Storesonline ripoff smacks of fraud or at the very least intentional misrepresentation Orem Utah

 

 

StoresOnline, Inc., I allege, is involved in predatory and deceptive sales techniques that smacks of fraud or at the very least intentional misrepresentation. I have not been successful in speaking with their customer service manager, so far I attended an Internet Cash Flow Seminar on February 6, 2002, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after having received an invitation by mail.

Relying on the materials presented and the testimony of their sales representatives, I signed a contract and incurred $8114.00 of debt, $500.00 of which was charged to my personal credit card and $7519.00 of which was financed by StoresOnline, Inc., Merchant Service representative was Jake Cannon. After being just laid off I very depressed, Jake Cannon insisted I would be better off making a living and would live better off the Internet through Internet sales.

I struggle a lot, spending days and hours, putting together an on line storefront with a product I had no ideal what I would sale. Then a representative Storesonline, Inc contacted me again. What I need to do is take their course on Internet business building. PMI Coaching and they convinced me to purchase the training for $9,321.00 and I would be on my way. After the 6 weeks of training, I was told I would be contacted again to make sure I was doing fine. That was the last contact I ever had with PMI coaching, or Stores Online.com

After several years of trying using money to advertise online, I have come to the conclusion, what I was told and learn was a fraud, and it's is not possible to sale anything as to their advise. However, I do believe StoresOnline, Inc., may have engaged in predatory merchant misrepresentation, and I am further concerned that StoresOnline conducted business in the State of Pennsylvania without proper licensing, The people described a number of the state-of-the-art features that I had never heard of and due to my lack of knowledge and experience in the field of website design and internet marketing, it look like a sure thing.

I wanted very much to have an Internet based business that would be profitable. My thinking was who could loose when partnered experience and knowledge and technological equipment provided by stores online. Since I worked all my life with very little to show for it, I was taken in, by the fact a person could make $40,000 to $80,000 per month selling just about anything on the internet. The program used by Storesonline, was very difficult to learn to use and so I learned by trail and error. Time consuming and costly, They claimed if you did not know much about a mouse, you would be able to use their program.

Plus when you do build a store using their programs, you are tired, because to move your site elsewhere means to have to redesign, and rebuild much of it. I was promise by the merchant service representative, I would never be let to left alone in getting starting with the online business. I would receive help continuously and never left out on the hook by myself. The only help I received was the PMI Coaching, and that was it. I received no more contacts. Expect more bills to keep my service online. I spent thousands trying to make this adventure go. No success or even a sale.

Now after doing research after coming out of a severe depression from being laid off, I've discovered I've been taken, and with out the ability to have recourse to pay these bills off. After researching facts about Storesonline.com here are some of the comments I found about this operation. We were looking fo a little extra income for a little extra work. Did some searching and found storesonline.com . We called 801-227-0004 and spoke with Jim, a sales guy.

He gave is a rundown of how they would provide a web site, (because my partner and I don't know how to do that) and set us up to have our own little store on line that we could sell stuff from. So we sent him @ 1500 bucks and signed a contract for an additional 70 bucks a month for them to keep our site managed. Then we spent another 300 bucks for some cheap online class on how to do this business. Well, our experience is this is a internet scam, we have gotten no help or anything that was promised by Jim. We have tried to get our money back but they say no refunds.

THIS IS A SCAM. Babs ,All Cities, District of Columbia U.S.A. WTAE-TV's Jim Parsons Reports POSTED: 6:04 p.m. EDT April 25, 2002 UPDATED: 6:43 p.m. EDT April 25, 2002 O'HARA, Pa. -- An Action News viewer called Team 4 last week and said she received a letter entitled, "Make Serious Money On The Internet," which invited her to a local seminar. The letter is from a Utah company called Storesonline, Inc. A quick background check on this company turned up some problems, so Team 4 attended a seminar at Holiday Inn in RIDC Park, with a hidden camera.

The following report by Team 4's Jim Parsons aired April 25 on WTAE Action News at 6 p.m. It's a willing audience at this hotel in O'Hara Township -- and why not? Storesonline provides a free lunch and lots of basic information about the Internet. But the real pitch is getting this group to come back for a second seminar and spending at least $2,000. Pitchman: "What you're going to find is that you'll get one going, and you'll get some income, and then it'll grow and grow and grow, and you'll have that exploding growth to your business." This company pitchman is selling cyber stores -- locations on the Web where Pittsburghers can sell products and services. And company salesmen are all over western Pennsylvania this week, holding free seminars in Altoona, Butler, Erie, Greensburg, Johnstown, New Castle, Oil City and Pittsburgh.

But at those seminars, Storesonline employees don't mention that the company has an unsatisfactory record with the Better Business Bureau in Utah, where Storesonline is headquartered. The BBB says it has received customer complaints about Storesonline's selling practices, contractual disputes, and refund issues. Storesonline pitchmen also don't disclose that attorneys general in seven states have launched inquiries and investigations. And they also don't mention that just three months ago, Dateline NBC did an investigative report on their company -- a report which is still available at msnbc.com/news/684778.asp.

When Dateline's story ran in January, Storesonline was known as Galaxy Mall. Pittsburghers we interviewed after the seminar at Holiday Inn only saw the upside. Daniel Boylen: "I was impressed." Magali Coriel: "I think it's a good way to make money." Storesonline employees declined to speak with us after the seminar, but here's what company president Jay Poelman told Dateline about their clients who fail. Poelman: "People who are not successful are not following the principles that are necessary to be successful." Storesonline claims several success stories -- small business owners that have made a fortune using the company's Web site-building service. And that might be true -- we just don't know. We do know the BBB gives it an unsatisfactory record of dealing with customer complaints, and we know seven states have launched inquiries and/or investigations.

So, buyer beware. Copyright 2002 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed I do hope you can help me, as I definitely will not work with stores online and have taken steps to get out. Now I have a collection agency calling me for payment and I am not willing to make any more payments to them. Paul Marietta, Pennsylvania
U.S.A. Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Storesonline