Complaint Review: Economic Freedom Corp

** This is a long read, but there is some good info.  At least I hope you think so. **

(This is only my opinion)

So I have been getting these calls for a while now, for months, sometimes twice a day like yesterday.  They were actually to my wife, but I would intercept them (I get them too though).  Anyone ever notice the Caller ID?  At the time of the writing of this report it read as "FPS Solutions".  I get quite a few that have the letters AZ in the caller ID.  Right away I know it's from Arizona and there's going to be someone trying to sell me something.  Unless I recognize the voice as that of John McCain, then I'll know I'll be fed something.

Anyway, I usually tell them to remove our number from their database and to not call it anymore then hang-up, but of course they don't do as I ask.  So yesterday I gave in after the second call and asked why they were not removing my number.  The reply was that since the number was given to them by my wife they don't have to remove it.  I challenged the person at the other end insisting they must have bought the number from some other company.  The guy basically accused me of watching everything my wife does and called me "weird".  I remained civil and polite.

The guy said that to stop the calls I would have to listen to the recording over the phone and talk to a team leader or something like that.  I hate when they have those recordings.  Just tell me what the thing is!  I don't need to listen to a bunch of useless sales gibberish. So I said okay and turned the speaker phone down to watch the rest of Glenn Beck.  I then spoke with Rebecca Black.  She seemed pleasant enough, but I would catch little things, like complements on being smart and making a reference about her grandchildren.  That's all fine and good so long as you're not hiding in the shadows.  I'll explain that a little later. (A lot later as it turns out)

     My Complaint?  Harassment Harassment Harassment.  STOP calling my number!

As it turns out the guy was right.  My wife did give them our phone number.  A couple years ago she was considering investing into that credit card terminal business, but I talked her out of it.  She had invested, but was given five days or something to change her mind, which she did.  Funny, just a couple weeks ago we were being called by some class action law suit people about that very same business.  At least that's how I understood it.  Dodged a bullet there.

                                              A WARNING TO OTHERS
                       and some other information you may find helpful

1. If you have any uncertainty with these "Home Business" offerings.  Stay away!  What you don't know can hurt you, and trust me, if you're reading this because you are considering one of these offerings, there are things you don't know.

They may very well be legitimate businesses, but my experience with them proves that everyday folks like you and I just attempting to earn a little bit more are NEVER told the entire truth about them.  I still talk to these "Work from Home" callers from time to time to see what they are toting.  At first I was frustrated with the daily calls, but they seem to taper off for the most part, then someone sells my data and it starts up again, or in this case EFC created a new domain to support a new product push.
     
What EFC has been pressuring me (Originally targeting my wife) to do is invest in their "Debt Settlement" offering, which is $150 to start with $24.95 a month for the web hosting.  That monthly charge really turns me off.  As an IT professional I know the domain names can be really inexpensive to maintain and they already have the servers online so there isn't any real setup (One time setup) or ongoing maintenance involved.  I host a couple myself for maybe $30.00 a year.

The way these "Work from Home" things work has become a standard business model amongst all the ones I have talk to anyway.  This is how I envision the model . .

     a. The common precept at the core is, You have to spend money to make money.

We've all heard it before.  You are not going to get something for nothing.  All they have figured out, is how to get something by spending other people's money (OPM), and built a business model with proven procedures and deceptive practices around it.  Whoever said an immoral business isn't a legitimate and real business?  Hell, look at our own government, but I digress.

     b. Once they have you on the phone they show you a bright and shiny object.

Ever see an Anglerfish?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglerfish  It's the never changing myth of "By this shiny thing from me, then sit back and we'll do all the work, and you get paid."  Of course that's an exaggeration.  Most of them will admit that it takes actual work, so long as you ask them, but don't expect them to volunteer that information.  I have been out right lied to by some of these unscrupulous people.

     C. Having invested, they have you on the hook.

     Ever seen one of those nested dolls? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll  Now you are the tiny one in the middle.  Surrounded by surprising layer after surprising layer of money eating Anglerfish.  Trying to find your way through the darkness without a business plan.  WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN!

     d. To get customers you have to advertise.  (Well Duh!)

Wow, that was a shocker when I was confronted the first time with that.  That sinking feeling in your gut, knowing you're unemployed, living off of an almost maxed out credit card, and now your investment of your last $2000 of credit is in jeopardy because you don't have the capital for advertising.  I tried a little advertising to no avail.  You try a little they will always, always want you to try more.                                                       FOLLOW YOUR BUSINESS PLAN!

     e. Inevitably, you give up.

 I think this is actually part of their standard business model.  No kidding!  I really think that.  Not that all of them follow this mind you.  Have people invest based on deception, then shock them with the cost of advertising.  You'll do one of three things. . . (Because it's only those people without a business plan that'll fall for these.  If you have a plan, you'll be sure to ask certain questions and quickly find out it does not fit.  They target ignorance.) (Occasionally I'll just keep asking questions until they give up.  It's only worked once though.  They don't tend to give up very easily.  You may notice sometimes that if they realize you are not falling for the compliments, the insults will start to fly.)

          1. Give up right away and cut your losses

     In my opinion, this is your best option.  Not that I condone quitting, but you've found yourself in a place you shouldn't be.  The key is to recognize that and get to a place you should be.  I did this one, but I knew what I was getting into.  I just wanted their software and procedures as a reference to better understand how it works.

          2. You swim around in your little pool trying to make it work and eventually the water stagnates and then you give up. (Run out of air and die)

     I did this one.  It's quite depressing really, and, and that's all I have to say about that.

          3. You spend the thousands of dollars to advertise with very little return, again, and again, and again.   Banging your head on a wall.  Then give up.

I did a little of this too.  Although I'm fully employed now and am well on the way to recovering my own debt.  Of course there may be a secret to succeeding in this and someone or two people may have navigated the waters correctly, but I'm sure those companies offering these "Work at Home" gigs do not know what it is, or they would be doing it themselves instead of ripping us off. 

You know, one thing that really got my goat about the advertising is, I'm paying for it, but yet I had no control over where it was going or how it got there, or even access to a list of where it was going.  Then any hits I saw were filtered through to me.  There was no way for me to confirm how many hits I got with my money.  Sure, the website had reports of hits, but there was no way to correlate the two.  It was all on faith brother.  Although I believe in God and have faith, never trust any of these people.  Don't fall for the "Leverage your credit" line of crap either.  Although there are benefits to leveraging credit in the business world, be sure it falls in line with your BUSINESS PLAN.

You thought I was done?  No!  There's more . . . It's going to get more interesting very soon

     f. The "No Soup For You!" clause

Now that you've reached the point of no cash flow for them, except for the $24.95 monthly charge for the website (Which is BS anyway).  They cut off your communication by not answering calls or voicemails and changing their numbers.  Remember at the beginning I asked if you had noticed the caller ID of "FPS Solutions"?  Well, I looked that up today and it's a company that makes call center management software.  Reading the capabilities and features it makes it very easy to know who's calling and to automatically put flagged numbers in a particular queue.  Most likely the DO NOT ANSWER queue, or the BOGUS VOICEMAIL WE NEVER LISTEN TO ANYWAY queue (I don't know that that is how it really works though).  Does anyone find it curious that when calling the Toll Free number part of the welcoming recording states "FPS Marketing division of Economic Freedom Corporation"?  Or is that just a coincidence?  Anyone know what "FPS" stands for? . . . Found it . . "Fast Practical Software".  Hmm, well, that's not very condemning now is it?  However, oddly enough FPS Solutions is located, guess where?  That's right, Phoenix, Arizona . . . Ding! Ding! Ding!  You get the prize.

3508 N 7th St.
Phoenix, Arizona 85014-5254

 . . . I know, I know, that means exactly nothing.  Hmm, or does it?  There can probably be some more investigation there, but this is getting kind of long in the tooth as it is. 

     g. Continue making money with the monthly charge

     They aren't giving up that easily.  Now you finally get through by using a different phone line and cancel your contract with them.  Informing them to stop the website.  However, you keep getting billed every month for another six months and every month you have to deal with your credit card company to cancel or get back those payments.  There's likely some other continuing payments there you were not aware of.  From memory I think there were three or four on mine.

     h. Make money off of them even if they have no soup.

     Okay, you're broke and hungry and not contributing to the cause any more, so selling the rights to your data is the next step.  Guess what?  Your phone starts ringing again. 

     i.  Do the same thing under a different name

Eventually the law suits start and business just isn't as profitable as it once was because people are finding entries on SCAM.COM, ripoffreport.com, and the Better Business Bureau.  Which reminds me, I was walked through the economicfreedomcorp.com site to be shown the OBB seal of approval.  What is that? You ask.  Well, basically is the Online Business Bureau.  Take notice the the word "Better" is missing.  Basically the OBB charges companies to be listed on their site, but apparently cares nothing about making online business any better.  According to the OBB, EFC is in good standing.  Check out the BBB and see what you find.  I haven't looked myself but I hear it rates an F.

So they take what ever they can carry, namely your data, the business model, and some good performing deceivers, register a new domain name and start all over.

Now, wasn't that a fun ride?

Now for some more info . . .

I stated at the top that I would explain the "Shadows" later.  So I'll do that now. 
The OBB is deception.  They are hiding behind a false shield of approval.  Now, as for EFC directly.  I looked op their domain name registry, which by law should have names, numbers, addresses, and emails to various contacts.  Seems the domain was registered under a domain proxy named Domains by Proxy, Inc.  Gee it too is in Arizona . . .

domainsbyproxy.com
15111 N. Hayden Rd.
Suite 160, PMB 353
Scottsdale, Arizona 85260
United States

 . . . Basically the proxy is designed to hide the personal information of those that registered the domain.  Another example of being in the shadows.

It is incumbent upon them to earn our trust, not upon us to give it.  DON'T TRUST THEM.  You get a "Work from Home" call from Arizona . . . take extra caution


(This is only my opinion)