Star Search Casting, Elite Casting Network, Hollywood Profiles, Jonathan Parker SCAM ON LINE CASTING SITES-DON'T PAY!!! IF YOU DID, CALL YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY FOR A REFUND! Los Angeles California

Unfortunately, while sites such as this one exist to help protect consumers from frauds and scams, anybody can use these sites to post completely false information against their competitors. Such is exactly what has happened here with all the negative reports against Star Search Casting. This complaint has been traced back to the same person who used various names (Linda in Beverly Hills, Linda in Boston, Linda in Huntington Beach, Shirley in on Los Angeles, Claude in Boston, Britni in L.A., Britni in NY, Britni in Buena Park, etc.) in an effort to make his story believable. This individual was a competitor of Star Search Casting at one time. His websites have since been taken down, and last Friday, May 15, 2009, he was indicted by the Los Angeles District Attorney on five counts of fraud. (He was also convicted in 2002 of 10 counts of false advertising). For information on his indictment last week, see this report on CBS news:

http://cbs2.com/local/Carl.Carranza.talent.2.1011153.html

This is a report from KTLA TV in Los Angeles about him: http://www.ktla.com/news/local/ktla-talent-agency-charged,0,7477158.story

Here is a video from KTLA-TV in Los Angeles about his company: http://www.ktla.com/news/extras/ktla-talent-company-charged,0,3748606.worldnowvideo

So in cases like this one -- where a person tries to do everything he can to ruin the reputation of a reputable company like Star Search Casting how do you tell who's telling the truth and who's lying? Well, it's really not very hard to do.
The best way I know of quickly and easily discovering the real truth is to go to a completely unbiased third-party source for more information. And there's no better source than the Better Business Bureau who has been in business since 1912 protecting the American public from fraudulent business practices. Did you know that when law enforcement is investigating a company, one of the first things they do is get their BBB file? That's because the BBB is the most reliable and unbiased organization in this country that tracks businesses.

One thing most people don't know is that it not easy to even becomes a member of the BBB -- the requirements are extremely stringent and many businesses fail the test. As a matter of fact, Star Search Casting is, to our knowledge, the only online casting site of its kind that has gone through the rigorous scrutiny necessary to become a member in good standing with the BBB.

The BBB in it's thoroughness of assessing businesses gives every company a rating from A+ to F. There's only one way you can get the highly enviable A+ rating from the BBB, and that is by adhering to the highest standards of customer satisfaction and having no customer complaints! So what is Star Search Casting's BBB rating?? The highest you can get: A+! (In contrast, our former competitor who wrote the false complaints against us received a rating of F!) Click on the BBB website to check for yourself:
http://www.la.bbb.org/BusinessReport.aspx?CompanyID=44000311

So here's the reality of the situation: in a business that has over 400 online direct competitors, you've got the most ethical company with the indisputably best customer service (not to mention the best track record for helping people get work in the entertainment industry) being viciously attacked by an unethical competitor who has been convicted of false advertising, indicted for criminal fraud and would like to see Star Search Casting out of business because of our success!

I'm not going to bother to address every specific accusation made against SSC by our now-defunct competitor, not only because our record speaks for itself, but because most of these lies -- such as our casting calls being fake -- are very easy to check out. Just go to our site, click on a few of the hundreds of casting notices, and find out for yourself: http://Auditions.StarSearchCasting.com

In an online world where it's all too easy for people to set up scams that are quick to take your money but don't offer any legitimate service or product, it's very easy to get ripped off. This is true, unfortunately, of online casting companies where dozens of copy-cat, want-a-be companies pop up each month trying to compete with established, tried and true companies like Star Search Casting that have been in business for many years and have thousands of casting directors and entertainment professional who frequently come to the site in search of new talent. We have a great deal of experience in this industry and for that reason caution people to BEWARE, ask questions, and thoroughly check out any casting site before they join. For further information on how to do this and what questions to ask, go here: http://starsearchcasting.com/html/before_you_join.php

We encourage you to check us out at: http://StarSearchCasting.com. Check our BBB standing and rating: https://www.bbb.org/online/consumer/cks.aspx?ID=1050419191358. Check our track record of success. Check our site to see how many people have been contacted by casting directors and entertainment professionals in the last week, month and year. Read some of the unsolicited success stories and testimonials from almost a thousand people on our site, and compare this to any other site in the casting business. Notice our certifications from TRUSTe, McAfee Secure, PayPal, Godaddy and BuySafe, and then check the competition's certifications. Also notice that anybody can join Star Search Casting for free. Unlike most other sites, we personally answer all our customer emails, so if you have a question, please contact us anytime.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Parker,
Founder, StarSearchCasting.com