Mr. Lamont Braxton, President of Market Trends, Selden, New York. I have just confirmed that several other complaints to ripoffreports.com mirror my own complaints. August, 2007, I placed orders for 2,500 circulars and 1,500 catalogs. First I mailed 500 circulars and I did eventually receive my 50% reimbursement for that mailing. During the month of October I mailed more than 2,000 circulars, earning a $500 bonus which has not been paid. Neither has my 50% of $820 postage reimbursement been paid. In addition, I was advised that I had earned a $120 Tier Two payment. So, they owe me $920 for this October, 2007 circular mailing.
Then there is the matter of the 1,500 gift catalogs that I ordered last August. There was delay after delay on shipment of the catalogs and on two occasions they have given me tracking numbers, but no shipments could ever be tracked. They tell me to keep checking and eventually they will show up in the system. I prepaid some $1,650 for these catalogs. The distributor agreement is that once I receive these catalogs, I will mail them to a list of gift catalog buyers they will reimburse 50% of the postage which at $1.14 per mailing will total $1,710.
I am to mail these catalogs, spending my own money up front for postage. Then when the orders come to me, I am to deposit the client checks, and forward the orders and 60% of the total check, keeping 40% of the total checks as my portion. Afterwards, they say they will immediately forward the postage reimbursement. (I can scarcely trust them to do this since I do not have a postage reimbursement for my October, 2007 circular mailing, but of course, they know I could withhold the postage reimbursement from their 60% share if I only had the catalogs to mail.)
They indicate their distributors, on average, receive $1,500 in orders for each 100 catalogs mailed and so they indicate there is a lot of money to be made here. If one mails 1,500 catalogs times $1,500, the total comes to $22,500. I would mail them approximately $13,500 and keep $9,000 as my profit. If one really can make that much, they are just throwing $13,500 out the window by not filling my catalog order.
Because his employees were not serving me in an appropriate manner, Mr. Braxton told me that he would personally attend to completing my order to my satisfaction. Originally, he assured me that I would have all of my catalogs to mail well before the 2007 holiday season. He kept putting me off with various reasons that the catalogs were not available. First I was assured that they would come right after the first of the year, then February 15th at the absolute latest and after that the assured shipment date was
repeatedly delayed.
Finally, he instructed his shipping department to make a shipment. They gave me false UPS tracking numbers. Then, when they could not be relied on he assured me that by faith he was a Christian and also that this was not
a scam. He was always very polite, indicating that my patience would be rewarded. Sometimes he answers emails and sometimes he does not. But the catalogs will be mailed lately by next Saturday.
He tells me it will be much easier on me if I will just check for tracking numbers every other day. Though I have suggested lately that if he will not be shipping these catalogs immediately, that he could pay me off what I have invested listed below.
1,500 Gift Catalogs
$1650
Postage 50%
410
Bonus
500
Tier Two Payment
120
Sub-Total
$2,680
And add $100 spent on mailers
100*
$2,790
*I ordered mailing envelopes, but cannot use them if they will not ship the catalogs so I feel they should cover this cost. Since they will not mail the catalogs, I am unable to make the approximate $9,000, so they might want to send me $11,790.
For the first 500 catalogs mailed, they give a guarantee that we distributors will either make $2,500, or they see that we receive that amount.
Also, there was a guarantee with the first 500 circulars mailed, that one would make $2,500 within three weeks or they would pay each of us the difference. Well, I did not make that much and when I inquired about the guarantee, they told me that they did not really mean to give me cash. They would, however, do one or more mailings for me in order to bring my income from that mailing to this level. I have inquired several times about this guarantee, and they have one excuse after another why they are not able to do at least one free mailing in my name.
Dorothy ****
Harper Woods, Michigan
U.S.A.