Ok, I had an invite with a paid dinner after I sat through some 90 minutes of a sales pitch here is some information to consider before you deal with anyone anywhere in the world.
1. The so called invite has a www but no physical address. Deceptive under most laws in the US and abroad. Dead give away that it is too good to be true.
2. Being an unemployed geek and everyone knowing the dot com that are dot gone. This is yet another effort to make the scammers rich while ripping off investores, and ligit business people for another pie in the sky dream. The money is not in what they sell but in selling what you do not know.
3. A dot com address now www.dotwhatever costs like $14.95 per year plus a hosting cost at about $20.00 per month. Want to accept credit cards check out www.paypal.com . No cost just need a legit bank acount and routing numbers and a valid email address. 4. If you found this page then you at least tok the time to research and if you want a dot com so bad hire a local geek to do the job for you at least they will be a body before you and give you a working site. What really burns my butt about all this is the fact that this company goes and takes advantage of public records in the US and other countries of people unemployed and given the world money thing looks rather bleek, and markets a service to yet rip off people and small business.
My advice don't waste 90 minutes, hire a ligit geek you can look at take advantage of what is out here. Me I've sent off my complaint to the AG in my state, both for their missuse of public records and their decpetive so called free dinner. Only way to stop this sort of stuff is to report it! Michael Seattle, Washington
I received a letter from storesonline inviting me to attend an internet business marketing semnar and a fre dinner for two. The presentation was done quite professionaly, although the so called dinner consisted of a ham or turkey sandwich, chips, and a soft drink. The true purpose of the seminar was to get me to an all day workshop, for which i was askd to pay $30 to secure a place for me and a friend. We also lost a day of work to attend.
There was a large number of senior citizens presentIncuding myself), most of them have never even used a computer, we were told we didn't need a computer to start promoting their product, and a good percentage of us signed up for the work shop. I attended the workshop here in orlando, fl. On sept 19,2002. They said that anyone could do this even if they didn't know how to use a computer. Infact, they fired so much information at you, that by the end of the day, you were so fired up that you didn't know what hit you. I was told that if i didn't buy my storefronts now, they would not offer it to me again, it was a one time chance.
So i bought 6 storefronts at $5199.00 on my credit card. I was not told when i signed their papers that i had only 3 business days to change my mind. I went home with the kits, ready to get started. I read over all the paper information provided in the kit and ran the cd that was provided, which none of it was of any help. And it took me more than 3 days because i work. I couldn't make head or tails of it so i decided to send it back and get my money back. It was almost 3 wks. From the time of the workshop and i get a call from storesonline.Jim tilton) i immediately told him i was sending the kits back. He informed me that i couldn't because i signed a contract and it has been over 3 business days. I told him no one said anything about 3 business days, i thought i had 30 days. Now he offers me a personal coach to get me going to get my money coming in.
Then he turns the phone over to dan orton to smooth talk me into the personal coach at the price of $5712.00, to cover hotine,mentoring marketing ,10 preset coaching sessions,600 banners, 6000 vistors, 400 links for trade, etc. All of which should have been in the kits i already bought. I was to receive a coaching package through fedx. They charged my credit cards immediately, before i signed any papers but this time they told me i had 3 business days to change my mind after i received the package and signed for it.I never received the package because fedx tried to deliver when i was at work and they would not leave the package because they needed my signature. A couple of days later the personal coach calledJohn hamilton) for our 1st. Session.
I told him i wanted to cancel. The next day jim tilton calls me and ask whats going on. I told him i cancelled. He aksed if he could call me right back. Ten minutes later another person calls me Nate ?) he told me if i continued, he would give back my $5712.00 if i tried as hard as i could and still didn't start my money coming in by 6 mos. I told him to give me 1 week and i would let him know. Meanwhile, a friend looked up storesonline on the internet and found all the scamion. So i called nate ? Back 1 week later and left a messagein his voice mail that i still wanted to cancel. I then called my credit card bans and put a dispute against the charges from storesonline. I sent back the 2 kits (6 storefronts) and i again called my credit card bank and put in a dispute against the 1st charge for $5199.00. Now i am following the victimized list. Wanda orlando, florida
On january 3, 2003 my girlfriend and i attended a "seminar" on internet marketing offered by stores online. I had been solicited through a direct mailing and had previously attended a free informational seminar. We paid $20 to attend the full day seminar held at the sheraton in tacoma, wa. During the course of the seminar they had several people running around to process credit information and whenever there was a break we were pressured into making a decision now or it would cost more if we waited.
This company said that we could set up a storefront through their store building package which we could purchase that day at a discounted price. They promised free technical support and help to develop these storefronts. People were being asked to buy 6 of these storefronts, we elected to only buy 3. Some of the seminar was conducted by a person who said he had had great success and was there because he was so grateful to storesonline for his success and wanted to share it with all of us. We gave them $500 against a debit card and signed contract for the balance of $2899. There was a great deal of pressure applied personally every time there was a break.
They said they would finance anyone. Jake cannon, the young man who was working us came back with the information that i had "slightly" better credit than my girlfriend and therefore should put it in my name. I should have known then because my girlfriend is going through a divorce and is in debt heavily. After we returned home and had a chance to look at the package we decided that we should research this company. We do not possess the technical knowledge needed to "build" our own storefront. To get this knowledge we need to use their technical services and this is not a free service. At that point we knew we had been duped.
We started doing more research on the company and found that it's business practices are shady at best. They function under the names of storesonline, galaxy mall, imergent, imergentc. We found the scamion and were dismayed to find that we were not the only people who had been duped. We read a report that a consumer had put the cd in his computer and tried to run it. He had windows xp, as do we, and the cd jammed his computer. We decided not to take that chance. We decided to return the materials and cancel the contract under the 3 day right of recission law. Even though their contract states that we have no such right, the laws of our state are very specific about what our rights are. The ftc states that we are entitled to this right for any transaction held as a seminar in a banquet room of a hotel.
We sent our materials via ups and they were accepted by the company. We wrote to mr. Poelman and expressed our displeasure and our intent to cancel the contract. They have refused to do that. We spoke on several occassions to cammi chandler who is in customer relations. This was after we filed a complaint against the company with the attorney general of washington. She responded to the attorney general with a very ambiguous letter that indicated that she was trying to help us.
We have had a lawyer write to the company and we e-mailed back a response to the e-mail she had sent to the attorney general and indicated that she was less than forthcoming with the response. We told the finance company, fair financial, that we were not going to pay. They told us that my credit would be impacted but after 3 months of no payment the contract reverts to stores online. Since that time we have founds reports on their other names and also reports under www.Webscam.com. We do not feel that this is an honest company and we will not do business with them. They have kept all the material returned and we will fight to get our money back and my credit history restored.
I am interested in a class action lawsuit. To other readers: file a complaint with your attorney general; www.Worldjustice.com is a legal resource center that provides free services and a forum to submit your complaint. Another consumer has compiled thorough list of steps to take. I will restate them here. Did you purchase your business before you became a business? If you were a consumer purchasing this business before you became a legal business entity, then you have rights underthe consumer protection agency. Tell them that you were a consumer at the time and request a legal mediation or arbitration. Send your complaint and factual documentation to: division of consumer protection, heber m. Wells building, second floor, 160 east 300 south, sm 146704, salt lake city, ut 84114, (801)350-6601.
Send your complaint to all state agencies, county attorney, state attorney general, consumer protection, state senator and congressman. Send a copy of your complainttothe fbi's cybercrime unit. Explain and send factual information I.E. If the disc that sol gave you in the tool builder kit is worthless, send it as evidence. Send what you can to: cybercrime task force, fbi, 52272 south college drive, 2nd floor, murray, ut 84123 contact cammi chandler in customer relations at 801-227-0004 or e-mail her at [email protected]. Sol is required to have a department to handle the large volume of complaints that have been submitted to the bbb of utah. Protect yourself while protecting others. Sol has a listing of cities and states that are hosting these scam conferences. Go to www.Iregnow.com. There you will find if sol is hosting a conference in your city.
Remember you have a right to "assemble" as long as it is peacful and within the confines of the law. Picket, pass out information to these unsuspecting guests, hand out bbb of utah company reports, etc. Contact the media in your area and let them know a week or two in advance. On a personal note: since the customers are solicited by direct mailings there is very little chance that they will find each other again in their city. This makes it tough to get together for a class action suit. Take these steps that debbie in union, or so diligently put together. Look for other consumer complaint forums and file there. We are only out about $3500.
Many people that attended that conference/seminar are out much more. We have chosen to limit our loss by not using any of their technical or hosting services. We no longer have any of the materials, the cd, etc. I believe that their acceptance of our return is their acceptance of our wish to cancel our contract. Our lawyer is looking into more law governing these types of transactions. Best of luck to all! hunter olympia, washington
U.S.A. Click here to read other scamion on galaxy mall / galaxy enterprises
Buyer Beware rip-off scam liars ripoff swindler ripoff swindlers ripoff thieves ripoff waste of time Caveat Emptor Buyer Beware ..... Dear Gentle Reader, Before you read this document, please know that I have no personal gain stating what is to follow. I am a man who has seen too much deceit and misleading ploys used by companies to get unwitting prospects to commit financially to whatever is being offered. Consider the following about Storesonline.com carefully. I responded to an ad to attend an internet seminar hosted by Storesonline. Interested in conducting business on the web, I went to the presentation/dinner and listened to a promotion of Storesonline.
I was skeptical of the company and the claims made. After the seminar, I asked the promoters some very basic questions. (They would not allow questions to be asked by prospects in front of the whole group they readily acknowledged this purposeful damage control tactic.) They could not answer my interrogatories. They did not even know the ticker symbol for their companys stock on the exchange. Knowing these men were sales people, I did not expect them to be versed in technical issues about the Storesonline operation; but, I did expect them to have knowledge of some general concepts.
For example, I asked them if a static IP address was part of their hosting service. They never heard of a static IP address much less if it came with the package. I asked what the average search engine ranking was for all sites supported by Storesonline.com. They did not know. I underscored that an informed company would have a database that gave them an indication of the success of the average web site. They had no idea; but, they did flaunt the rankings of the web sites used in their presentation.
I asked them about their ability to support the customer service back end of their operation to the satisfaction of new clients. Specifically, considering that they are in the promotion business (they are interested in selling their services to as many people as possible), I wanted to be sure that they could support their present clientele as well as future clients. Two sales people answered generally that they did not know or that they successfully supported their customers. Not satisfied with these answers, I asked specifically about clients being on hold, time delays preventing a site from being built, and the lack of follow through with new clients.
Again, I was told that they handle their customer support with no problems. I finally asked what was they greatest drawback with their customer support operation. (I know that growing companies have room for improvement.) I was told there were no drawbacks. At one point, a lady in front of me asked a question that the speaker could not answer. Knowing that prospects were listening to the exchange, he told the lady that he had other people to talk to and that he would speak with her later. He continued to state that he was not putting off the lady or her question. He just needed to get to other questions. Wanting to learn more about internet marketing, I decided to attend the all day workshop. The $20.00 seemed to be a modest cost to learn more.
Now that I set the stage as to my mindset and initial skepticism about Storesonline, I want to get to the substance of this letter. I did some due diligence on the web. I tried to bring up the sites referenced in the storesonline presentation. I had limited success. Not satisfied with the lack of answers to basic questions asked at the seminar, the next day I left a message on Brandon Lewis voice mail. Mr. Lewis is the president of Storesonline.com. I was very specific that I would not do business with him until I had satisfactory answers. I also told him that I had some thoughts about the seminar that he might be interested in knowing.
Mr. Lewis NEVER returned my call. I continued my due diligence. Based upon the web sites referenced in the presentation, I called some of the owners. I called the San Diego Surfing Academy. I spoke to the wife of the owner, Lynn. PLEASE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ. Lynn told me unequivocally that Storesonline did not create the surfing web site. She said her husband created it with Galaxymall some six to seven years ago. The surfing academy web site was with Galaxy mall for only one year. Lynn then told me that Storesonline acquired galaxymall; but, that the surfing academy never did business with Storesonline.
She also stated that they, the owners of the surfing academy, left several messages with Storesonline. The owners of the surfing academy wanted Storesonline to stop using them in their presentation. Storesonline has NEVER returned their calls. Lynn stated that she had a problem with the income representation made about their business. She told me that the surfing academy did not make the income from the web site that is referred to in the Storesonline presentation. She also stated that the information about the surfing academy acquiring clients from France via the web site is false. She stated that the French customers came from the local Chamber of Commerce. I spoke with the owner of the cow pie clocks web site referenced in the Storeonline presentation.
This owner stated that Storesonline did not create their site and that I was the four millionth caller to inquire about the relationship they had with Storesonline.com. I DID qualify to the owner of the cow pie clock site that I could not recall if Storesonline stated that they were responsible for the site in any way, but that it was presented in such a manner as to give credence to the idea. Two weeks after my first call to Brandon Lewis, I called again. He was not available. I was told that I could speak to his assistant Stacy about my concerns. Stacy was a very pleasant and professional lady. I told her my concerns about the initial presentation I attended. I spoke to her about the unanswered questions I asked of the promoters.
I told her of my call to Brandon Lewis, which was not returned. I finally got to the crucial reason I was now speaking with her. I told her that I felt that Storesonline suffered from a lack of integrity and was misleading unwitting prospects. I told her of my conversation with the owner of the San Diego Surfing Academy. Stacy stated that Storesonline was responsible for the creation of this surfing academy web site. I told her that Storesonline was NOT that Galaxymall was responsible for one year seven years ago! I told Stacy that there were issues of the income representation and the customers from France.
Stacy volunteered to read a letter from the surfing academy. (I made sure Stacy clarified it was written to Galaxymall years ago.) The letter summarized that the owners of the surfing academy were pleased with the web site and results from the same. The owners stated that they had some X amount of customers by August of that year. (In that letter, the owners clarified that this X number of customers were not all from the web site.) PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY: So I asked Stacy how Storesonline arrived at the income representation for the presentation I attended. She told me that Storesonline simply took the total X number of Surfing Academy customers for the year and multiplied it by the average admission cost, thus arriving at the total income represented to Storeonline prospects.
Storesonline included ALL customers NOT customers distinctly generated from the web site alone! Storeonline did not even have a number of clients generated from the web site. I was beside myself. I told Stacy that even the owners of the surfing school stated in the letter that the X number of customers was not solely from the web site created by GALAXYMALL. To use the total clients for an income representation is reprehensible! I told Stacy that I felt that Storesonline would have gained credibility by telling me at the seminar that Storesonline acquired Galaxymall. I told her that I felt that Storesonline should have represented that they had no relationship with the surfing academy and that the relationship was between the surfing academy and galaxymall. THE FOLLOWING IS VERY REVEALING! Stacy then told me that they do not refer to galaxymall in the presentation because there was an expose some years ago on television, by a prominent news program, about galaxymall making misleading representations and customers feeling as if they were fleeced out of the exorbitant fees with no results. Figure that!
I would encourage each of you to think about these issues carefully when considering doing business with this operation. Storesonline may have internet savvy, but they clearly lack the integrity to represent things as they should be represented. Consequently, they do not pass muster to earn my trust and business. As you proceed, be discerning. Caveat Emptor is Latin for Buyer Beware. In the interest of privacy, I will not leave my phone number. But I will provide an email address should you wish to contact me.
It is support@ phonecardforlife.com. I traveled 1 hours and spent money to print these letters to give to attendees at the "workshop." I have gained nothing from letting you know my thoughts. However, I believe that good men who do nothing are part of the problem. Best wishes and may God bless you this new year. Regards James Frederick, Virginia
U.S.A. Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Storesonline
Fraudulent ripoff business, false promises, consumer rip-off fraud, won't refund payment despite several appeals ..... This company got me to pay $2,400.00 by credit card. When it became clear they did not have any products to offer I decided to withdraw, but the company would NOT refund me my money. I have tried to reason with them but I am getting nowhere. It is nearly a year now. Nkiruka Cheverly, Maryland
I admit I was totally fooled by the conference and workshop, my husband and I believed everything they told yesterday at the all-day workshop. Plus the fact that we were approved for an installment loan that we have never been able to get for anything else. I gave them a post-dated check for $300 and I am going to put a stop payment on it as soon as I finish this report. I feel very foolish beacuse this is the second scam I have encountered in the last 3 months. These people sure know the kind of people to go after. If life were better for us financially we probably would not have bitten. Now, besides being homeless in the next two weeks, we might be out $300. Someone needs to stop these people from running their scams. Carolynn Fremont, California
I purchased six sites yesterday in Concord California. I decided I did not wish to do business with SOL after I researched SOL and saw some of the complaints on it. I was led to believe the company was a reputable company but I found it had changed names several times. I feel all of this is deceptive business practice. The product CD never worked correctly and the so called proprietary info. on the site was available anywhere for free. I spoke with a representative of SOL and he told me I could not have a refund as I had signed all right to refund away.
I spoke with my credit card company and have told them why I want to dispute this charge. I tried to get a refund to my credit card of the full amount under the FTC 3 day cooling of period and am still fighting it. I do not think I will be able to cancel through Visa. I have contacted the FTC and California Attorneys office in regard to this issue. Washington state just posted a Cease & Desist against StoresOnline. Here is link: http://www.dfi.wa.gov/sd/S-03-010-03-TO01.pdf For those of you from California please contact the California Attorney General. The form is at: http://caag.state.ca.us/contact/index.htm .
I encourage everyone to contact there Attorney Generals and Kent Nelson at the Utah Division of Consumer Protection as he is preparing a case against them, so please contact him quickly. Do something or just resign yourself to being ripped off. These people need to be stopped. Kent - Utah Investigator Division of Consumer Protection Heber M. Wells Building, Second Floor 160 East 300 South SM 146704 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114 801-530-6601 fax: 801-530-6001 Better Business Bureau 5673 S. Redwood RD. Suite 22 Taylorsville, Utah 84123-5322 FAX# (801) 892-6002 Murph Concord, California
I have been "taken" by Stores on Line. They are a group of shysters who make promises they cannot or will not fulfill. I never felt that I would "fall" for this type of scam...but these people know how to "sell the Dream". I attended a seminar in Novi, MI on June 19, 2002. I purchased three storefronts and was told my drop ship sources would enable me to sell on the internet. The sources given by stores on line were not available, had discontinued products I was interested in selling or no longer in business. On July 3, 2002 we were contacted by PMI, an affliate of Stores On Line for a personal coach to help us get our "store" on the Net. The store opened by the end of September 2002. Watching the "hits" to the site we saw over 600 visitors and not one sale. I then tried to make a sale myself and it could not be processed. I contacted Stores On Line and after 48 hours I was told there was no electronic means to make a purchase. I asked why they put my website "live" without a means to complete the transaction? They told me it was my responsibility and I should have read my information booklet. For this I paid thousands of dollars! Chris Farmington Hills, Michigan
Well.. StoresOnline is making the rounds in the Southern California area right now. I was at a day long seminar today that I ended up leaving early. All they wanted from me was $2500 for 3 store fronts (ie web sites.. get 1, 2 or 3.. same price), or $4300 for 6 store fronts (4,5 or 6 same price) (and because I showed up TODAY, they'll waive the $2800 initial programming fee!!).. another $999 to set up the merchant account (originally $1800, but buy TODAY and get it for only $999 - any quick search on the web and you can find merchant services for MUCH less).. another $150 for first year maintenance (monthly fee of 24.95/mo after 1yr).. additional costs for the PBnext phone system.. additional charges for live chat on my store front (I can put a free chat on any website.. why pay for it?).. extra fees all over the place. And amazingly.. I could qualify for their financing. If you saw my credit history.. you'd see that no one in their right mind would give me credit, especially not 3500-4000$ worth! But there was no credit history run.. I was simply 'approved'. We did get 2 free meals.. a continental breakfast and a chicken or veggie lasagna for lunch. I went as the guest with a friend who attended he original 90 minute seminar (she paid the 20$ for us to go to the day long seminar). Seminar was held at the Hyatt in Santa Clarita, CA. This scam is basically a mid level hard sell to get you to put up the money TODAY! Although they do say that we have 90 days from the date of the seminar to receive these wonderful prices :) They're focusing on the desperate, and those with no PC skills beyond checking email. There were about 200-250 people there, mostly older couples, but a few young bucks with good BS detectors like myself. Their pricing is OUTrageous.. you.. Mr. or Mrs. reader.. can setup a business website any day of the week. About 20$ gets you your own domain name, another $50 for a web development software package you can buy at almost any electronics/computer store.. minimal charges for a merchant account (if you want to use credit cards).. and a little PC footwork on your own. Please people.. DO NOT be duped by these guys and gals running this dog and pony show. One of StoresOnline 'deals' is there links4trade.. which the speaker said he 'could not tell us about'.. Wonder why that is when there's a website devoted to it called links4trade.com :) And gee.. guess where they are located? You guessed it.. Orem, Utah :) Now I'm not saying this is a 'bad' service, storesonline.com in general, that is. But what they offer, you can get for DRAMATICALLY less with just a little searching. Don't get bullied into spending a dime with these bozo's.. do some research, then approach them with the other prices you find, and see if they will price match.. My guess will be no. I really felt bad for the people I saw pulling out pens and signing papers.. but P.T. Barnum did say 'there's a sucker born every minute'. Another interesting point.. was that the sales people were pulling people out of the seminar for their '1 on 1' consultations (or, the Please sign that check and give it to me consultation).. apparently what the speaker had to say wasn't very important at that time :) This is nothing more than a Marketing 101 class, of which they want you to pay big for.. Don't be fooled! Eric Saugus, California
Storesonline seems to be on the up and up and they present a professional looking seminar. They are very deceiving in leading you to believe you will make money right away and gain control of your time. They paint you a beautiful picture of the american dream. The real truth is they just want to get you alone with one of their counsolers so they can get you to sign on the dotted line.
One counsoler in particular continued to harass my mom to go back and talk with him to the point where one of the other counsolers noticed it and came over to apologize and offer them to come back to the next seminar even though they had not bought the package. I was not so lucky I did sign on the dotted line. Don't make that mistake. Kathy Seymour, Indiana
The Better Business Bureau of Washington, Idaho, and Montana has issued an alert that Storesonline is holding workshops locally during the month of April: "The concern with this company offering a workshop soon in Richland, Washington, is that they currently have a Cease and Desist order from the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions." www.thelocalbbb.com/alerts/alerts.html?newsid=626&newstype=1 In addition, the Billings Gazette (Montana) ran an article in last Sunday's paper describing Storesonline as the "Scam du Jour" www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/04/10/build/business/40-falstad.inc Etwana Fresno, California
I attended storesonline seminar in london on 16th october 2004. I have been required to pay 8500 pounds uk sterling. I have asked for official receipts but have not had them. I have had 6 phone calls from their trainer spencer maughan who last instraucted me to use storesonline web site to download a template webpage. I have tried to get this web page but it apears to be unobtainable.
I went to a Stores Online Training Seminar in September,2003 and after much thought, my husband and I decided what they were offering "sounded" real and that they could help us with an online business. I gave them a downpayment of $300, left with the materials I had just bought, then went home and began to read and try to set up the websites. Within a few days we got a call from PMI stating they were calling to offer us fee-based help to get our sites going. I told them that Stores OnLine told me they would not give out our info to any other company, and that we had just paid $5199 for that service included with our websites. I went online to the SO chat and was told I DID know they would send them to me, that it was part of their "script". So I kept ignoring the calls from PMI and tried to build my first site. I still have not completed it as it was not user friendly, and I cannot pay Stores Online $50/hour to help me with it. I have been reading many complaints from very dis-satisfied customers. All of which, just like me, were given impressions of what we paid for that was just not true. Also there have been many claims with the BBB, and your site states there is only ONE still open ... why? I want my deposit and my 3 payments returned, I want to void this contract. The "knowledge" supposedly given that gives them the "no cancelation, no refund" rights, is nothing that I did not already know or could not easily get for free off of the Internet. Their claims to that are not valid. I acquired no new understanding of this kind of business. It was the idea they gave me that once I paid for these sites they would be there to get me going and become successful. They say they do not refund to detour possible theft of information. They have "stolen" from me and from many others and they need to be stopped. They are a big business and I am but a small voice, but the BBB needs to intercede for the clear morality of this issue, they are the cheats, and the thieves, and the United States should protect it's own. Jack phoenix, Arizona
Well, I'm thinking I'm a more recent victim of the Stores Online Scam...We attended our workshop on Oct. 11, 2003 in Anchorage, Alaska... I bought a 3 site pack. When I got home, I was really nervous about what I'd just done, but read the agreement and realized that there was no refund offer (something they didn't tell us)... The stores online stuff was no where NEAR as user friendly as it was made out to be in the workshop, and the services offered didn't really seem to be worth the 3,800 I paid for them... I mean, I could get sites for WAY cheaper than that... So I've decided to just work hard and make this happen. After all, we can't afford NOT to. Then we get a call from PMI Coaching. Again the thought went through our minds... Is this a big scam? We even asked the guy on the phone--is this a scam? Utah--Mormons. That's honestly what I kept going back too. Come on--these guys are Mormons from Utah. Mormons are generally pretty good guys, right? Well, after reading what you guys have to say... Is there anyone REAL that I can talk to who has actually succeeded with StoresOnline? The guy who spoke at our workshop (flew up from WA) supposedly was... www.wheatgrasskits.com is one of his succesful sites... He also marketed printer cartridges, but I can't remember the site address to that one...Is the wheatgrasskits.com real site from stores online? Is he a real guy??? Does anybody know? Am I ever feeling gullible now! We were going to make our big deal with PMI coaching tomorrow--thankfully a friend emailed me this site today, before I added 8,500 bucks to the scam! Yes, we were feeling nervous about it, but the pmi website looked fairly sound. Through the member-only page, which they gave me a password to get into, I did find a lot of great companies who will dropship. That made me feel like it was all legit... We put our initial $3,500 on our VISA. I called them, and I think we should be able to get it back. I am feeling so disappointed! I was thinking this was our big 'break' into making additional income. As a stay-home mom, I've been looking for an opportunity like this for a while...something I could do from home, etc... Well, looks like I'll be looking into other venues... Argh! Thanks so much to all the previous posters who've shared their advice with all of us. I've read through most all the posts, copied out a lot of helpful info, and really appreciate the time you've taken for the benefit of others. Well, I'll be a lot smarter in the future... I guess that's one good lesson learned! I'll be calling storesonline tomorrow morning, when they open. I look forward to any responses to this post. ARE there any real stores online success stories out there??? Molly Anchorage, Alaska
I am adding to the report I made yesterday on Charter Medical aka [email protected].
At the offset, if I am wrong, in any way regarding this report I will change it as a matter of ethics, that is if they come through with their delivery of the same medication that my Dr. orders for me. I admit that I sent them a rather turse email regarding what I had read up on them through this site. It scared me very badly that I might not see the medication I ordered or any refund. The replies back were totally insultive and what one would never expect from a Legitimate company. Please note that they don't give you their phone number to calll and talk to a real live person and will only take Money Orders which I find very suspcious and leaving you with only a promise. One in which you can only hope they will comply with their promise.
Having read the report made of those who never received their product and never got their money back.
AFTER SENDING MY RATHER TURSE EMAIL TO PUT THEM ON NOTICE THAT THEY NEEDED TO FULFILL THEIR END OF THE AGREEMENT OR ELSE THIS IS WHAT THEY SENT BACK. UNBELIEVABLE AND WORTH READING THEIR INSULTS, COPIED AND PASTED BELOW:
As of today we have NOT yet received and frankly if you insist on us believing you sent it in we must also insist that you YOU believe us as well.
Maybe you should use your knowledge of the US Mail to find out what happened to your payment or say an extra prayer in the hope that it does make it to us.
Also please note that we will afford you the same courtesy and respect as you afford us.
Until now.....it seems to us you are just another lying deadbeat strung out junky trying to get free merchandise on the net. Your payment would have proved you wrong.
Thanks for wasting our valuable time.
I REPLIED TO THEM VIA EMAIL COPIED AND PASTED BELOW:
Oh wow, I am shocked, this will look great on Ripp-Off.com. You really should check you temper! Unprofessional at best!
Dr.Martin In a message dated 2/29/2016 3:03:52 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, [email protected] // writes:
AFTER SENDING THAT RESPONSE, I RECEIVED YET another email and here it is below:
Oh it´s OK to be nasty but when you are treated nasty in return it´s not OK? You become shocked?
We are NOT Beckman Medical....they are even posted on the Scam Website page of our website.
Maybe when you sober up....you might take the time to see for yourself.
What amazes us more is that you insult and apologize at the same time....and you call yourself a man of God?
Do you consider yourself above doing your due dilligence? Have you even bothered to see if your money order has been cashed and by whom?
We are certain you have not....which is typical of deadbeat junkies. maybe it is time to look in the mirror and finally confess to yourself what you really are.
NO NEED TO REPLY
Their reply (Response) was to the follwing email I sent to them.
Oh it´s OK to be nasty but when you are treated nasty in return it´s not OK? You become shocked?
We are NOT Beckman Medical....they are even posted on the Scam Website page of our website.
Maybe when you sober up....you might take the time to see for yourself.
What amazes us more is that you insult and apologize at the same time....and you call yourself a man of God?
Do you consider yourself above doing your due dilligence? Have you even bothered to see if your money order has been cashed and by whom?
We are certain you have not....which is typical of deadbeat junkies. maybe it is time to look in the mirror and finally confess to yourself what you really are.
NO NEED TO REPLY
Know that I am a Disabled Veteran make around 10K per month, dead beat? Rental income is the highest revenue, and he calls me "dead beat! who needs to sober up." Also my IQ is in the Mensa arena of 143-153 on two different tests andone question had nothing to due with IQ but learned knowledge. I am also the author of many books. One published one is on the market at any major book outlet. "Through Sunshine & Rain." by Rev. Duane A Martin and they don't call me Dr. for nothing.
Do you want to do business with them, well I can only hope that you have a great experience but you will not have phone number to call them them and they are not under any agreement to reply.
I went to the seminar with a dream, to own my own online adult store. I expressed this to the salesman (who knew more about the company policy than I did) and my concerns about whether stores online would accept my business. He responded that they would but to double check he went to ask a supervisor. When he returned he assured me that it really wasnt the "nature" of my business that was against company policy, rather a matter of packaging. As long as my website was tasteful and clean looking without overt sex and nudity my site would be acceptable. He even went as far as to say that they would never really check one way or another because they had so many other websites online besides mine. Everything he said of course is a lie. And I have since paid into this company about 1,100 dollars that I didnt have to give away. They discontinue products and overcharge.Of course I should have never signed on the dotted line, against my better judgement. Now of course I have no use for these sites--- I have no interest in selling toasters,couches or any other such product. Victoria Union City, Georgia
We were taken in by Stores on Line. We purchased 6 web sites. They indicated that it would not take a huge investment and they had several people stand up and present successful testemoninals. Then the money pit started. You needed PMI to help you with design and Links 4 Trade to get links, a tax company to get the business started. The PMI sessions were 30 minute sessions, however, I only received about 3 (30 minute sessions) they didn't keep their appointments, didn't notify us, then when they squeezed us in for other sessions we got about 10 minutes. We were told by Mike Beaird that these 10 minute sessions wouldn't count becasue they weren't the 30 minute sesssions. We never did get all our sessions. When my 2 sites were not making any sales Mike Bearid, he promised via e mail, which I stil have that he would have the tecnicians in PMI look over my site and would get back to me by a certain date with their respones. I have never heard from him since after numerous e mails and calls. I then called Steve Sutton, who was one of the head people at PMI to tell him what happened. He told me he would have Spencer Sorenson get with me to correct the problem. After numerous reasons why Spenser couldn't make the call, he finally did contact us and wanted us to spend more money with pay per clicks where I had already spent Thousands in pay per clicks and it wasn't working. Links 4 trade was supposed to be a way to get the required links necessary to get higher placement in the search engines. However, you can't contact links4trade they won't answer the e mails nor the phone. I complained to both Stores on line and PMI and they wanted me to write a report, which I did. Nevertheless, I only received about 10 links which are not remotely associated to my product line. I believe that the people in the Links4Trade are similar to me. They have little to no activity so you would have to have numerous links (which they don't offer in my category) to make it successful. Stores on Line and all the AKA's are nothing but rip off artists and only want more money and more money. They are not truthful and work a real smoke and mirror operation. It is also very hard to get a human that can do something. The tecnicians are fairly helpful but they have a lot of new people that don't understand Pay Pal or how it works, which we were told is a way to go until you get the company set up. That was the most expensive lunch I have ever had (the one Storesonline GIVES you). Leona lewiston, Idaho
StoresOnline Reviews
Ok, I had an invite with a paid dinner after I sat through some 90 minutes of a sales pitch here is some information to consider before you deal with anyone anywhere in the world.
1. The so called invite has a www but no physical address. Deceptive under most laws in the US and abroad. Dead give away that it is too good to be true.
2. Being an unemployed geek and everyone knowing the dot com that are dot gone. This is yet another effort to make the scammers rich while ripping off investores, and ligit business people for another pie in the sky dream. The money is not in what they sell but in selling what you do not know.
3. A dot com address now www.dotwhatever costs like $14.95 per year plus a hosting cost at about $20.00 per month. Want to accept credit cards check out www.paypal.com . No cost just need a legit bank acount and routing numbers and a valid email address. 4. If you found this page then you at least tok the time to research and if you want a dot com so bad hire a local geek to do the job for you at least they will be a body before you and give you a working site. What really burns my butt about all this is the fact that this company goes and takes advantage of public records in the US and other countries of people unemployed and given the world money thing looks rather bleek, and markets a service to yet rip off people and small business.
My advice don't waste 90 minutes, hire a ligit geek you can look at take advantage of what is out here. Me I've sent off my complaint to the AG in my state, both for their missuse of public records and their decpetive so called free dinner. Only way to stop this sort of stuff is to report it! Michael Seattle, Washington
U.S.A.
I received a letter from storesonline inviting me to attend an internet business marketing semnar and a fre dinner for two. The presentation was done quite professionaly, although the so called dinner consisted of a ham or turkey sandwich, chips, and a soft drink. The true purpose of the seminar was to get me to an all day workshop, for which i was askd to pay $30 to secure a place for me and a friend. We also lost a day of work to attend.
There was a large number of senior citizens presentIncuding myself), most of them have never even used a computer, we were told we didn't need a computer to start promoting their product, and a good percentage of us signed up for the work shop. I attended the workshop here in orlando, fl. On sept 19,2002. They said that anyone could do this even if they didn't know how to use a computer. Infact, they fired so much information at you, that by the end of the day, you were so fired up that you didn't know what hit you. I was told that if i didn't buy my storefronts now, they would not offer it to me again, it was a one time chance.
So i bought 6 storefronts at $5199.00 on my credit card. I was not told when i signed their papers that i had only 3 business days to change my mind. I went home with the kits, ready to get started. I read over all the paper information provided in the kit and ran the cd that was provided, which none of it was of any help. And it took me more than 3 days because i work. I couldn't make head or tails of it so i decided to send it back and get my money back. It was almost 3 wks. From the time of the workshop and i get a call from storesonline.Jim tilton) i immediately told him i was sending the kits back. He informed me that i couldn't because i signed a contract and it has been over 3 business days. I told him no one said anything about 3 business days, i thought i had 30 days. Now he offers me a personal coach to get me going to get my money coming in.
Then he turns the phone over to dan orton to smooth talk me into the personal coach at the price of $5712.00, to cover hotine,mentoring marketing ,10 preset coaching sessions,600 banners, 6000 vistors, 400 links for trade, etc. All of which should have been in the kits i already bought. I was to receive a coaching package through fedx. They charged my credit cards immediately, before i signed any papers but this time they told me i had 3 business days to change my mind after i received the package and signed for it.I never received the package because fedx tried to deliver when i was at work and they would not leave the package because they needed my signature. A couple of days later the personal coach calledJohn hamilton) for our 1st. Session.
I told him i wanted to cancel. The next day jim tilton calls me and ask whats going on. I told him i cancelled. He aksed if he could call me right back. Ten minutes later another person calls me Nate ?) he told me if i continued, he would give back my $5712.00 if i tried as hard as i could and still didn't start my money coming in by 6 mos. I told him to give me 1 week and i would let him know. Meanwhile, a friend looked up storesonline on the internet and found all the scamion. So i called nate ? Back 1 week later and left a messagein his voice mail that i still wanted to cancel. I then called my credit card bans and put a dispute against the charges from storesonline. I sent back the 2 kits (6 storefronts) and i again called my credit card bank and put in a dispute against the 1st charge for $5199.00. Now i am following the victimized list. Wanda orlando, florida
On january 3, 2003 my girlfriend and i attended a "seminar" on internet marketing offered by stores online. I had been solicited through a direct mailing and had previously attended a free informational seminar. We paid $20 to attend the full day seminar held at the sheraton in tacoma, wa. During the course of the seminar they had several people running around to process credit information and whenever there was a break we were pressured into making a decision now or it would cost more if we waited.
This company said that we could set up a storefront through their store building package which we could purchase that day at a discounted price. They promised free technical support and help to develop these storefronts. People were being asked to buy 6 of these storefronts, we elected to only buy 3. Some of the seminar was conducted by a person who said he had had great success and was there because he was so grateful to storesonline for his success and wanted to share it with all of us. We gave them $500 against a debit card and signed contract for the balance of $2899. There was a great deal of pressure applied personally every time there was a break.
They said they would finance anyone. Jake cannon, the young man who was working us came back with the information that i had "slightly" better credit than my girlfriend and therefore should put it in my name. I should have known then because my girlfriend is going through a divorce and is in debt heavily. After we returned home and had a chance to look at the package we decided that we should research this company. We do not possess the technical knowledge needed to "build" our own storefront. To get this knowledge we need to use their technical services and this is not a free service. At that point we knew we had been duped.
We started doing more research on the company and found that it's business practices are shady at best. They function under the names of storesonline, galaxy mall, imergent, imergentc. We found the scamion and were dismayed to find that we were not the only people who had been duped. We read a report that a consumer had put the cd in his computer and tried to run it. He had windows xp, as do we, and the cd jammed his computer. We decided not to take that chance. We decided to return the materials and cancel the contract under the 3 day right of recission law. Even though their contract states that we have no such right, the laws of our state are very specific about what our rights are. The ftc states that we are entitled to this right for any transaction held as a seminar in a banquet room of a hotel.
We sent our materials via ups and they were accepted by the company. We wrote to mr. Poelman and expressed our displeasure and our intent to cancel the contract. They have refused to do that. We spoke on several occassions to cammi chandler who is in customer relations. This was after we filed a complaint against the company with the attorney general of washington. She responded to the attorney general with a very ambiguous letter that indicated that she was trying to help us.
We have had a lawyer write to the company and we e-mailed back a response to the e-mail she had sent to the attorney general and indicated that she was less than forthcoming with the response. We told the finance company, fair financial, that we were not going to pay. They told us that my credit would be impacted but after 3 months of no payment the contract reverts to stores online. Since that time we have founds reports on their other names and also reports under www.Webscam.com. We do not feel that this is an honest company and we will not do business with them. They have kept all the material returned and we will fight to get our money back and my credit history restored.
I am interested in a class action lawsuit. To other readers: file a complaint with your attorney general; www.Worldjustice.com is a legal resource center that provides free services and a forum to submit your complaint. Another consumer has compiled thorough list of steps to take. I will restate them here. Did you purchase your business before you became a business? If you were a consumer purchasing this business before you became a legal business entity, then you have rights underthe consumer protection agency. Tell them that you were a consumer at the time and request a legal mediation or arbitration. Send your complaint and factual documentation to: division of consumer protection, heber m. Wells building, second floor, 160 east 300 south, sm 146704, salt lake city, ut 84114, (801)350-6601.
Send your complaint to all state agencies, county attorney, state attorney general, consumer protection, state senator and congressman. Send a copy of your complainttothe fbi's cybercrime unit. Explain and send factual information I.E. If the disc that sol gave you in the tool builder kit is worthless, send it as evidence. Send what you can to: cybercrime task force, fbi, 52272 south college drive, 2nd floor, murray, ut 84123 contact cammi chandler in customer relations at 801-227-0004 or e-mail her at [email protected]. Sol is required to have a department to handle the large volume of complaints that have been submitted to the bbb of utah. Protect yourself while protecting others. Sol has a listing of cities and states that are hosting these scam conferences. Go to www.Iregnow.com. There you will find if sol is hosting a conference in your city.
Remember you have a right to "assemble" as long as it is peacful and within the confines of the law. Picket, pass out information to these unsuspecting guests, hand out bbb of utah company reports, etc. Contact the media in your area and let them know a week or two in advance. On a personal note: since the customers are solicited by direct mailings there is very little chance that they will find each other again in their city. This makes it tough to get together for a class action suit. Take these steps that debbie in union, or so diligently put together. Look for other consumer complaint forums and file there. We are only out about $3500.
Many people that attended that conference/seminar are out much more. We have chosen to limit our loss by not using any of their technical or hosting services. We no longer have any of the materials, the cd, etc. I believe that their acceptance of our return is their acceptance of our wish to cancel our contract. Our lawyer is looking into more law governing these types of transactions. Best of luck to all! hunter olympia, washington
U.S.A. Click here to read other scamion on galaxy mall / galaxy enterprises
Buyer Beware rip-off scam liars ripoff swindler ripoff swindlers ripoff thieves ripoff waste of time Caveat Emptor Buyer Beware ..... Dear Gentle Reader, Before you read this document, please know that I have no personal gain stating what is to follow. I am a man who has seen too much deceit and misleading ploys used by companies to get unwitting prospects to commit financially to whatever is being offered. Consider the following about Storesonline.com carefully. I responded to an ad to attend an internet seminar hosted by Storesonline. Interested in conducting business on the web, I went to the presentation/dinner and listened to a promotion of Storesonline.
I was skeptical of the company and the claims made. After the seminar, I asked the promoters some very basic questions. (They would not allow questions to be asked by prospects in front of the whole group they readily acknowledged this purposeful damage control tactic.) They could not answer my interrogatories. They did not even know the ticker symbol for their companys stock on the exchange. Knowing these men were sales people, I did not expect them to be versed in technical issues about the Storesonline operation; but, I did expect them to have knowledge of some general concepts.
For example, I asked them if a static IP address was part of their hosting service. They never heard of a static IP address much less if it came with the package. I asked what the average search engine ranking was for all sites supported by Storesonline.com. They did not know. I underscored that an informed company would have a database that gave them an indication of the success of the average web site. They had no idea; but, they did flaunt the rankings of the web sites used in their presentation.
I asked them about their ability to support the customer service back end of their operation to the satisfaction of new clients. Specifically, considering that they are in the promotion business (they are interested in selling their services to as many people as possible), I wanted to be sure that they could support their present clientele as well as future clients. Two sales people answered generally that they did not know or that they successfully supported their customers. Not satisfied with these answers, I asked specifically about clients being on hold, time delays preventing a site from being built, and the lack of follow through with new clients.
Again, I was told that they handle their customer support with no problems. I finally asked what was they greatest drawback with their customer support operation. (I know that growing companies have room for improvement.) I was told there were no drawbacks. At one point, a lady in front of me asked a question that the speaker could not answer. Knowing that prospects were listening to the exchange, he told the lady that he had other people to talk to and that he would speak with her later. He continued to state that he was not putting off the lady or her question. He just needed to get to other questions. Wanting to learn more about internet marketing, I decided to attend the all day workshop. The $20.00 seemed to be a modest cost to learn more.
Now that I set the stage as to my mindset and initial skepticism about Storesonline, I want to get to the substance of this letter. I did some due diligence on the web. I tried to bring up the sites referenced in the storesonline presentation. I had limited success. Not satisfied with the lack of answers to basic questions asked at the seminar, the next day I left a message on Brandon Lewis voice mail. Mr. Lewis is the president of Storesonline.com. I was very specific that I would not do business with him until I had satisfactory answers. I also told him that I had some thoughts about the seminar that he might be interested in knowing.
Mr. Lewis NEVER returned my call. I continued my due diligence. Based upon the web sites referenced in the presentation, I called some of the owners. I called the San Diego Surfing Academy. I spoke to the wife of the owner, Lynn. PLEASE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ. Lynn told me unequivocally that Storesonline did not create the surfing web site. She said her husband created it with Galaxymall some six to seven years ago. The surfing academy web site was with Galaxy mall for only one year. Lynn then told me that Storesonline acquired galaxymall; but, that the surfing academy never did business with Storesonline.
She also stated that they, the owners of the surfing academy, left several messages with Storesonline. The owners of the surfing academy wanted Storesonline to stop using them in their presentation. Storesonline has NEVER returned their calls. Lynn stated that she had a problem with the income representation made about their business. She told me that the surfing academy did not make the income from the web site that is referred to in the Storesonline presentation. She also stated that the information about the surfing academy acquiring clients from France via the web site is false. She stated that the French customers came from the local Chamber of Commerce. I spoke with the owner of the cow pie clocks web site referenced in the Storeonline presentation.
This owner stated that Storesonline did not create their site and that I was the four millionth caller to inquire about the relationship they had with Storesonline.com. I DID qualify to the owner of the cow pie clock site that I could not recall if Storesonline stated that they were responsible for the site in any way, but that it was presented in such a manner as to give credence to the idea. Two weeks after my first call to Brandon Lewis, I called again. He was not available. I was told that I could speak to his assistant Stacy about my concerns. Stacy was a very pleasant and professional lady. I told her my concerns about the initial presentation I attended. I spoke to her about the unanswered questions I asked of the promoters.
I told her of my call to Brandon Lewis, which was not returned. I finally got to the crucial reason I was now speaking with her. I told her that I felt that Storesonline suffered from a lack of integrity and was misleading unwitting prospects. I told her of my conversation with the owner of the San Diego Surfing Academy. Stacy stated that Storesonline was responsible for the creation of this surfing academy web site. I told her that Storesonline was NOT that Galaxymall was responsible for one year seven years ago! I told Stacy that there were issues of the income representation and the customers from France.
Stacy volunteered to read a letter from the surfing academy. (I made sure Stacy clarified it was written to Galaxymall years ago.) The letter summarized that the owners of the surfing academy were pleased with the web site and results from the same. The owners stated that they had some X amount of customers by August of that year. (In that letter, the owners clarified that this X number of customers were not all from the web site.) PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY: So I asked Stacy how Storesonline arrived at the income representation for the presentation I attended. She told me that Storesonline simply took the total X number of Surfing Academy customers for the year and multiplied it by the average admission cost, thus arriving at the total income represented to Storeonline prospects.
Storesonline included ALL customers NOT customers distinctly generated from the web site alone! Storeonline did not even have a number of clients generated from the web site. I was beside myself. I told Stacy that even the owners of the surfing school stated in the letter that the X number of customers was not solely from the web site created by GALAXYMALL. To use the total clients for an income representation is reprehensible! I told Stacy that I felt that Storesonline would have gained credibility by telling me at the seminar that Storesonline acquired Galaxymall. I told her that I felt that Storesonline should have represented that they had no relationship with the surfing academy and that the relationship was between the surfing academy and galaxymall. THE FOLLOWING IS VERY REVEALING! Stacy then told me that they do not refer to galaxymall in the presentation because there was an expose some years ago on television, by a prominent news program, about galaxymall making misleading representations and customers feeling as if they were fleeced out of the exorbitant fees with no results. Figure that!
I would encourage each of you to think about these issues carefully when considering doing business with this operation. Storesonline may have internet savvy, but they clearly lack the integrity to represent things as they should be represented. Consequently, they do not pass muster to earn my trust and business. As you proceed, be discerning. Caveat Emptor is Latin for Buyer Beware. In the interest of privacy, I will not leave my phone number. But I will provide an email address should you wish to contact me.
It is support@ phonecardforlife.com. I traveled 1 hours and spent money to print these letters to give to attendees at the "workshop." I have gained nothing from letting you know my thoughts. However, I believe that good men who do nothing are part of the problem. Best wishes and may God bless you this new year. Regards James Frederick, Virginia
U.S.A. Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Storesonline
Fraudulent ripoff business, false promises, consumer rip-off fraud, won't refund payment despite several appeals ..... This company got me to pay $2,400.00 by credit card. When it became clear they did not have any products to offer I decided to withdraw, but the company would NOT refund me my money. I have tried to reason with them but I am getting nowhere. It is nearly a year now. Nkiruka Cheverly, Maryland
I admit I was totally fooled by the conference and workshop, my husband and I believed everything they told yesterday at the all-day workshop. Plus the fact that we were approved for an installment loan that we have never been able to get for anything else. I gave them a post-dated check for $300 and I am going to put a stop payment on it as soon as I finish this report. I feel very foolish beacuse this is the second scam I have encountered in the last 3 months. These people sure know the kind of people to go after. If life were better for us financially we probably would not have bitten. Now, besides being homeless in the next two weeks, we might be out $300. Someone needs to stop these people from running their scams. Carolynn Fremont, California
U.S.A.
I purchased six sites yesterday in Concord California. I decided I did not wish to do business with SOL after I researched SOL and saw some of the complaints on it. I was led to believe the company was a reputable company but I found it had changed names several times. I feel all of this is deceptive business practice. The product CD never worked correctly and the so called proprietary info. on the site was available anywhere for free. I spoke with a representative of SOL and he told me I could not have a refund as I had signed all right to refund away.
I spoke with my credit card company and have told them why I want to dispute this charge. I tried to get a refund to my credit card of the full amount under the FTC 3 day cooling of period and am still fighting it. I do not think I will be able to cancel through Visa. I have contacted the FTC and California Attorneys office in regard to this issue. Washington state just posted a Cease & Desist against StoresOnline. Here is link: http://www.dfi.wa.gov/sd/S-03-010-03-TO01.pdf For those of you from California please contact the California Attorney General. The form is at: http://caag.state.ca.us/contact/index.htm .
I encourage everyone to contact there Attorney Generals and Kent Nelson at the Utah Division of Consumer Protection as he is preparing a case against them, so please contact him quickly. Do something or just resign yourself to being ripped off. These people need to be stopped. Kent - Utah Investigator Division of Consumer Protection Heber M. Wells Building, Second Floor 160 East 300 South SM 146704 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114 801-530-6601 fax: 801-530-6001 Better Business Bureau 5673 S. Redwood RD. Suite 22 Taylorsville, Utah 84123-5322 FAX# (801) 892-6002 Murph Concord, California
U.S.A.
I have been "taken" by Stores on Line. They are a group of shysters who make promises they cannot or will not fulfill. I never felt that I would "fall" for this type of scam...but these people know how to "sell the Dream". I attended a seminar in Novi, MI on June 19, 2002. I purchased three storefronts and was told my drop ship sources would enable me to sell on the internet. The sources given by stores on line were not available, had discontinued products I was interested in selling or no longer in business. On July 3, 2002 we were contacted by PMI, an affliate of Stores On Line for a personal coach to help us get our "store" on the Net. The store opened by the end of September 2002. Watching the "hits" to the site we saw over 600 visitors and not one sale. I then tried to make a sale myself and it could not be processed. I contacted Stores On Line and after 48 hours I was told there was no electronic means to make a purchase. I asked why they put my website "live" without a means to complete the transaction? They told me it was my responsibility and I should have read my information booklet. For this I paid thousands of dollars! Chris Farmington Hills, Michigan
Well.. StoresOnline is making the rounds in the Southern California area right now. I was at a day long seminar today that I ended up leaving early. All they wanted from me was $2500 for 3 store fronts (ie web sites.. get 1, 2 or 3.. same price), or $4300 for 6 store fronts (4,5 or 6 same price) (and because I showed up TODAY, they'll waive the $2800 initial programming fee!!).. another $999 to set up the merchant account (originally $1800, but buy TODAY and get it for only $999 - any quick search on the web and you can find merchant services for MUCH less).. another $150 for first year maintenance (monthly fee of 24.95/mo after 1yr).. additional costs for the PBnext phone system.. additional charges for live chat on my store front (I can put a free chat on any website.. why pay for it?).. extra fees all over the place. And amazingly.. I could qualify for their financing. If you saw my credit history.. you'd see that no one in their right mind would give me credit, especially not 3500-4000$ worth! But there was no credit history run.. I was simply 'approved'. We did get 2 free meals.. a continental breakfast and a chicken or veggie lasagna for lunch. I went as the guest with a friend who attended he original 90 minute seminar (she paid the 20$ for us to go to the day long seminar). Seminar was held at the Hyatt in Santa Clarita, CA. This scam is basically a mid level hard sell to get you to put up the money TODAY! Although they do say that we have 90 days from the date of the seminar to receive these wonderful prices :) They're focusing on the desperate, and those with no PC skills beyond checking email. There were about 200-250 people there, mostly older couples, but a few young bucks with good BS detectors like myself. Their pricing is OUTrageous.. you.. Mr. or Mrs. reader.. can setup a business website any day of the week. About 20$ gets you your own domain name, another $50 for a web development software package you can buy at almost any electronics/computer store.. minimal charges for a merchant account (if you want to use credit cards).. and a little PC footwork on your own. Please people.. DO NOT be duped by these guys and gals running this dog and pony show. One of StoresOnline 'deals' is there links4trade.. which the speaker said he 'could not tell us about'.. Wonder why that is when there's a website devoted to it called links4trade.com :) And gee.. guess where they are located? You guessed it.. Orem, Utah :) Now I'm not saying this is a 'bad' service, storesonline.com in general, that is. But what they offer, you can get for DRAMATICALLY less with just a little searching. Don't get bullied into spending a dime with these bozo's.. do some research, then approach them with the other prices you find, and see if they will price match.. My guess will be no. I really felt bad for the people I saw pulling out pens and signing papers.. but P.T. Barnum did say 'there's a sucker born every minute'. Another interesting point.. was that the sales people were pulling people out of the seminar for their '1 on 1' consultations (or, the Please sign that check and give it to me consultation).. apparently what the speaker had to say wasn't very important at that time :) This is nothing more than a Marketing 101 class, of which they want you to pay big for.. Don't be fooled! Eric Saugus, California
Storesonline seems to be on the up and up and they present a professional looking seminar. They are very deceiving in leading you to believe you will make money right away and gain control of your time. They paint you a beautiful picture of the american dream. The real truth is they just want to get you alone with one of their counsolers so they can get you to sign on the dotted line.
One counsoler in particular continued to harass my mom to go back and talk with him to the point where one of the other counsolers noticed it and came over to apologize and offer them to come back to the next seminar even though they had not bought the package. I was not so lucky I did sign on the dotted line. Don't make that mistake. Kathy Seymour, Indiana
U.S.A.
The Better Business Bureau of Washington, Idaho, and Montana has issued an alert that Storesonline is holding workshops locally during the month of April: "The concern with this company offering a workshop soon in Richland, Washington, is that they currently have a Cease and Desist order from the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions." www.thelocalbbb.com/alerts/alerts.html?newsid=626&newstype=1 In addition, the Billings Gazette (Montana) ran an article in last Sunday's paper describing Storesonline as the "Scam du Jour" www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/04/10/build/business/40-falstad.inc Etwana Fresno, California
I attended storesonline seminar in london on 16th october 2004. I have been required to pay 8500 pounds uk sterling. I have asked for official receipts but have not had them. I have had 6 phone calls from their trainer spencer maughan who last instraucted me to use storesonline web site to download a template webpage. I have tried to get this web page but it apears to be unobtainable.
I went to a Stores Online Training Seminar in September,2003 and after much thought, my husband and I decided what they were offering "sounded" real and that they could help us with an online business. I gave them a downpayment of $300, left with the materials I had just bought, then went home and began to read and try to set up the websites. Within a few days we got a call from PMI stating they were calling to offer us fee-based help to get our sites going. I told them that Stores OnLine told me they would not give out our info to any other company, and that we had just paid $5199 for that service included with our websites. I went online to the SO chat and was told I DID know they would send them to me, that it was part of their "script". So I kept ignoring the calls from PMI and tried to build my first site. I still have not completed it as it was not user friendly, and I cannot pay Stores Online $50/hour to help me with it. I have been reading many complaints from very dis-satisfied customers. All of which, just like me, were given impressions of what we paid for that was just not true. Also there have been many claims with the BBB, and your site states there is only ONE still open ... why? I want my deposit and my 3 payments returned, I want to void this contract. The "knowledge" supposedly given that gives them the "no cancelation, no refund" rights, is nothing that I did not already know or could not easily get for free off of the Internet. Their claims to that are not valid. I acquired no new understanding of this kind of business. It was the idea they gave me that once I paid for these sites they would be there to get me going and become successful. They say they do not refund to detour possible theft of information. They have "stolen" from me and from many others and they need to be stopped. They are a big business and I am but a small voice, but the BBB needs to intercede for the clear morality of this issue, they are the cheats, and the thieves, and the United States should protect it's own. Jack phoenix, Arizona
Well, I'm thinking I'm a more recent victim of the Stores Online Scam...We attended our workshop on Oct. 11, 2003 in Anchorage, Alaska... I bought a 3 site pack. When I got home, I was really nervous about what I'd just done, but read the agreement and realized that there was no refund offer (something they didn't tell us)... The stores online stuff was no where NEAR as user friendly as it was made out to be in the workshop, and the services offered didn't really seem to be worth the 3,800 I paid for them... I mean, I could get sites for WAY cheaper than that... So I've decided to just work hard and make this happen. After all, we can't afford NOT to. Then we get a call from PMI Coaching. Again the thought went through our minds... Is this a big scam? We even asked the guy on the phone--is this a scam? Utah--Mormons. That's honestly what I kept going back too. Come on--these guys are Mormons from Utah. Mormons are generally pretty good guys, right? Well, after reading what you guys have to say... Is there anyone REAL that I can talk to who has actually succeeded with StoresOnline? The guy who spoke at our workshop (flew up from WA) supposedly was... www.wheatgrasskits.com is one of his succesful sites... He also marketed printer cartridges, but I can't remember the site address to that one...Is the wheatgrasskits.com real site from stores online? Is he a real guy??? Does anybody know? Am I ever feeling gullible now! We were going to make our big deal with PMI coaching tomorrow--thankfully a friend emailed me this site today, before I added 8,500 bucks to the scam! Yes, we were feeling nervous about it, but the pmi website looked fairly sound. Through the member-only page, which they gave me a password to get into, I did find a lot of great companies who will dropship. That made me feel like it was all legit... We put our initial $3,500 on our VISA. I called them, and I think we should be able to get it back. I am feeling so disappointed! I was thinking this was our big 'break' into making additional income. As a stay-home mom, I've been looking for an opportunity like this for a while...something I could do from home, etc... Well, looks like I'll be looking into other venues... Argh! Thanks so much to all the previous posters who've shared their advice with all of us. I've read through most all the posts, copied out a lot of helpful info, and really appreciate the time you've taken for the benefit of others. Well, I'll be a lot smarter in the future... I guess that's one good lesson learned! I'll be calling storesonline tomorrow morning, when they open. I look forward to any responses to this post. ARE there any real stores online success stories out there??? Molly Anchorage, Alaska
I am adding to the report I made yesterday on Charter Medical aka [email protected].
At the offset, if I am wrong, in any way regarding this report I will change it as a matter of ethics, that is if they come through with their delivery of the same medication that my Dr. orders for me. I admit that I sent them a rather turse email regarding what I had read up on them through this site. It scared me very badly that I might not see the medication I ordered or any refund. The replies back were totally insultive and what one would never expect from a Legitimate company. Please note that they don't give you their phone number to calll and talk to a real live person and will only take Money Orders which I find very suspcious and leaving you with only a promise. One in which you can only hope they will comply with their promise.
Having read the report made of those who never received their product and never got their money back.
AFTER SENDING MY RATHER TURSE EMAIL TO PUT THEM ON NOTICE THAT THEY NEEDED TO FULFILL THEIR END OF THE AGREEMENT OR ELSE THIS IS WHAT THEY SENT BACK. UNBELIEVABLE AND WORTH READING THEIR INSULTS, COPIED AND PASTED BELOW:
As of today we have NOT yet received and frankly if you insist on us believing you sent it in we must also insist that you YOU believe us as well.
Maybe you should use your knowledge of the US Mail to find out what happened to your payment or say an extra prayer in the hope that it does make it to us.
Also please note that we will afford you the same courtesy and respect as you afford us.
Until now.....it seems to us you are just another lying deadbeat strung out junky trying to get free merchandise on the net. Your payment would have proved you wrong.
Thanks for wasting our valuable time.
I REPLIED TO THEM VIA EMAIL COPIED AND PASTED BELOW:
Oh wow, I am shocked, this will look great on Ripp-Off.com. You really should check you temper! Unprofessional at best!
Dr.Martin In a message dated 2/29/2016 3:03:52 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, [email protected] // writes:
AFTER SENDING THAT RESPONSE, I RECEIVED YET another email and here it is below:
Oh it´s OK to be nasty but when you are treated nasty in return it´s not OK? You become shocked?
We are NOT Beckman Medical....they are even posted on the Scam Website page of our website.
Maybe when you sober up....you might take the time to see for yourself.
What amazes us more is that you insult and apologize at the same time....and you call yourself a man of God?
Do you consider yourself above doing your due dilligence? Have you even bothered to see if your money order has been cashed and by whom?
We are certain you have not....which is typical of deadbeat junkies. maybe it is time to look in the mirror and finally confess to yourself what you really are.
NO NEED TO REPLY
Their reply (Response) was to the follwing email I sent to them.
Oh it´s OK to be nasty but when you are treated nasty in return it´s not OK? You become shocked?
We are NOT Beckman Medical....they are even posted on the Scam Website page of our website.
Maybe when you sober up....you might take the time to see for yourself.
What amazes us more is that you insult and apologize at the same time....and you call yourself a man of God?
Do you consider yourself above doing your due dilligence? Have you even bothered to see if your money order has been cashed and by whom?
We are certain you have not....which is typical of deadbeat junkies. maybe it is time to look in the mirror and finally confess to yourself what you really are.
NO NEED TO REPLY
Know that I am a Disabled Veteran make around 10K per month, dead beat? Rental income is the highest revenue, and he calls me "dead beat! who needs to sober up." Also my IQ is in the Mensa arena of 143-153 on two different tests andone question had nothing to due with IQ but learned knowledge. I am also the author of many books. One published one is on the market at any major book outlet. "Through Sunshine & Rain." by Rev. Duane A Martin and they don't call me Dr. for nothing.
Do you want to do business with them, well I can only hope that you have a great experience but you will not have phone number to call them them and they are not under any agreement to reply.
Dr. Duane A Martin DD
I went to the seminar with a dream, to own my own online adult store. I expressed this to the salesman (who knew more about the company policy than I did) and my concerns about whether stores online would accept my business. He responded that they would but to double check he went to ask a supervisor. When he returned he assured me that it really wasnt the "nature" of my business that was against company policy, rather a matter of packaging. As long as my website was tasteful and clean looking without overt sex and nudity my site would be acceptable. He even went as far as to say that they would never really check one way or another because they had so many other websites online besides mine. Everything he said of course is a lie. And I have since paid into this company about 1,100 dollars that I didnt have to give away. They discontinue products and overcharge.Of course I should have never signed on the dotted line, against my better judgement. Now of course I have no use for these sites--- I have no interest in selling toasters,couches or any other such product. Victoria Union City, Georgia
We were taken in by Stores on Line. We purchased 6 web sites. They indicated that it would not take a huge investment and they had several people stand up and present successful testemoninals. Then the money pit started. You needed PMI to help you with design and Links 4 Trade to get links, a tax company to get the business started. The PMI sessions were 30 minute sessions, however, I only received about 3 (30 minute sessions) they didn't keep their appointments, didn't notify us, then when they squeezed us in for other sessions we got about 10 minutes. We were told by Mike Beaird that these 10 minute sessions wouldn't count becasue they weren't the 30 minute sesssions. We never did get all our sessions. When my 2 sites were not making any sales Mike Bearid, he promised via e mail, which I stil have that he would have the tecnicians in PMI look over my site and would get back to me by a certain date with their respones. I have never heard from him since after numerous e mails and calls. I then called Steve Sutton, who was one of the head people at PMI to tell him what happened. He told me he would have Spencer Sorenson get with me to correct the problem. After numerous reasons why Spenser couldn't make the call, he finally did contact us and wanted us to spend more money with pay per clicks where I had already spent Thousands in pay per clicks and it wasn't working. Links 4 trade was supposed to be a way to get the required links necessary to get higher placement in the search engines. However, you can't contact links4trade they won't answer the e mails nor the phone. I complained to both Stores on line and PMI and they wanted me to write a report, which I did. Nevertheless, I only received about 10 links which are not remotely associated to my product line. I believe that the people in the Links4Trade are similar to me. They have little to no activity so you would have to have numerous links (which they don't offer in my category) to make it successful. Stores on Line and all the AKA's are nothing but rip off artists and only want more money and more money. They are not truthful and work a real smoke and mirror operation. It is also very hard to get a human that can do something. The tecnicians are fairly helpful but they have a lot of new people that don't understand Pay Pal or how it works, which we were told is a way to go until you get the company set up. That was the most expensive lunch I have ever had (the one Storesonline GIVES you). Leona lewiston, Idaho