnies) that they sent my idea to review. Out of they hundreds of companies that they sent it to I find it hard to believe not one of them called them back. Invent Help also said that they sent to Magazine company to set up interviews. This has been going on since March of 06.
Now i get a letter from them that my 2 year comtract has expired. I am very upset because out of the 2 years I got robbed. I am still paying back Universal Payment my bills are pilled up and I did not get to buy a house not even a shack to call mine. My kids will probably grow up leaving in someone else house. They are just robbing people, they are getting richer while we are getting poorer. They need to be stopped. I want back all my money back and for they to pay back the payment center. PLEASE HELP ME. THANK YOUI Stacia LOGANVILLE, Georgia
U.S.A.
I signed up for invent help to submit my invention to companies. At first I paid them about $400 or so then it was $8000 to do the submissions.. why it was so much who knows but I fell for it! Anyways I paid $250 a month for a year without really any information about what was going on with my invention! After realizing that I was paying for nothing I stopped paying.. They started calling me harassing me for the money mind u it was almost a year and my invention wasn't submitted to anyone!
Then I get a letter saying that I owed about $8000 which I thought that was the total price?? So they just added another $2000 or so to it? Don't get involved with this company because they give you the run around and they don't do anything with your so called invention!! Why does it cost so much $$ to submit your idea anyways? Who knows but they're getting alot of people with dreams to sign that paper! Don't do it!! Scam scam scam
It's time for invent help to go away. Class action suit needs to be done to stop the bleeding they have caused honest and creative people who beleaved them when they said they would help. Should be called Invent Hopeless..
I hired them to do something with my invention. I paid them over 2 and a half years of almost $300 a month. sometimes doing without. And 2 and a half years later after much thought and research come to find out, YES, they are a scam company. I didn't not want to believe it for over a year and kept paying them. But it is true. They have taken more than $9,000.00 and have done nothing for me. It is sad that peope can rip someone off for a living and sleep and go to work the next day as though nothing happen. What is the world coming too?
After seeing a commercial I called and researched this company by looking them up using the better business burro. In doing this I found they had nothing against them. I went to them in 2006 to see how their company works Mr. Brian k. Wood of Inventhelp (ISC)explained their process along with the amounts that they would need to process my idea. The process was first researching my idea to see if it was a patent on it all ready, purchasing a design patent witch from what I researched is useless in the process of introducing an invention, then marketing the invention.
The first time I went in 2006 I was told that the first part would coast $960 the second part of the process would include the patent and the marketing of the invention and this would coast any where from $960 to $1300. The second I went to Inventhelp with the money to pay for the research witch was $960 I paid them and got a $165 Discount. Then I was told that I would have to get a design patent for $1700.
When I got my packet in the mil it stated that I would also have to pay a standard submission fee of $9600, a concept catalog galleria submission of $12,490 and a package submission service fee of $13,990. So far I have only paid $795. Right now Im just trying to see if and how I can get my money back, and how can I get my inventions out. Justin Raleigh, North Carolina
U.S.A.
Inventhelp is a scam; they are in violation of the consent decree covered under the FTC violation from 1994 where they agreed to no longer rip people off through their sales/representative tactics. Their Seattle Rep. Jim Folger blatantly lied about the services, gave a verbal appraisal of our invention, talked us out of a patent. He completely misrepresented what this company does. Basic info package is still incomplete to this day, to the tune of $945.00, have paid over $8800.00 for invention submission services that they have no intention of seeing through. Checked out their Database of "elite companies" and contacted every one I could find(they only supply you with a co. name and state)several companies stated that they had never received my "presentation brochure"- one company owner told me that Inventhelp was a scam and that they were a bunch of "shysters". This coming from one of their supposed companies interested in new inventions from Inventhelp I have filed two FTC complaints since they have definitely violated the decision handed down upon them by the FTC in 1994.
Contacted the company and their "manager" Angela Beauchamp is a pit bull intent on not refunding my money she continually argues and harrasses you every step of the way. Going on two months of arguing and she still wont return my money. This company is making 20 million a month off of people that hope to have their inventions taken seriously and sent to the right companies to get their products marketed.Most people have borrowed to the hilt to get their product marketed and this is what this company preys upon. When this company gets into hot water with the Feds, they change their name.They are no longer Invention Submission Corp; now they are Inventhelp.
They are still a part of Intromark, the mother company and they use their own in-house finance company Universal Finance company, which is now called Universal Payment Corp; do you see a pattern here? All owned by Intromark! This company needs to be put out of business and the peoples' money returned. Would have found out they were a scam a lot sooner had they not changed their name to Inventhelp; they have offices all over the country running this same scam over and over. Every day another person gets ripped off, supposedy the Seattle office makes 2 million a month.
Their Rep.in Seattle, Jim Folger is an assistant pastor of a church in kent, Wa. he uses his "people" skills to snow people out of millions. Daily. They have just moved their Federal Way , WA. office to another location in the last 4 months since things are going poorly for them here in WA. Several people besides myself have wised-up and are going after them! Including Inventhelps own EX-district manager, who has filed a law suit against them. Deborah Orting, Washington
Here's the inside scoop on InventHelp (formally Invention Submission Corp., Invention Marketing Inc, IntroMark). All of this information is true. This company has been operating under different names for 40 years and has been perpetuating the same scam all this time. They have been sued by the Federal Trade Commision (paying over $1M dollars in fines), many State Attorney Generals, and countless clients).
They do comply with invention laws (in writing), but the salespeople (consultants) minimize these warnings on the telephone and encourage people to pay thousands of dollars for worthless services. The few inventions that they claim are successful - they've paid to have manufactured by a contract manufacturer. Practically none of their clients have made money by "submitting inventions to Industry." In fact, their system of promoting inventions is one of the oldest scams around. Here's how it works:
You'll see a TV commercial (or an internet ad) for an “invention marketing company” to help you market your idea. They offer a free “inventors package” that includes a “Non-Disclosure Form & Confidential Agreement” that they want to you to fill-out and return to them for a free review.
After a week or so, an “invention consultant” will call you (or send an email) to tell you that your idea has been “accepted” by their firm. Additionally, they’ll tell you that: 1) your idea has tremendous potential, 2) their research dept. is very excited about it, 3) they’ve never seen anything like it, 4) there’s nothing else on the market that is similar, and 5) you could make a lot of money.
Next, they’ll send you a contract for $300 – $1500 for “a research report,” and they’ll tell you that if the report comes back “negative” – you’ll receive a full refund (beware: none of these reports are negative or critical). In fact, each report is filled with standard language (boilerplate) that describe the various stages for developing any invention. You might also receive “a preliminary” patent search (which is completely unreliable) along with a drawing and some other useless information. At the conclusion of the report, it will state that your idea is sound, practical, or useful. So, now the company wants to submit your idea to the manufacturing “industry” and bilk more money from you.
Within ten days, you’ll receive an “Invention Submission Agreement” asking for $2,000 – $20,000 that will provide completely useless services for developing and promoting your idea. They’ll probably give you a choice: you can pay a very high amount and keep 90% of your future or you can pay a few thousand dollars less and keep 65% – 70%. This ploy is just a trick to encourage you to pay the highest fee and keep the highest percentage of “royalties” (that you’ll never see) – for example: you can pay $12,000 and keep 90% of future “royalties” or pay $10,000 and keep 80% or pay $8,000 and keep 70%. Most inventors choose the $12,000 – 90% plan because they’ve been convinced by the salesman (invention consultant) that they’re going to make millions.
They may also want to file a “Design Patent” which only protects the exact outer shape of your idea. However, a Design Patent does not protect the way the invention works. In some cases, the invention company will offer to file a “Provisional Patent Application” which does not protect the design and function of your idea. This application simply registers your invention at The US Patent Office on a specific date for $130 and gives you one year to file a real patent application (non-provisional). After the one year has expired, you will still need to file a real patent application (usually $8,500 – $15,000 for a simple invention). Needless to say, the invention company has no intention of paying for a real patent application that offers the only form of legal protection.
Your consultant will continue to deceive you by stating that: 1) the company will use every form of promotion to license or sell your invention, 2) you could receive a “cash-buyout” of millions of dollars, 3) you might receive a 5% royalty in addition to a huge upfront payment, and 3) they will pay all the costs associated with securing a royalty agreement (beware: they rarely – if ever – receive any legitimate interest from reputable manufacturers, corporations, venture capitalists, or organizations).
Now, this is just a small dose of the lies, misrepresentations, and outright deceptions that you will encounter with every single invention marketing company that asks you for money. So, how do they stay in business? Well, many of these firms have been closed down by the Federal Trade Commission. However, new ones keep popping-up who are more clever than their predecessors. For example, in their contracts, they include mandatory “Warnings to Inventors” that disclose the high-risk nature of inventing and the fact that most inventors lose their money. Federal and State laws require all invention companies to include a long list of warnings that describe the perils of trying to launch a new product.
The problem is that the salesman (invention consultants) are unbelievably skillful at dismissing these warnings and know exactly how to keep you hyped up. When you speak to a salesman on the phone (or in their office) they are well-rehearsed at making you believe that your invention has a very good chance of success; and it’s one of the best they’ve ever seen. Also, they’ll pump you up by saying: “this could be your one chance to make a fortune.”
The salesmen will stop at nothing. They’ll call you day and night to tell you how excited they are about your invention. They’ll also tell you that if you don’t market this invention – someone else will – and they’ll make all the money. The truth is: your salesman will say anything to motivate you to pay the fee because they receive a huge commission on your payments. In fact everyday, your salesman is telling other inventors the same exact lies that they’re telling you. Somewhere along the line, these salesman have lost their conscience and will say whatever is necessary to get your money.
You may find it hard to believe that these “nice salesmen” are devious liars because they sound so sincere on the phone or during meetings at their office. They seem to be your best buddy, but in reality they’re your worst nightmare; they know that you’ll never make a dime, and they couldn’t care less. For the salesman – it’s all about the commission.
Question: Are all fee-based invention marketing companies a scam? 99.9% (especially those that advertise on TV and the internet).
Within 4 months, you’ll feel the pangs of regret and realize that your invention company has absolutely no expertise in marketing inventions. You’ll also realize that your hard-earned money has been wasted, but you’ll find out how to receive a full refund by reading the section below.
To verify the allegations made here, simply ask your salesman to answer each question below in writing. There is a 100% guarantee that you’ll never receive any specific, truthful answers:
1) How many of your salesman’s clients have made money from marketing their inventions? (They’ll tell you that this information is confidential). What are the names of any successful ideas that were marketed by the invention company and where can you buy one? or find one on the internet? Did any of the company’s “successful” inventions go through the same exact process that you’re paying for? or did the invention company invest in these inventions or make special arrangements to get a few products on the market for their own credibility?
2) What are the total number of inventors that have made money with the company vs. the total number of clients that have paid a fee?
3) What are the names of a few successful clients who have made money? Where can they be found on the internet?
4) How can they promote your invention without an in-depth patent search and a legal opinion of patentability? What if the same exact idea has already been patented? What if the same exact idea is already in a “patent-pending” status?
5) How many prototypes has the company built-in order to improve and promote the inventions they represent?
6) If the invention company promotes inventions at trade shows – how are the patent rights be protected?
7) Who is the person at the company that has negotiated either license or sale agreements for an invention? What are the qualifications of this individual? Please provide the name of a patent attorney (hired by the invention company) who has filed a real utility patent application (non-provisional)? Is this patent attorney registered to represent you at the US Patent Office?
8) Who is the owner of the invention company? What are his/her qualifications in the field of invention development? Does the owner have any experience in selling an invention or acquiring a patent? Do any of the “invention consultants” (salesmen) have any experience promoting an invention – if so, what happened?
9) Have there been any lawsuits against the invention company for misrepresentations, fraud or wrongdoing? If so, how much money did the invention company pay to settle these claims? and to whom were the payments made?
10) Has the invention company changed its name or started a new company over the last 20 years? What were the names of these former companies and were they investigated or prosecuted by State or Federal agencies?
After a while, you’ll realize that you’ll never receive any specific answers in writing to the questions above. Hopefully, at that point, you’ll forget about working with any fee-based invention-scam.
I'd just like to say that invent help is of no help at all. The only thing they will help you do is go broke. I had a meeting with a woman in my city and sure the meeting was good, but i still left not feeling very confident, my idea was good but the cost was amazingly high. She told me between 10-14 thousand dollars. This was so my idea could be researched, a patent would be put on it and oh by the way they could finance me if i put down 2-3k. The thing that bothered me was that she couldn't even give her opinion, it could be the worst idea in the world and she couldn't tell me to go home and think of something better she 'd just get the paperwork ready and yup rip you off. Eventually they submit it to big companies. They give you nice little book, one you just bought for nearly 14k..
I also know if you finance with them you are still paying after they are done representing you which is 2 years. So at this point they've got you, hook, line and absolutley sinker. I filled out the paper work and even gave her my credit card # for the "first payment" ... Thought about and called her first thing in the morning and said nevermind. I told her that feedback, for me was very important, she can't give me her feedback but she told me how her boyfriends x just got out of jail and that she was worried. All i want to say is that if anyone is trying to submit their ideas to a company be extremely careful. Invent help doesn't care that they will likely make you broke, it made me mad when this woman had appointments all day and people are just getting ripped off. I told her it was wrong. She said she'd have her boss call me and then called back and said he won't call me, that i would see for myself then i'll call them. Didn't have to call them, found a good company who has given me feedback and they love it. She mentioned to me that is was like having a small biz, never know what's going to happen... Really? I get that sometimes their are places that need the $ to get the ball rolling but if the boss won't call to clear up some questions you may have then they are not worth it. He wouldn't answer my ?'s. I'm currently working with invent sai the've been great. If you really feel like you have something good try invent sai or moneyfor ideas.com or lambert and lambert. If your product is worth inventing one of these places will get it done. Lambert and lambert and money4ideas you pay a one time only fee. Seriously, that's it. The rest they pay for and no $ for them until they get you an offer. When submitting remember that you love your idea and you should but don't be offended if a company doesn't like it, they know what sells and if your idea doesn't sell this time, maybe the next time it will. I'd rather be out $200 instead of $14,000. That's what happens at invent help, they promise nothing, at least the other companies have faith in your idea, if it can work they will make it happen. I've investigated all of them and a few scamion came back because they didn't accept their ideas and people were mad, but remember only a few are accepted. It's not personal but it's for them to be objective. Again lose $200 or $14,000, keep your eyes and ears open.
Inventhelp - Intromark - Invention Submission Seattle Washington
Inventhelp is a scam; they are in violation of the consent decree covered under the FTC violation from 1994 where they agreed to no longer rip people off through their sales/representative tactics. Their Seattle Rep. Jim Folger blatantly lied about the services, gave a verbal appraisal of our invention, talked us out of a patent. He completely misrepresented what this company does. Basic info package is still incomplete to this day, to the tune of $945.00, have paid over $8800.00 for invention submission services that they have no intention of seeing through. Checked out their Database of "elite companies" and contacted every one I could find(they only supply you with a co. name and state)several companies stated that they had never received my "presentation brochure"- one company owner told me that Inventhelp was a scam and that they were a bunch of "shysters". This coming from one of their supposed companies interested in new inventions from Inventhelp I have filed two FTC complaints since they have definitely violated the decision handed down upon them by the FTC in 1994. Contacted the company and their "manager" Angela Beauchamp is a pit bull intent on not refunding my money she continually argues and harrasses you every step of the way. Going on two months of arguing and she still wont return my money. This company is making 20 million a month off of people that hope to have their inventions taken seriously and sent to the right companies to get their products marketed.Most people have borrowed to the hilt to get their product marketed and this is what this company preys upon. When this company gets into hot water with the Feds, they change their name.They are no longer Invention Submission Corp; now they are Inventhelp. They are still a part of Intromark, the mother company and they use their own in-house finance company Universal Finance company, which is now called Universal Payment Corp; do you see a pattern here? All owned by Intromark! This company needs to be put out of business and the peoples' money returned. Would have found out they were a scam a lot sooner had they not changed their name to Inventhelp; they have offices all over the country running this same scam over and over. Every day another person gets ripped off, supposedy the Seattle office makes 2 million a month. Their Rep.in Seattle, Jim Folger is an assistant pastor of a church in kent, Wa. he uses his "people" skills to snow people out of millions. Daily. They have just moved their Federal Way , WA. office to another location in the last 4 months since things are going poorly for them here in WA. Several people besides myself have wised-up and are going after them! Including Inventhelps own EX-district manager, who has filed a law suit against them. Deborah Orting, Washington
Inventhelp is a scam; they are in violation of the consent decree covered under the FTC violation from 1994 where they agreed to no longer rip people off through their sales/representative tactics. Their Seattle Rep. Jim Folger blatantly lied about the services, gave a verbal appraisal of our invention, talked us out of a patent. He completely misrepresented what this company does. Basic info package is still incomplete to this day, to the tune of $945.00, have paid over $8800.00 for invention submission services that they have no intention of seeing through. Checked out their Database of "elite companies" and contacted every one I could find(they only supply you with a co. name and state)several companies stated that they had never received my "presentation brochure"- one company owner told me that Inventhelp was a scam and that they were a bunch of "shysters". This coming from one of their supposed companies interested in new inventions from Inventhelp I have filed two FTC complaints since they have definitely violated the decision handed down upon them by the FTC in 1994. Contacted the company and their "manager" Angela Beauchamp is a pit bull intent on not refunding my money she continually argues and harrasses you every step of the way. Going on two months of arguing and she still wont return my money. This company is making 20 million a month off of people that hope to have their inventions taken seriously and sent to the right companies to get their products marketed.Most people have borrowed to the hilt to get their product marketed and this is what this company preys upon. When this company gets into hot water with the Feds, they change their name.They are no longer Invention Submission Corp; now they are Inventhelp. They are still a part of Intromark, the mother company and they use their own in-house finance company Universal Finance company, which is now called Universal Payment Corp; do you see a pattern here? All owned by Intromark! This company needs to be put out of business and the peoples' money returned. Would have found out they were a scam a lot sooner had they not changed their name to Inventhelp; they have offices all over the country running this same scam over and over. Every day another person gets ripped off, supposedy the Seattle office makes 2 million a month. Their Rep.in Seattle, Jim Folger is an assistant pastor of a church in kent, Wa. he uses his "people" skills to snow people out of millions. Daily. They have just moved their Federal Way , WA. office to another location in the last 4 months since things are going poorly for them here in WA. Several people besides myself have wised-up and are going after them! Including Inventhelps own EX-district manager, who has filed a law suit against them. Deborah Orting, Washington
U.S.A.
Hi, everybody, do not ever go to that company, or any eventhelp.com. I went there 12.14.2010. Fred Robinson asked me how my idea works. He asked me very privet questions about my invention. I trust him but understand he is not allowed to ask me about it. So I told him everything. I paid about 15000.00 for help and he wants also 20 % of my invention for the help the company will provide. It was a time for bedbug problems in USA. It was my invention. He told me keep it in secret. He gave me a lawyer from Florida to do the patent. It took about 3 years till I got a rejections of record, he told me lets file it again. I was shocked. I start do it myself to get a patent. And I got it. Eventhelp no help at all, they use word help to use us. They use people for the money. I lost my money. I don't need that scam company no more. They did nothing. I need my money back. I paid about 15.000 dollars. I lost even more money for my invention. If you a new inventor take lawyer yourself, it will cost you just about $3000.
Fraud - don't waste your money
This company has been sued by many Attorney Generals and has had class-action lawsuits. They get away with robbing you blind by putting disclosures in their contract that they don't promise anything. Instead, the salesman hypes you up and makes you think you're going to be a great success. It's a sucker's game that's been going on for 50 years.
Here's a terrific website that offers detailed information about this scam: https://inventorwarning.wordpress.com/
UNPON GIVING INVENTHELP,1500.00 THEY WERE TO EVAUATE MY PRODUCT,TO SUBBMIT MY PRODUCT TO DIFFERENT COMPANIES,INWHICH THE NEVER DID, BUT WANT ME TO CONTINUE TO PAY A MONTHLY FEE SO THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO SUBMIT MY IDEA TO COMPANYS. AFTER 6 MOS. THERE WAS NO RESULTS SO I STOPED SENDING MONTHLY PAYMENTS, AND NOW THEY REPORT TO MY CREDIT OF A BALANCE OF11,000.00. WHICH I HURTING MY CREDIT BADLY
Invention Submission Corp. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
In July of 2000, I took a unique design for a yard barn to Invention Submission Corp. office in Independence Oh. I had professionally done blueprints which I displayed to their rep. He gave me high pressure tactics along with a request for about $4000.00 to "make up prints" and to patent the idea. I stated that was too much and to forget it. He asked if he could show the prints to an "engineer" as this was such a good idea, they might fund part of the cost. I agreed and after about 20 min. he returned stating no one was there. I left and about a month later received a phone call asking if I was going to go with this patent. I stated no. In the fall of 2003, I happened to be in a local branch of a large lumber supply company and lo and behold, they were selling a barn constructed exactly the same as my design. I contacted the president of the Lumber Co. and explained the situation and inquiring as to where this barn design came from. All I received was the run around in subsequent phone calls. I reported this problem to the FTC but have not as yet heard from them. Did the rep. copy the prints and after determining that I was not going to file for a patent, then sell those drawings to this lumber company? You decide. Denny Copley, Ohio
InventHelp's sales representative was awesome and really, really good. He called me right back and answered every question I ever had. He has helped me out tremendously. Also, their process is simple. They sent me the 3D copy and I had a revision of it - 90 percent of it was good, but I have to change one part and sent it back. I contacted them and talked to the gentleman. He said that they were in the process of it right now and even he was great. They make it seem really easy. I hope it's as easy as he explained it and it goes that good. But so far, so good. - Vincent of Warren, MI
InventHelp is very thorough. I love the information package that has everything in it and the surveys gave me comfort. When I did not check one of the boxes because I didn't understand it, somebody called me immediately. We discussed it and once I'm okay with it, they sent me a new survey and we went from there. I also like the follow-up and the materials. All of these have potential, but we haven't started talking to manufacturers or to the marketers. It's where it will really tell whether it's a good service or not. But right now, with getting the press release done and getting the patent, which is a big step, the attorney has been fabulous to keep me informed and I'm very happy at this point.
The sales representative, Richard, is very precise and everything he said was absolutely correct. I'd ask a question and he flat wouldn't give me an answer if it was something too subjective, and I appreciated it. I called him yesterday for a very short question and he called me back within ten minutes. At my age and the things that I've been through in my life, I've learned to understand the oversell/under-deliver. InventHelp has broken that mode. I really expected a lot less and got more than I expected. I'm a pretty tough judge. Up to this point, they have done every single thing they said they would do. I asked to hold off on the brochure until we got to a patent pending and it's what we did. They sent me a draft and let me review it. I couldn't have asked for better. - Mike of Dallas, TX
I came up with an invention and I started Googling how to present it. And it hit me, "Oh, wait. What about InventHelp?" So I sent an email and I got a reply back. I met up with them in my local InventHelp office and we went over it. It was a very smooth and very professional experience. I would recommend InventHelp to anybody that has an idea that he thinks might not work. They made me feel confident enough to share personal ideas and lifestyle. Right now, I'm still with them.
They sent me a few things in the mail with a preview model of my invention. I'm currently having conversations with my patent attorney that they recommended. I get friendly and quick response from everybody, from phone calls, to emails, to letters in the mail that I have to respond with my confirmation and my signature to agree or change what they've done so far. It's been awesome and I'm very much enjoying it and hopefully, this all pans down and works out. It was an unforgettable experience. - Hanud of New York, NY
My experience with the Company Inventhelp has been an 11 month ordeal from which I now want nothing but liberation. After paying a $3000 down-payment on a roughly $12,000 promotional package, I went through a several month period where literally nothing happened. When they did start their alleged marketing, it consisted of several poorly-drafted paragraph-long documents. The brochure could have been done by a high school student and turned out better than their professionals.
As the months rolled along and their finance department drained my account at a rate of $370/month, they sent me periodic updates as to what they've done for me. They sent lists of companies to which the idea was submitted, along with a very nice letter of inspiration. The mailing consisted of about a dozen pages, including the glossy flyer they had printed up to describe the idea to those companies with whom they had confidentiality agreements. When I contacted them, asking for more detailed documentation regarding these submissions (copies of the mailings they sent out, names of the recipients, dates, etc...) I was turned down yet again. They actually refused to explain to their client exactly what their service consisted of.
At this point I asked that they terminate my contract. Paul the man who had made initial and repeated contact with me in response to my preliminary interest in the company. I spoke with Mike, from client services, who quite jovially explained that I was well past my 7 day termination period. A 7 day termination period on a 2 year contract. Moreover, they actually refused to stop working on the marketing. Mike explained to me that they would only terminate if I stopped allowing them to debit my bank account-in which case I would face the collection agencies, a ruined credit rating, and potential lawsuit. When I asked Mike what percentage of their clients got a positive return on their investment, he claimed not to know the specifics. This came as a shock because after a sizeable lawsuit was successfully leveled against Inventhelp in 1994, they were ordered to disclose their success rate to any future clients. Mike ventured a guess, stating it was "probably less than 1 percent". In fact, it's closer to .25 percent. This translates to about 15 happy clients out of a pool of 6000. It is of little doubt to me that this statistic is well known to every employee of the company. However, their reluctance to ever utter it out loud-even to clients whom they've already trapped-is extremely telling of the results that can be expected of their services.
Their reluctance to deal with their clients, however, goes even farther. The company refuses to communicate by email. They will receive them, but will never respond, preferring instead to talk on the phone where documentation is far more difficult. Email addresses for the company are very hard to find in general, and when they are found they are always generic addresses such as [email protected]. There is never a specific name attached to any correspondences. Their official mailings are always signed at the end: "the Client Services Department".
In fact, in my entire 11 month relationship with them, I have yet to receive a single document from this company signed by an actual person. It seems that they will do anything to avoid any personal responsibility for their actions. Given such a diehard commitment to their own anonymity, it comes as no surprise that their thousands of clients and tens of millions of dollars in fees are balanced by just a handful of happy endings.
Of course, as Inventhelp will point out, they do everything their contract says. They do not promise results-which is reasonable. What they must promise, however, is a good faith effort to achieve a result. Evidence of this good faith, as the above story illustrates, is not available to those to whom it matters most-their clients. But while the good people at Inventhelp may consider their treatment of their clientele to be enough to stay in business, it in no way makes their business justified or ethical. Their business model depends on hopeful but naïve laypeople rushing into purchases they often cannot afford, and then paying the consequences. If an invention gets sold, it generally has little if anything to do with their marketing efforts. I urge anybody who is considering this company to go elsewhere-preferably a company that does not charge a fee in advance and actually has a selection process for the products they market.
Invent Help is a total rip off! This company prays on consumers who don't have knowledge of the invention marketing industry. They tell the public that they can get your invention to store shelves, when really they are padding their pockets. They will not act in the best interest of the client. If theyou secure a deal for you, they charge 20% of what your deal is. The USPTO only recommend you pay 10%. I was an Invent Help Client. Paid almost $400/month, that was automatically debited from my account, after a 1,000 down payment. My total contract was just over $10,000 and was a 2 year contract. I consider myself one of the luck ones, because I got off cheap compared to others. Partly because they couldn't truly protégé my invention, so that was a service I didn't need. The only service that I received that proved to be worth the money, was the independent patent search. Which was done by an independent attorney. I then paid for marketing research. That was later found to be not of any use because it was done "in house".
After being with the company a year, having spent over $5,000, I realized they were doing nothing on my behalf. Invent Help represent their company as if it has many relationships with manufacturers to market your product to. When really, if a manufacturer is not in their database of companies who have signed a non disclosure with them, they will not send or market your invention to them. So you just have to hope they have a vast list of companies in your invention's SIC code or category. When I tried to cancel the services they told me I was out of the 7 day termination period. It literally took more than 7 days to get a completed contract for services. That I could discontinue services but still had to pay. The only thing Invent Help did on my behalf, by way of marketing in a years time, was send out letters to request submission. A 3 page list of companies, in which they state the only received 1 response for more info but that company later declined. I never once saw an official document that they sent out or that they received from that company. I contacted them to cancel in Sept. 2014 and aside from being told I couldn't cancel, I was told they would send out more letters in that coming January. That was supposed to excite me and regain my faith in them. Be very leary of this company. They literally have a .25% success rate.
This company Inventhelp has been scamming people for forty yrs. They lower you in with the promise to patent your idea. The send you junk mail while you're paying thousands of dollars Then they send you a so call prototype foto of your idea,they tell you your idea is being summited to there so called database and ITS A SCAM,All they want is your money your idea so they sell it
Fraud - don't waste your money!
This company has been sued by many Attorney Generals and has had class-action lawsuits. They get away with robbing you blind by putting disclosures in their contract that they don't promise anything. Instead, the salesman hypes you up and makes you think you're going to be a great success. It's a sucker's game that's been going on for 50 years.
Here's a terrific website that offers detailed information about this scam: https://inventorwarning.wordpress.com/