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Report: #384213

Complaint Review: SMC ,Specialty Merchandise Corporation - Van Neys, California Nationwide

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  • Reported By: Myrtle Beach South Carolina
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  • SMC ,Specialty Merchandise Corporation smcorp.com Nationwide U.S.A.

SMC Specialty Merchandise Corporation As Seen On TV - Tom Bosley Spokesperson - Advertising to start your own business with a company that's decades old Van Neys, California

*Consumer Comment: I totally agree with this Marilyn's statements!

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I clicked online the "submit" button for SMC to send me information about the company. It's been around a long while, and Tom Bosley has been the spokesperson for years. I think the average person would take it in good faith of having followed Tom Bosley's having been spokeperson for SMC would feel this a good indicator that SMC could be a legitimate operation. I've seen information on line indicating it to be one of the best work-from-home businesses.

After years of intermittently pondering about the notion of doing business with SMC I submitted my contact information. I got a phone call from a lady who was well-spoken with great verbal communication skills. I told her that I didn't feel I should have to put money up to make money for a company which expected me to retail their products. She told me they would set up a website for me, waive the small start-up fee, and upon getting my information package in the mail I would contact my business coach, who would work with me for 3 months while getting my business going. She emphasized that once we got my "online business" set up that I could "make money while I slept", which would go straight into my bank account.

Sounded good to me. I would not be charged the small monthly fee until after I'd had my first phone consult with my business coach, which would take about 20-30 minutes. In the meantime, I had some extinguating circumstances and phoned SMC to extend the time before my first initial consult with no problem. I was told that whenever I was ready to do my first consult to get back with them and that I would not be charged until after my first phone consult. Sounded fair and reasonable.

Again, this agent over the phone was professional with a nice demeanor. I scheduled my first phone consult and the coach called me at the scheduled time. He asked me what my goals are; and I gave him a brief scenario. He spent the next 15 minutes on a sales pitch for me to purchase gift certificates to attract customers to my web site. I told him I live in the country, and have few connections with people whom I could hand out enough gift certificates.

My site consisted of items costing a maximun of $19.95, of mixed quality and attractiveness. My cost for each $10 gift card was $3.33, which I would get "points" for upon the customers' redeaming. Upon accessing my site I stressed that there "was not much there" for marketing. I told him I felt I needed more merchandise and a better way to advertise. He told me for hundreds of dollars (he named some dollar amounts of around $400 or so, I could have a site with the big catalog. I told him that right now I can't afford that, and I just need to make some money, at least until I can start building my business.

The coach was a fast-talker whose specific focus was selling me gift cards, which in my gut I felt was a poor risk, as the site was scanty and didn't offer much for merchandise. It was designed for sole purpose of luring the redemption of gift cards. The only way customers could access my site was if I gave them a number coded site written on the back of the gift cards. I saw very little chance for a profit margin or return customers.

I woke up the next morning feeling discouraged about the business venture I'd been led to feel delighted about. I decided that I would find a better way to market the big catalog items online. I decided "eBay." I surfed eBay and found that many people were selling through SMC. I broused for about an hour and found that the majority of the SMC products had Zero bids. There were a number of items with starting bids far above what the SMC member cost was, indicating to me that people were trying to get back any money they could on what they had invested to begin with, and obviously taking loses. The items on sale through eBay were photo clips of the products, just as in the catalog. I realized that the odds of my selling much on eBay was very competitive since there were many people selling the same exact products from SMC.

Additionally, the retail price listed in the catalog for most items was about double or more of what the average retail for what one would expect to pay.

Then I accidentally ran across ripoffreport.com and read the many complaints of people who'd actually invested lots of money and was thankful that I'd not put out any money, except the nonimal shipping cost of the package. I called my bank and learned that the first monthly service fee had been deducted before I'd actually had my first phone consult with my business coach. As much as I'd hoped this venture would be an opportunity for me to at least make some money at, I felt it best to cancel out, as my gut told me it was probably more of a risk than an actual opportunity to make money. I called SMC to cancel my membership and the agent over the phone was professional and courteous. I asked for a confirmation code, which she gave me. I explained my reasons and asked for my account to be credited for the first month's charge, which I felt fair and reasonable. She said she would credit my account.

I can't say that SMC is not a company that a person cannot succeed in making money at. In order to do it, you would likely need to put up a rather significant investment of at least a few hundred dollars. If you could somehow set up your own independent website and knew webbing, you might make some money. The average person is not that savvy at mastering such.

So all-in-all, no the SMC business as proposed to me was not what I'd been led to believe. I would advise anyone considering SMC to make sure you do some serious research and have a well-above-average marketing strategy before you invest your money; and good luck to all who venture with SMC.

Marilyn
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
U.S.A.

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Specialty Merchandise Corp. SMC

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/23/2008 02:29 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/smc-specialty-merchandise-corporation/nationwide/smc-specialty-merchandise-corporation-as-seen-on-tv-tom-bosley-spokesperson-advertisin-384213. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#1 Consumer Comment

I totally agree with this Marilyn's statements!

AUTHOR: Bill - (USA)

POSTED: Monday, August 20, 2012

It doesnt surprise me SMC is this way! I got into another company that i found online and all the same issues applied! Wish i could remember the name of it, but was awhile back and it escapes me at the moment. Its real sad you cant trust anything on TV now!It used to be that companies were screened and deemed to be reputable before being allowed to advertise on live TV. I can only assume that was when the FCC was a reputable entity and enforced strict laws that kept trash off the air! Money does buy reputation and dignity these days! Hec! Who needs those credentials when you have millions and the laws are such that the American consumer has no immediate remedies to scandal!! Right? All by design of course! You see, the US government passed and modified all those laws and have done less than nothing to help the american consumer. Then, with nafta, made it possible to fasttrack good paying american jobs over seas. If you buy off the TV, Internet, And in certain magazines, you are taking a real gamble with every purchase! They all have fine print that is backed by law to consume your money and handle your purchase any way they see fit! If it means you dont get your product, tough luck!! Try to sue them! But, uhh, good luck with that and let me know how that works out for ya!

 Sounds cold and hard doesnt it? Its meant too. Those are the solid facts! Reinstating consumer laws and making them better, more affordable, and timely accesable should be what every American should be protesting for in the streets of Washington D.C.! Even your own banks are allowing the identity theft! You honestly think they cant control that? People please!! If i had a credit card processor to take your orders linked to my bank account, i should be photographed, fingerprinted, and have to go thru a federal tracking agency like IRS or similar to have the account monitored to where if that reporting agency gets a consumer complaint of fraud, they can hold the amount of funds in question as long as legal charges are filed with the courts! Infringe on their business rights? Bet ur a*s! The majority of online, and back page magazine businesses practice steeling your money thru fraud and overchargeing for bogus fees or other charges that, they at will, deem necesary without propper disclosure!! Uhh, fine print?? Ya! Give me a break! Their rules! Not yours! Your forced to agree to them or they can legally tell you you cant buy! Or, they wont do business with you! You used to be able to say, well ill just go somewhere else! You cant! They all have those same protection clauses! All your cell phone companies do! Accept those laws or you cant buy in the US for alot of businesses! And, when they screw you, you agreed to use arbitration proceedings at the place of and arbitrators of their chooseing when you ordered their product or signed your invoice! Not a court of law!! You are totally at their mercy when buying from alot of companies! That needs to change dramatically and soon!

Bottom line is, buy at your own risk!!! I dont have that kind of money to throw away to legal fraud! Dont know about you all!! When i see a president and congress start gettin it right instead of stealing the countries revenue an every angle, i might trust ecommerce again and/or magazine orders. Their are only a hand full of states that still make an effort to look out for their people! Ever notice where product info says not available in the states of: etc,etc, etc? Guess why? They can still be prosicuted timely for fraudulent buis practices and sued for damages! Let that be a big red flag when you see it! Not sure which states are like that now. Hope the last handfull that were in check are still hanging tough! Alot of respect for those states! Ill finish by saying again as i have many times,I love this site and the peps that created it, and all you people that share honest,legitimate claims with all of us!! You all rock for gettin the word out!!!!

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