Specialty Merchandise Corporation No contract before sale misleading info incremental price increases via "you also need this" Simi Valley California

I've been with S.M.C. for only 2 months and have been deceived(via phone conversation )as to what I was getting.

I can't talk to some one who has decision making powers.
This is a copy of one of the attempts I have made in contacting S.M.C., to no avail or response:


Member Date : 12/04/07

This is my second attempt at reaching you with this information!

This is a long letter, but is as short as I could make it!

I am very upset with S.M.C.s way of dealing with its affiliates!!!

I, as many, have tried to inform you as to what is wrong with S.M.C., nly to have my(our) words fall on deaf(and, S.M.C. business wise, uneducated ears)!


My last conversation with an S.M.C. representative was one of the worst I've had! This person was so intent on transferring me to E-Merchant, I thought she might have a jelly donut and a cup of coffee she was staring at and just didn't want to deal with my "S.M.C. question" regarding the order process! (01/28/08)(She heard I had an E-Merchant acct.!)

Please check that recorded conversation out,(as well as all of my recorded conversations with S.M.C. so you will know where I'm coming from!!!

It has always been with my experience with S.M.C., that no one could help me make contact with a supervisor or any one with decision making powers.

When I first signed up, I was told I could only talk to someone after I received my kit!

I have tried making contact many times with some one of authority to no avail.

A learning lesson out of all of this I found out is that certain questions can only be answered by S.M.C. and others by E-Merchant only!

I've been a human tennis ball, bouncing back and forth with both companies so many times, in the same day, on the same conversation, I've lost count!

Hence: "THE LEFT HAND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT THE RIGHT HAND IS DOING"!

After S.M.C. being in business for 60 years, you should have people to talk to who know the ins and outs of both companies!

From the day I signed up with S.M.C. I thought I made it clear to the sales person what I wanted.

I told him I wanted a web site set up as
close to running on auto pilot as possible.

There was, now that I reflect back, an obvious misunderstanding on both sides, mine and his.

My fault was not getting it in writing before I signed on the dotted line so I knew what I was getting.( and going forward, from what I've experienced "it's the way you do your business")!

His fault was for selling me a Big Value web site, which is for people doing parties, flea markets and more hands on type of work and the like, which is not what I expressed to him I wanted.

THIS IS WHERE THE TROUBLES BEGAN 12/04/07!

It was well into the time I was supposed to receive my 1st kit when I made contact with S.M.C. to find out where it was, at which point they issued me a replacement kit.

A few days later I found that my new next door neighbor(new as of just a few days) had received it. ( I was outside shoveling the snow in my driveway when she introduced herself to me with the kit in her hands) !

I called S.M.C. to notify them of this the next day.( after I entered my front porch to go inside, only to find the second kit having been delivered!)

Now after all this waiting,(well into the maximum days to deliver) studying the S.M.C. site as much as I could, and trying to make contact with my coach or anyone for answers, I am without a site and going on 3 weeks, and getting closer to Christmas.

( I never thought I'd make the Christmas season any ways!)

By the way; I now have 3 kits!!!

I made an appointment with my coach only to find out I, in fact, did not get what I thought I was getting. There was allot of anxiety flowing through my mind at this point!

I was redirected from one person to another trying to figure out what I could do.

I was determined not to fail at this venture,(having been scammed at others and not finding what I wanted still with others)!

No one, it seamed, knew of any other way!

I was talking to one person for a while, when she redirected me to E-Merchant Club!(wow! Now there's an idea!)

I thought;"now I had finally found someone who knew what I wanted"!?!

I talked to a sales person from E-Merchant and explained to him, in as much detail as I could, what I wanted.

We went through it a few times(pencil and note pad in hand)and I was sure I was getting what I wanted now, especially with the near build up to the $3000.00 mark fast approaching!!!

During all of this, I sent you an e-mail (to Kerry Cox)via S.M.Corp. and a certified letter via snail mail (to Kerry Cox)but haven't received a reply, other than the stamped signature on the certified receipt.

I now have a web site up and running.(not quite, as I have to do much work to it, reorganizing, background colors, and many more I can't think of at the moment!)(even though I was told it would be all ready to go and up and running!)

If you go to it at: allseasonsgiftstore.com , you will see it's not the prettiest site, and I am still trying to make it prettier, with the limited options I was given (of which I didn't know).

I had to close the store (which means lost revenue) so I could figure out how to make changes, updates,and basically figure out what I did and didn't have, as well as what I was doing!

There should have been some up front tutorials that I should have been aware of so I could study and prepare myself!

This, as well as what I was getting and the procedures on how to implement them should have been e-mailed or snail mailed to me, as in a contract, so I could have done, this time, what I failed to do when I first signed up with S.M.C.!

I don't think I wanted to do that at that moment though because of all the lost time I had already incurred,I just wanted to get it done and running so I could start making money!

I didn't get credit card acceptance on my site other than through pay pal.

I was not aware of the process.(another example of "read the info first before you buy")

Since learning of this, I have purchased credit card processing on my web site which will take affect in about 1-2 weeks (near the end of January)(more lost time!).

The cost is now near $3000.00, and I foresee more expenses coming for advertising via options from the "SUPER DELUXE"package!

This is a far cry from your free website for only $399.95 ad I saw that made me sign up with S.M.C. in the first place!!!

I just recently upgraded to the super deluxe package for the S.E.O feature(of which I wasn't aware that, with the Internet, this is one of the things you shouldn't be without)(the reasoning should have been made super clear to me, as I thought I could do the advertising myself)

NOW; I've found out(after 5 tries at filling out the S.E.O. form)that E-Merchant hasn't been able to figure out why I can't fill out the total form without me getting an error page, so I can submit it!(more lost time and possible revenue!)

There has been no information I can receive from them on the status of them correcting the problem, even after phone calls and e-mails. Just "IT TAKES TIME"!

Now I have more down time and possible lost revenues thanks to your inadequate system!

After your being in business for 60 years, I don't understand why I should be having such a difficult time!

I also found out that I was supposed to be getting around 3500 products on my web site, and they missed around 400 products!

After another e-mail,I found you are down to 2800 products!

The only way to add these missed items is to do an update, which will take all my hard work of reorganizing and reset it to what S.M.C. had for a product organization initially, which wipes out all my 3 weeks of hard work of searching through the catalogs, one item at a time, and trashing it!(I'm not a happy camper now!)

I submitted a request to E-Merchant club to write programming to eliminate this problem, but as with what I've dealt with both organizations to date, I can't get any where and am at the mercy of the programmers!

S.M.C.,in my experience, needs to have a customer/ affiliate/E-Merchant help line, staffed with people who know what one can do and can't do with both, S.M.C. and E-Merchant Club!

They should also insist a customer receive
specific info, as per request,and as per suggestions by S.M.C. and E-Merchant Club so they can make an informed decision before "signing on the dotted line"!

It is 2 months since I signed up with S.M.C., and I just found out E-Merchant got the wrong password from I.M.S. and I can't accept credit cards!

I don't know how many customers I've lost (maybe permanently) because of this!

I also found out that my domain name is being used by some other identity on Google to bring customers to their web site via my www address!(this is of no fault of yours)

I've contacted every one involved in that matter, to no avail so far!(not your problem)(just wanted you to know that I've been going through H**L for the past 2 months!)!

"Update": I was told that the problem will go away if No one clicks on that ad! It's funny how I seem to keep getting nowhere every step of the way!

I've been told I was getting this thing for this much money and that thing for this much money, and have gotten nothing in writing to confirm these transactions!(other than a receipt of the transaction!)

I've found(through trial and error with S.M.C., as well as my own ignorance) that there was much more to what I wanted to do than I knew I needed!

This is not the way a reputable business does business!

Your sales people need to be more informative, than sales hungry!(offer your potential clients/affiliates a written contract of what they are getting as well as what they will need!) (you and E-Merchant Club, knowing the way it works and the customer possibly not having a clue, need to be more informative in this way!)

You need to show your potential customers and affiliates how and where(via e-mail,etc.) to get information on what is needed and required before they sign on the dotted line!

I do, now, have a web site up and running. I have to rearrange locations of items, as they are not where they should be, but at the mercy of the programmers or the people who do the updating as if they will adhere to my request to not change things back to the way S.M.C. has them inventoried!

An example is: A wall sconce having a candle holder on it is located in the Home Decor section and is not in the candles and candle holders section! I need to transfer it to that department(manually,One item at a time!and at2800 - 3500 items)And I can't have it in both locations at the same time, until version 8.04!(E-Merchant has been requested to fix this problem)

Here are some of the many problems I face dealing with S.M.C. and E-Merchant Club!(I have a web site all set up and running ,NOT!!!)


There may be a way to put the actual puzzle together via phone call dates and recorded conversations and dates.

This is just a break down of my near mental break down!

I hope you will fix these problems with your company(s)!

I wondered why you would have an option on your phone call system of "IF YOU WISH TO CANCEL YOUR MEMBERSHIP PRESS 3"

I have more complaints, but for now I(and probably every one else who called yelling and screaming) would appreciate it if you would check out a way to better your company!!!!(for all of us!!!)


P.S. What's the possibility of getting my money back(all $3000.00) and just going away?

They need to be straightened out , or shut down!


Don
Lebanon, Maine
U.S.A.

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