Granite City Gossip Scam advertising www.granitecitygossip.com Scam Advertising, fraudulant Advertising, deceptive practices Granite City Illinois

 I had contacted Granite City Gossip for advertising on their website. Once they obtained my credit card number for which the person (who didn't give her real name when I asked for it via phone-of which I found out later after this incident) stated it was required that the ad be paid by credit card, no checks or cash. 

I advertised for their required minimum of three months. After the three months they were suppose to stop posting my ad on their website unless I called and renewed my ad. They indeed stopped posting my ad but kept charging my credit card at a minimum of three months advertising costs. 

I called the lady and asked for Michelle, the name she gave me the first time and she stated nobody worked there by that name so I asked her what her name was and she stated "Anne". I told her the situation about my credit card being billed over $12,800.00 for continued advertising how was that possible since I was informed that they only run the ad at three month intervals per agreement and do not run the ad again unless the person calls and asks. I also told her my ad was removed after the three months yet I was still beiing billed for advertising. She stated she would look into it and get the charges reversed. I asked her for the physical address of her advertising office that there is not a person's name on the website nor a physical address only a cell phone number, a email address, and a p.o. box # in granite city IL. She informed me that the advertising business was run out of the owner of the advertising business home and that address can not be given out.

I waited three months and again my credit card was charged another $6400.00 and the previous $12,800.00 was not removed as "Anne" stated it would. So now she has $19,200.00. I called "Anne" again and when the same lady answered she said there was not ever a lady named "Anne" employed there. Yet this lady had the same voice as the same lady the previous two times I called. (the initial call who said she was Michelle, and the second time she said she was Anne)  I informed her that the previous charges were not reversed from my credit card for the initial advertising that was charge a second time and then I was again charged a third time with no ad running.  (My initial ad covered a front page placement banner on her page as well a  full page link initially)

She told me since she did not talk to me previously she could not promise that the previous charges would be reversed but that she would reverse the last $6400.00. 

I immediately hung up the phone and called my credit card company and they told me to immediately cancel that credit card an report as "theft" since that company keeps charging it and since they apparently have kept the card number on their files without my permission.  Then they would reissue me a new credit card with a new number to my existing account. Then I had to dispute the last two charges from that company.

The credit card company security and fraud department is currently investigting granitecitygossip since when they did the dispute the lady stated the charges were legit and so my credit card company would not reverse them. 

I have gotten a lawyer and this who thing is costing me a fortune and my lawyer is having an issue with this company because it is not listed as a LLC. Rather it is individual running a business out of her home and there is no actual person contact name, nor no physical address on the website rather a P.O. Box.  The cell phone number is a disposible "Tracfone"/"Boost" phone and its a pay as you go so it cant be tracked. 

My only option is to submit this company to this scam site to alert others to be aware. This lady picks and chooses who she wants to scam and if you give her a credit card you will be scammed. Others who have advertised on her website used paypal so they didnt get scamed. So use paypal who is an intermediate between your creditcard number and a company.

Sincerely,

Pennyless and broke due to this company

James Ward