Complaint Review: Denise Alvarado - Internet

I have place and order with voudo store, October the 7th, so called commercail account and recive nothing. I have email the store seven timess with no response. I would never treat my customers this way. My sugesstion to anyone that is serouis about there work and have clients as myself depending on your geniune work, leave these pepole alone. When you say you have a pruduct on hand it should not take you longer then China to mail it off. Thats just bad bussiness. I suggest to continue to make your compliants known.  I'm doing the same, Paypal says they have servral complaints of the same which lets me know somthing is the geniune about them the Voudo Store .  I order of two thousand dollars worth of goods per month I was just wazs trying some of there pruducts beware ...Bodaciuous

This is 100% true. They`re all complete con artists. Any perceived benefit(s) gained from hoodoo/conjure is simply "in the mind". If you actually get a solid result, it`s a lucky break that`s unrelated to the "work"/"worker". I too have studied many of these people, from the subject of this report (Denise Alvarado) to many AIRR members and independents, this in addition to trying various spells (witchcraft and hoodoo "folk magic"). I did it for school; I feel pity for anyone so feeble-minded as to believe in these things. People like Alvarado, Christian Day, and many others not mentioned here by name, must be laughing their way to the bank.    

While I am certain that your personal experience has been that there are NO authentic practitioners of Hoodoo, or Vodou, or Conjure and that your experience has fueled your comments... I would like to say that I have had different experiences. You should know, however, that I am not by nature a believer. I tend to be a knee-jerk skeptic. Everything gets weighed against what I know to be true... nothing gets the benefit of the doubt... and yet, I have seen some things which have defied explanation. I have seen good things happen, and good work done. Some might call what I have seen miracles, wonders. I have seen (there's no other way to explain it) Conjure work like a charm - pun intended.

Now, that being said... the workers I have found who seem to be authentic are not people who advertised, not folks who hung out a shingle an advertised their services. I found them through word of mouth mostly: someone who knew someone who knew someone. I'm not saying that people who advertise are all fakes - because heaven knows, everybody's got to make a living. But nobody I've worked with who's been effective was a "professional."

None of them made any promises, or guarantees. None of them even wanted money At least, they didn't ask for any money - although one did accept a freshly baked pound cake and accept my invitation to dinner.

And none of what happened, none of the conjuring was completely "turnkey." I didn't do the -pay-to-pray thing. That is to say that everything required at least some action or effort on my part: some prayer, some candle lighting, even a ritual bath or two. But, even though I am skeptical, my mind is open... so I gave it a shot. And things worked... sometimes miraculously. 

Always, when you hear about someone's work, ask if the person telling you about them has actualy had any work done. In my experience, people who've gotten good results will tell you about it... and real rootworkers, even though they may be quite good at what they do, are still humble and a little self-effacing.

So, before you write everyone off as a fake, please consider that this may not be the case. Don't write it all off because of a few bad experiences. Real workers are indeed out there.

i just came across this and to be honest I think Christiand Day sounds really arrogant - will never come to your store buddy - and everyone involved in conjure work are fraudsters - from the AIRR to anyone else.....

There isn't one - not one person on this planet I have found that is authentic. I have been researching for 2 years as part of a major project to actually want to give credibiltiy to a genuinely powerful person, and all I have come across are devils that prey on vulnerable people with false hope.

This person has done this to so many people and by the way hon...   it isn't illegal???   If it is truth and so many people have reported your advirse behaviors and are not connected in any way.. says alot, it is not illegal to describe the truth in being ripped off.



If you think it is illegal defaming you.. then do something about it... you know why you don't because you know the complaints are true, your a fraud, and fake... a real scammer.  Grow up little girl.. 57 yr. old woman.. and your picture posted on your blog is fake too  anyone with eye should be able to see that.  



Put that in your new aged beaf-up, self-proclaiming peace pipe  and smoke it.... LOL  

I have ordered supplies from Denise. She has always been kind and professional. My items arrived quickly and I was sent what I ordered. Denise kindly provided email support. Denise isn't trying to screw people over. She is a professional lady. I would do business with her again. I would recommend her to friends and think she is a really nice lady.

I cannot find anything that will aid me in removing &/or editing reports on this site. And the "contact us" button is dead. Once an issue has been mediated or solved there should be an option to delete.
At any rate, since I cannot delete/edit (yet), I will "update". First, I regret including Christian Day`s name in my report & I want to make it clear that what I know of Christian happens to be very good. Christian is a rarity, he`s a successful entrepreneur in the field of occultism. The popularity of his store, "Hex", in Salem, Mass. has enabled him to open a new location in New Orleans, La., and he`s recently released his first book. In a time where businesses of all types, particularly businesses in niche areas such as the occult, are failing and even closing entirely, his accomplishments are especially noteworthy and impressive. If you plan to visit either New Orleans or Salem you should be certain to stop by "Hex" on your trip. 
Moving on to the reason I`d like to remove my reports entirely. Though I`ve never been dishonest in describing my experiences (sometimes cruel, yes, but only because I was hurt), I`d still like to lay the entire matter to rest. Denise was my friend & a very close friend at that. Yes, she`s made mistakes but then again so have I. I want to believe that she`s moved on towards making things right re: outstanding orders/delivery times and refund requests. Yes, I was very angry at being lambasted by people from whom I hadn`t accepted any funds, simply because I was seen as the primary connection to Denise. Still I`d determined to ignore and block anything that wasn`t my own issue. My friendship with Denise was always my primary concern and she knows that. I`d always had doubts and worries regarding getting involved in any business/$$$ matters with a friend. In the end it was an issue concerning another mutual friend that just put me over the top, snagged my last nerve as it were. I`m not even sure why I took it to the public instead of hashing it out with her. Oh yes, it might be because you blocked me on FB, Denise. That & the fact that others were urging me to do so, to take it out in the open. But in the end, this is all too mean-spirited for me, it`s not at all descriptive of what I`m really like. That`s why I`ll endeavor to remove any and all negative comments I`ve made about her and her businesses or work. The truth is that I do admire Denise`s artistic talents, and I`ve always found her to be an intelligent and congenial person. I do not want to feel this kind of anger or pain any longer, and I don`t want to block Denise`s ability to make a living. And so I would urge others to go ahead and order from her. Again, I choose to believe that she`s righted any past wrongs, and her products are "<3 worthy" once you do receive them. They are handmade products so please be reasonable in your own expectations re: delivery times (I have also seen the other side of the coin, the many customers who`d harass Denise with unreasonable expectations). I regret this whole experience and I will do whatever I can to heal the hurt of it.      

To the author of this review,

I am Christian Day, the owner of HEX in New Orleans, Louisiana and Salem, Massachusetts. It is entirely inappropriate that you would attempt to disparage my business in this transparent crusade against your former business associate by drawing my businesses into a conflict I have nothing to do with. Perhaps you're hoping to convince me into not carrying Ms. Alvarado's books but this was hardly the way to go about it, as I'm going to order more. I like Denise's work as it taps into the spirit, magic, and folklore of New Orleans. African magic, especially gris-gris, was a part of New Orleans from the beginning and Denise is drawing from this magical well where most others explore only the more religious practices. Yet, that is neither here nor there. To disparage my name and the name of one of my shops while being my friend on Facebook is disingenuous. So I'm your friend but you seek to make me collateral damage in this pointless conflict? I personally feel that meditation and introspection would be a better use of your time and I hope you come to agree.

This woman is a compulsive liar, delusional & grandiose.  Being her former "business partner" I have entire files of complaints on her. Since she`s given my name, anyone is welcome to contact me via Facebook for further details (I can also refer you to reliable, authentic purveyors of spiritual goods, classes, readings, etc.).

Folks thought of me as her "2nd in command" & because of this they`d ask me for assistance in coercing her to fulfill her promises.  She simply ignores people &/or serves major attitude (to those who "dare" ask her "where in the heck is my order, I paid you months ago?" or "Please refund my money ASAP").

A prime example of her flakey behavior would be Hoodoo & Conjure (so-called) "Quarterly", a magazine that has published 2 issues in what is now almost 2 years (see complaints for the 1st issue on Amazon).

*PLEASE NOTE THAT HER GOOD REVIEWS ARE WRITTEN BY HER FRIENDS-PAID OFF WITH A PAT ON THE HEAD OR A SMALL DISCOUNT ON AN ORDER...BUT MOSTLY A PAT ON THE HEAD, SHE IS TOO CHEAP TO GIVE ANYTHING AWAY (SEE MY COMMENTS ON THE MAJOR MAG CONTRIBUTOR WHO COULD NOT EVEN GET HIS PLEDGED "FREE COPY" [FOR GOD`S SAKE])*

She began selling it as $20 per issue, then upped the price to $30 pr issue. She also began taking subscription fees in August of 2010, promising the 1st issue would appear by Oct. 2010. 1st edition came out in March. 2011. She publishes through Amazon`s CreateSpace & so there is no reason for such nonsense, other than the fact that she needed all of that money to pay her bills, didn`t want to use a portion of it to fulfill her obligations (& her policy is "screw the customers they can wait").

I have one file just for the HCQ complaints, never mind all of her other bogus "Planet Voodoo" & "Mystic Voodoo" products. I`ve been told by many that not only has she failed to honor their subscriptions (& of course it`s now 2 years & only 2 issues were published...watch, next she`ll say "by quarterly I`d mean one issue every FOUR YEARS) OR refund the money rightfully theirs, she is now exhorting them to pay $30 an issue, as if they`d never paid her exorbitant subscription fees at all (Denise Alvarado has an extremely selective memory, a memory for only what serves her greedy, thieving purposes).    

Everything I say is fact.
I care not one whit to be no longer a part of her overpriced rag. Long ago I`d given up hope re: the magazine (which was my idea, BTW....Denise loves plagiarizing ideas, books, etc.). I tried to get us advertising but her rates were/are laughable, that & the fact that reputable co.`s do not want to hitch their wagons to a losing horse. It`s a common fact that her books are all re-treads of other authors, reputable ones. She`s made up the term "hoodoo Voodoo", calling it the magical system of Voodoo. This is a fallacy, one of many she purports.To be involved with Denise is to be disdained & laughed at by intelligent, honorable folks.

I enormously regret ever having gotten involved with her, I was told by many to move on (after I began complaining to family/friends about what I was seeing, & what was happening to me). This I finally did, but not without much stress and strife. For me to break my silence it took her making a personal attack on another friend, even calling his job & trying to have him fired for bogus reasons. She`d also attempted to push myself & others to make false allegations against this man (so that he`s be kicked off Facebook).

Now I have been involved in one "hoodoo war" after another because of this lady (she had a large "not a fan" club well before I`d met her (& why oh why didn`t I see the writing on the wall, as well as listen to my loved ones?). Cat Yronwode, Starr Casas, Dara Anzlowar`s group members, the guys at The Vodou Store, the list goes on & on. Enough is enough. When she told me that I had to choose between her & him, even though I wasn`t involved in their issues, that was it. I decided to tell the world what I knew of her, what`ve I`ve witnessed of her cruelty, her phony baloney. As I detail in this post, I was also her victim for a time. I guess she knew I wanted a close female friend & used that against me. It did keep me from wising up for a time. 

Getting back to her orders, including her mostly self-published books & other "Voodoo hoodoo" items. That`s a separate file of complaints. Again, orders late by anywhere from 2-6 or 7 months. If a refund is requested you may be told about how she`s going to send you bad "ju-ju". Many who seek out alternative spirituality are quite often not at all learned in the subject. All or most are going through emotional issues & thus are vulnerable to being scammed. They become afraid to ask for what`s rightfully theirs. The bad "ju-ju" policy, this was even included in Denise`s "terms & conditions" page for a long period of time (she took it down when she realized how much of a bully & just how awful she appeared).

She had best watch her step in harassing me (just for opening up & telling the truth in order to help others who`ve been scammed by her & her partners; or prevent new customers from becoming victimized by her)-I have a screen shot of her "bad ju-ju policy" (& in the case of spellwork, she`d also offer "I can reverse all of the good I`ve done for you" threats...yeah, "as if" she had or has that kind of power over others). If she is indeed in school to obtain a Ph. D. in psychology, all her school needs to see is this one documentation & any money she`s invested will go right down the drain (due to her school`s "morals clause").  There`s that & there`s the state of Arizona`s psychologist review board (who probably won`t put too much stock in a "professional" hawking magic spells & enchanted monkey paws, chicken feet or whatever). I`ve stopped short of doing *everything* in my power to protect others, in honesty I don`t want her to lose everything. I`d like for her to learn a lesson & begin doing right by other people (they are not your loan company or your bank, Denise). 

At one time I`d gotten her to cease in taking money from customers until she cleaned up her act & caught up with past orders, the many who wait on her forever. That lasted less than a week & she was back to the same old story. 

Anyway, many have been spreading the word that there is no need to fear this woman, though there are so many people who are fearful of posting complaints (old fears die hard...God, it`s such a shame). She herself had told me long ago that she periodically trolls forums like this one in order to see if anyone`s complained yet. To her satisfaction her silly scare tactics have worked...until now. Most people go to PayPal or their credit card companies. These entities know Denise Alvarado well. PayPal makes judgments against her on a regular basis.

For a so-called "psychologist" & Ph. D. candidate she doesn`t do the right thing when obviously troubled people come to her. I have many examples of cases where the customer should have been directed to medical attention, e.g. a psychologist/psychiatrist &/or an internal medicine specialist. But not her, oh no, not when a buck is involved. The more disturbed her clients are, the better. They are even less likely to complain than healthier folks, even more superstitious & paranoid.  

Getting back to the HC"Q" magazine-even the people who contributed free of charge had to wait eons for third copies. One man, whose photographs illustrate the entire 2 (whoop de doo) issues, never got the standard copyright notices on all of his work. Yeah, great-he was listed as "photographer" in the front...that is not enough. And oh yeah, he`s still waiting for his "free" issue, 6 or mo.`s after she finally sent it to press. Of course he knows it won`t ever come, she can`t even spare a few bucks for an extra one, even though his contributions are utterly invaluable to this magazine (sidebar-she fished for compliments re: my article, but I was lukewarm...I`d wanted to say "it`s great, but are you taking credit for X`s work by not giving him his deserved copyrights").

Moving on-as I`d said originally, Denise Alvarado uses  her education to foster trust in unsuspecting people who just want help & guidance. Many of us are not even sure of her anthropology degree is legitimate; if you watch long enough you`ll find innumerable holes in her knowledge (example: how could somebody supposedly an anthropology & native herbology major [& "American Indian tribe initiate"] not know something as basic as the fact that bearberry herb is known as kinnik kinnik (sic?...there are a few different spellings). Many people speak of how she gets pissy when corrected on certain things. 

As for her products, she`s once messaged me (during another emotional episode) to tell me "I`m quitting this business & getting a real job!" (during one of those periods I`d gotten her to do what I`ve detailed above, not that it did any good of course). Whenever her sales go down it`s not, say the poor economy &/or word making the rounds about her being a lousy businessperson &/or slipshod items. No, it`s people putting curses on her because they`re so "jealous" of her.  It`d be laughable to me if it weren`t so pathetic. And so sad for the people who lose their hard-won money to her (sidebar-do not believe the "I`ll refund your money tomorrow or this week" stories... file complaints w/ Paypal &/or your bank NOW...also the Better Business Bureau... the longer you procrastinate the less your chance for success). 

I was scammed by her ,too. I also have a file of the promises she`d made to me. Again, I gave up on ever seeing anything from her. And since I`m doing my own thing(s) I would love for her to remove my articles from the magazine editions, as well as one of her self-published spellbooks. 

STIILL, I HAVE AMPLE PROOF FOR A LAWSUIT AGAINST HER, INCLUDING THE FIRST ISSUE`S INTRO NOTE LISTING ME AS CO-FOUNDER & NUMEROUS E-MAILS THAT PROVE MY ROLE. SHE HERSELF HAS NOT A POT TO PISS IN, AS THE SAYING GOES. BUT HER LATEST INAUTHENTIC, COPIED BOOK (COPIED FROM NUMEROUS OTHER BOOKS  [WRITTEN BY REPUTABLE AUTHORS] NAMED IN ANOTHER POST [on Amazon]) WAS ACTUALLY PUBLISHED BY AN OLD OCCULT IMPRINT, SAMUEL WEIDER/RED WHEEL....AND THEY DO OWN THAT "POT".  

Then we have her newest venture, "Crossroads University", where you can too can become a "certified rootworker" for the mere price of 2 years & at least 2K, maybe 3K (go to Lucky Mojo & take a "real deal" course, one that has the best in reputations & the very same one that Denise is trying to copy] for just a few hundred dollars. A reliable source, someone who used to do her scut work over there, tells me that "the flaky" has found it`s way into that venture as well. People kept asking when the classes would resume. I`ve told people "listen, she`s already got money from you...they`ll resume whenever she happens to feel like it, so don`t hold your breath". Of course Denise is telling these folks that she`s "letting new students catch up". Again, it`d be funny if it weren`t such transparent BS. I also hear that people are finally dropping out, even those "closer" to her. Their opinions on the syllabi thus far? Garbage, & an indication of what`s to come. MAYBE useful to a few students who really know nothing of the subject being discussed. Well no, scratch that actually-since she teaches according to a premise of something that does not exist, something she invented since coming online 6 years ago solely to make money (i.e. "hoodoo Voodoo" [ again] is NOT  the "magical tradition" of African &/or Hatian Vodou, this is her very own bastardization of the traditions of other cultures [oh yeah & I can already tell you that next she`ll come back & tell us all that she`s a black Creole...*coughing*]...& the members of these authentic traditions do NOT like her, no not at all...she was just booted from a Facebook group that I`m on because the membership became up in arms at her presence alone [including, naturally, myself]).

Don`t be fooled. Denise claims to be from New Orleans & it may be true that she was born there. But if you read my synopsis of "the voodoo hoodoo spellbook" you`ll wonder, as I & many others do, why somebody so ingrained in that area`s Afrocentric culture has absolutely nothing "home-grown" or originla to offer her readers. Truth is she hasn`t lived there, or even been there in eons (& she is most definitely not a "NOLA spiritual fixture". She`s trying to push her foot in the door, hopefully by selling her crap at her friend (from Salem, Mass.) Christian Day`s soon to premiere shop "Hex". Maybe that`ll work for the tourists, the "muggies", but the standard bearers of these traditions, the authentic versions of them that is, will continue in their long-time negative opinions re: Denise Alvarado. 

Blessings & good luck to you. I hope you will find authentic teachers & truly useful magical items.
Please feel free to join me on Facebook. But if you are a Denise Alvarado flunky/brown nose, be sure to keep far away, LOL. I`ll talk to you AFTER you get burned.   

This false report is another attempt by Sharon Marino to discredit me  simply because she is no longer a part of the magazine. Subscriptions  were never $120.00, they were $47.90 for domestic subscriptions and  $54.45 for international subscriptions. All subscribers will receive  their 4 issues. No one is complaining about the product or service  except Sharon Marino and anyone who had has requested a refund has  received one.

If you are going to post lies, show the proof. When and where were people ever charged $120.00 for a subscription?

Instead of spending so much energy on defaming me, which by the way is illegal, why don't you work on doing something constructive for the community?  You are just making yourself look pathetic.

What Is Defamation?

The publication or broadcast of any libelous or  slanderous statement about an individual or business that can be proven to be false and published  with the intention of harming that entity's reputation is considered to be defamation. Online defamation is the publication of such statements  made on any Internet based media including blogs, forums, websites, and  even social networking websites. While many Internet users believe that  they are free to say and do as they like while on the Internet, this is  untrue and the same defamation laws and regulations stand for online  defamation as they do in any form of media.

Woman, you are the one who needs to get a life. You ignore people who ask for refunds, who complain or you give them attitude and strife. You use customers, even the friends you don`t truly value, as if they`re your personal bank/loan company.  The time has come for your games to be exposed. Keep it up.

This false report is another attempt by Sharon Marino to discredit me simply because she is no longer a part of the magazine. Subscriptions were never $120.00, they were $47.90 for domestic subscriptions and $54.45 for international subscriptions. All subscribers will receive their 4 issues. No one is complaining about the product or service except Sharon Marino and anyone who had has requested a refund has received one.

If you are going to post lies, show the proof. When and where were people ever charged $120.00 for a subscription?

Instead of spending so much energy on defaming me, which by the way is illegal, why don't you work on doing something constructive for the community? You are just making yourself look pathetic.

What Is Defamation?
The publication or broadcast of any libelous or  slanderous statement about an individual or business that can be proven to be false and published with the intention of harming that entity's reputation is considered to be defamation. Online defamation is the publication of such statements made on any Internet based media including blogs, forums, websites, and even social networking websites. While many Internet users believe that they are free to say and do as they like while on the Internet, this is untrue and the same defamation laws and regulations stand for online defamation as they do in any form of media.