SMC SPECIALTY Merchandise Corp SMC Fraud Alert Update SMCorp Is So Deceptive It Has Placed Itself On Its Own Fraud Alert Prescribed Merchant List RIPOFF Chatsworth California

Get A Real Job Bifoon...

Your killin me jacko, first of all, any company that hires the father from happy days tv show as a spokeman...cant be legit, (that guy didnt die yet?)right there that oughta tell you something! Ever watch the infomercial...its on at like 3:00 am most of the time...wonder why? Hint: - They cant afford real time slot! (tells me they're losers!) Ever see the big cheese guy - kerry ? this guy looks like his father hung him by his ears on the clothesline..dumbo is envious of this guy! This company exudes loserdom...if you were dumb enough to fall for it...you got what you deserved! Thats whats wrong with this country, we allow this kind of capitolism and worse...we fall for it! As an american vet and a smart person, im leaving the smc crapola to the immies who hop the fences or float into our glorious country on makeshift rafts and inner tubes, i suggest you do the same!

Why are you calling me names, all I am trying to do is warn people that this company is a fraud.If you really wanted to help people you would reveal all of the information that you know.

Please respect yourself and direct all of the name calling to SMC who are the real buffoons for putting themselves on their very own Fraud Alert List www.smcfraudalert.com which looks like they are sick of themselves scamming people.I don,t know, but if you are an "ex employee" and not some nut just looking for attention then my suggestion to you is to spill the beans.

Now you can rebut this with correct information and an apology!

I read your posting and went to the smcfraudalert.com website. At the very bottom, in the footer section, the following statement is posted:

This Site Is Not Owned,Operated,Endorsed or
Recommended by SMC Corp, Specialty Merchandise
Corporation. SMC Internet is an Independant Co.

These guys are worse than ambulance chasers. they speak bad about smc but offer websites to smc distributors.

Listening to you, I'm probably the only person who has made money with smc products. I've never had any problems with them or their products. I only had 3 products that were damaged or didn't work and they replaced them without hesitation.

As for the annual fee, so what. I think if deters unmotivated people from joining. I also sell other products but I have to pay a drop ship fee on every order. Or, I have to purchase minimum orders.

In fact, I sell nutritional supplements too. Since I'm a legitimate business, I can buy direct from the manufacturers. (You have to be a legitimate company registered in your state and have a resale permit with a federal tax ID. That means you would have to spend money to incorporate or in my case, become an LLC.)

The annual fee paid to smc is 4 times cheaper than my incorporation costs.

However, I would have to buy full cases and spend $500 minimum plus shipping costs.

Instead, I order from 3 wholesale distributors. Since they buy in bulk, I can buy single items from them and they drop ship. Plus, since I play each one against the other, and since I do so much business monthly, I get below wholesale prices (up to 30% below wholesale) and free shipping.

Since I live close to the smc warehouse, I "will call" my orders so there is no shipping charges. I have my own UPS & FedEx accounts so I charge my customers actual shipping charges which they can see on the shipping label. *I do offer free shipping on orders over $75 so they buy more to avoid the $7 shipping costs.

I pay $100 to Sam's Club for my Business Plus membership and $56 to Costco for my Executive membership annually.

According to your logic, Why should I pay for the opportunity to BUY from these stores?

In actuality, these memberships help to defray additional costs and allow them to sell the mdse at rock bottom prices and still make healthy profits.

The same holds true with smc.

Since I sold over $6000 my first year (7 months actual), my membership fee was refunded and next year's fee is waived.

I sell by showing the catalog at work, showing actual products, using the products for youth sports teams fund raisers, placing products in stores on consignment, leaving product brochures in Dr / Dentist offices, running promotions and shipping the brochures / catalogs with my other product orders.

I even have people selling for me using smc's subwholsaler program. Most of them buy for themselves at a discount (45-50% off the retail price in the catalog) and sell to their family and friends.

Smc is no different than any other wholesaler and selling their products is no different than selling any other product.

It just depends on the salesperson. By the way, my home is filled with smc products as I love the quality.

I am an ex-employee of SMC Promotions which is a sister company of SMCorp. I was the person that you would talk to on the phones if you called in or we would call you. To give you all a little background I was the #1 sales rep in the company several times and was making around $1500-$2500 a week selling memberships to people. I know the president of the company Mark Schwartz and while employed met and spoke to him on several occasions.

So trust me SMCorp has plenty of money, in fact they gross around $350,000,000 a year! So they can afford Air Time whatever (not very intelligent) person said that they have their commercials on at 3AM must mean they can't afford air time has no clue about marketing. My question to that person is, How did you know they were on at 3AM? That's when people that are looking for an extra income are usually up stressed out about not making any money.

I now work for one of the companies listed above because I quit SMC Promotions after working there for well over 2 years. Here are some facts to help get rid of the rumors:

1.SMCorp does have some good products at good prices but they are only a drop ship company, that's it nothing more! There are hundreds of drop ship companies that drop ship to customers like SMCorp and they don't charge $300 to sell their products.

2.SMCorp has not proven or given any facts to anyone that the companies listed above are fraud. And when your make false accusations about another company you are then breaking the law (ironic isn't it). If you question a company then look them up with the BBB and if they are members in good standing with the BBB then how could they be fraudulent?

3.E-Merchant club is not SMCorp they are a web developing company that was hired by SMCorp around 6 years ago to design websites for SMCorp Members. Also when you talk to the sale rep with the number that is provided in your welcome kit you are not talking to an employee of E-Merchant Club you are actually talking to a very good salesman that works for SMC Promotions in the eCommerce division selling eCommerce websites for E-Merchant Club (oh and when you talk to a sales rep ask them if they have ever owned an eCommerce site and your chances will be slim to none of finding someone that has owned one. So how are they going to tell you what is going to work best or make you money, They can't! They sell a 20 product eCommerce site for around $400-$600. Have you ever been to a site with only 20 products?). Trust me they make very good money taking your money.

Remember nobody can tell you where you can spend your money, you are in business for yourself NOT SMCorp! Have you ever wondered why they wont let you see all the products they sell? And when you buy a website from E-Merchant Club you can only put a certain amount of products that are non SMCorp. Why is that? It's your business you should be able to sell what you want plus the fact is that home decor and gift items aren't even popular items purchased online. Go to Google and research popular items sold online by retail companies last year.

If you want to make an educated decision before you invest here is some FREE advice for you.

1. Look at the sites that E-Merchant Club offers and them look at some fortune 500 companies sites. Do they look anything alike? No, there is a reason that all the fortune 500 companies sites look similar; it's because they know what works!

2. The continuing "Fraud Alerts" that SMCorp delivers to you should demonstrate that they are extremely paranoid that they are losing business. Why else would they have to suggest that you take drastic steps like listing of companies that have filled a major void in SMCorp's business. The quality of the websites are inferior to the sites that a few of the companies on their list. And for the quality, they are definitely over priced. There is a word for what SMCorp and E-Merchant Club are trying to do and that word is MONOPOLIZE the market. It's the classic tale of a large powerful company trying to crush a smaller company.

3. You have to pay once a year in the range of $200-$500 per year to get the latest upgrades for their already outdated websites.

3. Keep this in mind, obviously the companies and people on the FRAUD list have found a way to make money with the business and they are basically trying to save you from making costly errors and of course they aren't doing it for free they are in business. SMCorp has almost a cult mentality ( you can't look at all the products until you pay, you can't get a site from anyone else, don't tell people were you get your products from) it's like their going to tell me who I can talk to next!

Compare the facts and ignore the he said/she said

THIS IS YOUR BUSINESS, NOT THEIRS!

Sincerely

Trying To Help

The post 2 above states he/she live close to SMC to does a Will Call - Look at the city Rialto Now compare the distance to SMC - 80 Miles -

I wonder why!

Now, why would a company that has gone through all the trouble of putting companies and individuals on its own fraud alert website, take this website and now advertise "24 hour Church... Coming Soon"
The following is a cut and paste from that site:

Coming Soon!

The 24 HOUR CHURCH
Custom Built Online Store w/1000s of products!

* (Required) Your Name:
* (Required) Email:
* (Required) Are you ready for a financial BREAKTHROUGH?: yes no
* (Required) Do you have a testimony,dream or vision?: yes no confused
* (Required) Please feel free to share it with us....:

NOW, AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY ARE USING AND EXPLOITING THE SANCTITY OF THE CHURCH TO GET FOLKS TO PUT IN THEIR INFORMATION SO THEY CAN TURN AROUND AND SEND THEM SIGN UP LITERATURE TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS. THIS HAS GONE TO FAR. I AM REALLY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THEM USE THESE TACTICS.

As an SMC employee and Member it seems to me that the members ought to get more credit for their business savvy. Of course every SMC member has the right to build the business they way they want to! Are you sharing new information?

I fail to see where a company who sells websites to help business people to hawk their wares on the web, and wants to charge for this is a rip-off. Am I a rip-off if I set my prices higher than my competition? Every one including website service providers has the right to set their own Prices.

It has been my experience that SMC and the promotional activities involved with marketing memberships, e-commerce websites, and any other activities that have been mentioned are good for business.

If the price is too high feel free to go somewhere else.

If anyone reading this is looking to start their own business and considering an SMC membership remember the Satisfaction Guarantee that is Offered by SMC.

As an SMC employee, I found their business practices to be fair and square and their sales programs to saavy and beneficial both to Members
and to their employees. And all these transactions benefit the ultimate end user of the SMC products namely the customer.

Sincerely Kelly Richardson

As a victim of people in Appleton, WI who were (and still are) illegally representing themselves on the Internet as SMC (Specialty Merchandise Corporation), I CAN PERSONALLY ASSURE EVERYONE that the REAL SMC (in CA) is a victim of a life-long (and continuing) con-man. The "SMC" in Appleton, WI is the RIP OFF company!! They mask their deception and fraud by copying all of the REAL SMC's website names, company names, product names, etc. If you look closely at some of these posts, SOME of YOU are claiming that SMC in CA put themselves on their own Fraud Alert. Not SO! A more detailed and perceptive person will notice that, although the web addresses & company names SEEM to be that of the REAL SMC...they are cleverly altered ever so slightly by the CROOKS in Appleton, WI to sucker in people thinking they are reaching the REAL SMC in CA. Note the EMerchant without the dash...this is the RIP OFF, by adding a few letters, elimiating dashes, adding a word, or showing a URL as .NET, .US, .ORG....the APPLETON, WI CROOKS are able to catch any unsuspecting people who thought they were reaching the REAL SMC.

BELIEVE ME!! THESE PEOPLE IN APPLETON, WI ARE SEEM TO THINK THEY ARE MASTER'S OF THEIR CROOKED SCHEMES. They keep changing their company names, corporation names, officers, etc. to avoid being CAUGHT FOR THEIR ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR. I KNOW THEY HAVE LITERALLY STOLEN MONEY FROM MANY PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO WHILE USING THEIR BAIT-AND-SWITCH AND EVASION TACTICS!!! AVOID THESE "WEBSITE BULIDERS" IN APPLETON, WI AT ALL COSTS!!!! Unless you have several Grand to just throw away.....

Thank you for allowing me to share this information with you and allowing me to express my grave dis-satisfaction with this Wisconsin-based company.

For the guy who says Rialto is 80 miles away from SMC he is correct, however to the SMC warehouse it's only about 5 miles or so away from Rialto. And I once worked at SMC as a so called coach, it was interesting work to say the least. The products aren't bad and the business ideas aren't bad, it's just that there are so many SMC reps out there that it will be hard but not impossible to make money. When I coached I did have some reps make decent money and for some it just did not work. The customer service from what I seen was fair. However the e-merchant club is substandard and way overpriced. I always referred my owners to a web based site that let you build your own site. So all and all not a bad company, as long as you don't join thinking you were going to get rich quick or at all. But if you work hard , you might make some okay money, and of course if you get lucky or have a great stratgey you can make some really good money, but only a few will ever make really good money, its just too many smc dealers out there.

SMC has been Good But I disagree when they imply who should build you the SMC Products website.
Now let's say I who has been a member for over 7 years give or take scanned or downloaded every picture from their catalog or website and built a website with all of their products than decided to target SMC members to sell this very same website and just change the look and added the members contact information to it for a fee, Would I be committing FRAUD? and if so WHY? I did all of the work so why can't I do this. Better yet once I did that I turn around and teach the SMC member how they can update their very own website by deleting the discontinue items and adding new ones for a fee, AM I defrauding SMC again? And WHY? That's like saying SMC wants it's members to stay ignorant. or Are they in Business to make sure most of their members do not succeed so this way they can make a bundle out of suckering them with all these extra services they offer. That sounds like Ebay at it's best. Is SMC in business to sell products or sell services? They hardly make money on selling products but make a bundle on the services to people that most likely will not succeed. Is that what drives SMC? I can say I blame them since there is no incentive to have SMC members growing in sales since the profit margin may only be between 7-15% compare to the services which is 1000%. Now that is a real incentive so because of this anybody willing to sell a website with over 3,500 SMC products doesn't appeal to them. I also think they make more money on membership renewels and paper which would be catalogs etc. than the actual products so I couldn't blame them for making their business a priority to sell paper and services before any products. This is why their high priced websites are so dull because they don't want you to succeed if you did than you would create more work on their end as far as processing and handling from their warehouse. In the future, Are they going to prevent their members from building their very own website once they have learn that it is easy for anyone to build one? If so are they going to discontinue doing business with anyone who is a webmaster? I'm telling you I will be doing exactly that for people who can't affort to pay $600 for a website of 20 products.

sorry, …allowing you to give a competitors name would instigate others to just file against their competition, to only come back later to suggest their company… your comments on this policy are welcome! CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

Now AM I going to be on that website as a person who is commiting FRAUD? and if so WHY? If I was a web developer and I knew nothing about SMC and one day an SMC Member came to me and asked me to custom build him a website from the catalog or just game me the CD with all the pictures and descriptions would that be FRAUD? and if so WHY? If my manufacturer sold goods to me and supply me with all media and description on disk why can't I go find a web designer to do just that? My brother once told me that if I'm on the road driving my car and I kept complaining about every driver as if they do not know how to drive or that they were wrong every single time than that tells him that the one with the problem was me and I was the one who didn't know how to drive. Same scenario with SMC they keep claiming that everyone making websites for SMC members are Fraudalent when that attitude is only telling me that the ones who is really commiting FRAUD is SMC themselves. You do not see Lechmere who went out of business due to BestBuy and Walmart claiming that these retailers were commiting FRAUD simply because they came up with a new system to bring consumers the same product for less so SMC needs to fess up with the new trends and changes and accept the competition for what it really is, simply GOOD COMPETITION WHO HAS TACKLE THE NEED OF THEIR VERY SAME MEMBERS WHO HAS BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR SERVICES. NOT THEIR PRODUCTS AND PRICES FOR THEY ARE OK BUT THEIR SERVICES WHICH KEEPS GETTING PROVEN TO BE UNETHICAL AND DEFRAUDING OF ITS OWN MEMBERS. SMC needs to eat out of their own plate and stop looking to eat out of its member's plates. You folks will soon hear about my second to none service coming out this upcoming summer!

I enjoy reading these reports, but one thing I like doing is some research before I start hitting the keys on my PC.

Kenneth - Green Bay, Wisconsin is a former DA and then Attorney in Marietta GA. Whom was charged with 12 counts of Misconduct and taking his clients money without performing – He ran out of the area leaving his client files in the building where he was renting and owed his landlord money – His landlord had enough smarts to call the local officials there to get them to pick up these files.

This person id Kenneth Israel whom has been DISBARRED form practicing law and is now running a website Compumall.us in which he has collected funds from people and have not delivered there products to.

You can look up the GA Bar on the web and you can see what this guy has been up to

So before you put much credence into something that you can read without any sort of guarantee of it authenticity, do your homework and look close before you decide.

Nicholas - Lawrence, Massachusetts

I agree with you, SMC has pretty well taken the approach that if they, meaning Emerchant Club does not build your site for you, that you will indeed be in violation in one way or another. SMC decided to add such verbiage in his or her agreement that you cannot get ANY assistance from ANYONE to help you build your site. Look below from what I took from SMC Agreement page. You CAN NOT have your MOM help you NO MORE! I can't even imagine “You may not delegate or authorize any other person do so, whether on your behalf or otherwise “ they thought this good for business.

11. Trademarks and Copyrights

You may only copy or use designated SMC product descriptions, product photographs, and .jpg files on your website to advertise products you purchased from SMC for sale to your customers, and not in any other manner or for any other purpose. You may not delegate or authorize any other person do so, whether on your behalf or otherwise.

Kelly - Phoenix, Arizona

You are unbelievable. You made a statement “Of course every SMC member has the right to build the business they way they want to!” Which is so far off tilt that you must have blinders on. You cannot build you SMC business the way you want to, JUST READ THE AGREEMENT. They tell you who to use for HOSTING, SITE BUILDING. SMC makes you pay $3000.00 for a website that YOU have NONE or very LITTLE CONTROL OVER. You need to get the highest price website, JUST so they will ALLOW you to add other NON-SMC products in YOUR OWN SITE. And even then SMC says, OK you can, but no more than 100 items from other companies.

So Kelly, from Phoenix, AZ. SMC Promotions – So who's website is it? If it were a SMC Member, then as long as it is not Illegal or obscene, then the SMC Member should be able to sell whatever that member wants to sell.

Another thing: SMC employee's should not be able to compete with there members, that seems to be unfair and that alone would make me not signup with SMC.

I recently joined SMC. I was told that I would have a "coach" that would guide me in the right direction and be there to assist me with whatever questions I may have. I feel it is important to share that once they got my money they didn't want anything to do with me. I did get my kit and was very excited to get started. I was told I get 8 weeks of coaching. First I had to wait a week to even get a coach to call me. Now I only have 7 weeks of what they call "coaching".

Finally I get a call and the coach proceeded to tell me that I need to have a web site and she expected me to pay upwards of $6000.00 for a e-commerce web site. I told her no, so she then offered more options. I guess I figured out early on that the "coach" was not a "Coach" as we know the term. She was nothing more than a sales person.

Anyway, I finally decided to do a "Gift Card web site" and she was so happy and said we will be talking alot in the next weeks. I should tell you that I have talked with this person three times and have complained every time I call because she does not return my calls. I was told that this is a very busy time signing people up and the coaches are very busy. So now I have to say I realized that I am not important and they do not care if I succeed because it is all about the money.

Every time I ask to speak to a supervisor I am told I can only talk to my coaches supervisor. I have left messages for him as well and NO ONE EVER returns my call. Now I am at the end of my 8 weeks of coaching and have had no guidence and no questions answered. I even tried to get in touch with Kerry Cox and have been told that I can not speak to him. So I would suggest if anyone is interested in joining this company just BEWARE as you will be on your own once they get your money...

I have been interested in signing up with SMC for a while. After reading many of the rebuttles here, I decided I would call them and speak with a representative personally. I wanted to confirm or deny many of the reports I have read here. I spoke with a representative named George. I asked him if I was required to purchase a website through them or if I could use my own. He said I could use my own. I asked him if there was any restrictions to me selling items from other companies on my web site. He would not answer that question. Instead, he informed me that after I sign up, I will get a package in the mail and get assigned a business coach. George said that between the package and the business coach, I would get all my questions answered. I informed him that with all the negative publicity out there on SMC, I wanted my questions answered before I make a purchase. He told me that he could not provide that type of information to non-members. I expressed my concerns that there may be hidden fees and charges and other restrictions that I am unaware of and that I needed that information to make an intelligent investment. I also said that if I can not get that information before making a purchase that I could not, in good conscience, do business with SMC. George told me to go look somewhere else then.

My only contect ever with the company and they tell me to go somewhere else. That is bad business in my book.

I am currently and SMC member. My website is on Yahoo's platform. I have had no problem with SMC. Right from the start I told them that I have my own website, and that I was only looking to add SMC products to my existing website. I am a former graphic design student. I have designed my own website. For me SMC is simply another supplier. I run a legitimate business. I have business licenses from the city where I live.

I have managed businesses before. So far it seems to me that, so far, SMC services to me have been pretty ordinary. However I do find certain comments here to be valid. As far as their "Fraud Alert list" SMC sell products to merchants. I do not think they should have the right to tell merchants they would terminate their already paid membership if they business with whatever company they choose. They should just supply merchandise and services, not interfere with other companies with whom we choose to do business. However, if they own copyrights to product images, descriptions etc. I think they have the right to impose rules as it relates to their use.

I will be selling TV sets, computers, expensive jewelry, Audio CDs etc. I have collected a bunch of information on wholesale sources to make this happen. This is my business. No supplier CAN and will EVER tell me what products I can or cannot sell on my site and the store that I plan to open soon. SMC has not impose that on me either. Any company that does, will either not have my business or lose me as a consumer.

Also SMC is a company with numerous employees, I do not think it is impossible to call and have the misfortune of speaking to an incompetent, unhappy representative, or someone who simply not performing well that day. When I build my company, I will monitor such calls to ensure quality of service. However, even if I constantlt retrain, reprimand, suspend, punish, terminate employees that provide substandard services to my customers, it is still possible that a customer will call and speak to a rep who will be terminated, reprimanded, or retrained tomorrow. I know that the rep is supposed to represent the company but as a business major student and an entrepreneur, I recognize that, employees sometimes fail to perform at their best, as probably recommended or requested by the company where they work.

We should also keep in mind that it is not impossible that some of the replies could be from competitors.

I must admit that I find competition to be a bit fierce on the internet as it relates to selling SMC products. As I compare my prices with others I realize that if I were to sell at the rate as some of my competitors, I would probably be making just a couple dollars on the products I sell, and my overhead cost would eat up that profit margin. I would be operating at a loss. I am beginning to think maybe I DON'T HAVE THE COMPETIVE ROCK BOTTOM PRICES I THOUGHT I HAD. My competitors must be purchasing from a different source with lower prices than SMC. I cannot think of any other way they can afford, to purchase one single item for $9.95, and sell it for $10.99. I can neither beat nor even come close to matching this sale price.