- Report: #124139
Complaint Review: Storesonline5a - Orem Utah
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Why?
Storesonline5a
754 E. Technology Ave. Orem, 84097-6204 Utah, U.S.A.
Phone:
801-227-0004
Web:
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Storesonline5a ripoff my "One on One" consultation to explore how they could help MY particular situation. ALL it was was a hard sales pitch! Orem UtahRip-Off Report Investigation: shows that StoresOnline & iMergent is fulfilling its commitment to provide excellent customer service. Rip-off Report gives StoresOnline a POSITIVE rating in customer support and quality assurance. StoresOnline pledges to resolve complaints and address any issues from the past, present and in the future - committed to 100% satisfaction - whatever it takes say company executives.
I received an invitation to the free luncheon in the mail and several more invitations in one or more of my different email mailboxes. And I have an elderly friend who had attended the 90 minute seminar last year and thought I might be interested, if nothing else for the free organizer they offered in the deal. So he and I attended. From the get go I knew it was a sales pitch, but felt I might learn something. I am a person who feels every situation is an opportunity to learn.
We listened to the pitch for ONE website, the great deal we would get and how we really needed to attend their all day workshop held in Shreveport, Louisiana. As it happened the date of the workshop (Dec. 7, 2004) coincided with my friend and his wife's hotel reservations at the same hotel.
So he offered to let me stay with he and his wife while I attended the workshop. I figured what the heck. I paid the $20.00 for the workshop and StoresOnline gave me a book entitled "Creating Your Own Destiny, How to get Exactly What YOU want out of Life", By Patrick Snow. I was told to bring the book to the workshop. I was also required to fill out a document with my name, address and signature that was entitled, "Workshop Guarantee & Agreement". Seems the $20.00 was a processing fee for this form.
The Storesonline crew that worked my workshop were all well groomed handsome young men. I arrived at the hotel a day early, on Dec 6th, and was surprised to find a workshop in session. I was scoping the hotel for the location of my workshop when I made that discovery. It was mid afternoon and no one seemed to be paying much attention to the speaker, the audience was pretty sparse and there were tables in the hallway with distressed looking people sitting at them. hmmmmmm......I walked down several more times to observe and the place did not close down until nearly 9:00 p.m. I was told at the 90 minute seminar that the workshop would be from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
I accosted a young man in the hall and he told me to be down there in the morning around 8:15 a.m. to check in.
When I arrived the next morning I was given a name tag, required to sign an income statement that asked questions like what my income was and if I owned my own home. I didn't fill much of it in. Then they gave me a notebook with their internet cash flow logo on the front and told me I would fill that notebook up by the end of the day. That was the first thing that did NOT happen.
By 8:30 a.m the hard sell had begun. We were told we had lots of material to cover in very little time, we would have LOTS of breaks and we should have fun. I had expected a sales pitch, but was not prepared for the pressure cooker that transpired as the day went by.
Most everyone was over 40 and computer ignorant. There were around 130 people there. 80 percent, EIGHTY PERCENT of my group were unemployed!!! What is wrong with that picture???? I have a computer programming background so I understood the presentation and could filter out the sales pitch.
About mid morning we were told we would be better off purchasing SIX websites.......huh? What happened to ONE? Then we were told they had just started making loans to people who did not have a credit card or enough money in their checking accounts to afford the great deal they had to offer us to the tune of around $6,400, but that included a free eBay workshop on the 18th, Online Real-time Credit Card Processing on our websites and Links4Trade at prices far reduced from what we would pay if we went it alone. Snort!
Their loan had a percentage rate of 18%. And then they handed out a document entitled "Confidential Financing Pre-Qualification Form". We were told we were required to fill this document out and hand it in at the break. The document asked for your social security number, birthdate, whether you owned your home, how long and what the market value of your home was, your annual income and other personal information I didn't feel these guys needed to know. Well, I was astonished at how everyone in the room but me filled out the document like good little soldiers. At the break we were told if we wanted a free one on one consultation to see how the StoresOnline websites could help our own particular situation, to come up front and put our name on a list..........this while we turned in our Confidential Financing Pre-Qualification form. Well, I decided to see what they were up to and put my name on the list, but I hung on to my blank Pre-Qualification form.
During this break (the only break we had between 8:30a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and it was only 7 minutes long) a young man stopped at my table and asked me if I had turned in my Pre-Qualification form. I replied that even if I decided to go with StoresOnline I was not financing any loan for 18% interest, that in my opinion that was highway robbery. And I also voiced my objections to their wanting my social security number. He looked pained, then regrouped and remarked it was good I had the money at hand. I do not have that kind of money but I didn't tell him that.......I was finding it pretty entertaining to see what they would pull next. He immediately sat down and began working on me. I just hemmed and hawed and was non-committal.
By the lunch break everyone was completely worn out, hungry and just ready to say "Uncle" to get the psychological abuse to stop. We were told if we had signed up for a one on one consultation that we needed to come to the front and fill out another form. We were assured the form meant nothing, not to worry about it, just fill in our name and address and sign it already. Well, I never sign anything without reading it. As I tried to read it, one young man after another tried to interrupt me, distract me and keep me from reading the fine print. I finally accomplished reading it and was alarmed at the wording.
Having worked in the legal field for 8 years I had a problem with the wording. I approached one of the young men and told him I had a legal background and I had a real problem signing the "legal disclosure" section at the bottom. He immediately starting working on me about what an opportunity this was! I refused to sign the document to his distress and I never saw him again. They then sent a young man who had complimented me earlier in the program, most likely because they thought he would be more persuasive. Sheesh!
The lunch was good.........but I was seeing a pattern. First it was WHAT a deal! Then, you would be stupid not to take advantage of this one time offer. Then, don't be a loser!
We had no break that afternoon, just people being systematically taken out of the room one by one and worked on. Divide and conquer. The woman next to me had stated more than once that she couldn't afford the expense of their program and they took her out of the room 3 times that afternoon for 30 minutes at a time. Then they came to get me. Bear in mind this was my "one on One" consultation to explore how they could help MY particular situation. ALL it was was a hard sales pitch! I listened to what a deal I was passing up and said, "Sorry, can't do it." and got up and walked back into the workshop. The woman next to me was astonished. She couldn't understand how I had been out there for so little time. yep, you guessed it, she finally caved and bought all 6 websites.
I weathered the workshop, I did learn some things and got a good lunch out of it. Also wanted that computer carrying case and got it. But as I was leaving one of the young men approached me and asked me if they had gotten all my paperwork taken care of. I told him there was no paperwork because I was not in a financial situation to afford their program. Then he applied the, "Oh, well, I guess you just have a loser's attitude. If you bought these websites your financial worries would be over!!" Pulleeeeeaaase!! I am sorry but anyone that wants you to buy it NOW without being able to sleep on it is not on the up and up. I smiled at him with my loser's face and said, "Well, maybe I can come to another workshop after I have had time to think about what your program can do for me." Knowing full well the answer would be, this is your LAST chance, and that is exactly the answer I got. I left exhausted and giggling.
When I got home the next day I had a packet from StoresOnline that I was supposed to have taken to the workshop with me. I looked at the return address (Corona Del Mar, Ca) and got online and googled the Corona Del Mar, Ca. Better Business Bureau. The home page was a full page alert on Storesonline.
These guys employ every psychological ploy known to man to get people to sign. Sad thing is, more people than should have signed up in my workshop AND I wonder what the StoresOnline people did with all that personal info they got from people they didn't get to sign with them. The whole ordeal was just the most blatant and obscene display of ramrodding I have ever seen!
If you decide to go to a workshop, just beware, learn what you can and don't fall for the hard selling ploys they employ. The more research I do on this company the more bad things I find!
Nancy
Texarkana, Texas
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Storesonline
We listened to the pitch for ONE website, the great deal we would get and how we really needed to attend their all day workshop held in Shreveport, Louisiana. As it happened the date of the workshop (Dec. 7, 2004) coincided with my friend and his wife's hotel reservations at the same hotel.
So he offered to let me stay with he and his wife while I attended the workshop. I figured what the heck. I paid the $20.00 for the workshop and StoresOnline gave me a book entitled "Creating Your Own Destiny, How to get Exactly What YOU want out of Life", By Patrick Snow. I was told to bring the book to the workshop. I was also required to fill out a document with my name, address and signature that was entitled, "Workshop Guarantee & Agreement". Seems the $20.00 was a processing fee for this form.
The Storesonline crew that worked my workshop were all well groomed handsome young men. I arrived at the hotel a day early, on Dec 6th, and was surprised to find a workshop in session. I was scoping the hotel for the location of my workshop when I made that discovery. It was mid afternoon and no one seemed to be paying much attention to the speaker, the audience was pretty sparse and there were tables in the hallway with distressed looking people sitting at them. hmmmmmm......I walked down several more times to observe and the place did not close down until nearly 9:00 p.m. I was told at the 90 minute seminar that the workshop would be from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
I accosted a young man in the hall and he told me to be down there in the morning around 8:15 a.m. to check in.
When I arrived the next morning I was given a name tag, required to sign an income statement that asked questions like what my income was and if I owned my own home. I didn't fill much of it in. Then they gave me a notebook with their internet cash flow logo on the front and told me I would fill that notebook up by the end of the day. That was the first thing that did NOT happen.
By 8:30 a.m the hard sell had begun. We were told we had lots of material to cover in very little time, we would have LOTS of breaks and we should have fun. I had expected a sales pitch, but was not prepared for the pressure cooker that transpired as the day went by.
Most everyone was over 40 and computer ignorant. There were around 130 people there. 80 percent, EIGHTY PERCENT of my group were unemployed!!! What is wrong with that picture???? I have a computer programming background so I understood the presentation and could filter out the sales pitch.
About mid morning we were told we would be better off purchasing SIX websites.......huh? What happened to ONE? Then we were told they had just started making loans to people who did not have a credit card or enough money in their checking accounts to afford the great deal they had to offer us to the tune of around $6,400, but that included a free eBay workshop on the 18th, Online Real-time Credit Card Processing on our websites and Links4Trade at prices far reduced from what we would pay if we went it alone. Snort!
Their loan had a percentage rate of 18%. And then they handed out a document entitled "Confidential Financing Pre-Qualification Form". We were told we were required to fill this document out and hand it in at the break. The document asked for your social security number, birthdate, whether you owned your home, how long and what the market value of your home was, your annual income and other personal information I didn't feel these guys needed to know. Well, I was astonished at how everyone in the room but me filled out the document like good little soldiers. At the break we were told if we wanted a free one on one consultation to see how the StoresOnline websites could help our own particular situation, to come up front and put our name on a list..........this while we turned in our Confidential Financing Pre-Qualification form. Well, I decided to see what they were up to and put my name on the list, but I hung on to my blank Pre-Qualification form.
During this break (the only break we had between 8:30a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and it was only 7 minutes long) a young man stopped at my table and asked me if I had turned in my Pre-Qualification form. I replied that even if I decided to go with StoresOnline I was not financing any loan for 18% interest, that in my opinion that was highway robbery. And I also voiced my objections to their wanting my social security number. He looked pained, then regrouped and remarked it was good I had the money at hand. I do not have that kind of money but I didn't tell him that.......I was finding it pretty entertaining to see what they would pull next. He immediately sat down and began working on me. I just hemmed and hawed and was non-committal.
By the lunch break everyone was completely worn out, hungry and just ready to say "Uncle" to get the psychological abuse to stop. We were told if we had signed up for a one on one consultation that we needed to come to the front and fill out another form. We were assured the form meant nothing, not to worry about it, just fill in our name and address and sign it already. Well, I never sign anything without reading it. As I tried to read it, one young man after another tried to interrupt me, distract me and keep me from reading the fine print. I finally accomplished reading it and was alarmed at the wording.
Having worked in the legal field for 8 years I had a problem with the wording. I approached one of the young men and told him I had a legal background and I had a real problem signing the "legal disclosure" section at the bottom. He immediately starting working on me about what an opportunity this was! I refused to sign the document to his distress and I never saw him again. They then sent a young man who had complimented me earlier in the program, most likely because they thought he would be more persuasive. Sheesh!
The lunch was good.........but I was seeing a pattern. First it was WHAT a deal! Then, you would be stupid not to take advantage of this one time offer. Then, don't be a loser!
We had no break that afternoon, just people being systematically taken out of the room one by one and worked on. Divide and conquer. The woman next to me had stated more than once that she couldn't afford the expense of their program and they took her out of the room 3 times that afternoon for 30 minutes at a time. Then they came to get me. Bear in mind this was my "one on One" consultation to explore how they could help MY particular situation. ALL it was was a hard sales pitch! I listened to what a deal I was passing up and said, "Sorry, can't do it." and got up and walked back into the workshop. The woman next to me was astonished. She couldn't understand how I had been out there for so little time. yep, you guessed it, she finally caved and bought all 6 websites.
I weathered the workshop, I did learn some things and got a good lunch out of it. Also wanted that computer carrying case and got it. But as I was leaving one of the young men approached me and asked me if they had gotten all my paperwork taken care of. I told him there was no paperwork because I was not in a financial situation to afford their program. Then he applied the, "Oh, well, I guess you just have a loser's attitude. If you bought these websites your financial worries would be over!!" Pulleeeeeaaase!! I am sorry but anyone that wants you to buy it NOW without being able to sleep on it is not on the up and up. I smiled at him with my loser's face and said, "Well, maybe I can come to another workshop after I have had time to think about what your program can do for me." Knowing full well the answer would be, this is your LAST chance, and that is exactly the answer I got. I left exhausted and giggling.
When I got home the next day I had a packet from StoresOnline that I was supposed to have taken to the workshop with me. I looked at the return address (Corona Del Mar, Ca) and got online and googled the Corona Del Mar, Ca. Better Business Bureau. The home page was a full page alert on Storesonline.
These guys employ every psychological ploy known to man to get people to sign. Sad thing is, more people than should have signed up in my workshop AND I wonder what the StoresOnline people did with all that personal info they got from people they didn't get to sign with them. The whole ordeal was just the most blatant and obscene display of ramrodding I have ever seen!
If you decide to go to a workshop, just beware, learn what you can and don't fall for the hard selling ploys they employ. The more research I do on this company the more bad things I find!
Nancy
Texarkana, Texas
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Storesonline
