Just like all the MO's being reported, we believed in the sales pitch. After the National Grants Conference presentation on "How to write grants" was over, an inocuous spokesperson talked about running your own website. One of my notes indicates that we shouldn't share this information with anybody else. Hindsight is always 20/20. He told the crowd that it retailed for $299.95 but we could have it for $20 plus $29.95/monthly hosting fee from Unimweb. Hadn't set up the website for about a week when we got a call from a John Bishop from Provo UT explaining to us what we thought was the beginning of setting up the website with Unimweb.
Bishop explained that his job was to weed out all the individuals from the area to identify a select group of people who signed up with Unimweb, that would make the effort to do business on the web. After about an hour's worth of 'interview' he said he was going to tell his supervisor that we were great candidates but not to be upset if we weren't selected. We were to call Friday night 3/4, and talk to a Steve Larson who was going to make the final decision. After going over the great points of setting up our very own website business, we were to invest in a non-refundable business venture in the amount of $6,540. (We've already spent $129.95 for lifetime membership to Unimweb and purchased 6 CDs at $20/each.) Finally he revealed to us that we were to receive lessons, coaching, and a commitment from these people that we would be able to set up 50 websites within the year. How exciting is that? We would be given all the tools to succeed.
I received an email the next day confirming the deal and was shocked that my Visa Card number and the expiration date had been emailed to me and my partner for confirmation. THIS WAS NOT a secure site and I was NOT happy. When I faxed Steve Larson the agreement today, 3/8, I informed him that this action gave me cause to pause. The packet--sent through the net--included a new name, Perforum Inc.,/Unimweb and the billing was made through another name, American Pride Products, Las Vegas NV (this was never mentioned). We've gone through the package, and am now doing the research and this site comes up, #1. How ironic!! They were talking about teaching us how to get a lot of traffic, to get to No. 1. The first 'lesson' begins tomorrow. What should I do? HELP!!!!! Am I too late? Am I now a statistic? I will call my credit card company in the morning and see what they can do. I was telling Larson that I thought we were being scanned (someone listening over the phone when I was giving him my credit card info) and he said, "we're with National Grants Conference, you wouldn't be scammed." Let's see how right he is.
R&B
Murray, Kentucky
U.S.A.