Greetings to All!
I AM a VICTIM of fraud by the company MServe Web Hosting, or "MServe", an some may have heard. This company contacted me back in Oct, 2005 with a great proposal offer of purchasing up to "Five" affiliate programs that their company would host, "from MServe". They offered a discount if I purchase all five sites.
The first site was $45 to set up, each site up to four more, would be $15 each. Then there would be monthly hosting fees, paid to MServe via my debit card account, in the amount of $24.99/Mo. This was multiplied by five sites. So I was paying them almost$125/Mo. From October to November.
I had asked questions pertaing to an "Auction Site" that the supposedly had available. I was told by the rep that I would be the owner of a real live auction site, where I could upload photos of my items, and people could actually visit my site and bid on my products.
I told her "Carla V***" that I was on a "fixed income" and that I wanted to set up my sites on a monthly basis as far a finances would go. Meaning in October, i'd pay the set up fees. A week later, the hosting fees bagan. So in November, I would budget advertising expenses. In December, I would budget even more advertising to boost traffic to the websites. That was the plan...
In November, on the 28th to be exact, 2005, I contacted MServe's customer service number because I was about to set up my back offices, and at the Auction Site, there was a problem. I couldn't get passed the first page. I also had found out by another company that I was registering my sites with for traffic hits, that online sellers needed to have some type of license to sell perscription drugs online. I was the affiliate, it was my site, so "I" was selling drugs online. That bothered me, so I wanted to cancel that site.
I spoke to a rep named "Nick", and explained to him how I was unable to navigate the Auction site. And wanted to know if he could help me set up, and get my photos uploaded. He went on to tell me that it was "NOT" an "Auction Site", rather, the site provided a link to purchase an "Auction Success Kit". I immediately told him that "that" isn't what I purchased!
I explained my conversation with this rep who made the initial phone call to me, and demanded to get her name, because it was extremely obvious that she had frauded me into purchasing that site. As he looked through the order page, he told me that no one's name appeared, only the words"phillippines-phillippines", and that he had no idea what that meant. I mentioned that the woman I spoke with had an accent, and that maybe that's where she was located. That info didn't help. I went on to tell him that even her supervisor had spoken to me and verified all the questions that I'd asked previously to "Carla V***", who's name i'd retrieved from a voicemail message she left me notifying me that my sites were up and running, and that there was a mix-up with my e-mail address, because the mail delivery had failed.
I went on to complain to the rep that I had invested a lot of money into this site, as this was the "Main" one that I was interested in. I also let him know how disappointed I was in finding out that everything was now useless, and that I was out of about $400.
I had asked for a refund, since she misled me in her presentation, and was denied. Instead he offered me two months of free web hosting on my remaining sites. At that time of the offer, there were four sites left.
I explained my newfound informaion to the rep, and he decided to get me another supervisor, "Jeremy", to address the issue of the license. While explaining everything all over again to the supervisor, he also aplolgized and said that I couldn't get a refund on the hosting fees. I felt that was a "Crock of Bull"--because I was described a product that was not what I recieved, so in all actuality, that site was not mine, or ordered by "ME" I purchased an 'E-Bay Online Auction Site' from MServe, not a site that sells "Auction Success Kits". So in that case, they were responsible for returning my money. They refused.
Instead he, the supervisor, agreed to grant me free hosting on the remaining "Three" sites, after cancelling the Auction Success kit site,and the Tek Meds site. In this agreement, it was stated that I would not have to pay any hosting fees until 02/28/06. Now remember, I told them that I was on a fixed income, meaning I get money every month on the first of the month. So, I asked "Jeremy" if I could change my payment date to reflect when my income is going to be available, since it was being direct-deposited into an account. He said "Sure", and reset my payment dated to the 4th of each month. He then said that my next payment would be due on March 04, 2006. for three sites, as $24.99 each.
With all this taken care of, I figured everything was all good now--that is--until 01/04/06! On this date, there were three withdrawal attempts to my account in the amount of $24.99 from MServe Web Hosting. My bank didn't pay the charged at that time. However, on 01/12/06 there was another attempt to withdraw funds from MServe for the three sites, and the bank DID pay them this time, and accessed overdraft charged to my account for each transaction. I went to the bank on 01/13/06, to dispute the charges because MServe was not supposed to retrieve funds until "March"--Not in "January".
I sat down with a bank official and wrote out dispute forms, and also contacted MServe from the Bank's office to question the transaction. I was told by MServe, that if I could provide proof to them via FAX, that the funds had been taken, then, they would do a refund. The bank official heard this, as they were on speaker phone. So, she, herself perpared the paperwork and faxed it to MServe. I also had faxed MServe a copy of the notes I had takes when "Jeremy" had awarded me the two months of free web hosting, as proof that no money should've been taken out until March 04, 2006.
I thought that situation was resolved, until I attempted to visit my back offices to my remaining sites. I was denied access to my back offices. I called MServe again on 1/12/06 after finding out about the bank issue, myself, from home. This time, as I explained to the rep. what was going on with my accounts, she switched me to a guy named "Corey N***" who's name appeared in her computer as the person who handled my call, and issued the credit. I told her that he's not who I spoke to before, it was a guy named "Nick", and his supervisor who handled my call, his name was "Jeremy", not "Corey"! At this time i'm really feeling like some kind of scam is seriously going on. No one enters the correct names in the computer about who's handling these calls. So who's responsible?
Corey gets on the phone with me, and I immediately tell him that he is not the person who I spoke with, and that I wanted to speak to "Jremy". Corey goes on to tell me that Jeremy was not available, and that after looking at my account, he remembered that Jeremy had asked him to issue the credit to my account because he was "tied up"???
So, I asked him why he had money taken from my account too soon. I told him that the money wasn't due to come out until March 4th, and that I had copies of the notes from our phone call to verify it, including the names of whom I spoke to. Corey goes on to tell lme that the company only allows a "One Month Credit Limit..." I said wouldn't all the supervisors know that? And if so, why wasn't I contacted and made aware of it. I also wanted to know why I couldn't get into my back offices. Corey tells me that my accounts had been cancelled--All of Them.
I asked why? He says, because we don't allow chargebacks, and there was a chargeback on one of your accounts. I told him that that's because their company made mistakes. He getting cocky with me and sassy at the mouth, saying. "Well, once a customer gets any chargebacks on their account, they automatically get cancelled from our system, and all accounts are closed. At that time that customer can no longer conduct business with our company!!" I said so what are you telling me? that you've kicked me out of the system, and now I can't use ANY of my sites.
He says "That's right!" So I askedd what about my other sites? He only said, "I'm sorry, you're no longer an affiliate with our company! Just like that!! No refunds, nothing!!!"
This was in January of this year, it is now, July, 06, and my sites are ALL still up and running. With my affiliate numbers, and they are all fully functional--I know because I have all my sites bookmarked in my browser, and all the links still work. Even the Domain names I bought are still redirecting traffic to these sites. So now, I believe that this company is recieving orders from my sites, via all the internet advertising that I paid for. And their "Computer Software" conveniently says that "No Activity" occurs at my site. "Bull Crap!!!" there's a link in the back office to have rep.s contact you to help you with your sites. I set up a phone call with their reps. When they called me on 1/15/06, I explained all the efforts that I'd made for the sites. He even told me that I should've been making $1-3,000.00/Mo at that point! I told him that I hadn't made a dime!
He said he would do some checking and get back to me. He never returned my call. I believe that they are getting orders, on these sites and redirecting the money that they should be paying me.
Jamie
Madison, Wisconsin
U.S.A.