- Report: #85195
Complaint Review: N.B.I.E. - National Business Information Exchange - Chesapeake Beach Maryland
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Author Confirmed
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N.B.I.E. - National Business Information Exchange
6226 4th St. Chesapeake Beach, 20732 Maryland, U.S.A.
Phone:
888-828-1022
Web:
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N.B.I.E. National Business Information Exchange Telemarketing Scam needs to be stopped Sick of the Harrassment ripoff Chesapeake Beach Maryland
For the past three years my company has been receiving calls from these people. They start by saying we will receive a free listing in their Corp. Telecom Directory. What they don't tell you is it will cost $414.00(with shipping)because they charge you for the CD they send (which they don't disclose they are sending).
And since that isn't bad enough, they also don't tell you that you have just agreed to a two-year contract simply by agreeing to be listed for FREE. The Corp. Telecom Directory is a three volume set (also not disclosed) and will be sent to you over a three year period. But wait! Although I was told it is only a two year listing agreement, the third volume won't arrive until AFTER the two-year listing is up...
Ah, but that is the catch. They call to tell you that your last volume is on the way and unbeknownst to you (and must have been done psychically), you have just agreed to ANOTHER two-year listing.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, my company kept paying the invoices and I finally got the last volume. Now I am receiving calls telling me Volume 3 is on the way and it will cost $414.00. It is impossible to dispute or reason with the customer service representative since she habitually hangs up when I try to explain that I have already received the last volume and have an invoice to prove it.
These people are just as bad as the telemarketers that call at 9pm when we are all home relaxing. Something should be done about them. Maybe we can start a 'Do Not Telemarket This Company' list. Think that will work?
This is just one stop for me. I am N.B.I.E. National Business Information Exchange to the Better Business Bureau as well.
Rebecca
Herndon, Virginia
U.S.A.
And since that isn't bad enough, they also don't tell you that you have just agreed to a two-year contract simply by agreeing to be listed for FREE. The Corp. Telecom Directory is a three volume set (also not disclosed) and will be sent to you over a three year period. But wait! Although I was told it is only a two year listing agreement, the third volume won't arrive until AFTER the two-year listing is up...
Ah, but that is the catch. They call to tell you that your last volume is on the way and unbeknownst to you (and must have been done psychically), you have just agreed to ANOTHER two-year listing.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, my company kept paying the invoices and I finally got the last volume. Now I am receiving calls telling me Volume 3 is on the way and it will cost $414.00. It is impossible to dispute or reason with the customer service representative since she habitually hangs up when I try to explain that I have already received the last volume and have an invoice to prove it.
These people are just as bad as the telemarketers that call at 9pm when we are all home relaxing. Something should be done about them. Maybe we can start a 'Do Not Telemarket This Company' list. Think that will work?
This is just one stop for me. I am N.B.I.E. National Business Information Exchange to the Better Business Bureau as well.
Rebecca
Herndon, Virginia
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Robert
Staunton,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Report Them to www.recol.ca AND to the Maryland Attorney General!
#2Consumer Comment
Wed, April 21, 2004
Dear Rebecca, It helps to realize that these creeps are actually in Canada. Also, reporting them to the Attorney General of the state that their "mail drop" is in. In this case, Maryland, really helps to cool their enthusiasm for collecting their imaginary debt. Canada's reputation as a haven for scamsters is due in part because the Competition Bureau lacks money to battle international cartels and telemarketing fraud, according to the bureau's commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein, who says his $34-million budget needs an $11-million boost to attack the problems. Telemarketing fraud in Canada is particularly troublesome for other countries, he said. "We need the money to fight telemarketing scams. It's becoming a real growth industry," he said. "As soon as you put one outfit out of business, a new one appears. It's a plague on the landscape. We're seen as a haven for scamsters. They can locate in Canada and pick on victims in the States, Australia, U.K., etc." On October 3, the Federal Solicitor and RCMP Commissioner launched a new Internet-based tool for reporting economic crimes online (RECOL): www.recol.ca. RECOL is a web-based crime reporting centre offering Canadians a single point of entry to make a complaint on frauds and other white-collar crimes. The complaints will be directed to the appropriate law enforcement agencies and other organizations concerned with white-collar crime. Support for people filing complaints to RECOL is provided by PhoneBusters National Call Centre, which was established 10 years ago to combat deceptive telemarketing. Other partners in the development of RECOL include the Ontario Provincial Police and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The on-line reporting centre was enacted amidst growing accusations that Canada has become a international centre for fraud affecting other countries. Deceptive telemarketing is spreading like a plague in Canada, according to the Canadian Competition Bureau, which works with the police to fight telemarketing fraud as part of its mandate to protect consumers and promote a competitive marketplace. The office has laid 55 charges in connection with deceptive telemarketing in the past few years, and spends half its office's resources fighting it. Canada is becoming a bit of haven for organizations to set up shop and bilk foreigners, including Americans and Europeans, as well as Canadians, through telemarketing scams, says George Bennett, assistant deputy commissioner of competition in the Bureau. He adds that Canadian-based scams are estimated to be netting anywhere between $1 billion to $5 billion from around the world. On any given day, there are 500 to 1,000 boiler rooms operating in Canada. Sources: Federal Solicitor General launches new Internet site for Canadians to report economic crimes. Solicitor General News Release. October 3, 2003. // Lesley Young.Canada becomes fraud haven. Marketing Magazine. August 25/September 1, 2003. // Ken Gray. Von Finckenstein calls for budget increase: Competition Bureau shortfall hurting Canada's reputation. Financial Post (National Post). June 21, 2003: p. FP5.
