Complaint Review: ExpresScents - Elite Designs - Country Kitchen Candles - North Providence Rhode Island

I have been reading all of these responses and rebuttals for weeks but didn't want more grief by having "Paul" respond to my comments. However I do feel it is important for all of us as distributors to stay in touch and keep sharing information. Yes all of your experiences mirror everthing that has happened to me. I am equally as furious with the JS Company as I am with Anthony Antonelli's company. The information given in the literature from ExpresScents regarding how the locator company does its job and recommending the JS Company is as deceitful as all the rest of the information. I went to every location given to me, I stepped over drunks and homeless people.I skirted around crack whores and pimps..you name it and I saw it. All locations were suppose to be subject to my approval. I tried my level best to obtain locations including hard sell tactics which weren't suppose to be necessary. It came down to my word about not being able to secure locations against the word of Joel Crumpton of the JS Company. He saw no reason on earth why I couldn't install displays in all the locations. I can't even begin to tell you what a nightmare it was dealing with him and the JS Company. Also I can't even begin to tell you all the reasons why the store owners weren't interested when I contacted them after Joel supposedly talked with them. Sure it was voluntary to have a locator company lay the groundwork but what was portrayed and recommended in the ExpresScents literature probably sucked in many people. Some distributors have been contacted I understand by Janet from one of Anthony Antonelli's companies in regards to the JS Company-perhaps to help them recoup some money. I certainly haven't been contacted by her and I have zero, -0-, zip, nada for displays. I am not sure what her criteria is for contacting ripped off distributors. Well I guess my comments will be up for public bashing but now I could care less. Oh one more thing..tried to unload on Ebay. Great pictures, great descriptions..guess what? You are right..a big ZERO.

I became an Elite earring distributer. Ron Wattu said I was the first distributer in my state. Well after the useless locater, I went in another direction and guess what I found. That's right displays just like mine.

First of all, your lawyer suggestion that was geared towards me, is so off base. I have no use for lawyers and trust them about as much as these candle frauds. Therefore, you telling me that because it is what I supposedly wanted to hear is so off base. Dumping the junkie candles onto someone else because they don't know better is as bad as what happened to us. Paul, obviously that is something that does not seem to bother you at all. Each one of your reponses continues to insult someone. Please do us a favor and don't respond to anymore of our candle issues. We want to hear from people who have been taken advantage of so that we might be able to stop these people. We don't need to hear how smart you are and that it has never and will never happen to you. Your last response concerned me. It almost is something the fraudulent candle companies would say. I'm beginning to wonder if you are working with them. Why on earth would I want to buy more candles and spend more money on this venture? Please allow us to communicate without your imput. That would be appreciated.

Yes, I'm another who was deceived, lied to, and am frustrated at what might be the best way to deal with it all. I can consider it a HUGELY expensive lesson learned and get on with my life, continue to try to make a go of it and live with all their miserable customer service (or lack thereof), or through some effort not yet known to me try to get some of my money back and return these miserable candles. Has anyone set up a website to try to connect all of us in the position just described?? And, Paul, the things you describe doing are all a form of Monday-morning quarterbacking. We did do our research. I called the accountant's and attorney's offices. I checked with the BBB. I still have my hand-written notes with questions and answers. I have copies on their marketing handbook, saying slow-moving inventory may be exchanged at anytime for better inventory for my area. I have my original printed website information saying territories were protected. I have since tried to follow-up with the same people that were given to me as references. IF they answer their cell phones, they suddenly have a bad connection and disconnect. It is clear that they were part of the scam, but these things are only clear in retrospect. Please let's try to get together, hire an attorney and make them accountable for the lies and all their various forms of deceit.

Glad you're back! You're allowed to file a complaint here and still pursue a civil suit. In fact, it only bolsters your suit to file a complaint on this forum. Actually, I can understand your anger anyway. Hell, if I got ripped off I'd be pissed at the world too. Any comments you read here usually help new people to avoid the fraud. Short of finding information here on a chargeback, it does little for the actual victims to come here. The real advantage is letting others know about the company. And, possibly to offer the company a chance to correct their rip-off. This site comes up in many search listings. It definitely hurts business for these frauds. They may try to settle with victims to update the complaint. Unfortunately, I don't see these candle frauds doing that. Their victims don't come here first. They see the candle fraud site, and then proceed directly to buy into the business. I come to this site and read all the new frauds each day. Usually it's the same old nonsense, over and over again. There really are only about a half-dozen base concepts. The frauds mix them together to make an income. The candle frauds use the old business-in-a-box con. They actually make the money by using bait and switch. You pay for nice candles. They send you $400 worth of trash. That's bait and switch. I try to make suggestions for ways to avoid this fraud. Unfortunately, most people get cheated first and come here last. Maybe there are some who do the other way around. Every once in a while, somebody says thanks for telling me before I paid my money. But, for the most part, it's a waste of time. You could have beaten these frauds by busting their fake distributors. Trust me, no body is out selling the trash candles they get from these crooks. So, there are no real stores anywhere. No reference could ever give you an actual store location. The real way to beat them would have been to drive over with a van or truck. Pick up your candles in person. Open each box. Inspect the candles. Load them into your truck. When you're done, come in and pay. I don't care what the deal is, I drive on over and buy in person. Never send money in the mail. Especially $10k! Naturally, it would have never come down to that. The minute you tell the frauds what you plan to do, they'd tell you no. They're not going to let you come over with a truck and open the boxes, because you'd never buy the trash they have. They count on sending you the trash in the mail! Another way to spot a fraud is to ask for credit. Real distributors will offer you an open account. Or else, front you some stock. I have bank references I can provide. Normally, it's not a problem. But, a fraud will never do that. Once you see those greasy, nasty candles, you'd never pay. At least everyone is more aware of fraud now! Better late than never. I try to learn by watching others and seeing how they do. I am always super-cautious when trying a new situation for the first time. At least you didn't lose as much as some other victims. Check the internet kiosk fraud here. Some of these people lost $70k. Holy s**t! As far as lawyers go, I know exactly what you're finding. Nobody wants to get involved. The only reason I told Gina that was because that is what she wanted to hear. Nobody ever gets a judgment. Even if you could, the frauds would just hide the money and laugh at you while you filed against a bankrupt company. I know this. You see, I do have some compassion for the victims. I tried to let them believe there was hope. I would do exactly what I told Valerie, the original complaint. I'd hustle off all the trash candles by selling them on ebay. Pass that hot potato around to someone else. It's like musical chairs. As long as you can pawn off the mess on someone else, you aren't stuck with a loss. Hell, the idiots on ebay are just begging for garbage like this. It's a sucker's paradise. The idiot who buys your trash will be convinced they got a hell of a bargain, simply because it's on ebay. Then, I'd go out and buy the nice scented pie candles that the frauds sent you to suck you into the deal in the first place. I'd be well on my way to making my money back after 120 days. Things would only go up from there. Hell, you had the stores. You had the idea. All you really were lacking was good candles! With good candles, you're right back in business again. Your retail stores may be wary at first. But, once you show them how nice the new stock is, they'd be crazy to pass. Hell, from what I read, the real candles smell up your whole house before you even light them up. Who wouldn't want that in their store? And, you're right! I don't use my name because I advocate torture in some of my comments. That's a sure-fire way to put the frauds out of business, once and for all. Gees, you're smarter already! Who said people can't learn? Looks like this will never happen to you again! If it's any consolation to the victims, eventually some victim will snap and run over and end all this candle fraud permanently. You know how you hear about some ex-employee who goes berserk and kills everyone in his former job? Same thing with these frauds. Some victims will be so upset they won't care anymore. They'll run right over and walk right in. That's what all frauds face every time they do something like this.

Let me start out by saying that I have chosen to remain anonymous only because of potential legal proceedings. If it helps, you may refer to me as Glinda. Yes, I am involved in this mess so don't even think I appeared just because I'm "angry at the world". That sir, is far from the truth! I am angry with this company who I feel deceived me, repeatedly lied to me and stole from me! I am also somewhat angry at myself as well, for trusting in these people. I am learning to get past being angry with myself, for your records. However, I do not think we need someone from the outside to come in and criticize and demean us and speak in a condescending manner towards us. The point is that we've all been to hell and back and feel badly enough aboout all of this already. Certainly your constructive comments are aprreciated, although too late to benefit our group. It's your second posting which I believe Gina also refers to, as uncalled for and unnecessary. That is what prompted me to respond to you initially. Exactly what may I ask, is your connection to all of this? Do you just surf the web looking for victims such as ourselves? Next, I'd like to point out one more time, that we did do our homework. I also called Dunn & Bradstreet, as you suggested, as did the company's brochure, as well. And yes they were listed. So what? I've also learned the hard way that the BBB cannot "red flag" a company unless there has been a legal judgment made against them. And even after checking into this company for a few months, the owner of the company has a posting earlier on this site, that practically implies that the RIAG's office is working with their company and can be used as a reference for new distributors researching the company. So what I have learned, is that these agencies are there more to assist the businesses or corporations than us little guys, who are generally the victims. Again, your constructive comments certainly may help some folks in the future. But the things you have recommended are probably not the way most novices would go. Obviously, you've had quite a lot of experience with these types of businesses and or individuals, but most of us used the regular routes to check out this company. Granted, it was not as successful as all of your tricks and suggestions, but I guess if any of us pursue anything like this again, we'll perhaps be much more aware as well as suspicious/cautious as you appear to be. And lastly, as far as legal options go, I've tried to get help from several lawyers for all of us. Guess what? Nobody seems interested because there isn't enough money involved to cover the time and cost of an attorney. And from what I've been told class action lawsuits are not profitable for those filing the suit as the percentage on the dollar, assuming the judgment is in our favor, is very minimal. Class action lawsuits are also very costly as far as court and attorney fees go, as well. So at this point, we are still hoping for some help from the AG's office, though that seems to be moving very slowly. Any other suggestions as to where we can go from here are welcome. Thank you.

There's strength in numbers. Plus the FTC will take you more seriously if you represent a group of say 250 potential complainants. Hook up, either online or over the phone. Then start researching an attorney with PAST success in obtaining judgments against business fraud. I believe I made this exact same comment on another candle complaint page. Trust me, finding an attorney is the hard part. Dozens may offer, and all of them may talk a good case. But, only one, possibly two, will be able to not only get you a judgment, but successfully obtain actual reimbursement funds. Split the cost. As the victims continue to come forward, the per-victim cost comes down. You know, I'd make a yahoo group. It's free. So is a yahoo web page. Call it candle business fraud prevention.

The idiot above, Anonymous, claims he did his homework by calling a fake distributor? There's an easy way to spot a fraud who gives you a good reference. First look at the phone number for the reference. What is the area code? Get your map out. Now, call them up. First, ask them their location. Then, get on your map and check the location as you're talking to them. Next, say: You know, my sister lives right near you in Jonesville. Right off route 100. I'll bet she'd love one of your candles. What's the address of one of your store locations? I'll tell her to stop over and pick up one of the candles for herself. I'm sure she love to have one! Once you get the reference's city, you look on the map and find a nearby city. Look at the roads, and pick one that runs right by the fraud. What can the fake reference say? Your sister can't come by and purchase a candle? Needless to say, you will never get an address for an actual store from the reference. They will stammer some half-assed excuse about being out of stock or some other bullshit. They won't give you an actual location because there is none to give you. Busted!! Another good thing that I use all the time is the fake name drop. You call them up, and ask their location. This works well if they're using an 800 number. When you call an 800, you don't know where you're actually calling. There's no area code in the phone number. Anyway, you ask their city. Then tell them: You must be right near that big steel company that just opened up. US Steel. They just opened a factory there. It's in all the newspapers. They hired thousands of locals from your area. Do you know who I'm talking about? Naturally a fake reference will go right along. US Steel? Yes, they're right near my candle stores. There is no US Steel. You just made that up. Busted!! There are a million things you can check before you buy into a business. There are D&B (Dun & Bradstreet) business listings. There are places to check the business license to find out when it was issued. Hell, I could go on and on for 50 pages. But, you get the idea. You go out and find your own information on the company you intend to do business with. You never trust some crooked distributor they give you. No wonder Anonymous didn't use their name. That's amateur hour behavior. Here's a sure-fire way to keep 90% of the frauds at bay. Wait. That's right, wait. Do nothing for 30 days. I remember, millions of years ago, when I was calling around looking for an investment. Back then, the fraud was oil well leases. When I called, they had just come out. Nobody had gotten stung yet. So, there was no information about the fraudulent nature. Millions of suckers bought into this con. Anyway, I call up. The idiot tells me the buy-in is 50K. I tell him I got the money, because I'm running a little business. I was looking for a way to reduce my tax liability. I wanted to make an investment that wouldn't pay off for a while. The oil well leases looked like just the type of thing I was searching for. So, after talking to this hustler for over an hour, I tell him thanks, I'll let you know. Naturally, I'm super busy will all kinds of other deals. Ten days later, I get a call from Mr. Oil Well. Guess what, he wants me to invest. Except now, he says that he'll let me in for just $5k. Busted!! You see, nobody let's you in for 10%. With a real investment, you have to pay the full amount, and you have to pay it all in advance. A fraud figures that they'd rather steal $5k if they can't get the full $50k. It's a dead giveaway, every time. Wait 30 days. See how you feel about the deal then. In the meantime, a fraud will hustle you into buying. They'll call back twice a week, trying to close the deal. When that happens, it's almost always fraud. In the meantime, you can collect more information on the business. Find out the actual income potential. Find out who else in your area is doing the same thing. There are tons of things you can do in 30 days. Remember, it took you years to save up the money. One more month of waiting isn't going to make much of a difference. I estimate you'll keep 90% of frauds out of your life by using this precaution. All these frauds push for a quick sale. Real business distributors can afford to sit back and wait for you to join up. After all they've been in business for a while. When you're ready, they'll still be there. Frauds, on the other hand, can't wait. They got drug dealers to pay off and whores to buy. They need new money everyday. Don't let them have yours!

The idiot above, Anonymous, claims he did his homework by calling a fake distributor? There's an easy way to spot a fraud who gives you a good reference. First look at the phone number for the reference. What is the area code? Get your map out. Now, call them up. First, ask them their location. Then, get on your map and check the location as you're talking to them. Next, say: You know, my sister lives right near you in Jonesville. Right off route 100. I'll bet she'd love one of your candles. What's the address of one of your store locations? I'll tell her to stop over and pick up one of the candles for herself. I'm sure she love to have one! Once you get the reference's city, you look on the map and find a nearby city. Look at the roads, and pick one that runs right by the fraud. What can the fake reference say? Your sister can't come by and purchase a candle? Needless to say, you will never get an address for an actual store from the reference. They will stammer some half-assed excuse about being out of stock or some other bullshit. They won't give you an actual location because there is none to give you. Busted!! Another good thing that I use all the time is the fake name drop. You call them up, and ask their location. This works well if they're using an 800 number. When you call an 800, you don't know where you're actually calling. There's no area code in the phone number. Anyway, you ask their city. Then tell them: You must be right near that big steel company that just opened up. US Steel. They just opened a factory there. It's in all the newspapers. They hired thousands of locals from your area. Do you know who I'm talking about? Naturally a fake reference will go right along. US Steel? Yes, they're right near my candle stores. There is no US Steel. You just made that up. Busted!! There are a million things you can check before you buy into a business. There are D&B (Dun & Bradstreet) business listings. There are places to check the business license to find out when it was issued. Hell, I could go on and on for 50 pages. But, you get the idea. You go out and find your own information on the company you intend to do business with. You never trust some crooked distributor they give you. No wonder Anonymous didn't use their name. That's amateur hour behavior. Here's a sure-fire way to keep 90% of the frauds at bay. Wait. That's right, wait. Do nothing for 30 days. I remember, millions of years ago, when I was calling around looking for an investment. Back then, the fraud was oil well leases. When I called, they had just come out. Nobody had gotten stung yet. So, there was no information about the fraudulent nature. Millions of suckers bought into this con. Anyway, I call up. The idiot tells me the buy-in is 50K. I tell him I got the money, because I'm running a little business. I was looking for a way to reduce my tax liability. I wanted to make an investment that wouldn't pay off for a while. The oil well leases looked like just the type of thing I was searching for. So, after talking to this hustler for over an hour, I tell him thanks, I'll let you know. Naturally, I'm super busy will all kinds of other deals. Ten days later, I get a call from Mr. Oil Well. Guess what, he wants me to invest. Except now, he says that he'll let me in for just $5k. Busted!! You see, nobody let's you in for 10%. With a real investment, you have to pay the full amount, and you have to pay it all in advance. A fraud figures that they'd rather steal $5k if they can't get the full $50k. It's a dead giveaway, every time. Wait 30 days. See how you feel about the deal then. In the meantime, a fraud will hustle you into buying. They'll call back twice a week, trying to close the deal. When that happens, it's almost always fraud. In the meantime, you can collect more information on the business. Find out the actual income potential. Find out who else in your area is doing the same thing. There are tons of things you can do in 30 days. Remember, it took you years to save up the money. One more month of waiting isn't going to make much of a difference. I estimate you'll keep 90% of frauds out of your life by using this precaution. All these frauds push for a quick sale. Real business distributors can afford to sit back and wait for you to join up. After all they've been in business for a while. When you're ready, they'll still be there. Frauds, on the other hand, can't wait. They got drug dealers to pay off and whores to buy. They need new money everyday. Don't let them have yours!

The idiot above, Anonymous, claims he did his homework by calling a fake distributor? There's an easy way to spot a fraud who gives you a good reference. First look at the phone number for the reference. What is the area code? Get your map out. Now, call them up. First, ask them their location. Then, get on your map and check the location as you're talking to them. Next, say: You know, my sister lives right near you in Jonesville. Right off route 100. I'll bet she'd love one of your candles. What's the address of one of your store locations? I'll tell her to stop over and pick up one of the candles for herself. I'm sure she love to have one! Once you get the reference's city, you look on the map and find a nearby city. Look at the roads, and pick one that runs right by the fraud. What can the fake reference say? Your sister can't come by and purchase a candle? Needless to say, you will never get an address for an actual store from the reference. They will stammer some half-assed excuse about being out of stock or some other bullshit. They won't give you an actual location because there is none to give you. Busted!! Another good thing that I use all the time is the fake name drop. You call them up, and ask their location. This works well if they're using an 800 number. When you call an 800, you don't know where you're actually calling. There's no area code in the phone number. Anyway, you ask their city. Then tell them: You must be right near that big steel company that just opened up. US Steel. They just opened a factory there. It's in all the newspapers. They hired thousands of locals from your area. Do you know who I'm talking about? Naturally a fake reference will go right along. US Steel? Yes, they're right near my candle stores. There is no US Steel. You just made that up. Busted!! There are a million things you can check before you buy into a business. There are D&B (Dun & Bradstreet) business listings. There are places to check the business license to find out when it was issued. Hell, I could go on and on for 50 pages. But, you get the idea. You go out and find your own information on the company you intend to do business with. You never trust some crooked distributor they give you. No wonder Anonymous didn't use their name. That's amateur hour behavior. Here's a sure-fire way to keep 90% of the frauds at bay. Wait. That's right, wait. Do nothing for 30 days. I remember, millions of years ago, when I was calling around looking for an investment. Back then, the fraud was oil well leases. When I called, they had just come out. Nobody had gotten stung yet. So, there was no information about the fraudulent nature. Millions of suckers bought into this con. Anyway, I call up. The idiot tells me the buy-in is 50K. I tell him I got the money, because I'm running a little business. I was looking for a way to reduce my tax liability. I wanted to make an investment that wouldn't pay off for a while. The oil well leases looked like just the type of thing I was searching for. So, after talking to this hustler for over an hour, I tell him thanks, I'll let you know. Naturally, I'm super busy will all kinds of other deals. Ten days later, I get a call from Mr. Oil Well. Guess what, he wants me to invest. Except now, he says that he'll let me in for just $5k. Busted!! You see, nobody let's you in for 10%. With a real investment, you have to pay the full amount, and you have to pay it all in advance. A fraud figures that they'd rather steal $5k if they can't get the full $50k. It's a dead giveaway, every time. Wait 30 days. See how you feel about the deal then. In the meantime, a fraud will hustle you into buying. They'll call back twice a week, trying to close the deal. When that happens, it's almost always fraud. In the meantime, you can collect more information on the business. Find out the actual income potential. Find out who else in your area is doing the same thing. There are tons of things you can do in 30 days. Remember, it took you years to save up the money. One more month of waiting isn't going to make much of a difference. I estimate you'll keep 90% of frauds out of your life by using this precaution. All these frauds push for a quick sale. Real business distributors can afford to sit back and wait for you to join up. After all they've been in business for a while. When you're ready, they'll still be there. Frauds, on the other hand, can't wait. They got drug dealers to pay off and whores to buy. They need new money everyday. Don't let them have yours!

The idiot above, Anonymous, claims he did his homework by calling a fake distributor? There's an easy way to spot a fraud who gives you a good reference. First look at the phone number for the reference. What is the area code? Get your map out. Now, call them up. First, ask them their location. Then, get on your map and check the location as you're talking to them. Next, say: You know, my sister lives right near you in Jonesville. Right off route 100. I'll bet she'd love one of your candles. What's the address of one of your store locations? I'll tell her to stop over and pick up one of the candles for herself. I'm sure she love to have one! Once you get the reference's city, you look on the map and find a nearby city. Look at the roads, and pick one that runs right by the fraud. What can the fake reference say? Your sister can't come by and purchase a candle? Needless to say, you will never get an address for an actual store from the reference. They will stammer some half-assed excuse about being out of stock or some other bullshit. They won't give you an actual location because there is none to give you. Busted!! Another good thing that I use all the time is the fake name drop. You call them up, and ask their location. This works well if they're using an 800 number. When you call an 800, you don't know where you're actually calling. There's no area code in the phone number. Anyway, you ask their city. Then tell them: You must be right near that big steel company that just opened up. US Steel. They just opened a factory there. It's in all the newspapers. They hired thousands of locals from your area. Do you know who I'm talking about? Naturally a fake reference will go right along. US Steel? Yes, they're right near my candle stores. There is no US Steel. You just made that up. Busted!! There are a million things you can check before you buy into a business. There are D&B (Dun & Bradstreet) business listings. There are places to check the business license to find out when it was issued. Hell, I could go on and on for 50 pages. But, you get the idea. You go out and find your own information on the company you intend to do business with. You never trust some crooked distributor they give you. No wonder Anonymous didn't use their name. That's amateur hour behavior. Here's a sure-fire way to keep 90% of the frauds at bay. Wait. That's right, wait. Do nothing for 30 days. I remember, millions of years ago, when I was calling around looking for an investment. Back then, the fraud was oil well leases. When I called, they had just come out. Nobody had gotten stung yet. So, there was no information about the fraudulent nature. Millions of suckers bought into this con. Anyway, I call up. The idiot tells me the buy-in is 50K. I tell him I got the money, because I'm running a little business. I was looking for a way to reduce my tax liability. I wanted to make an investment that wouldn't pay off for a while. The oil well leases looked like just the type of thing I was searching for. So, after talking to this hustler for over an hour, I tell him thanks, I'll let you know. Naturally, I'm super busy will all kinds of other deals. Ten days later, I get a call from Mr. Oil Well. Guess what, he wants me to invest. Except now, he says that he'll let me in for just $5k. Busted!! You see, nobody let's you in for 10%. With a real investment, you have to pay the full amount, and you have to pay it all in advance. A fraud figures that they'd rather steal $5k if they can't get the full $50k. It's a dead giveaway, every time. Wait 30 days. See how you feel about the deal then. In the meantime, a fraud will hustle you into buying. They'll call back twice a week, trying to close the deal. When that happens, it's almost always fraud. In the meantime, you can collect more information on the business. Find out the actual income potential. Find out who else in your area is doing the same thing. There are tons of things you can do in 30 days. Remember, it took you years to save up the money. One more month of waiting isn't going to make much of a difference. I estimate you'll keep 90% of frauds out of your life by using this precaution. All these frauds push for a quick sale. Real business distributors can afford to sit back and wait for you to join up. After all they've been in business for a while. When you're ready, they'll still be there. Frauds, on the other hand, can't wait. They got drug dealers to pay off and whores to buy. They need new money everyday. Don't let them have yours!

First of all, Paul your reply came after my comments, so I feel I can comment. You seemed to have attacked Anonymous. I am not angry at the world and was taken for 10,000. I am not even angry at myself anymore. Instead, I have begun to take action to stop these people and prevent others from suffering. Anonymous and the rest of us already feel like fools for being too trusting. I thought I had done good research. I also know there are many legitimate home businesses. I guess I just had faith in the government and could never have believed that it would be so easy to for years defraud people this way. I have tracked these candle companies and it is amazing that certain names keep repeating at various new companies. When one candle company disappears with many unanswered complaints and a new one enters into business in a nearby location, I would think that the FTC or Ag's Office would have red flags. I am working with my local AG Office as well as others. I may have been a fool once and they may have my money, but I will not stop even if it takes years. All others need to come forward. You need to report it to the Federal Trade Commission ASAP. If any of you dealt with Divine Marketing also, report them too. Paul constructive comments that might help us resolve some of the present issues, could be appreciated. Rude insults are not necessary. Have compassion for those of us who made a MISTAKE, a very costly one.

You see, Anonymous, thousands of people come here and read these pages. Perhaps some of them are entertaining the idea of buying a business of their own too. But, they don't want to end up losing all their money. They need to know how to spot this fraud before it gets them. Even better, I recommended going to the library and getting information on starting a small business. That allows people to bypass these business-in-a-box frauds entirely. These are useful comments that potential business owners need to consider before spending their money. Many other sites have the exact same suggestions that I made. The FTC, the BBB, as well as a dozen other consumer-oriented sites. All of them tell you the exact same thing: don't trust strangers. Don't be as trusting as Anonymous. Don't let this fraud company give you fake references. Common sense tells you that the references will be people who are paid to follow a script and provide glowing recommendations for this fraudulent company. Do you have to be a con man to spot a scam? Of course not. I'm not selling any fake candles and I spotted it. Most people are much smarter than I am. They spot this fraud too. You don't need to be a con man or a genius to spot fraud. You just need to use good common sense. Besides, who was talking to you anyway, Anonymous? My first comment was directed to the lady from San Diego. That's the one who posted this complaint. I feel sorry for her. I'd like to see her go on and salvage some of the money she lost. None of my comments were aimed at you, Anonymous! Who are you anyway? Did you even file a complaint? Did you even buy a candle business, or do you just come here to spread your hate for the world? Either way, rest assured, I certainly wasn't talking to you! If you were cheated, then your money is gone. You won't be buying anything else anytime soon. So, what difference does it make if you smarten up or not? I'm far more interested in explaining to other people who are willing to learn how to spot a fraud or prevent being taken by one. Why should they be denied information that might help save them just because you're angry and bitter at the world? Skip over any comments that aren't directed at you. People can see you're pissed off at the world. So, they'll gladly leave you to wallow in misery alone. I certainly didn't take your money. Neither did anyone else on this page. So, if you're pissed off, save it for the people who cheated you. Why don't you call your references back? Make their life miserable. After all, they're the ones who told you to buy into this nonsense. In the future, use your name. That way, we will all know who to ignore!

You see, Anonymous, thousands of people come here and read these pages. Perhaps some of them are entertaining the idea of buying a business of their own too. But, they don't want to end up losing all their money. They need to know how to spot this fraud before it gets them. Even better, I recommended going to the library and getting information on starting a small business. That allows people to bypass these business-in-a-box frauds entirely. These are useful comments that potential business owners need to consider before spending their money. Many other sites have the exact same suggestions that I made. The FTC, the BBB, as well as a dozen other consumer-oriented sites. All of them tell you the exact same thing: don't trust strangers. Don't be as trusting as Anonymous. Don't let this fraud company give you fake references. Common sense tells you that the references will be people who are paid to follow a script and provide glowing recommendations for this fraudulent company. Do you have to be a con man to spot a scam? Of course not. I'm not selling any fake candles and I spotted it. Most people are much smarter than I am. They spot this fraud too. You don't need to be a con man or a genius to spot fraud. You just need to use good common sense. Besides, who was talking to you anyway, Anonymous? My first comment was directed to the lady from San Diego. That's the one who posted this complaint. I feel sorry for her. I'd like to see her go on and salvage some of the money she lost. None of my comments were aimed at you, Anonymous! Who are you anyway? Did you even file a complaint? Did you even buy a candle business, or do you just come here to spread your hate for the world? Either way, rest assured, I certainly wasn't talking to you! If you were cheated, then your money is gone. You won't be buying anything else anytime soon. So, what difference does it make if you smarten up or not? I'm far more interested in explaining to other people who are willing to learn how to spot a fraud or prevent being taken by one. Why should they be denied information that might help save them just because you're angry and bitter at the world? Skip over any comments that aren't directed at you. People can see you're pissed off at the world. So, they'll gladly leave you to wallow in misery alone. I certainly didn't take your money. Neither did anyone else on this page. So, if you're pissed off, save it for the people who cheated you. Why don't you call your references back? Make their life miserable. After all, they're the ones who told you to buy into this nonsense. In the future, use your name. That way, we will all know who to ignore!

You see, Anonymous, thousands of people come here and read these pages. Perhaps some of them are entertaining the idea of buying a business of their own too. But, they don't want to end up losing all their money. They need to know how to spot this fraud before it gets them. Even better, I recommended going to the library and getting information on starting a small business. That allows people to bypass these business-in-a-box frauds entirely. These are useful comments that potential business owners need to consider before spending their money. Many other sites have the exact same suggestions that I made. The FTC, the BBB, as well as a dozen other consumer-oriented sites. All of them tell you the exact same thing: don't trust strangers. Don't be as trusting as Anonymous. Don't let this fraud company give you fake references. Common sense tells you that the references will be people who are paid to follow a script and provide glowing recommendations for this fraudulent company. Do you have to be a con man to spot a scam? Of course not. I'm not selling any fake candles and I spotted it. Most people are much smarter than I am. They spot this fraud too. You don't need to be a con man or a genius to spot fraud. You just need to use good common sense. Besides, who was talking to you anyway, Anonymous? My first comment was directed to the lady from San Diego. That's the one who posted this complaint. I feel sorry for her. I'd like to see her go on and salvage some of the money she lost. None of my comments were aimed at you, Anonymous! Who are you anyway? Did you even file a complaint? Did you even buy a candle business, or do you just come here to spread your hate for the world? Either way, rest assured, I certainly wasn't talking to you! If you were cheated, then your money is gone. You won't be buying anything else anytime soon. So, what difference does it make if you smarten up or not? I'm far more interested in explaining to other people who are willing to learn how to spot a fraud or prevent being taken by one. Why should they be denied information that might help save them just because you're angry and bitter at the world? Skip over any comments that aren't directed at you. People can see you're pissed off at the world. So, they'll gladly leave you to wallow in misery alone. I certainly didn't take your money. Neither did anyone else on this page. So, if you're pissed off, save it for the people who cheated you. Why don't you call your references back? Make their life miserable. After all, they're the ones who told you to buy into this nonsense. In the future, use your name. That way, we will all know who to ignore!

You see, Anonymous, thousands of people come here and read these pages. Perhaps some of them are entertaining the idea of buying a business of their own too. But, they don't want to end up losing all their money. They need to know how to spot this fraud before it gets them. Even better, I recommended going to the library and getting information on starting a small business. That allows people to bypass these business-in-a-box frauds entirely. These are useful comments that potential business owners need to consider before spending their money. Many other sites have the exact same suggestions that I made. The FTC, the BBB, as well as a dozen other consumer-oriented sites. All of them tell you the exact same thing: don't trust strangers. Don't be as trusting as Anonymous. Don't let this fraud company give you fake references. Common sense tells you that the references will be people who are paid to follow a script and provide glowing recommendations for this fraudulent company. Do you have to be a con man to spot a scam? Of course not. I'm not selling any fake candles and I spotted it. Most people are much smarter than I am. They spot this fraud too. You don't need to be a con man or a genius to spot fraud. You just need to use good common sense. Besides, who was talking to you anyway, Anonymous? My first comment was directed to the lady from San Diego. That's the one who posted this complaint. I feel sorry for her. I'd like to see her go on and salvage some of the money she lost. None of my comments were aimed at you, Anonymous! Who are you anyway? Did you even file a complaint? Did you even buy a candle business, or do you just come here to spread your hate for the world? Either way, rest assured, I certainly wasn't talking to you! If you were cheated, then your money is gone. You won't be buying anything else anytime soon. So, what difference does it make if you smarten up or not? I'm far more interested in explaining to other people who are willing to learn how to spot a fraud or prevent being taken by one. Why should they be denied information that might help save them just because you're angry and bitter at the world? Skip over any comments that aren't directed at you. People can see you're pissed off at the world. So, they'll gladly leave you to wallow in misery alone. I certainly didn't take your money. Neither did anyone else on this page. So, if you're pissed off, save it for the people who cheated you. Why don't you call your references back? Make their life miserable. After all, they're the ones who told you to buy into this nonsense. In the future, use your name. That way, we will all know who to ignore!

The key to successfully resolving or prosecuting fraudulent scams is proving the intent to defraud. Based on my experience as an employee of one of the parties involved in this particular rip off (Ron Wattu, in a similar business he owned and operated in Florida fifteen years ago), I'd say it is safe to assume as many of you now realize, that the "reference" distributors are not in fact distributors. Any agency investigating the complaints of so many individuals should be able to prove that people like Diane Thompson and others are not really distributors. If they are, there will be contracts and coinciding bank records to back up their transactions and activities as distributors. If this can not be proven, then the intent to defraud HAS been proven, because the company with full knowledge and participation in the deception, referred potential distributors to these people for the sole purpose of providing false and misleading information, with the intent of using that false testimony to persuade the individual to purchase the distributorship.. I'd suggest that those of you who have been victimized by this scam find out if any such investigation has been done, and if not, why not. If the people who were used to help perpetuate this kind of fraud know that a serious investigation into the part they played is being conducted, they might roll over and spill the beans in order to avoid prosecution. Not only that, since it was their false information that you relied upon to make your decision, they should be included in any lawsuits or attempts to recover your losses and they do not have the legal shield of a corporation to protect their assets, so they have more to lose. If you are not getting the satisfaction you need and deserve through various investigative agencies, then you need to start taking advantage of the court of public opinion. Report the fraud to local newspapers. Report it to Bill O-Reilly. He loves stuff like this and can give it the attention it deserves. Let the investigative agencies involved try to convince the public that it is okay, or they don't have authority to stop con artist unless they are ripping people off to the tune of millions of dollars!

This is in response to Paul's "helpful" comments. Perhaps we were naive, too trusting, etc. But most of us did the research and called the so-called distributor references. Who other than a con man himself would have thought it was all a scam? None of us expected to get rich overnight, or even rich at all. We had hopes of having a small business of our own for which we could set our own hours, be our own bosses and add some additional income to our regular wages. We didn't expect to get rich! Nor did we expect to get the hell we've gotten either. And as far as the company not doing their own selling, perhaps it was easier and more financially sound for them to sell it as a distributorship. Surely, it is one way products have been sold and distributed for a long time. Not only do they make a lump sum of money initially, but also on all of the reorders. It certainly could have been a legitimate way for them to go. Everybody involved could have been successful if it was what it appeared to be. So perhaps instead of making us all feel even worse with you additional comments, you could go crawl back under the rock from which you came!

These frauds sleep great. Hell, everybody chipped in and bought them a new mattress. And, a new bed. In a new home. In the country. At the top of a hill. Beside a lake. They have tons of money. No more financial worries. They don't have to ask the price anymore. If they want it, they can just pay cash. Not a care left in the world. Thanks to all the trusting people who bought into their fraud. You're not paranoid if you don't trust strangers. Hell, every other company is an enron. You're not crazy. The world really is out to rip you off! That's the mistake people make time and time again. Brains won't save you. All the education in the world doesn't matter. You need to look at your environment and assay the situation. You need to be aware of your surroundings. This site is an enormous help. It exposes you to a world of fraud, without having to actually be victimized by any of it. How does this play out in real life? Do you eye the little girl at McDonalds with suspicion? Of course not. You keep things in their proper context. Reputable businesses won't intentionally cheat you. But, you don't go through life trusting that the world will always look out for you and have your best interests at hand. That's foolish. The candle frauds would never get me. Yes, I'd send away to get the information and the free candle. Would I buy from the frauds? Absolutely not! I'd find the wholesale source of the candles. I'd look at making them myself. I'd examine all aspects of the supply operation to see if I could extract any additional profit by making my own candles, or if it would simply be cheaper to buy them wholesale and concentrate on my forte, the retail sales end. In addition, I'd set up my own retail connections. Like I'd ever wait for some jackass to fly in and do it for me? Not a chance in the world! I'd get little ads in my local penny saver magazine. I find local groups that would sell my stock for a cut of the action. Pretty soon, I'd have one of these pie candles in every house for 100 miles in every direction! I hook up with the local realtors and show them how these candles would make the whole house smell nice. Plus, tons of other groups. I'd get to know who my target market is. I'd learn their demographics and the buttons to push to get them to make a purchase. Then, I'd simply dangle the product in front of them and chart my sales volume in Excel. All without one tiny bit of support from any fraudulent company! Now, if I can figure all this out, why can't everyone else? I'm a high school dropout with a ninth grade education. What's that say for the value of a college degree if an idiot like me can beat you in the game of your choice?

I have a master's degree and fell for the same scam. The candle Brokers told me they wanted to expand to the Southern states and they had an opening. I made the mistake of checking the BBB and they received a satisfactory report with only one resolved complaint. I learned the hard way that the BBB report means absolutely nothing. I actually received a sample upon my demand and it was beautiful and unique. If that were my line, they would have sold. Instead I received 1500 candles from Max's Candles, many unwrapped smelling of crayons, and made in China. I saw very similar candles at the Dollar Store. The location company was a joke. The first locator pouted and berated me because I wouldn't pay him cash for locations he found. He was belligerent and I began to feel threatened. He left town, stole my business (joke) booklet. The next guy couldn't even find me all my locations. He was very nice but dressed unprofessional. I found out later that both of these guys lied to customers. I wondered why many of the business owners were kind of rude to me. I received complaints on candles sold, etc. The horror story goes on and on. I wasn't under the false pretense that I was going to become rich. I just thought I could work hard, have flexible hours, and earn a part time income. My excitement, enthusiasm, and trust in fellow human beings was destroyed thanks to these poor excuses for human beings. How do they sleep?

Valerie, let me first express how sorry I am that this happened to you. This fraud is called the business-in-a-box con. Basically, the frauds convince people to buy their ready-made business. They inflate the profit potential by a factor of 20. They claim to do all the work, and have all the answers. Let me ask you one simple question? If these candle frauds really had all the answers and the locations, then what the hell do they need you for? I mean, they already own all the candles. They own all the displays. They claim to locate all the sales outlet locations. So, what is left for you to do? Nothing, really. If the candles really had the potential to make this huge income, then why would they let you have all the profit? It's like, they do all the work, and you get all the money! That doesn't make sense, does it? You see how, when you dissect the business plan, that it really doesn't make any sense? Nobody is going to do all the work of setting up a profitable business for you, then turn around and let you keep all the profit. That's why these complete business-in-a-box scams are always fraud. In this case, the basic idea is sound. These faux food candles are a nice item. I could see them selling. There is a substantial market in room deodorizers and air fresheners. These candles fit nicely into that niche. The mistake you made is going to a fraud instead of setting up your own business. I checked the internet. It's filled with wholesale sources of these candles. You could easily have started off with $2,000 worth of assorted candles. Then, you could have purchased plastic point of purchase displays to hold the stock. Finally, you could have gone out and found your own retail locations. You could have put quality items in the locations of your choice. You could have set it up so it followed a route that you could tend to each week. That would have made sense. Instead, the frauds showed you this nice candle, then substituted cheap trash once they got your money. The business concept itself makes sense. The problem is that you depended on a fraud to do all the work for you. That never happens. Nobody will ever do all the work, then sit back and let you make all the money. You need to do all the work for yourself, and not spend one dime with the frauds. Remember, anytime someone is offering you a complete ready-made business, it's most likely fraud. I see real profits in this line of products. You could still pull off the business, assuming you have money left to buy new inventory. But, before you spend any money, check first. See who is selling anything like these candles. See what is already in your local area. Analyze the market, first. See what kind of need exists. That's how a real business person starts a business. If you're sitting on a ton of trash stock, try hustling it off on ebay. That's a sucker's paradise. There's bound to be a bigger fool just waiting to buy your trash. That will get you some capital to purchase some nice products that people will actually buy. There's a way out of your jam. And, there's a way to use the base concept to make a real business for yourself. The mistake you made was not knowing how to start. Smart people turn to library books for answers. That's always how I get my information. I research it for myself. I never go to a fraud expecting them to do it all for me. See, people aren't necessarily lazy, just lost. They want a business, but have no idea how to start one. I'm in the process of making information booklets that show potential new business owners the way to begin. That way, they'll have the answers they need without turning to these d**n frauds that only intend to rip them off. Best of luck with this!