Complaint Review: StoresOnline - Orem Utah

A warning regarding the follow up calls of StoresOnline.

I attended both seminar and workshop with my girlfriend a few months ago in Sydney Australia.

We decided to go for the 3 storefront package at the cost of $2500.

Initially my girlfriend had signed for the 6 storefronts $4300 and the ECI package $999, but I managed to go back and get it cut down.

My gripe is not so much in what I have purchased, but in 2 ethical issues. I believe the marketing information provided is useful as is the store builder. Whether it's worth $2500 is personal opinion according to how hard you would have to work to get it otherwise.

However, my issue is this:

the hosting is $150 1st year then $29.95/mth after that. There is much better value to be had out there where you can get more features for less money. I found a group the charges $75USD /yr where I get unlimited disk space/bandwith/email accounts/autoresponders etc.

I want to build using the StoresOnline software as it is fairly useful particulary to novices like my partner and host elsewhere. This is perfectly within the confines of the user agreement.

Refer to previously posted report

{{Reference lines 8-10 AMR, copy enclosed) I understand that I am not obligated to activate a storefront with StoresOnline but still have access to Merchant Services. I also understand with all of this information and materials listed below, I now have the option to immediately create Web sites with the software provided below, without any further assistance or even the knowledge of StoresOnline, Inc., and I can then have these sites hosted anywhere on the Web.

The software promised on the AMR and at the workshop is not in the "Complete Store Building Packet" and does not exist. The only software provided is: a CD that has two shareware utilities, one Acrobat Reader and one flash demo with a browser launcher that points to SOL's server. All of these are free for download from the Internet.

No software capable for building web pages is included on this CD as promised on the Active Merchant Receipt and at the all day workshop. In order to build a web page, you must follow the links provided by the browser launcher. These links only go to SOL's server. Any pages created there would have to be hosted by SOL. So, the above quoted statement on the AMR and the promise made at the workshop regarding the web building software are false. SOL did not provide the promised software or capabilities, which is a major product misrepresentation.}}

You are NOT able to use their storebuilding software unless you host with them. They have a FTP site to access your file but they aren't created unless you hit "Publish" which activates your site and the hosting fees. The only other way around this is to get them to build it manually and hand over the completed site to be hosted elsewhere, which I have serious doubts as to whether this would occur. So as the the other guys says, it's a major misreprentation.

The second point I am really upset about.

My girlfriend received a call from their coaching team saying that they wanted get an hour of her time to chat about getting started. The pitch was that they were coming back to Australia and they wanted to build success stories and they were looking for candidates to coach. She was told that there would be an interview process etc and it sounded like a genuine gesture to help.

When she was called however she was basically hit up with a scripted sales pitch for a 6 month coaching program with "Mary" where she would get a call once a week to help her along. Also she was promised a thousand odd links and guaranteed traffic and that if she hadn't made her money back in 6 months she would get anouther 6 months free. The cost $4000. They pushed for a decision on the spot and unfortunately my partner was too soft to say no. She has been told that she has a 3 day cooling off period after getting paperwork but with a 10% penalty. We are still waiting for the paperwork to come through.

We are seeking legal advice to see where we stand to get the full $4000 back. I'll let you know.

There are aspects of this company that are useful and in my opinion are worth spending money on. However what gets me is the underlying dishonestly and lack of disclosure. The bullsh** high pressure sales tactics are also very offensive.

StoreOnline could stand to have a very profitable and legitimate business but their greed and dishonesty is not worth doing business with.

BE WARNED. They will use pressure tactics. They do misrepresent.

AL

Sydney
Australia

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