READ THIS!

About 8 hours ago, I was so all about storesonline.com...

HEAR ME NOW... BELIEVE ME LATER...

It is a pure SCAM in the truest sense.

I am pretty internet savvy but very new to the idea of marketing/selling a product online. I got their initial mailer and I threw it out because it looked a like a 'get rich quick' thing to me. My step-dad saw it and thought it might be worth checking out. So, we went to the 90 minute seminar. I was impressed. Not with the sad excuse for a meal that they serve you (and seemingly expect you to eat out of your lap in a conference room chair--we didn't stay). Anyways, it seemed genius to me and valuable. So I paid the $30 to go to the full day seminar. The one that they say used to cost $2800. (Note: If anyone would have ever paid $2800 for the one-day seminar, they would never have done any further business with this company again, and probably would have destroyed some property at the hotel or keyed some cars with Utah plates or something).

So anyways, the one day thing is cheap, I thought what the hell. I show up early (I thought) at the Airport Hilton in Toronto to find out that the there isn't enough space for everyone that showed up. So I'm basically out in the cold with 30-40 other people who are freaking out because they took off work, drove hours, etc. Personally, I took a day off of school and drove an hour, so I'm not all that pleased. But, sensible person that I am, I keep my cool and just hang around. I asked about rescheduling and coming to another one. The girl tells me "we don't know where we're gonna be next". This comment didn't strike me at the time but, as you shall see, it proves that they are liars and manipulative. But lets go on with the story.

I get in and sit down and I'm feeling pretty privileged. The people are hella nice to you (in a fake but kind of makes you feel good anyways way). The speakers spend the whole day getting you jacked up on the idea of online stores (which, don't get me wrong, are a great business idea--just not with this company, but I'm getting ahead of myself).

From the get-go, its one big sale. I knew it. No big deal, of course they're here to sell me on their products/services. Believe me, this is a well-oiled selling machine functioning at peak performance.

But, I'm still stoked on the idea. They break it down for you and it works out to $6000 + Tax to do the full plan. (If you actually got anything close to what they tell you and make it seem like you're getting from them, the $ would probably be worth it).

Yet another sketchy point... They go out of their way to mention the fact that their company, like any other company, isn't perfect. They have their "critics" and have had their "growing pains". Hindsight (mine's 20/20, how 'bout yours?) tells me that they know that anyone who has had anything to do with them (and especially anyone who has invested their hard earned, or not yet earned, money) burns with the anger of a thousand... angry things (?)

I'm pretty sold on this idea. I realize now that it was mostly out of my ignorance and lack of research. So, they sit you down, one-on-one and try to get you to cough up $6000 on the spot. For what? A user name and password to their enigmatic web-site. They actually, get you to give them your credit card when they collect the forms to "prioritize" the one-on-one session. They actually take your credit card from you and you get it back along with a form all ready to sign.

Here's the catch for me... My best friend and partner in this idea, who was supposed to be there with me, couldn't make it at the last minute. Thank God! So, not willing to go on the line for the money, I bought myself a day to still take advantage of their "one day only workshop offer". I asked them if they had another seminar this week anywhere close. The guy gives me the full run around. "Maybe, but its probably too far for you..."/"I'm not too sure"... This guy obviously doesn't know much about Ontario's geography, because he spits out "London", which I'm sure he thought was way too far away for me too consider. Turns out, London is even closer than Toronto to where I live. So I tell him I'll be there tomorrow.

I drive home (still very stoked on the whole thing). I give the spiel to my buddy (more ignorant on this than I was). And he's all for it if I am. Talk it over with the family (big decision, you know). They're down. I was glad to have a little time to think but I didn't make good use of it. I did a little snooping around Google but I didn't find much negative commentary on the company. Partly because I think I didn't want to find it and partly because these slick operators change the company name every once in a while.

Today rolls around and we're off to London bright and early. I really wanted my buddy to sit in on the presentation because I thought it was so good, it would just reinforce him. So we're there, taking notes, agreeing with what he's saying (and also laughing at the same joke told yesterday). This thing is scripted down to the letter and intonation of every thing they say. These guys know what they're doing.

Its almost lunch time. Cell phone starts to vibe... end... again... end... again... ok... answer, excuse myself and take the call. Its my step-dad. Turns out he's been pretty stoked on the prospect for me and he's been doing a little more digging. At first he finds some good stuff on the company. Then all hell breaks loose. He's reading rant after rant on consumer warning sites, news sites, stock warning sites, etc. about how shady these people are and how sketchy the company really is.

But you can't believe everything you hear. I'm still giving them the benefit of the doubt. "These guys are just bitter because they're too lazy to make it work and they blame the company" (this is basically what they'll tell you about their "critics" in the session). So we go down the block to check my email at an internet cafe because my wary step-dad sent me the links to the sites he found. 15 minutes and $8.05 later... we're walking for the parking garage. Not yet 100% convinced that this is a scam ('cause you can't believe just anything you read on the internet right?). But convinced enough that this is just too questionable to throw down $6k.

I get home, go to my last class of the day. And then come home. I haven't given up on my internet business ideas (we've got a bunch of good ones). But I'm questioning storesonline.com at least. I hop on the iBook and do about an hour of searching for more negative press, etc.

Check it out for yourselves:

http://www.ripoffreport.com Search term: "Stores online"

http://www.dfi.wa.gov/sd/orders/S-03-010-03-TO01.pdf
http://www.state.me.us/pfr/sec/Orders/StoresOnline_CA.htm

http://www.aardvark.co.nz/daily/2004/0405.shtml
http://money.guardian.co.uk/scamsandfraud/story/0,13802,1323173,00.html
http://kron.com/Global/story.asp?S=1804928
http://www.kirotv.com/consumer/1950077/detail.html
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/team4/1419114/detail.html
http://www.forbes.com/best/2003/0612/002.html
http://www.netsenseonline.com/storesOnline.html

After an hour of this I was converted and so thankful that I was literally saved from going on the line for $6000 with these crooks. Hundreds of people's complaints are worth something.

After that bit of research, I started to do some looking around for similar products. Because, in my disillusionment and disappointment on the car ride home, I realized that even though StoresOnline might me questionable, what they claim to offer is brilliant--a one-stop solution for internet hosting and store marketing. There has got to be other legit businesses doing this... There are. You can get a full commercial website hosting package for about $100 a month and link it up with a credit card system and hunt around a bit for the kinds of search engine marketing tools what you need to be successful.

That's what brought me to this site. I did a Google search for "Reverse search engines"--the thing that they tell you is one of their exclusive marketing tools that you get through their site when you sign on. Well... are you ready for this. I know a few posters have mentioned it above but I didn't believe it till I saw it... The overture reverse search engine IS the one that they pass of as their own... and its 100% free to use. They don't even change the graphics or anything. They just link to it through their website and it pops up in a new window.

This was pretty much their main push--their precious reverse search engine. And it's not even theirs, its a free online tool that overture provides and they tell these poor people (myself included) that you have to pay them to use it. If that is not unethical and wrong, I don't know what is.

They lied to me twice. 1) They told me to my face that they didn't know where they were going to be the next day (basically so that I would feel the pressure to pay on the spot) and then came out a little later and said that they had another conference in London, just down the highway. As if they plan these conferences the day of on a whim--"Hey Hilton London, we weren't really planning this but, if you've got room for us later this morning, maybe we could throw off a 300 person, all day conference in on of your board rooms. Equipped with a full lunch?

2) They directly indicated that you had to pay them to use a free internet tool.

These are the two lies I'm sure about and its enough to make me not want to deal with this company ever again except maybe to stand across the street from the hotel of their next meeting near by with a bull horn and a big sign.

Other statements that were made to me that I haven't disproved personally (which I could only do by actually signing up) but that I take as lies based on reading dozens of similar customer complaints and articles:

1) "No more fees"
2) "Our system works"
3) "Our sites are professional quality"
4) "Our customer service is the best"
5) "We will help you"

You can read people's experiences at the links I pasted in above to find out why these statements are lies. But here's my basic reinterpretation:

1) "This $6000 that you're paying really gives you nothing more than a smile from our lone female sales person with implants."
2) "These results are not typical. You have to be in our inner mormon possy to succeed."
3) "Many of our sites are 1996 style and that's all you'll get."
4) "Our people will smile at you today and redefine sarcasm and rudeness for you over the phone anytime after today."
5) "You will help us get fat and wealthy off of your blood, sweat and tears because we see you as wads of cash waiting in chairs until we tell you to hop into our wallets."

Believe me or not, I know my way around the internet and I am generally fairly skeptical of any money-making plans like this. I was sold and I got caught up in the hype. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you. Do yourself a favour. Investigate the company yourself and then make your decision.

Don't get me wrong. I still think ecommerce is a phenomenal opportunity but StoresOnline is not the way to go.

These guys are part of a very shady crew that run a multifaceted racket out of the milk and honey pastures of Utah. The people that speak to you and tell you (vaguely) about their success are insiders in their little back scratching club.

My advice. Go to the conference. The food isn't bad and you will learn A LOT about marketing online. Just do yourself a favour and refuse to do it through their company. I am so glad that I didn't sign up and I feel really bad for the people that did. Most of them are middle aged people for whom $6000+ is a lot of money and its waste would not be quickly recovered from. They prey on the weak, the ignorant, and the disenfranchised--people who have been recently laid-off and are looking for help and answers.

If you read all of this I hope you will take it seriously and at least check out what I'm saying.