Angelbeat angel beat, angel-beat, www.angelbeat.com, angelbeat.com Bait and Switch, Don't Bother Internet

I appreciate the opportunity to correct this unfortunate situation. Here are the relevant facts.

Angelbeat was founded in 1999 and has held over 600 technology seminars since inception. We have an outstanding reputation with IT end users who attend our events at no cost (here is feedback from Wal-Mart "Of all the seminars I attend, your format is by far the best. A quick brief talk from the vendors, followed up by one-on-one time with the vendor at their booth to find out more.") and IT vendors who pay Angelbeat to sponsor/fund the event (here is feedback from a Citrix reseller in California "We are proud to be partners with Angelbeat and have participated in at least 5 of their conferences so far representing Citrix in San Diego and Orange County. They always attract IT professionals from all industries and we have always been happy with our investment in time and resources in their events.")

This distinction between vendors (who sell technology products/solutions) and end users (who purchase these technology products/solutions) is critically important in understanding Angelbeat's business model and this specific case.

This individual who wrote this complaint works as a Sales Manager in Phoenix, Arizona for Virginia-based XO Communications. XO is in the business of selling technology products/solutions to end users, as is stated on their website: At XO Communications, we build solutions around your needs using our comprehensive network coverage, expertise in IP solutions, and unparalleled service all to ensure your exceptional customer experience.
 
Angelbeat held a technology seminar in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday May 25, 2011. This individual was NOT invited to attend this event by Angelbeat and obviously heard about the seminar through his contacts within the Arizona business/technology community. He then submitted his registration through the Angelbeat website; he did not call Angelbeat in advance.
 
On the Angelbeat event registration page, the following text is clearly displayed. These terms and conditions clearly state that individuals (like this person) who sell technology products/solutions to end users do not qualify for a free pass. The initial complaint filed at ripoffreport.com by the XO Sales Manager was selectively edited, failed to include all this relevant information and was taken out of context.
 
There is no charge to attend for IT professionals who work in the technology/telecom/IT/networking/security/purchasing departments of corporations (private and publicly-held, large and small), universities, school systems, government agencies, hospitals, manufacturers, retailers, banks, financial services firms, insurers, real estate/construction/property management, insurance/brokerage agencies, pharmaceutical companies, law/accounting/consulting firms, trucking/transportation/logistic firms, etc. and use, support, purchase and/or are involved in or influence the purchase of products and services offered by our sponsors. Systems integrators and consultants who attend with or are representing their enterprise clients are also eligible for a free pass. Full-time reporters from major newspapers, websites, television and radio stations can also attend as our guest. All free attendees must be pre-approved in advance by Angelbeat and Angelbeat reserves the right to accept or reject a free pass request at its discretion.
 
As a general policy Angelbeat does not offer free passes to individuals who are looking to sell their products/services to either our sponsoring/speaking firms or to the end user personnel described above who attend our events. If you fall in this category and would like to attend the fee is $300/person. To sign up please click here, complete the pdf document that appears and fax it back to Angelbeat at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Please email xxxxxxxxxxx if you have any specific questions.
This XO Sales Manager ignored these terms & conditions and submitted an online registration.
 
Every single registrant is then personally reviewed by Angelbeat staff. End users receive formal confirmation from Angelbeat and attend at no charge. Vendors (like this sales manager at XO) receive a different email in response to their registration request. These vendors can still attend at no charge if they come with an end user or if the end user sends Angelbeat an email, stating that the vendor is attending on behalf of the end user. Not a very big deal. If the XO Sales Manager had spent a few minutes and gotten one of his customers to send Angelbeat an email, then he could have attended for free and all of this could have been avoided. On a related note several of XOs competitors had funded/sponsored the event; Angelbeat is required to follow these procedures because of our contractual obligations to paying sponsors. Finally, here is the complete text of the email response sent to the XO Sales Manager, which again has been selectively edited (no mention of the end user email option) and taken out of context.
 
Thank you for the inquiry. Unfortunately we cannot approve your request for a free pass by yourself, per guidelines established by our sponsors. However we will be glad to admit you at no charge provided that you can attend with at least one of your end user clients who are enterprise IT professionals, meet our criteria below, have not previously registered with Angelbeat and sign up for the event in advance. This policy has been implemented to ensure that each attendee (which will hopefully include you shortly) at an Angelbeat event can focus on understanding technology, exchanging ideas with his/her peers and determining what products and services make the most sense in their respective organizations. Plus by attending with your clients, you can jointly hear the same presentations and then determine what technologies make the most sense in their organization, thereby helping you gain new business. Alternatively you can have one of your end user clients (that meet the criteria below and is approved by Angelbeat) email us directly and verify that you are attending on their behalf/acting as their CIO. These are fairly simple procedures that shouldnt take much time at all, and eliminate attendance by individuals whose main interest is to get a free meal, hand out resumes, look for a new job, etc.
 
Of course you do have the option to register by completing the credit card registration form off the Angelbeat site and faxing it back to us. The charge is $300. Lastly you might also want to consider exhibiting and/or speaking at the event as this is a great way for your firm to market its capabilities and generate new business. The fees are higher than the registration pass but the exposure and post-event lists make it very worthwhile.
 
Listed below are the guidelines from the Angelbeat website regarding free passes. Please be aware that there is no onsite registration; you must be registered in advance to attend and you will not be admitted into the event if you show up. If you have any questions regarding this policy or other issues, please contact Angelbeat CEO xxxxx  directly at xxxxxxxxxxx.
 
Angelbeat reserves the right to accept or reject a request for a free pass at its sole discretion. As a general policy, the free passes are limited to end users and individuals who work in the technology and purchasing departments of corporations (private and publicly-held), universities, government agencies, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, law/accounting firms, manufacturers, distributors, financial institutions, retailers, etc. and can purchase meaningful quantities of products and services from our sponsors for use by their fellow employees. All free attendees must be pre-approved in advance by Angelbeat.
 
In summary, there has been no bait-and-switch. Angelbeats policies, terms and conditions are clearly stated on our website but were unfortunately ignored by the XO Sales Manager. Angelbeat runs events in 60 cities nationwide and is widely respected by the worlds largest technology firms and end user IT executives across all industries.