E-penzio, Bring-it-home, Avalon Business Direct ripoff, $155.10 each month in total billings for services that don't pay out at all false promises Salt Lake City Utah
I went to the semminar and was sold a pipe-dream story about how these flash enabled websites were going to rake in the cash. Then we were all directed to E-penzio to get our merchant accounts that would be financed for a total of $3238.20.
All together after the sign up this venture is running me a total of $155.10 every month. Break down follows
29.95 per mo. for the flash web site
98.95 per mo. for financing payment on the merchant account
25.20 per mo. settlement (from Bridgeview Bank Group)
10.00 per mo. administration fee (Don't know why for this charge.
I have been with this now for about a year and have not recieved one sale or inquiry. I am a compter professional and at least got every thing setup. I have tried to call and only get the run around.
As far as I can tell E-penzio (same address as Bring -it home?) handed my account over to a Monteret Financial Services Inc., but my settlement charges come from Bridgeveiw Bank Group. As far as the $10.00 admin fee I don't even know what's up with that.
I have tried to contact these people and get only the run-around. To make matters worse it appears that they are now a new company called Avalon Business Direct.
Dean
Vancouver, Washington
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Michael
Portland,Oregon,
U.S.A.
another victim of Epenzio, Bring It Home and Avalon Business Direct
#2Consumer Suggestion
Tue, July 29, 2003
I, too, feel that I have been cheated and victimized by Epenzio, Bring It Home and Avalon Business Direct. I went to a free seminar hosted by Bring It Home last November in Portland, Oregon. I then paid $149.00 to go to a one-day training in December. I was sold their flash e-commerce web design package, a Merchant Account and a promotional tool called Guess the View for several thousand dollars in total.
Later on, I found out that their web design product was fradulent and did not work as nearly well as they presented at the workshop. They did not provide the kind of customer service and sales assistance they promised at the seminar. They sold me the life-time right to use Guess the View for almost $500.00. I just found out that this program was no longer available. I had a terrible feeling that I might have been scammed by the company.
My suspicion turned out to be valid when I found these rip-off reports on the company (under various names). I checked the State of Utah website and found out that both Epenzio and Bring It Home no longer exist. Avalon Business Direct is still listed as "active". I called the company today and the phone numbers I had for them were no longer in service (801-365-0160 and 800-620-0225).
I called Mr. Pauga at Utah Division of Consumer Protection (801-530-6601). He told me to fax (801-530-6001) a written request, under the Utah GRAMA law, to request public information on any legal actions the state may have taken against these companies.
What I had feared most became true -- I have been cheated and victimized by these companies with their deceptive business practices. If any of you who are in the same situation have any information about what legal actions are being taken to get our money back and to stop these companies, please let me know.