This sounds like a classic small business "office supplies" scam. Their next step will probably be to try to intimidate you into paying inflated amounts you do not owe.
Other scam reports against them here:
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-866-945-5609Sending a demand for payment (a bill or invoice) for unordered merchandise through the U.S. Mail is mail fraud, whether they shipped anything or not. To avoid postal regulations governing mail fraud, they would have to label their letter clearly indicating that it is a solicitation and not a bill. Under postal regulations, unordered merchandise becomes the property of the receiver, and need not even be returned.
File complaints with your state AG, the California AG (they appear to be based in California), FTC, and the U.S. Postal Inspector (since their sending of a bill for unordered merchandise via U.S. Mail is mail fraud, even though they shipped the "product" via another common carrier).
You want these written complaints in place since their next tactic will be to attempt to bully and threaten damage to your credit to extort payment.
Here is their BBB report, which is surprisingly blank, for having an "F" rating.
http://www.labbb.org/BBBWeb/Forms/Business/Co ... anyID=100059996BBB's definition of an "F" rating is:
"F We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices. "
Supposedly the BBB file was started 11-29-07, 3 months after their alleged business start date of 9-07-07. Complaints on
www.800Notes.com start on May 28, 2008.
Here is an inside report from an alleged employee (now ex-employee):
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080324165336AAgyRjt"...
Telemarketing job-- is it legit?
I started a new telemarketing job today. I did not have to fill out a W-4, I just had to fill out my name, address, and social security number on a form. I do not know the true name of the company-- the name that we told customers was diffrent than the ont listed on the cards we were issued with the call numbers on them. When we place a call, we tell them that we are sending out a catalog for toner for their copy machine, but we don't think we have the correct copier model number "Is 5025 the model of your copier? I'm not sure if we have the right model in our system..." is what we are REQUIRED to say. (Of corse we don't know what model number it is because they have never done business with said company). We then go through a script misleading them into believing that they have a low price locked in due to their being a "perferred customer" from their last order (an obvious lie), and the shipping dept. will call in the next few days to let them know the status of their order. cont..
5 months ago
Additional Details
5 months ago
when the script is done, the "customer" has been led to believe that they are just verifying the shipment of a previous order, and that they are getting a catalog with the new stock of accessories for their copier(s). There is no catalog involved. We are instructed to hang up on the person if they start asking questions about the company, of if they ask for the name of the company more than once.
Now I have worked several telemarketing jobs in the past, and every ethic and professional phone skill I have learned is breached by this company. We are not even allowed to tell what state we are located in if we are asked. They are not registered with the chamber of commerce, the phone numbers they are used are unlisted and caller ID is blocked. The building doesn't even have a name on it. If this company is breaking any laws, I don't want to be involved, but I DO need the paycheck. Hopefully tomarrow I can weasel a company name from someone that I can do a search on.
Help please!?!?!?!
5 months ago
TX Cyclone-- I worked for SITEL in San Angelo, TX, and Conseco teleservices in Irving TX. I am familliar with some telemarketing laws, and I think this company is doing what is referred to as "slamming", or close to it. I DO have a set time to be there and to to leave-- 7:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M., so I'm assuming I'm an employee. I'm going in tomarrow if for nothing else to get a business name that can be reported to the B.B.B. if it turns out to be illegal. There is a couple of telemarketer employees there that's been there a few months, but they seem to be of the character that, well, I wouldn't hang out with them after work.
The word "SCAM" keeps screaming from the back of my head....
Makes Kirby and Cutco feel like fortune 500 companies......
5 months ago
More like WAS... I moved to Michigan for a while, got run over on my bicycle by an uninsured driver who just-so-happened to be the grifriend of a cop (so the police dept. never filed the report-- therefore I'm not able to sue for the fact that I received sciatic nerve damage and a hefty doctors bill I can't afford to pay). I'm in California right now-- Southern Cali-- and the fact that I dont' know much Spanish makes it extremely difficult to even get a job even in fast food. With the national recession in full swing, jobs are hard to come by.
5 months ago
Oh-- and on the cards that have the companies names, phone numbers, and addresses on them-- all of the cards are out of date. (Do not use after June 30, 2005, etc...) A large number of the numbers on the cards are even disconnected, which proves to be a headache since we have to manualy dial each number (I guess I was a spoiled telemarketer, I've always used autodialers hooked up to computers. This business only has four computers in the whole building).
5 months ago
I found the name thc company goes by-- Digital Infologic. I did a Google search with that name then with that name and scams, never found anything. The company has been in business for at least a year, I so really don't have a clue what the legitimacy of the business may be. If it's legal, it sure is shady.....
5 months ago
I was let go today, the owned told me "you're just not working out. You sound too much like you're selling something..." WELL DUH!!!! He cut me a check for $85.00, which comes out to less than the $8.00 we were guranteed, but I don't care about that. I contacted the Better Business Bureau, they already have an "F" rating. The worst a business can be given. I'm in the process of reporting them to the city and the local newspaper (where the job ad was placed), I'm sure that if they don't get criminal charges, they'll be run out of town. We'll see where it leads. I memorized the script ("it's propriatary information! It is not to leave the building!!"), and e-mailed it to the local newspaper's editor. I'm sure he's going to LOVE that....
..."
