I too have been scammed by PMG! My story is similar to everyone's. After responding to an e-mail about a book from Jay Abramson, I received a phone call from PMG about what they had to offer me. After being laid up for 6 years with a bad back, I was looking to start a business from my home. An internet store seemed to be a viable solution.

After a long discussion with Kato Fakatoumafi, he tried to sign me up for an expensive program, $13000. I refused. Then he came back with a cheaper program. He explained that I would still receive some of the $13000 program benefits. He explained that the website would be mine to do with as I pleased. Therefore, I signed up for the $10000 program on my credit card.

They said they sent me their catalog and starter materials, which I never received. However, my credit card was charged immediately which meant my payment was due immediately but I was using 'Other People's Money' (OPM).

I already had an idea for a website selling figure skating clothing, costumes, accessories, boots, blades, jewelry, harnesses, etc. So I would not be using their suppliers which meant that they would not get a kick back on any sales.

My package was to include the Vermotion web-builder, accounting software, e-zine marketing campaign, banner ads, pop-up ads, business coaching, search engine optimization, guaranteed hits, and their warranty of service. My contract reads, 'The condition of our warranty is based on you keeping your commitments. If after six months from today you have not recouped your initial investment of $10,035.00, we will continue to work with you an additional six months until you have done so.'

Then they gave me the link for the web builder. What they neglected to tell me was that I had to do all the designing and building of the site. I had to get all the contacts for suppliers and negotiate with them. Then I had a phone consultation with Lorin Hardy every week, which I did relgiously. Within 15 weeks, I had built my site. My coach was teaching me from their online tutorial.

What I was not told initally was that all of the help they were providing for a substantial fee for their coaching was all available FREE links to websites that provided the tools I needed. They did not provide any of the help themselves. In fact, I have copies of their online tutorials for anyone interested. If you can read, then you don't need their coaches.

PMG had started taking their hosting fee of $31.95 a month from the inception of the purchase not when the site was actually up and running. I later found out that I could not move the site to another server since their shopping cart only worked on theirs, therefore guaranteeing PMG $31.95 per month.

Then I decided to go with my local bank for my merchant. However, I had unbelievable problems with trying to connect it since PMG was pushing their merchant so they get their kick back. After being persistant with PMG and contact with the proper agency, I got the merchant of my choice, my local bank.

Then it came time for PMG to use Fortius to optimize my site. After six months of e-mails and phone calls, PMG did not live up to their marketing agreement. After spending hours on the phone with Kurt Brady, he offered to switch me to Secure Gate. I turned his offer down and asked for a refund. After Kurt hung up on the phone with me refusing to talk to me anymore, I contacted Devin, an owner of the company supposedly. He offered to give me a refund toward the marketing on the program. So I was refunded half of my initial investment. By now almost a year had past, and I still did NOT recoup my initial investment.

I did not even have an operational website

In the meantime, several months earlier, I had contacted my new marketing people, Netlinkz.net. They marketed and optimized my site to the best of their ability. However, PMG had lied to me telling me that this was a real website with HTML pages, when in fact only a few home pages were static; and the rest were dynamic or created on the fly. Therefore, it would be harder for search engines to pick up the pages since none of them were static.

Then in March of 2004, PMG planned to upgrade the Vermotion system. When they did, my site went down for weeks, then months. After numerous phone calls to them of which they never answered, I then called them non-stop every extension until I reached a live person. They assured me that everything was up and running. However, their website did not reflect that either,
http://smedia.vermotion.com/media/5455/resources/devschedule.htm

All I knew was that no one could place any orders from my site for those 3 months. The shopping cart that I had purchased could not be supported on their new server. Also, once they said it was completed, they took the accounting and tracking software away from me. That was in my contract and was the one thing that helped me to decide on purchasing their product.

Customers e-mailed me saying they could not place orders, size and quantity selection boxes were messed up, orders were processed and lost but charged to their cards, and the list goes on!

After many more phone calls to PMG, they sent me an e-mail to sign, which I REFUSED! However, they sent me another partial refund check. I am not done with them yet. I am now looking for people to join me in a class action suit against PMG. I am not going to settle for their amount.

I want my full refund, as well as the doubling of my initial investment, as well as the cost of hiring someone new to reconstruct and move my website since their shopping cart was NOT compatible with any other server, and the lost sales for the down time, and something for the aggravation they put me through!!! PMG CANNOT change their minds as they go along. We had a contract, which PMG did NOT live up to! I will not let this issue go.

In fact, you would be interested to know that PMG probably purchased credit card information from members now arrested for trafficking over 1.7 million stolen credit card numbers. The hackers were targeting e-commerce sites. When PMG called me, they already knew how much I had available on my credit and how much was in my bank account. My identity was stolen last year and I believe yours might have been too.

No one can make you sign your rights away to sue them. In fact, there was nothing in my contract about any cancellation fee. PMG made up the rules as they went along. Percentages for cancellation vary amongst the people. Costs of the program vary based on how much credit you have available, how easily deceived you may be (if you aren't, they lower the price until you bite), and I can go on if you would like.

My next stop is the FTC and Attorney General. I think with all of my documentation, they will have a field day with PMG. Remember, my identity was stolen because my computer was hacked. PMG, the FBI and Secret Service have caught the hackers and have taken their computers. Eventually, the road will lead to justice. I suggest you turn yourselves in if you had any illegal dealings in securing names and financial information of your targeted victims.

Anyone interested in going to the FTC with me, please contact me by replying to this post. It does not matter that you signed a piece of 'illegal' paper with PMG not to pursue them. I NEVER signed one. Even if you did, you cannot sign your rights away. In fact, you may be entitled to a full refund. Anyone following in my lead is welcome to join in the pursuit of justice.

Laureen
Windham, New York
U.S.A.