Complaint Review: True.com - Herb Vest

BACKGROUND CHECKS AND DISCLOSURE = TRUE LIES

Vest once again is trying to get lawmakers to pass his background check disclosure act in Illinois now HB5299. Vest exploits women, doesn't disclose his own deceptive business practices and is hiding his personal background of abuse and womanizing. I believe Vest should be exposed because he is using our lawmakers to manipulate the industry and continues to exploit women while he lies to the public of his motivates in order to line his own pockets

An online dating site called True.com which touts it's self as the safer dating service and the owner Herb Vest is behind litigation to require all dating services to disclose if they conduct background checks should be investigated for date bait along with several other questionable business practices.

Vest is being sued in Dallas, Texas by his former fiancee. The details of the woman's case is very disturbing. Vest who is fighting to require background checks is now fighting to keep the detail affidavit by this woman seal. Vest sited it would damage his business and personal life. Some of the details includes Vest with prostitutes, Threesomes with lesbians. Several sexual harassment claims against Vest while at HD Vest, Inc. And, SEC, IRS fraud - this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Vest stated: In addition to screening our own members for criminal backgrounds, TRUE is doing everything it can to make the online dating community at-large a more wholesome environment for courtship one that is free and clear of predators and criminals. In another statement The idea for True.com came from wanting to provide a "safe and wholesome environment for courtship," Vest said.

True is now turning it's business to the sex trade. www.askmen.com has a contest to pick the hottest True girl. True.com's exploitation of women in ads:

http://www.onlinedatingmagazine.com/columns/2005editorials/april2005.html

http://www.calacanis.com/2006/01/13/should-we-run-these-ampd-ads-or-not/3#comments

http://www.corante.com/dating/images/trueuglymodel.png

In addition you may want to ask Vest about the following business practices.

Apparently, Dave Evans' Corante blog has posters that claim they have seen documentation of fraud on the part of True. That is, ex-employees who claim that part of their job description was to pose as real people and keep people as members to motivate them to become paid subscribers.

I think that this issue becomes even more pertinent in light of similar allegations currently against Match.com and Yahoo Personals. It is no secret that some "customer service" people that used to work at True are no longer there -- and having left under curious circumstances. Vest/ HDVE could be compelled to release names of such ex-employees so they can be questioned about these allegations of fraud. Vest, Buell, and Trish Bellows should also be questioned as to whether they have any knowledge of fake/bait profiles being used by True employees at the direction of Vest and/or any of the executive management to essentially deceive or defraud customers or potential customers.

Secrets True.com doesn't want made public!

1. "Is the endorsement from Psychology Today an academic endorsement or a paid endorsement?"

2. "You state on your site that you have a team of experts behind your testing/psychology services... who are they exactly and how do I get in touch with them in order to ask them what they specifically do for True and examples of recent work." "Or, perhaps you (True.com) is overstating their roles as a marketing gimmick."

3. "It seems True has been busy altering the authorship of certain online articles in its online magazine from Dr. James Houran to "Psychology Department" -- implying Houran is still a part of the psychology dept. and that True has an active psychology dept." Why is it making these changes in authorship? Does the online magazine editor (Leah Gentry, formerly a journalist with the LA Times) endorse this practice?"

4. Why has True.com not revealed to its customers that they no longer have the benefit of Dr. James Houran? He was arguably a huge value ad to the business and the welfare of the customers, yet customers are not told he is no longer with the company. True pushes for legislation requiring disclosure and yet they curiously are not disclosing that certain features/ benefits of the site are no longer part of the price of membership."

FYI: Dr. Jim Houran was fired in October and True is sueing him. True hasn't disclosure that there are no experts on staff. Even the security expert is gone. The gimmicks True promotes it's self with aren't True!

Also, Vest and his wife has broken their own rule : NO MARRIED PEOPLE ALLOWED. Screen names (undermoose) and (fite) both go into chat rooms. So True.com no married people can contact members isn't True either.

VEST OFTEN GOES TO THE CHAT ROOM TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON. MARK BROOKS IS ON THE PAYROLL FOR TRUE.COM. VEST USES MARKS BLOG TO PROMOTE HIS COMPANY AND USES A DIFFERENT NAME.

Binks
Houston, Texas
U.S.A.