Since 28th Jul 2008, you would have seen full or half page Straits Times Ads from this overseas company “US Company” giving out free lunches/dinners plus a chance to win free iphones. It consists of a 90 mins presales talk with free lunch/dinner and a paid S$100 full day workshop with free lunch and sandwich dinner which is actually a sales promotion of vastly overpriced website packages. The details were as follows :
Date of Ads Date and place of conference
28/07/08 14/8, 16/8, Crown Plaza Hotel
30/07/08 15/8, 16/8, Crown Plaza Hotel
05/08/08 19/8, 20/8, Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel
11/08/08 13/8, 15/8, Crown Plaza Hotel
By Online Registration 22/8(12noon/6pm), 23/8(9am/12noon)
Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel
However, behind these attractive freebies, do you know how many peoples in the world have been
scammed into buying their vastly overpriced website package. You just need to type into Google :
storesonline scam and you can see many complaints from all over the world.
First, take a look at one of these links which describe this scam :
http://www.exportbureau.com/fraud_report.html?story=39&news=fraud_complaint_imergent_storesonline
“A high pressure sales seminar scam under the name StoresOnline run by American company iMergent have been hosting free dinner events across Asia. Visitors are pressured into paying a token fee to go to an all day workshop to learn "secrets of internet sales"…….”
Then, take a look at the reliability report from BBB :
According to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) reliability report as of 11th Aug 2008 : http://utah.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=139&bbb=1166&firm=2000585
They processed a total of 564 complaints about this company in the last 36 months.
The countries involved includes Texas, Australia, Illinois, North Carolina, Connecticut, Oregon which have their court cases listed in the report as well as complaints from other countries.
The report also informed of their government and consumer association changing laws and assisted their peoples in getting refund from this company.
Some examples includes:
1. 15th May 2007, a Wake County Superior Court Judge signed an order that bans iMergent,
Inc and StoresOnline, Inc from selling or marketing products and services in North Carolina.
16th May 2007, the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office issued a release stating that
StoresOnline and iMergent have agreed to stop doing business in North Carolina and provides full refund to North Carolina consumers who file complaints.
2. 5th Oct 2007, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have helped their people in bringing up the case to Federal Court and is currently pending.
3. 1st April 2008, Connecticut Attorney General entered into a settlement with Storesonline to pay $65,000 in restitution to Connecticut consumers who bought its services.
You may be wondering, is Singaporeans spared from these scams ?
Take a look at this link from New Zealand on 31st May 2005 :
http://www.consumer.org.nz/newsitem.asp?docid=2239&category=News&topic=iNetSeminars%20warning
“ Unfortunately, no. After the Texas case was filed iMergent started a marketing campaign in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Britain. It has left a trail of discontent that includes a government investigation in Western Australia and critical media coverage in Singapore, Britain and the US.
Singapore’s Today newspaper quotes dissatisfied iMergent customers who complained about hidden costs and the quality of customer-service staff. In Britain, the Mail wrote, “Officials in at least seven American states have received complaints or taken action against StoresOnline for allegedly breaching consumer or investor protection regulations.”
Then take a look at this link from a Ripoff Report from a Singaporean on 17th May 2005 :
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/143/RipOff0143121.htm
“I want to send a strong message to all, especially my fellow Singaporeans, as StoresOnline is making their foray aggressively in Singapore now. Please read on so that you would not get into the same troubles I'm in!.......”
Advice from another Singaporean scammed in 2005 :
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/141/RipOff0141464.htm#108102
Ripoff report from Singaporean in 2006 :
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/209/RipOff0209254.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/209/RipOff0209388.htm
I myself and some other Singaporeans was scammed in 2007 :
Unfortunately, there were no consumer alert in our main newspaper Straits Times in the year 2007 and I myself was one of the victims who have spent more than $7,000 into it and still have problem getting a refund from them after trying on 18th Mar 08 and 11th Aug 08.
I did contacted Singapore CASE on 6th Mar 08 as follows :
“Hi CASE,
I would like to know whether did you receive cases of complaint from
Singapore consumers on Storesonline.
I am one of the victims and is considering bringing up my case to you.
Meanwhile , please see attached information on storesonline complaint in =
Australia court cases as well as many complaints from USA customers.
Please let me know whether I could bring up my case to you.
Best Regards,
Ivan Ng
Their reply on 7th Mar 08 :
If it is an overseas company, CASE is unable to assist as we do not handle dispute with an overseas company.
If this is the case, why is it that Australian Competition and Consumer Commission can help Australians bring the case to Federal Court and Singapore CASE could not help Singaporeans and as a result, these overseas scammer was able to continue year after year scamming Singaporeans and the Singapore Authority could do nothing about it.
Anyway, I have not give up and is going down to Singapore CASE tomorrow morning hoping to meet CASE (Secretary) , Mr. Seah Seng Choon to come out with some consumer alert in Straits Times so as to prevent more Singaporean from being scammed by them.
I have also included some links below for more informations to Singaporeans :
One of the link is from a famous blogger John Chow who have attended the workshop and written an article on what you would expect from the Storesonline workshop :
http://www.johnchow.com/how-not-to-get-rich-on-the-internet/
Other links are :
Storesonline reviews from 26th Jun 2007 to 8th Aug 2008 :
http://www.storesonline-reviews.com/?final=storesonline-review&gclid=CLmktZP3hJUCFQdWegodjHUu1g%5C
Storesonline refund contacts :
http://www.storesonline-reviews.com/storesonline-refund
Storesonline buyers offered refund :
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/734301/fromItemId/2332
Storesonline reviews part1:
http://www.storesonline-reviews.com/storesonline-review-part-1
Storesonline reviews part2:
http://www.storesonline-reviews.com/storesonline-review-part-2
Storesonline exposed :
http://www.storesonlineexposed.com/index.php/Testimonials?satisfaction=0
And last but not least, I hope to have comments from other Singapore Victims to share with our fellow Singaporeans on your problems encountered with StoresOnline. Of course, non victims are all welcome to put their comments.
