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Report: #505492

Report: SMC Specialty Merchandise Corporation

Reported By: Naja (Burke Virginia)

USA

SMC Specialty Merchandise Corporation SMC Defrauded and Mislead - SMC's Deceptive Business Practices Amount to Thievery Internet

*Consumer Suggestion... Get over it

2Author 4Consumer 0Employee

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SMC Specialty Merchandise Corporation

www.smcorp.com
Internet
United States of America
Phone:
Web Address:

Category: Work at Home Business

Submitted: Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Last posting: Thursday, November 19, 2009

SMC was going to be my first internet business and I was pretty excited about starting it. Perhaps they heard the eagerness in my voice when I signed up, and paid for my entire membership upfront. ($399.00). Once I got my membership kit (took about 7 days) I read it thoroughly and felt I had found a business I could definitely do, and grow into something bigger. - Then I called my coach and the SMC downward spiral into deceit and "bait and switch" began.

I made it very clear and was very specific to the coach I was assigned of the features I wanted for my website. I wanted to do sub-wholesaling and fundraising with my website and not having the ability to do that were definite show stoppers. I had reviewed the Emerchant ecommerce offerings and was discussing the features of those sites with my coach. During the conversation, the coach kept re-directing me to the a Gift Card Redemption site - which I had never heard of. Everytime I asked "just what am I getting for this $5000", I wanted to know the specific features of the website. Instead he kept telling me about the "great gift cards and catalogs" I'd be receiving. I should have known then to pull out.

Ultimately I ended up purchasing what I thought was an ecommerce site, but instead a Gift Card Redemption site. An hour our two after making the transaction with my coach, I spoke to the Emerchant people who sent me a link for me to actually see what I'd purchased - and I was hot!! That site in no way was close to what I'd asked for. I immediately called and emailed my coach to tell him this was not what I wanted. After numerous phone calls the entire day, I decided to pack up everything and send it all back. I called SMC to cancel and was sent to a recording. I called Emerchant to cancel the site, and was told I had to go back to my coach since he put the transaction in the system, he could "back it out". I called and emailed my coach letting him know I wanted to cancel my membership and website.

Ultimately, I did get my membership refunded (made sure I had a UPS tracking number and delivery confirmation when I called to demand my refund) and after several phone calls and faxes to the Emerchant folks, they refunded me the $495 for the site. - Who were very apologetic about the entire situation.

SMC still has a balance of $1400 of my money, that since I am no longer a member, I cannot get access to. They call it "SMC credit" but what it amounts to is they sell you a Gift Card Redemption site "bundle". Part of the money actually pays for the website ($595.00) and the balance, goes into an SMC account, to be used as SMC credit. They make it sound like they are "giving" you this credit, when in actuality you've payed for it. Once I cancelled my membership, I no longer have access to my $1400 in credit, nor will they refund it to me. They've essentially charged my credit card and have not given me a product or service for it - Beyond fraud, that's flat out stealing! They are telling me the only way I can have access to my SMC Credit (again, MY MONEY) is to reinstate my membership. You don't have to be David Letterman to know that's just another form of extortion!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - If you are looking to start an internet business, do your homework. There are plenty of drop ship wholesalers out there that don't charge a membership fee. Also, there are plenty of less expensive e-commerce or shopping cart software solutions that even the least computer literate can navigate.

SMC is the poster child for unethical business practices and I would be more than happy to be apart of a class action anything to make them accountable for how they have treated me and from the looks of sites like this, many others. BEWARE!

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:

2Author 4Consumer 0Employee

Consumer Comment

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Good and bad about SMC

rolakino - (USA)

SUBMITTED: Friday, October 09, 2009 POSTED: Friday, October 09, 2009

I am a member of SMC since 2003 and have a successfull website running since then and it's making pretty good pocket money. Pocket money?? Yes, I run this website, sometimes advertise and whatever it brings me is kind of my pocket money.

Do I spend a lot of time on this business? I work full time for a financial institute and that is why dont have enough time to spend on this company. But I am very positive that if I were to put some time to participate in activities....things would have been better and pocket money would have been more than pocket money.

My point is people, SMC is a great company to use as a resource. Look, you don't have to store or keep track of any inventory. All you do is take orders, place order, and make the commission. I have compared SMC with so many other drop shippers online. Please visit google and type in dropshipping....you'll see millions of company offering dropshipping. Question is, are they profitable? So far the only company i am satisfied with is SMC.

There are lots of people selling the same thing as you are. If you are solely depending on the online buisness and trying to make a living off of it, good luck with it. My friends, you have to work just a little bit harder and find creative ways to make money, such as flea markets, retails stores, etc.

I agree with few other people who mentioned their shipping charges which is high.

So, if you are a member of SMC, here are some advise for you.

1. DO NOT BUY A WEBSITE FROM THEM SMC (too expensive). There are lots of other companies that can create a full catalog website for much much cheaper than SMC. Don't think i'm trying to market for them, but www.ihostdaddy.com did a great job making my site. Belive me cost and service is much better than you would get in SMC.

2. I tried distribuitng catalogs. DOES NOT WORK. First of all these catalogs are not customizable with your company names or logo. Theirfor, it does not look professional at all. Better yet, have a few of those World of Products Catalog Handy so you can show people your products.

3. Keep plenty of business cards with your website address and your contact information so that people can check out your online catalog.

4. Find out flea markets in your area and set up a table there to sell some recommanded items like, candle holders, candles, etc.

THIS IS NOT AN AUTOMATED MONEY MAKING MACHINE...NOPE...SO EVEN THE AD IS TELLING YOU THAT...IT IS NOT TRUE.

Finally, yes, I would recommand SMC to everyone and anyone the is MOTIVATED and ready to do some serious work. REMEMBER, it's your business you gotta run it like if you had any other kind of business. GET YOUR WEBSITE READY FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON GUYS...LET'S MAKE SOME MONEY.

Consumer Comment

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NAJA BROWN

Ruserious - Phoenix (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Monday, October 12, 2009 POSTED: Monday, October 12, 2009

First of all you didn't pay 400 up front it was 315! If you wanted upgrades to your website you talk to E-commerce not your coach! The initial website you get is Big Value Gift Card Website! Your probably weren't paying attention to the rep as none of you do anyways. Were not a bait and switch company thats illegal!

Consumer Comment

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SMC Corp.

PatK - quincy (USA)

SUBMITTED: Monday, October 12, 2009 POSTED: Monday, October 12, 2009

i have been a member of smc for over a year and i too did not go with there web site, i cancelled that and built my own. everything rolakino said is true, you have to think listen and work at it. i only do it part time since i too have a full time job, but you have to promote yourself and your site, not sit back and wait for it to happen. i am very pleased with smc corp.

Update By Author

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RUSERIOUS - are YOU serious??

Naja - Burke (USA)

SUBMITTED: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 POSTED: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

It's OBVIOUS you work for SMC and if you take any offense to the information you gather by stalking sites like this my suggestion is this - GET A NEW JOB!

Taking someone's money and giving them nothing in return, is stealing- plain and simple. I think the CA State Attorney's Office or even the IRS would like to know who's cookin' the books over there to account for revenue coming in, with no product or service being traded.

For those SMC members who are happy with their businesses and doing well, congratulations and continued success.

For the many others who took issue with the process before even getting their businesses up and going - RUSERIOUS, instead of wasting time responding to me, why don't you focus on getting me and the dozens of other folks on this site and others (www.bbb.org, www.scamdetective.com, www.associatedcontent.com to name a few) refunds!

Honestly, It's funny how I can't get a call back from anyone at SMC but I can get a response on a posting.

What was that you said? Oh yeah "PAY ATTENTION!"

Consumer Suggestion

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Get over it

Ruserious - Phoenix (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Thursday, November 19, 2009 POSTED: Thursday, November 19, 2009

I need a new job? I'm not the one calling a company from a commercial spending 400 bucks on something you didn't even try to make money off of. And I need a new job? Get a life.