Complaint Review: Blue Chip Marketing Group - Tempe Arizona

I received unsolicited contact from Blue Chip Marketing Group (Cashing In On Auctions) in August 2007. After being told about the success of the business and its program, I started an online business with Cashing In On Auctions in September 2007. Following a conversation with one of their sales representatives, I invested $2,039 to obtain a web site and to pay for an integrated advertising campaign.

The sales representative with whom I spoke shared some very impressive statistics about the targeted advertising campaign, and she also spoke confidently about the overall effectiveness of the program/campaign. I was told that the $2,000 targeted advertising campaign would generate at least the money I invested ($2,000), at which time I could then reinvest those monies into additional advertising.

Countless times during the initial months of the "advertising campaign," I logged into my "back office" to view the progress of my campaign/business. Every time I viewed the lack of results, I was acutely aware that the advertising was woefully ineffective. I made at least 60 phone calls to their customer service office in an attempt to speak with the sales rep that sold me the advertising, as well as to an in-house advertising professional to review my "campaign." I left multiple messages over a 2-3 month period, none of which were returned.

I was then put in touch with a gentleman named Gabe and while he was very engaging, he was ill equipped to answer the most basic questions--i.e. "Why is my advertising not working?" Can you share your experience with this kind of advertising? What kinds of benchmarks exist so I can better gauge the performance of the advertising? What can/should we change? Gabe advised me that it takes time for the campaign to generate results, and he promised on several occasions to put me in touch with a knowledgeable advertising professional--that never happened. After repeated attempts to speak with the head person in charge, I was finally put in touch with "Rob" (the president of Blue Chip Marketing). I eventually had a conversation with Rob, and during that conversation Rob admitted that the $2,000 I paid for advertising was NOT to pay for an advertising campaign, rather the money was payment for advertising "materials." The confirmation I received from the company reads as follows:

Television Commercial: $800

T.V. Link: $300

Radio Link: $300

Auto Responder: $600

I received four separate letters confirming my purchase--each letter explicitly states, "Your advertising will begin as soon as we receive your authorization form that is included in your package." Rob advised me that he would confirm whether one of his sales reps communicated that Blue Chip Marketing would implement advertising on my behalf. If they did, he advised that he would then refund my money in full. I've made several attempts to contact Rob since--to no avail. So, here I sit in March 2009 with no answers and an empty commissions account. To date, I have invested $2,039 which has yielded nothing.

Paul

Parsippany, New Jersey

U.S.A.