Complaint Review: The Sales Board

Stay away from On October 2nd, 2007 I contacted The Sales Board to request information regarding their companies sales training.

On November 12, 2007 we wired $5975 US Dollars to The Sales Board. After 5 months of literally begging them to deliver their product (part of their product was physical, the large part was the actual training)...we requested a full refund.

On April 9th, Carleen, the sales person for our account sent me an email telling me that they would refund $2500 of our purchase...(of which is not acceptable to me), but I have not heard from their company since this time...and they have definitely not refunded a penny.

So, I am warning everyone that even considers doing business with this company. Read below...and you can see how they do business...if it wasn't so much money...it would be comical.

I have copied every single email that took place between myself and their company. As you read...you can see that they are very responsive prior to making the sale...but the moment that they received our money...they miraculously lost interest in being so interested and responsive. FYI, there were many phone conversations that took place in between these emails, just so you are aware that I followed up with them in every way I could.

Now, just so that you understand as you read this...I am physically located in India...an American...doing business here in India. Please read the below email correspondence...so you don't have to endure what we have had to.
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October 2nd, 2007
Randy,

Do you only have books? I was under the impression that you guys also had training courses. I am looking for the later to use as a guide to train our sales force here in India.

let me know.

Richard
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October 2nd, 2007 (very fast reply from them)

Richard

Yes we have many different options.

I will have Carleen Fitzgerald contact you.

Randy
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October 2nd, 2007

Randy,

Thanks. Just have her shoot me her number via an email...and I can give her a direct call. We are anxious to get something implemented immediately.

Richard
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October 2nd, 2007

Will do

Randy
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October 3rd, 2007

Good Morning Richard,

Sorry for the delay in responding to your email. I was out of the office yesterday, but would love to sync up with you today to discuss Action Selling Training within your organization. Please contact me via email or phone. I look forward in speaking with you soon.

Best,

Carleen Fitzgerald
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October 3rd, 2007 (from me to Carleen)

When do you arrive at the office? and...what time zone are you in? Just shoot me a quick note and I will call at that time.
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October 3rd, 2007

Carleen,

Great talking to you. I really appreciate the time.

We are looking forward to employing a solid system that can assist us in our overall sales efforts.

If there is any way that you can figure out how to get me access to those 4 books...I can paypal you guys whatever the amount is...I would be very appreciative.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Richard
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October 9th, 2007

Hello Richard,

Here is the Draft Plan we have put together with your specific needs we discussed in our last call. We'll be waiting for your call on Tues. Oct. 9 @ 10am(CST). If you have any questions please give me a call.

Thank you

Carleen Fitzgerald
1-800-432-3484
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October 16th, 2007

Sorry about this...I had to go home early...so I am on a terrible connection...the above number is my cell phone.

Richard

At this point they submitted 2 Powerpoint presentations to us...outlining their Fortune 1000 company clients...adding credibility to their scam...as well as their proposal.

We paid them $5,975 on November 12, 2007, with the promise that our training materials would be delivered within 5 days via Federal Express (remember...we are over here in India...Americans....but here in India for business). Carleen had promised to give us Fed Ex tracking numbers...but nothing.

Here is the actual wire we sent on November 12, 2007

Beneficiary name: The Sales Board, Inc.
Acc no.: 3238698925
Swift/ BIC code: WFBIUS6S
Wells Fargo Bank N.A., MN, USA, Minneapolis Office, RTN 121000248
Beneficiary's address: 15200 - 25th Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN, 55447
Phone: 763-473-2540
Wire details: Invoice # 00014293
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November 21, 2007

Bobby,

I just wanted to follow-up with your company to find out about our
order. Carleen said that she would get back to us with the order
details...shipping details...etc., but I have not heard back from her.
So I thought that I should shoot you a quick email to see if perhaps
you could get me some of the information I need.

Let me know.

Thanks,

Richard East
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November 21, 2007

Good to hear from you Richard!

I have a call I'm jumping on right this minute, but I will follow-up on these issues immediately thereafter.

I hope all is going well and I'll be in touch later this afternoon.

Bobby
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November 21, 2007

Hi Richard,

I just spoke with Carleen and here's the scoop:

She put your order through last week, but it failed to get processed. The problem was twofold: not only did we move offices last week (only two blocks away), we released the woman that typically handles customer orders as well. So, all of the sudden we find ourselves with a slight backlog of work.

Carleen herself is getting all of your materials prepared and out the door for you as we speak.

Sorry for the delay. Please do not hestitate to contact me if you have any additional questions.

Bobby
612-810-1705 cell

P.S. I'm looking for to catching up with you some time next week so we can begin setting up dates for training, etc.
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November 21, 2007 (me sending an email to Bobby)

please make sure to send me the tracking number...so I can track it
daily to ensure that I go to customs to pick it up...as they are lazy
and will not call
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November 22, 2007

Bob,

I am becoming a bit concerned. We did our part over 2 weeks ago, yet
have heard even one word from your office regarding the next steps.
Carleen has promised on 2 occasions to get me the information
regarding our order of which I have heard nothing back. Then you told
me that you would jump into the middle of it, yet I still have no
additional information.

I think that this may be a sign of things to come and this concerns me
greatly. I understand that things "happen," but I also know that if
we ever had such little transparency with our clients, they would not
feel very comfortable with our services.

I gather that nothing has been done about our order...so perhaps it is
more appropriate to just send back the money and we can go to our 2nd
alternative for sales training. I really do want to work with your
company, but I also really have to have some level of confidence that
this is going to be dealt with a little differently from our
experience so far.

You guys were very attentive to get the sale...but it seems that the
interest level has dropped off considerably since the sale was made.
This is obviously just my impression.

Talk soon,

Richard
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12/04/2007

Bobby and Carleen,

As I mentioned in my last email, we did receive your training materials exactly one week ago, last Tuesday. As we have reviewed the materials, the Instructor Skill Drills DVD is not functioning...it will not load and we have tried it in over 6 different machines.

What do I need to do to receive a working Instructor Skill Drills DVD?

Next, is it now our responsibility to try to figure out who we next need to get in touch with, or is there someone from your office that we should be expecting an email from? I am a little lost as to your procedures at this point as not many things have gone as planned.



Best Regards,

Richard
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12/04/2007

Hello Richard,

Bobby and myself are working on this as we speak. One for us will email you later today with a follow up. As regards to the process, our next steps with you as stated in my last email is to set up a time up to discuss when you would like your training, via the phone to begin. Please email me with some dates and times we can complete our call. Thank you again for all your understanding with the disconnects that have occurred in the last 3 weeks. Lets get back on track by scheduling our call. We look forward in speaking with you again soon. Take care and have a great day:)

Best,

Carleen Fitzgerald
800-432-3485
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12/04/2007

Hello Richard,

Sorry I was out last week, and I am paying for it now (digging out of lots of issues).

Well, it appears that you have received at least some of your materials, so I can at least drop some of my anxiety around your shipping and tracking. As of yet have you received all of your materials? I'm not sure if Carleen has passed on your UPS ground tracking numbers or not, but they are #42835811811, #42835811829, #469648815861. But with the Skill Drill DVD not working I'm all a mess again. I'm sorry that you are experiencing problems loading the DVD. I can't remember a client issue of this sort.

Anyway, I've spent the last 45 minutes locating and loading every DVD & CD we have on different laptops and desktops (so that I could determine whether or not it was a software or equipment problem) and here is what I think might be happening. I found one old laptop that did not have "windows media player" (software) loaded on it, and that was the one where things did not work. I'm thinking that this might be your problem. Please check the computer in which you are trying to load the Action Selling DVDs for this software, and let me know the outcome. I can send new software (if necessary), but I need to confirm that you have the right equipment and software on your end first.

Richard, I also need you to confirm with me the stock number of the DVD. You can find it on the cover, about 2/3rds of the way down on the right, in red letter. It should read:

Skill Drills DVD
PD SD4.0

Lastly, please confirm with me all of the other stock numbers and titles for any CD or DVD that you have. All of this is a little bit of extra work, but obviously necessary given the circumstances.

Also, Carleen has not informed me as to whether or not you have selected specific dates for the training yet. Have you? Let me know as soon as you can so that I can lock the dates in with my favorite trainer. I'll be facilitating along with whomever I select, but I've got a guy I think will be perfect for your situation (travels constantly to the middle east; understands the cultural nuances).

Once you can confirm that it is either a equipment or software issue, I can get to the bottm of it. I'll stand pat 'til I hear from you...

Bobby
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12/06/2007

Bobby,

We do not have dates, nor have I ever been told of any dates. I don't know how this process works...so I am in the dark a bit.

Richard
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12/06/2007

Hi Richard,

Here's what we have left to do...

1 - Doublecheck to make sure that you have received all materials (I've provided the tracking numbers below; let me know if any discrepacies occur).

2 - Check to see if all DVDs & CDs are working (I've provided some ensight below; again, lete me know if you have any issues).

3 - Select a date/time for the conference call workshop (Selection of dates/times will begin with you. Once you give me a few dates/times that will work for you, I'll start precuring resources on my side. Hopefully I can secure Dan Creer. Dan is the training I'd most like to have working with us because of his extemsive middle east experience. Remember, the training will be two 4-hr sessions).

4 - Pre-Workshop Prep

* Read the Action Selling Book (this should take an hour or so...very short book--easy read. Everyone participating in the rtaining should do so)
* Complete the "Online Selling Skills Survey" (everyone participating in the training must do this; this will give us direction with respect to the training
* Interview/s with Trainer from The Sales Board (you and whomever else you select is fine)

5 - Train

6 - Reinforce (I'll lead the first few Skill Drills sessions, as necessary...)

7 - Study (review of the Reinforcement/Skill Drills in preparation for the final Certification)

8 - Certify (Final examination)

That's pretty much it! I've attached a ppt slide with additional detail on the process. Please let me know what additional questions you have or issues i can help with. Once you've got the materials and tknow that they are working, plus selected a few training dates/times options for me, I can really start moving the ball forward.

Have a great day Richard, and I'm anxiously waiting to hear from you!

Bobby
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12/07/2007

Bobby,

We have not received #42835811811, as it is stuck in customs. Not sure what is in that box, can you let me know.

Next, it would be better if you could just schedule the trainer that you are referring to and let us know when our training is...then we will just make sure that we are available. This would make it much easier.

I will wait to hear from you.

Richard
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12/07/2007

Hi Richard,

I'll check immediately to see what was in #42835811811. I'll also nail down times/dates for our conference training.

In preparation for the training, I'd like to begin some of the "Pre-Workshop Preparation" activities. The best way to get started is to have everyone take the Pre-Workshop Examination or Benchmark (otherwise known as the Online Selling Skills Survey). To get things rolling I will need email addresses of everyone participating in the training. I will then set up links for each person to our "Learning Link", so that they can complete the benchmark, at their leisure, online.

Richard, can you please provide me with email addresses for all training participants so that I can get this going for you ASAP, thanks. Also, once I've nailed down training times/dates, I'd like you, me and your trainer to jump on the phone. Maytbe we can accomplish that as early as next week?

Let's keep communicating

Bobby
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12/11/2007

Bobby,

We have still not received the last of the 3 boxes that you shipped to us...nor do we know what is in the box.

I am not sure if your company has very much experience in shipping to foreign jurisdictions, but you guys have created a problem in us obtaining the package. It is "best practices" to ship along with a "zero value" invoice...so that your customers do not need to pay literally thousands of additional dollars to clear customs. So, now we have 1 package sitting in customs with a value of $5900...and an amount to pay of $1593 to clear customs. We will not do that. So, we have one of two options. Send a new invoice to the shipping company/customs that is holding the package..for that package showing zero value, or we can send everything back to you and you can refund our purchase.

This entire process is moving very slowly...much slower than I am used to...not sure why it has taken so long to move things forward after your company's receipt of our payment.

Please advise on what your company intends on doing.

Best Regards,

Richard
---------------------------------------------
12/12/2007

Hi Richard -

FYI - I'm working my butt off here to do the best I can for you. Satisfying this situation is the first and last thing I think about each day. Things aren't going as smoothly as either one of us had expected, but continuing to insinuation that we are less motivated since receiving your check is not true. My commitment to excellence goes far beyond this circumstance or money. My commitment to excellence is personal. What bothers me most, is that because you were so pleasant in our initial conversations, I really wanted to do an excellent job for you. You remain a top priority for me!

As for the process taking a little longer than expected, I certainly agree. I'm particularly disappointed with the shipping issues, and obviously we need to take full responsibility for the customs issue that has popped up. We had two problems on our side that complicated the exchange: (1) on November 1 we moved offices, and (2) two weeks after that, our inventory and shipping manager took some time off for serious surgery and the other shipping clerk just dropped the ball (i.e. the other shipping clerk inadvertently forgot to add a valuation slip (w/zero value attached) with your shipment. Not to mention it all took place during the Thanksgiving week. Overseas shipping takes a little longer anyway, but the valuation issues looks like it will ultimately cost us 2+ extra weeks. Again, I apologize for this mishap, though I know on this end we've been diligently working through it all.

But Richard, not everything was our fault.

Upon your verbal commitment to move forward (on 10/17/7), I passed the banking and shipping activities on to Carleen, and she has been overwhelmed with a series of issues. For example, as we discussed earlier, our process is to make sure the funds are received prior to shipping product. This unfortunately ended up being a very cumbersome process. Are you aware that it took nearly 4 weeks to have the funds released from your bank (not until sometime after 11/12/7)? You jumped on this issue once you returned from Mumbai, but that stall had nothing to do with us.

And Richard, I need you (or someone on your behalf) to respond to my emails? I've provided several instruction for activities in which we could have accomplished simultaneous to the shipping, yet as of right now I have received no counter-response. I know you're frustrated, but we could be moving a little faster. Without your responses to what I've requested from you, we really are stuck.

Advice on what my company intends to do?

My intentions Richard are to provide you with outstanding service and training...even when things are not going well...especially when things are not going well!

My intentions are to find a solution for the customs issue ASAP. Here's what we need to do from here...

(1) I need to know that the DVDs & CDs are working (I've requested stock numbers for verification of items). Or you can just give me an update (are things working or not?).
(2) I need email addresses of all workshop participants so we can begin the online testing.
(3) It would nice to have an itemized list of all items you have received, so that I can re-send the materials stuck in customs. The other alternative is to send through another valuation slip...I'll check on this tomorrow.
(4) I have selected Wednesday, January 16 & Thursday, January 17 as the actual workshop (conference call) dates.

Please review the list above so that I can keep things moving. Thanks Richard!

Bobby
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12/17/2007

Hello Richard,

Hope things are going well with you and your family. Here is what I'm doing today but I need some help on your end. I'm going to email a corrected invoice to you and I would like to fax the corrected invoice to the UPS location that your 3rd box is being held at, the only help I need form you to make this happen is if you could email me the fax number for them. I look forward in hearing from you again soon.

Best Regards,


> Carleen Fitzgerald
> Executive Member of The Sales Board Inc / Action Selling
> 14505 21st Ave. No. Suite 206
> Minneapolis, Mn. 55447
> Direct (800) 432-3485, (763) 231-2902
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01/02/2008

Hello Richard,

Hope you had a great Holiday! I wanted to know if you pick your package up yet? If so, we need to start getting you set up with our online program so you can began your training. Please let me know when it is a good time to talk.

Best Wishes,

Carleen Fitzgerald
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March 6th, 2008 (4 months after we paid for their product...)

I was just wondering when you guys are going to schedule our company training. Also, I have just learned that you do have a reseller here in India :

The Action Academy
80/141, III Floor, Greams Road Lane,
Thousand Lights,
Chennai - 600 006
Phone - 044 45008356, 9884389712

Just wondering if going directly through them would have made any difference?

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Richard
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03/08/2008

Hello Richard,

It's nice hearing from you yesterday. We would like to start training your group, let's schedule a conference call to discuss your start date and all the steps we need to take to get started. What day and time works best for you? Shoot me an email with what works best for you? One last thing, the company you are talking about just signed with us a couple weeks ago so they weren't on board at the time you purchased your product. Maybe in the future you could purchase the training materials from them for all new employees that need to be trained. That probably makes the most sense. Look forward in hearing from you soon.


Warmest Wishes,

> Carleen Fitzgerald
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03/08/2008

hello...just let me know what time is appropriate for your company...and I will ensure that our guys are ready.

Richard
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03/14/2008

Carleen,

We have been, what we would consider, overly patient. You people had zero problem rushing to accept our money, but the moment that you were asked to perform your tasks your company has dropped the ball 100%.

First, you told me one thing as far as delivery of your product...then proceeded to do something entirely different. Next, it is now March, and your company has done nothing to conduct the training (and from what I have been told...this is essentially what we are paying the money for).

We have found this business relationship to be 100% unacceptable.

I expect the refund to be credited to our account no later than end of business day, March 17th. If we do not have the money refunded into our account by this time, I will proceed in other ways. I am not interested in any additional calls, emails, or actions from your company, as it is apparent that we were only a priority when it came to receiving our money.

Best Regards,

Richard
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04/09/2007

Hello Richard,

I know over the past MONTHS Bobby and myself have sent you MANY emails requesting information to push this sale and training program along and have had NO response back from you. With that being said, we have decided to refund the amount of $2,500 for the phone training. Thank you

Carleen Fitzgerald
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Since this last email from Carleen, I have not heard a word.

So, what we have received is 5 12"x1.5"x8" boxes, each containing 1 cd/ 1 dvd/ and 1 spiral bound book...

The videos on the DVD are dated to the early 80's...and much of the material is outdated and irrelevant.

This has been the worst business experience I have ever had, and 1000x worse than what I could have ever imagined.

With most typical scams, they wooed us with great service and attentiveness prior to the sale, and as soon as they received our money...all bets were off.

I trust that as you read this, you realize that there are many reputable companies out there that will service your sales training needs, and actually deliver their product. Stay away from this scam.

Re67
Oregon City, Oregon
U.S.A.