Yellow Pages Directories - Carrollton, TX - SCAM Teaser postcard you fill out ends up charging you $298 for a listing you didn't want. Carrollton Texas

This company called my store and asked me questions about the categories that I would post in the yellow pages. They followed up with a post card and then a bill for 1/2 of the $298.00. I called and asked what the bill was for and they said that I had agreed (by not checking that I was not interested on the card). I paid them (foolishly) and then informed them that I was not interested in renewing "in writing" on one of their cards. By the way, I could never find my listing in the yellow pages on line or in the book. Duh...no kidding.

I received several more cards that stated "this is not a bill" and assumed that since I informed them "in writing" I could ignore them. Today I received a call from attorney...

Jeffrery Guinn
P.O. Box 572884
Houston, TX 77257
jguinn@ggrinc.com
(713) 974-8338

...that my account was in collections for not paying for the "renewal". I tried to call Yellow Pages Directories and their number is disconnected. Are you kidding, a yellow pages company with a disconnected number?? I tried to call the attorney and received a message that I had to inform them in writing that I was disputing the collections and if I did not dispute, it was assumed that I am accepting the collections.

I disputed this. We will see if I ever hear from them again.

I got my renewal invoice from one of these companies sometime in December... Well, I read everything on the front of the paper, but didn't flip over to the back... I visited the website listed on there and realized that it was nothing that my company needed to be a part of, so I just discarded the invoice. Then, the day after I thew out the first invoice, I received a second reminder notice. The very same day, I checked my credit card statement online and saw that one of my employees cards had been charged for this. Evidently, when I filled out the card last year (unfortunately without reading everything on it and thinking it was my regular yellow pages renewal), I wrote down this employee's card and didn't see on the back where it said it was "conveniently renewed unless a written cancellation was received within 30 days prior to the renewal date." I definitely feel like this is trickery on their part for copying the real yellow pages logo, but I don't know what I can do about it at this point...

It sounds like you were being solicited for a listing in an "alternative Directory'. These directories may not be in general distribution to the public, or they may not be published at all!

The following are excerpts from lectlaw.com.
*****
The yellow pages walking fingers logo and 'yellow pages' are not copyright protected! Anyone can use them.

Typical language used on the ad solicitations, such as "present
listing information;" "prompt payment is necessary to guarantee ad
placement in the directory;" "renewal payment stub;" and "directory
listing renewal invoice" also may appear on Yellow Pages invoices.

What you received looks like an invoice but is actually a solicitation for a listing in the alternative directory. Is there a statement somewhere that says "THIS
IS NOT A BILL. THIS IS A SOLICITATION. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO
PAY THE AMOUNT STATED ABOVE UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER" This is required by the US Postal Service.
*****

Our day care center received and paid a solicitation like this a few years ago. This thing looked exactly like an invoice. I found it during an audit. There was one statement, in very small print in an obscure location where you wouldn't notice it when filling out the form that states "This is not a bill". It also had the above US Postal Service statement, but they missed it and paid the 'invoice' anyway. Your $298 cost caught my eye because that was the same amount that their 'invoice' showed.

A sharp eye and a sharp mind keeps each other from getting dull.

It sounds like you were being solicited for a listing in an "alternative Directory'. These directories may not be in general distribution to the public, or they may not be published at all!

The following are excerpts from lectlaw.com.
*****
The yellow pages walking fingers logo and 'yellow pages' are not copyright protected! Anyone can use them.

Typical language used on the ad solicitations, such as "present
listing information;" "prompt payment is necessary to guarantee ad
placement in the directory;" "renewal payment stub;" and "directory
listing renewal invoice" also may appear on Yellow Pages invoices.

What you received looks like an invoice but is actually a solicitation for a listing in the alternative directory. Is there a statement somewhere that says "THIS
IS NOT A BILL. THIS IS A SOLICITATION. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO
PAY THE AMOUNT STATED ABOVE UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER" This is required by the US Postal Service.
*****

Our day care center received and paid a solicitation like this a few years ago. This thing looked exactly like an invoice. I found it during an audit. There was one statement, in very small print in an obscure location where you wouldn't notice it when filling out the form that states "This is not a bill". It also had the above US Postal Service statement, but they missed it and paid the 'invoice' anyway. Your $298 cost caught my eye because that was the same amount that their 'invoice' showed.

A sharp eye and a sharp mind keeps each other from getting dull.

It sounds like you were being solicited for a listing in an "alternative Directory'. These directories may not be in general distribution to the public, or they may not be published at all!

The following are excerpts from lectlaw.com.
*****
The yellow pages walking fingers logo and 'yellow pages' are not copyright protected! Anyone can use them.

Typical language used on the ad solicitations, such as "present
listing information;" "prompt payment is necessary to guarantee ad
placement in the directory;" "renewal payment stub;" and "directory
listing renewal invoice" also may appear on Yellow Pages invoices.

What you received looks like an invoice but is actually a solicitation for a listing in the alternative directory. Is there a statement somewhere that says "THIS
IS NOT A BILL. THIS IS A SOLICITATION. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO
PAY THE AMOUNT STATED ABOVE UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER" This is required by the US Postal Service.
*****

Our day care center received and paid a solicitation like this a few years ago. This thing looked exactly like an invoice. I found it during an audit. There was one statement, in very small print in an obscure location where you wouldn't notice it when filling out the form that states "This is not a bill". It also had the above US Postal Service statement, but they missed it and paid the 'invoice' anyway. Your $298 cost caught my eye because that was the same amount that their 'invoice' showed.

A sharp eye and a sharp mind keeps each other from getting dull.

It sounds like you were being solicited for a listing in an "alternative Directory'. These directories may not be in general distribution to the public, or they may not be published at all!

The following are excerpts from lectlaw.com.
*****
The yellow pages walking fingers logo and 'yellow pages' are not copyright protected! Anyone can use them.

Typical language used on the ad solicitations, such as "present
listing information;" "prompt payment is necessary to guarantee ad
placement in the directory;" "renewal payment stub;" and "directory
listing renewal invoice" also may appear on Yellow Pages invoices.

What you received looks like an invoice but is actually a solicitation for a listing in the alternative directory. Is there a statement somewhere that says "THIS
IS NOT A BILL. THIS IS A SOLICITATION. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO
PAY THE AMOUNT STATED ABOVE UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER" This is required by the US Postal Service.
*****

Our day care center received and paid a solicitation like this a few years ago. This thing looked exactly like an invoice. I found it during an audit. There was one statement, in very small print in an obscure location where you wouldn't notice it when filling out the form that states "This is not a bill". It also had the above US Postal Service statement, but they missed it and paid the 'invoice' anyway. Your $298 cost caught my eye because that was the same amount that their 'invoice' showed.

A sharp eye and a sharp mind keeps each other from getting dull.