Click here to review a recent letter we received from the
attorneys for Rip-Off Report.com, then read our response by clicking here!
“Please be advised that attorney's for the Rip-Off Report.com website have disputed our portrayal
of the company and deny many of our allegations. We have reviewed our statements and hold to them unless the circumstances and facts
warrant a change. Please exercise your own independent judgment when reviewing our commentary”.
THE TRUTH & THE INTERNET...WE HAVE BEEN TARGETED BY RIP-OFF REPORT.COM'S EXTORTION
TACTICS...BEWARE...
When roads first began to connect populated areas, it didn't take long for “highwaymen” to appear.
When ships began to connect the continents, it didn't take long for “pirates” to appear. And, how can we forget what happened to
the stagecoach and early trains, those “bandits” made great movies.
The Internet has been called the “information super highway” because it connects people with
speed and easy access. Well, it didn't take long for some individuals to make the Internet the “misinformation super highway.”
Using many of the same tools as their predecessors, they put on their mask (hidden identity) and do their best to wreak havoc
on the business community as well as the public at large.
You may find websites that claim to be a source for industry research and news; however, they fail to identify themselves for
whatever reason. Also, there are websites that provide for the posting of anonymous consumer complaints, without verification,
which encourages irresponsible, inaccurate, and often-defamatory messages. If necessary, call the telephone number on the website,
if they have one listed, or do a search on the website to see what others have already discovered about them. Any website that uses
only an e-mail address and does not identify itself fully with names, street address, and telephone numbers, should be regarded with
suspicion. The owner of one of these bogus sites, an alleged con artist, is apparantly now a WANTED FUGITIVE by the FBI and is also
facing charges of Fraud & Extortion by the FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION . He is allegedly posting phony consumer complaints against
businesses all over the nation targeting the entertainment industry, as well as many others. He then allegedly approaches the "defamed"
business and offers to "clear up the mess" for a small fee...around $50,000 PLUS a $5,000 per month "monitoring fee" Simply
go to... http://www.ezripofflawsuit.com for more information.
Click here to view one of Rip Off Report.com's Extortion
letter's sent to another business...
Click here to read more about the REAL RIP OFF REPORT!
NEWS UPDATE:
It appears that RipOffReport.com’s Ed Magedson allegedly has a new extortion scheme going…pissedconsumer.com
BEWARE!
UPDATE: 07/02/2008
It appears that ripoffreport.com has opened another on line extortion scheme, this time it's called
www.complaintsboard.com. This guy always seems to stay one step ahead of authorities.
What really is a Better Business Bureau? Almost ALL entertainment companies
have a F rating with the BBB! Just a coincidence? You decide... www.coltonbbbshakedown.com
“Quite frankly, most established companies are not dumb enough to pay the CA BBB. It appears the CA BBB
targets new businesses looking to add so called “credibility” or “legitimacy” to their customers or clients. Most consumers
these days are savvy enough to see beyond that smoke screen of deception”.
CEO, Scooter's Fab Flashcast!
We, at Scooter's Fab Flashcast, are proud, along with many other small and large business owners NATIONWIDE, for REFUSING to "pay for an A" for the useless "privilege" of being a part of the California BBB located in a seedy, run down, rat infested area in Colton, California, due to their continuing questionable sales and reporting tactics!
Wait! It gets even BETTER...we have had no so called "complaints" since 2004...yet we (and most others in the entertainment industry) have an F? Coincidence or CORRUPTION? You decide... The F stands for ...FABULOUS!
Orange County Register Body Slams BBB:
Eventually, other legitimate newspapers, and media sources not mesmerized or beholden to the powerful BBB brand-name began to show interest. One such newspaper that we know of is the Orange County Register, which is a division of Freedom Communications, Inc. The Orange County Register is published daily and Sunday, and is located in Santa Ana, CA. Upon examing the recent investigative articles by the OCR and numerous complaints from responsible and reputable business owners, Joe D'Agostino of the Orange County District Attorney's Office consumer-protection division said his office will investigate. The State Department of Consumer Affairs is referring complaints to the State Attorney Generals Office. The Orange County Register reports that numerous business owners have contacted the newspaper for complaints ranging from "misleading membership solicitations", to unauthorized credit card charges by over zealous BBB telemarketers. "We're very concerned" about the complaints says Pamela Mares, spokeswoman for the Consumer Affairs division. Not surprisingly, Mr. William Mitchell, the reputed leader of the BBB Southland empire, "did not return the Register's call..." reported the newspaper.
WHAT OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS HAVE STATED
PUBLICLY ABOUT THE BBB IN COLTON, CA:
The BBB of the Southland, Inc. "a complete and total scam"
Terri Linzmeier, owner of Select Homes Real Estate in affluent Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, is just one of numerous intelligent and successful owners who have complained about the tactics and alleged practices of the BBB Southland. According to Terri Linzmeier, a BBB caller wanted to do a background check on her company but needed a credit-card number. "I normally wouldn't give my credit-card number to anyone, but it was the Better Business Bureau; *I trusted them." writes Linzmeier. [ *Note: the BBB has been so successful in inflating their reputation that many intelligent people have 'trusted' them.]
Two weeks later, after "trusting" the BBB Southland, Terri Linzmeier received a rude dose of reality. She noticed that a $364 annual membership charge was tacked onto her credit card, courtesy of the BBB Southland, reports the OCR. When she complained, the BBB Southland representative told her the BBB has a "no refund policy." Terri Linzmeier threatened to contact her attorney and the BBB Southland ultimately relented. She was provided her refund. Later, she made this quip in reference to the BBB Southland: "This is being run like a complete and total scam." Greg Almond, a general manager of the Better Business Bureau of the Southland, Inc., whose headquarters are in a seedy, smog-filled, crime-plagued, run-down, and stench-smelling section of otherwise pleasant Colton, California, conceded that "We (the BBB of the Southland) wouldn't survive very long without memberships...". Membership fees and the relentless pursuit of new members apparently is the rallying cry for BBB telemarketers.
Fountain Vally, CA, tax-preparer Judee Slack has also reportedly had problems with the BBB Southland. "I find it offensive that they make the sales call with the (pretext) that someone has filed a complaint about your business", reports the OCR. Slack also objected that the BBB Southland caller said, "Uncle Sam will return your entire fee when you file your tax return.". Being a professional tax-preparer, Slack rejected that argument. She said a deduction for a business expense is "only a percentage of the total cost, depending on the tax bracket.".
Gerry Ansel of Best Software Inc. in Irvine, CA also reported began receiving suspicious calls and "negative inquiries" from BBB telemarketers hawking BBB memberships. "We saw no value in joining, as our company is already well-known...", Ansel said.
Dan Golka of United Home Improvement Center in Tustin, CA, said a BBB telemarketer told him the only way to make a complaint against his company go away was to join the BBB, writes the OCR. "It was a shakedown", Golka told the Orange County Register.
Allan Lobel of A-L Financial, a Santa Ana, CA auto financier said he found out about complaints against his company when his son checked the BBB website. "We have been in business 25 years and never had a dispute we didn't resolve." BBB allegations against his company "were absolutely not true", he says. When he called the BBB to inquire about his firms so-called "Reliability Report", a suspicious BBB employee allegedly remarked, 'Join first, then we will look at the record.'
Rod Condit of Power Plumbing in Placentia, CA, said he received 20 calls from several BBB offices leaving allegedly "urgent" messages about consumer inquiries. "I finally got one caller to admit he got my name out of the Penny Saver."
"I see so many references to the BBB as its some sort of watchdog, but it's not", says Fullerton, CA, locksmith Jim Troeller, reports the Orange County Register. Mr. Troeller blasts the BBB as a "a paper-shuffling organization.".
Do you think a conflict arises when a so called "not for profit" organization is reporting on most of the same businesses it accepts money from? We want to hear from you with your thoughts on this increasing growing concern nationwide! Whether you agree or disagree, email us now!
Below is a recent response we received from a concerned consumer...
"Absolutely!! There is a definite conflict when non-profit organizations are covertly profiting from their "non profit" supporters. It parallels, if not completely duplicates, the relationship between lobbyists and our corrupt political officials."
OTHER POSSIBLE ON LINE SCAMS: Please use extreme caution when dealing with any of these so called "on-line casting sites" which will sell you exposure, on-line portfolios, "how-to" guides, mailing labels, etc., when they provide no physical address to contact them. Many of these companies list, what appears to be a physical address, but is nothing more than a postal company who accepts their mail. When getting YOUR child involved with ANY company, it's always a SAFE idea to meet with these companies FACE TO FACE!
Recent formal investigation into these websites has proven “there were no requirements that the statements made on …websites…be made under oath, or with actual knowledge or with any other demands for reliability and truthfulness.”
Elizabeth and Samantha on set for a National Cingular
Commercial!
© 2008,
Scooter's Fab Flashcast, All Rights Reserved Legal Statement.