Robert
Staunton,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, February 14, 2004
Emma, I think you meant to say that the tapes are real. They are in the sense that you have a recording of someone at the company saying "yes," but don't you realize that in this day of digital technology it is possible to edit a tape to make it look like I've agreed to just about anything? That said, it is a no-brainer to say that most reasonable people would tell you to get lost in a heartbeat, but by clever deception you make it look like they've obligated themselves to pay you $399.95 as many times as you care to invoice them! And Now The Ethics Lesson: You make yourself feel good about being a criminal by cancelling the churches and only going after the big corporations that you feel are screwing people. MY CORPORATION is not big at all and yet your people keep bothering us whenever you want. Does it ever occur to you that you are engaging in the same crime that you profess to detest by robbing small businesses that are just trying to feed their families. Also consider the poor bookkeeper, who may work for a large corporation but it's HER job on the line if she's called on the carpet for paying you. It is my experience that you meet all kinds of people at any level of business. Treat people fairly and you will be surprized how they will treat you. It is true that large companies will go into areas with low labor costs and pay less for the same work than they would in the industrialized countries, but that these jobs actually represent economic gain in areas that would otherwise have very little work. Actually the standard of living does rise because, believe it or not, they now have more disposable income. Also, it is steady. 'Screwing the company' is not the way to correct abuses. Rather, the answer is to demand accountability and even in some cases shop with conscience when there is a known pattern of abuse. But you have to remember who was hurt the most by the boycott on South African products years ago. Yes, it was the victims of apartheit far more than the whites. If you learn anything, learn that. And Emma, I doubt that you keep a dossier on each American company to know who's screwing people and who's playing clean. It would seem to me that you ought to just realize that you are engaging in the very crime that you accuse everyone else of.
Emma
Montreal,#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, February 10, 2004
Ok Robert calm down, I never said the taped conversation was a binding contract, I simply thought I should mention it was real considering no one else could figure it out. Obviously he doesn't have to pay me because for one it's complete bullshit and secondly I wasn't making money off they're checks, just getting paid by the hour in a shitty a*s job. Not to say that I didn't do anything wrong, although I didn't know it was illegal, I realized it wasn't a nice thing to do. Anyways I would have never sold to a church, I usually just cancel those, I prefer to go for the big corporations who screw other people over and save enough money from child labour to be able to afford it.
Robert
Staunton,#4Consumer Comment
Thu, February 05, 2004
The merchant is REQUIRED BY LAW to notify the consumer of that right as well as to PROVIDE CLEAR CONTACT INFORMATION. Thus said, Emma, your tapes, which can be easily edited by you, do not constitute a binding contract at all. The Pastor was TRICKED, pure and simple, and IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION to pay you!!!
Emma
Montreal,#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, February 05, 2004
Yes this company does scam people all the time, even churches, but when they say they have taped conversations they really have them and they're not fake. The pastor of this church really did authorize it, but was just manipulated into not realizing what he was really doing and that is why he did not remember the conversation. I worked for this company for a long time so know all about it. If it makes anyone feel better I do know that they've gotten completely screwed over thanks to being sued countless times.
Robert
Staunton,#6Consumer Suggestion
Mon, April 07, 2003
You should write directly to tis guy, who owns all these companies, and state that he has thirty days to produce a WRITTEN contract and that if he can't then he is not to contact you by telephone, fax, electronic mail, U.S. mail, courier or in person! (Spell it out this specifically so that you can protect yourself from further HARASSMENT). Let him know you are going to the Attorney Generals of your own state AND New York State. Also tell him you are reporting them for MAIL FRAUD (get the form at your Post Office). Here is the address of the "Mother Ship"--the rest are just a ruse so you can't find them: Pavlos Angelatos, President W.W.S. Source Mondiale de Publications, Inc. 2015 Drummond Avenue, Suite #800 Montreal, Quebec H3G 1W7 Canada Now follow through and report them. Vermont was able to obtain a handsome settlement for people who had been scammed by this company. Other states are moving on this too. Michelle in Florida faxed everything to him at 800-303-1489 every time someone called her from this horrible company. She made Pavlos Angelatos go through a few reams of paper but eventually they stopped calling and she got a credit.
Meghann
Buffalo,#7Consumer Suggestion
Tue, June 18, 2002
You're not required to pay for anything you didn't order. (Many people either just pay invoices without thinking twice, or think that they have to pay an invoice even if they didn't order the goods/services; it's what they count on when preying on unsuspecting & trusting folks. You're a step ahead of the game since you didn't pay up.) The good folks at Ameri-Source can say that the pope ordered the listing, but if they can't prove it, they can't make you pay. Tell their collections person that you did not order the listing, that you will not pay for it. Put it in writing, if you can (you didn't mention whether you had an address): tell them that you consider the matter closed & that any further communication from their company will constitute harrassment and that in that event you will take legal action against them. Then follow through. I don't know if you retain an attorney; sometimes just the threat is enough to get them to back down. Any legal eagles here have more input?
kata
stamford,#8Consumer Suggestion
Tue, June 18, 2002
Go to your police and report them for fraud, extortion. The police can call the company and request the ORIGINAL tape with the voice of your minister. IF they have a tape it is a fake tape. Possibly they called your minister some time ago, asking him trivial questions: "Is .... is your address"? Are you the minister of the congregation? Do you have Saturday/Sunday service? " etc. After they recorded a couple of YES, they edited a new tape with different questions. About the collection. Even if it is a legit debt/collection aganecy, you have the right to ask for validation. They have 30 days to answer you, and to provide proof that the debt valid. Most of the fake collection agency run away when they see that you know the laws more than they. I do not think there is any danger that they are going to the court for the money. This company had already many problems. It seems they are operating from Canada, with some US addresses, and when a state ban them they are moving to another state. I would recommend to report them not only to your local police, but to your state attorney general, http://www.ago.state.ne.us/consumer_protection/complaint_form.html and the Canada fraud center: www.phonebusters.com Do not communicate neither with the compnay nor with the collection agency on phone. Send them registered mails not only requesting the validation of your debt, but mentioning that you reported them to the police and the state attoreny general.