UnimWeb - Irvine Webworks - Axin Financial - Innovative Merchant Solutions - InnovativeGateway - Proposed Internet Business Scam a HUGE RIPOFF! Poor Quality Websites! Lies about ease and success, premium websites, and quality service! Delray Beach, Irvine, Calabasas, CALIFORNIA Boca Raton FLORIDA, Rochester NEW YORK

Rip-off Report Investigation:UNIM contacts Rip-off Report to satisfy all complaints and adheres to "no-questions asked" 100% customer service satisfaction policy & terminates relationships with outside vendors that caused these complaints. UNIM commits to Rip-off Report Corporate Advocacy Program

I attended an NGC seminar and was intrigued by what they had to offer. I paid the $1000 plus fee several months later to join their grants program, and received a handsome fully-detailed package in the mail. I was really excited to take advantage of the opportunities.

This was over a year ago. Unfortunately, I still have not pursued any opportunity for grants with them because I have been so busy, but they assured me that since I joined their program, I have a lifetime membership to utilize their services, with a $20+ monthly fee whenever I use their services on any given month. As of now, I still have not but I plan on doing so very soon.

I don't know how they figure in on the other companies with which I do have actual complaints about BIG TIME! If anyone knows please let me know. Presently, I am hopeful that NGC will hold up to its claims, and I have not discovered any suspicious characteristics that may implicate them.

While at the seminar, there was another presentation about a business opportunity that would give you your very own turnkey, e-commerce website at a promotional discounted investment.

I signed up for it with the promise that they would help me get my internet business going, with a premium, professional website that they would build.

The first thing I needed was a merchant account which costs $1,095.00. I would own the account for life and I could lease it if I was approved. Not being approved, I borrowed $1095 and payed cash for the "Merchant Credit Card Processing Virtual Terminal". I then needed to purchase or lease the 4 turnkey websites, which included 4 virtual shopping carts and hosting. The pre-tax purchase cost would be $3,355.20, and with tax it comes out to $3,619.20. Not having that kind of money to put up, I opted to lease the program for 48 months at $69.90 or $75.40 (with tax) per month, which totals $3,619.20 at the end of the lease.

I also cash-purchased several "website" cd-roms at $20 each thinking I could sell them for much higher (We were told at the seminar that we could sell them for at least $499) and make some profit.

In addition to the basic monthly lease, my costs included a $14.99 ($15) Innovative Merchant Solutions minimum for income less than $1000 per month; a $10.00 Innovative Merchant Solutions customer service fee; a $10.00 Innovative Gateway "access" fee; and until lately, a $14.99 ($15) fee which I cancelled because I had no idea what it was or that it was even important. I had been paying it all along, and all it was, was discount "perks" for travel and what not, called "I Club". I had thought that it was a necessary fee. And so every month, my minimum overhead fees totalled just over $125.

I thought that was a good deal then for business overhead. But then I ran into problems with the "turnkey" websites. First of all, they were premium quality as they claimed them to be. They were so difficult to manage, without dropdown menus, no calculator, and many other low-quality characteristic.

The Business Control Center (BCC) was not at all as helpful as you would expect. I downloaded the whole manual for easy reference, and couldn't get the prompts to work as directed. After struggling for quite a while to figure out what was going on I called UnimWeb who then referred me to Irvine Webworks for technical support. I was told to disregard the manual. Although everything seemed so slow on the BCC - downloads, transfers, etc.., I was able to edit my sites and proceeded to begin submitting them to search engines.

When I thought I was complete with one of the sites, I never received a confirmation or any sign from the BCC that they were properly submitted and that I'm ready for business. And it wasn't even a smooth process when I did it. I thought the problem might be with my computer. And so I waited until I could perhaps buy a new one.

Mind you, I purchased my Unim business in September / October 2003. I encountered nothing but difficulties or delays in working the BCC and getting help via the telephone since then.

Strangely, I noticed that all of my websites are listed on Google. I don't know how that happened when I only attempted to submit one of them, and even had difficulty doing so, without any sign, prompt, response, message or any kind of proof that it was successful, from the BCC or from Google. Could somebody at Unim or Irvine Webworks be manipulating my sites to make it look like something good is happening.

After spending over $2000 on a new computer many months later (June 2004), I thought everything would work out better. But I still had problems manuevering the BCC. I can't seem to manipulate the edit prompts to work on my websites. I called Irvine Webworks several weeks ago (Sept. 2004), and I was told that I needed to undo the "pop-ups" mode on my computer. I didn't know how to do this and so I contacted the technical support of my computer. They walked me through it and said that if things looked alright with what I was doing (I didn't tell them about my websites), then their walk-through was successful.

I went back online to the BCC to check and see if I could manipulate the edit prompts on my website. Somethings seemed to look alright but I wasn't sure yet, and waited until I had time to really run through them. Today (Nov. 7, 2004), I was confident that I could finally spend some time finishing my editing, and then smile. But lo, and behold, the BCC is not obeying my commands. Technical Support is closed today and tomorrow I work again. I am so upset.

I have not yet made a single penny of profit from these
"turnkey" websites. It has now been over a year!!
Even though I was not satisfied with their appearances, their maneuverabilities, and the overall performance and quality of the websites, the BCC, and the customer service of the businesses implicated in this complaint, I thought I would give them a try, and see if I could salvage my investments.

Like anybody else, I just wanted to make some honest profit on the side while working full time, without hassle! But it looks like I was the fool to have fallen for this RIP-OFF!!!

Every month since September / October of 2003, I have spent $125 + on overhead fees, until I cancelled the extra $15 "I-Club" fee last September 2004. Now, my monthly fees total $110.39, but I still have not made a single penny of profit. With the $1095.00 merchant account purchase, and the remaining months of the 48-month lease payment of $75.40 per month, I do not know what to do from here. I have 3 more years to go on the lease or I could pay the cash amount of almost $3000.00 to end this nightmare, not to mention the many headaches I have experienced just trying to make the businesses work.

These are the companies that were involved in this scam: UnimWeb, Unim LLC, Irvine WebWorks, Axin Financial Services, Inc., Innovative Merchant Solutions, Innovative Gateway. IrvineWebWorks was paid the purchase amount of $3,619.20 by Axin Financial Services, Inc., from whom I lease the package from, paying my monthly fees. I want to bail out of this mess. I called them and of course, my financial responsibilities with them are binding since I signed into a 48-month lease. My penalty would be to pay the remaining balance in full, no exceptions. I would like to also end my monthly fees with Innovative Merchant Solutions and Innovative Gateway.

I know that I will not get a refund of my $1095 and of the monthly fees that I have invested so far, totalling about $1000.00, but I don't know what to do about the crime that I was a victim of. Somebody has to be held accountable to this. Who is ultimately responsible for this scam? What company? What person or group of persons?

Fortunately, I did not invest in PBNext, which I was planning on doing but did not have the funds to do so. It's a good thing also that I did not invest in the marketing programs that were offered to me and that sounded good, like selliing their "premium websites". I was asked to invest some capital, and was even encouraged to go into debt just so I could come up with over $8000 to get in on the promising program of being a middle man selling their websites. Wow! It's a good thing I didn't bite into their tricks. It's a good thing I didn't have the money to put up, and because I didn't want to get into further debt, it's an extra good thing I didn't, just to fall into their traps.

I even invested in a postal street address for about $200.00 because I was told that it is more professional to have a business address than a p.o. box or my home address. This makes sense, but look who's the unprofessional. They're the ones.

I failed to mention that I was also a victim to the many bank fees that incurred when the business fees were debited on an inconsistent basis, causing me to have numerous overdrafts. I was told that the debits were to happen on such and such dates. Not having enough money at times, I only deposit the minimum amount to cover for the monthly Axin Financial, Innovative Merchant Solutions, and Innovative Gateway fees. But time and time again, incidental costs would come up.

I am an honest tax paying citizen who was just looking to make some extra money, and maybe find some financial independence. But now I am out $1,095 + $3,619.20 = $4,714.20 + $200.00 = $4,914.20 + incidental bank fees = way over $5,000.00.

I am without answers now, am terribly frustrated, and would like to see that these people get punished for their crimes.

If anyone can tell me what I can do, please help me!!!

Joshua
Gresham, Oregon
U.S.A.

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