Alternative Telemarketing Inc. - Touchtone Telemarketing - All Around Telemarketing, Consumer Warning! These Are Professional Scam Artists! They Only Want Your Money! Providence Rhode Island

This is a TRUE BUYER BEWARE SAGA:

After receiving a few emails regarding this alleged "pay-for-performance" telemarketing operation and having a phone interview with their sales rep, aka "Marie Foster", I decided to move forward and sign-up for their "Free Pilot Program".

As has been written in other complaints (I regrettingly read too late) the concept behind this program is to pay $750. for only the calling list of 5000 names and then thier "highly trained and professional" staff will call all of them and, in my case, produce sales for the seminar events I hired them for.

That sounded just great and I was anxious to get started so I forwarded them a scan of a $400 check for a deposit. (Note: They don't accept credit cards so you can't file fraud charges). According to the contract I had 30 days to pay the remaining balance but, with the deposit, they would "begin my campaign right away".

Initially, all looked well. I sent the check, they sent back a "client profile" document I had to fill out with my business info, details on program, etc. When it was sent back (that same Friday) I promptly received a reply from Marie saying it was "perfect" and that I would be hearing from my assigned Project Manager on Mon or Tues.

That following Tuesday I did indeed receive contact, but it wasn't from my Project Manager as anticipated. No, it was an email from "Jay" in the administrative dept requesting much of the same info I had sent last week to begin. So I called him. He explained that his dept was a middleman between sales and the project manager who ultimately will lead my campaign. Didn't see that coming but okay...

It's worth noting now that when I initially spoke to Marie one of the things that really appealed to me was that they had done "plenty" of work with businesses like mine and would send over sample scripts I could work from.

Contrary, to this, Jay said they didn't have anything similar to show me and that I would have to write up the script and then they could work with me on it. So I did.

Jay assurred me that now, a week after I thought they were going to actually begin my campaign, he would forward my script and I hear back from my Project Manager, now referenced as "Christina", in the next day or so.

When several days passed and nothing happened, I called in to the main number and was told my information hadn't made it over there (Project Management) as yet. Befuddled, I asked to speak with Jay again.

Enter "David". If you're ever searching for the persona of "sleazy salesperson" this is your guy. From the get go David seemed like I was bothering him and he got worse from there.

Seems the hold-up wasn't with Project Management, it was with ME. I hadn't paid my balance yet. The contract says I have 30 days to do that, I said. Yes, but we can't begin until it's paid in full, says so right on the contract, he replied. Actually, that's not what it says. It says, "services will not commence without prior payment". I did that. Was told you would begin "right away" and the balance was to be paid within 30 days. "There's no way we can do that, we're doing the campaign for free, we can't pay for the list too, you'll need to pay in full before we can buy the list."

2 weeks in, no nothing, and uneasy about this dramatic turn of events and his demeanor, I told him I was concerned with the communication breakdown and uncomfortable sending the balance under the circumstances. I would call him back.

DON'T MISS THIS PART: Concerned with the shady dealings, I initiated further due diligence on Alternative with consideration to submitting the balance. Let's just say my findings were very disturbing at best.

As you will find in other complaints associated with this group, they have a history of taking money and not delivering much of anything in return. Worse, they appear to be getting caught in the scam, changing names and locations, and proceeding with business as usual.

Speaking with David again about these new concerns, he went into total denial defense mode accusing me of misunderstanding everything and providing a nice rendition of "every business has it's problems". Good thing I'm not contracting "every business".

Also, and this is amazing, they now had the list for me that they were waiting on me paying for before ordering. What? We thought you were going to pay so we went ahead and ordered it. Now all I had to do is pay for it.

He put the cherry on top by telling me he was "getting pissed with the arguing" (I wasn't arguing) and couldn't understand my concern.
After all, they're doing this for free. Right?

Oh, and David also can't give his last name (some google call him at home crap), instead he's "operator 129". That's comforting.

Half willing to put this all behind me if they could simply validate their work with some references, they can't. I might bad mouth them he argued. Obviously, no one is happy with these bandits.

I have since asked for a refund but, of course it's "non-refundable" and they can't (and won't) do that either.

As of this writing, I have not spoken with the elusive "Christina" who I'm told is also the owner but her history of telemarketing fraud, multiple alias's, company names, etc. is well documented. Just Google her phone # 714-887-8126.

I will be filing a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau and hope this, and that, will save others from the same grief.

Steve
Windham, New Hampshire
U.S.A.