Tom
Grand Rapids,#2Consumer Comment
Tue, December 26, 2006
Net Detective has 100 complaints with the BBB, just in the last month! How many didn't bother to file? To quote from the BBB: "Customer Experience Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to unanswered complaint(s). the performance of the software, specifically stating the software, Net Detective, does not perform as represented. All complaints request a refund. There is no indication in the file, the company has taken steps to eliminate the pattern of complaints. In a letter addressed to the Bureau dated October 18, 2000, the company stated they " maintain a 100% satisfaction guarantee and we refund any and all money to any customer that expresses dissatisfaction with any product." " Let me note that a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee(even if honored) does not excuse dishonest advertising practices. They know a large number (even myself so far) will fail to go through their complicated system and hassle with getting the refund. I've read from other hate sites that their web-site has customer satisfaction reports from people who do not exist. They report they are recommended by the "National Association of Independent Investigators" which does not appear to even exist (do a google search). I also heard on another site that the name of Jean Harris is made up.
Tom
Grand Rapids,#3Consumer Comment
Sun, November 19, 2006
I propose the employee rebuttal is insincere. First of all, their homepage is false and misleading. Second, it is darn near impossible to find phone numbers for the company (I had to do a search on google, and I only got it from another complain site). And third, I called several days ago and never got a response. This business also carries an unsatisfactory rating with the better business bureau. This comes from not responding to letters sent about customer complaints. Please file with the FTC: https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE= And the BBB: http://www.orlando.bbb.org/commoncomplaint.html?step=1 You will need this information: Net Detective: Harris digital publishing 1392 S Woodland Blvd Deland Florida 32720 USA Phone 386-736-3881 [email protected] I also suggest you challenge the transaction with your bank or credit card company. Also, file a complaint about the company with your credit card company (VISA, Mastercard, ETC. directly)
Kathy
Cordova,#4Consumer Suggestion
Sat, October 07, 2006
I panicked in the beginning thinking i was paying the 29.99 a month, and i couldn't get a hold of them to cancel. And then after all is said and done, i found that i have the life time membership. I am in real estate and there site has come in handy on several occasions looking up numbers off of caller id's and people's addresses that i couldn't get out of the phone book. So the 30 bucks for life to help me out atleast once a month sure was worth it. Also, when i panicked, and emailed them complaining, not only did they email me back 2 times, they also called my house. So, i have to say, i'm satisfied on my end. No prob's. but i definately wont' ever upgrade. The monthly fee stuff makes me nervous wiht something that hasn't helped so much that im' saying 'WOW"
Russ
Cedar Rapids,#5Consumer Comment
Sun, October 01, 2006
I purchased Net Detective a few years ago and must agree with those who have complained. The original ad was misleading,the info provided were merely links to other sites, and simple things like current addressess and phone numbers were inaccurate and outdated. You are led to beieve you will have access to public records,etc,right there on your computer once you sign up. Instead,you merely get tips and suggestions on how to access those things and places to contact . Things that are already in the phone book for free. Nothing more. Highly deceptive ads to lure you in. Highly deceptive company in general .
Janet
Murphysboro,#6Consumer Comment
Sun, October 01, 2006
In response to the rebuttal from Clark. Maybe you consider yourself a reputable company. If so then please stop the misleading and false advertisements. I am an intelligent woman who tries to research before buying. Well, I fell for this one. I must say, I believe it is the first time, so far. Your e-mail sounds sincere. In fact, the woman I spoke to on the phone when asking for my refund was terrific. She was polite and very helpful. But it has been a month since I mailed that form to your company, and I have not heard anything yet from the company. You stated "we are in business to do a good job and provide helpful products. Net Detective is a helpful product. And if you disagree, my staff is here to fulfill your refund." Well, I disagree. Where is my refund? I sent my refund papers in a month ago. And WHY are we forced to go through all of these steps to get the refund that so many people seem to have not received, or maybe could not find information on how to get. I signed up for a program that promised me so much for $29. But when I got on the site there were just more links wanting more money. That raised a lot of red flags for me. That is not what I signed up for. And the addresses and marital information and members in the family were years outdated. There was nothing current. YOu said " It's probably moot to debate how we take' money from someone who fills out a credit card order form and pushes submit'". My answer to that would be that if I had received what I felt I had paid for, or even something that was half of that, I would not have asked for a refund. I feel your company "took" money from me because I was mislead. If not mislead, I would have had the information I needed to not purchase the program to begin with. You said "In a nutshell, we send a signature form for you to return. That's all there is to it." That is not true. It is a 4 page form that we have to fill out. Why could this have not been done over the computer. I have no problem with your wanting feedback. In fact, feedback could lead to improvements in service. But your company tries to make the refund process difficult, so people become discouraged, and don't try. Just so you know, if you do read this, Clark. I do not want to "stick it to you". I just want my refund. And, for all of the people who are mislead, I hope your company either changes for the better, or gets shut down. So, I dunno, maybe I DO want to stick it to the company. This is truly a scam. I would still love to find a company who can truly offer me a product that can do what your product says it can do, for a price that is acceptable. I needed that information so that I could help prepare for a court case. But now I am leery. I will have to research very carefully before trusting any more internet offers like this.
Clark
DeLand,#7UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 06, 2003
I suppose the price of widespread success is that some people will feel belligerent toward you. As a manager with Harris Digital Publishing, Id like to respond to this report. Considering that we operate an in-house call center with an ACD (phone routing system) and a support website that covers 80% of the questions we receive (i.e. no waiting for most answers), its hard to believe that someone cant get the help they need. In fact, its my job to ensure they do. Since this Rip-Off comment was allowed to be posted without any actionable grievance information, I will respond in a manner that hopefully covers whatever problem this individual had. Our company website is http://www.harrisdigitalpublishing.com Our support website is http://www.harrisdigitalsupport.com Our phone number is (386) 736-3881 (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. M-Sa, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Su) Ill assume that this comment is related to one of these areas, as similar comments on this site seem to focus primarily on these topics: 1. This program doesnt do what they said it would 2. I cant get them to respond to my request 3. They took my money/wont give it back 4. I hate them, help me stick it to them Responses: 1. By far our best seller is Net Detective. Its been around since 1997 and was the first such product on the market. Over the years it has evolved into an in-depth search tool that consolidates info from many, many public records sources. We get people writing us all the time asking how to look up someones social security number, or find his/her home based upon their license plate number, or other such borderline-unlawful activity. Would you want someone freely finding that kind of information on you? Of course, some of these disillusioned customers immediately ask for their money back (see below). Id rather lose the sale than promote identity theft or detract from someone elses safety. Its simple: the program offers access to just about any kind of legally obtainable information. Unfortunately, thats not enough for some. The irony is that these same people get defensive over viewing the information on themselves that is freely available. 2. We operate a support center every day, even most holidays. Our primary method of contact is a support form found on our support website. When we used to offer direct email support many, many customers would email us its broke. Help! without including their name or any helpful information. As with many technology companies, we developed a support site to answer about 80% of the routine questions we receive, and linked it to the support forms so we could capture the troubleshooting and entitlement information we need to do our job. Our auto-response to the old email queues refers the reader in BOLD lettering to the support site. Its not rocket science. Im proud to say that my support organization consistently closes each night with no lingering issues. Were not ignoring anybody. 3. Its probably moot to debate how we take money from someone who fills out a credit card order form and pushes submit. Allow me to refer you to the money-back guarantee seal on our sales website. When you click it, it explains our refund fulfillment procedure, which we follow accurately. In a nutshell, we send a signature form for you to return. Thats all there is to it. Usually when I get a complaint its from someone whos maxxed out their card and is desperate for a quick credit. Makes me wonder if they intended to use Net Detective for free from the beginning. 4. Well, sorry I cant help with sticking it to us. Since the person writing this rip-off report seems to miss the obvious, I was delighted when a customer actually drove to our office and confirmed that theres nothing difficult in being a customer of our company. You can read that report here: http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/view.asp?id=49283 In summary, we are in business to do a good job and provide helpful products. Net Detective is a helpful product. And if you disagree, my staff is here to fulfill your refund.