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  • Report:  #440782

Complaint Review: VIP Talent Connect & Find My Audition - Philadelphia Pennsylvania

Reported By:
- philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
Submitted:
Updated:

VIP Talent Connect & Find My Audition
125 South Street Philadelphia, 19147 Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Phone:
267-318-7807
Web:
N/A
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good? What's this?
I got scammed by VIP Talent Connect. The first time I received a phone call from them, they claimed that I filled out an application on their website, I DIDN'T. But I did fill out other applications on other websites being an aspiring singer that I am, I am always looking for gigs.

The company set up an appointment with me, asked me to bring my photos and write a paragraph about where I saw myself in one year from now. That was first and last time they asked about that paragraph, basically I wrote it for myself.

My appointment was at their Trevose location, when I got there I was introduced to Anshul Rastogi, who although seemed friendly, obviously didn't care at all about what I wanted to do and was simply making a sales pitch. While I was being interviewed, he just kept telling me how it's all about who you know and showing me videos from youtube.

Then I was introduced to Aly Kaback, who is the founder of VIP. I didn't like her right away. Even though she was smiling, you could see that she was just a mean, cold-hearted, profitable business person, and she will scam you. Then another guy came in, and Anshul said that he decides whether I am going to get "accepted" (nothing being said about the money). He came in, quickly browsed through my pictures, and said "Congratulations you're accepted".

Wait a minute, but I'M A SINGER!!! Do you not care if I can sing at all? Of course it doesn't matter, they just need to get 200 people for their "event".

Then Anshul came back, told me how lucky I am to be accepted, that they reject like 20 people a day. Yea, right. So I was stupid enough to pay. $1095!!! Just to attend their event. So then they told me to record a demo cd, get professional pictures (all at my expense) and come back before the event. I did. Our next appointment was at 125 South Street.

The event was is NY, I live in Philly, so obviously needed to pay for the hotel, because the event started at 7am. The event... i have no words for it. THE BIGGEST SCAM OF MY LIFE. All the people that were performing there and "looking for new talent" were no one!! Either wanna-bes themselves, or those who failed at their careers years ago, and were no one at the moment. How are they gonna help me?? I sat at the table, and waited for some one to speak from the music industry, I waited from 7am till 2pm, no one did. So i thought I go talk to people from "model world", and I couldnt. There were huge lines to talk to anyone, and all the people who showed up to perform were more focused on getting their face in the camera.

It was ridiculous, some guy that got to be an extra in some commercial is sitting there saying how he got his success. What success??? Or the girl, who is a singer, showed up later in the afternoon, talking how great she is, no one knew about her, and she was still performing in small clubs with no cd out, and she's gonna help who? You can find a lot more gigs on craigslist then at those events.

There were so many people there. Let me tell you, not only no one will discover you, no one will remember you!! The event was so boring, so ridiculous, in some underground dark comedy club, from 7am that i was there, I got the biggest headache.

Oh, and those $1095 I paid, turns out that was just a membership fee. To attend any of the following events, you need to pay additional $200. A complete waste of time. I have never regretted anything more.

Find My Audition tried to contact me after that, saying the same BS, that I filled out an application with them, which again, I didn't. When I asked where are they located, they said 125 South Street. I told them exactly what I thought about them and VIP combined.

And by the way, all those replies saying that it's not a scam, I can bet you anything that it's Ms.Kaback herself replying to them, it sure sounds like her.

No success has ever come out of there. Not a single person got famous because of that company. Don't waste your money.

Anonymous

philadelphia, Pennsylvania

U.S.A.


2 Updates & Rebuttals

Anonymous

Cherry Hill,
New Jersey,
U.S.A.
Fellow VIP Rip Off Victim

#2

Fri, August 21, 2009

Hi there,

I am a fellow victim of VIP Talent.  I am just as embarassed as you are about being ripped off by them.  Everything you said is absolutely spot on.  VIP Talent preys on the ambitions of aspiring performers.  They will tell you all sorts of BS, tell you you're amazing, and in the end they only want your money.  DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY WITH VIP TALENT!!!!!

Another thing. Who is Tim Greene?  Never heard of him until the event.  They were talking this guy up like he is Steven Spielberg. 

VIP Talent has no success stories.  Their "success stories" entail people getting jobs as background actors.  WOW!

Anyways, I am glad you posted your report, and I wish you all the best in your pursuits as a singer. Don't let this set you back!


Stargurl

Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Find My Audition Scam

#3Consumer Comment

Thu, April 23, 2009

I had a similar experience with Find My Audition. I took my 7-year old daughter there. We waited an hour and a half to be seen. We were interviewed by a rather rude brazilian? woman who gave us a speech (mostly directed at my daughter) about how hard it is to be noticed in the industry unless you know the right people. I asked if my child could wait outside while discussing this, and she said no, that no one would sugarcoat anything in the industry...understood. So she goes on to say that she and her office manager approved my child. (I worked as an office manager for 4 years, does that qualify me to pick talent?)She was "chosen" for the last spot of their networking meeting in NY this sunday, and I must pay at least $100 immediately. I worked in sales long enough to know the "last chance" approach. I told her I didn't have enough information to commit to paying, and she began to call me stupid in front of my child and guilt me into it. I gave her $50, and she told me it was not enough, and that I had better prepare to pay at will in this industry. I started to give her my credit card, then thought it over and asked for my money back. She became very angry, and started calling us names again. I asked my daughter to wait outside so I could talk to her as an adult and demand my money back. She was nice to me and agreed at this point. My child came back in the room, and she bent down in her face and told her that her mommy ruined her career, that she can't be a model, and its a shame. Thats about all she got out because I grabbed my child and my money and left. That is just wrong to do to a child! This place was not able to furnish any real success stories. I was told to watch a you tube video or read our website. Even the woman giving the interview...she said she was a "top model" for years...I had never seen nor heard of her. I will take my child to a reputable casting director affiliated with one of the unions. This place was a waste of time. I was so dissappointed. The only good thing was that my child was more angry at the woman for calling me stupid than she was worried about the woman's comments.

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