The Balancing Act & BrandStar Entertainment are a Scam!

Comments

• +1

  Almost Infamous

  1 Jun 2011

  Wow I almost answered an ad they placed in Craigslist looking for "Administrative Assistant to TV Sales Manager"...glad I Googled this discussion up...Anyway, here's what they posted:
  
  We are looking for an Administrative Assistant to our Television Sales Managers to start IMMEDIATELY.
  
  We produce (2) TWO National TV Shows that air on LIFETIME TV- We are on Every Day of the work week ( Mon-Friday) between 7-8 am! We have an amazing morning Talk Show format dealing with Home Improvement Issues and Ideas called- Designing Spaces ) and our other show The Balancing Act -- is a Women's Morning talk show that provides solutions to problems we all face in balancing our lives with work, children family, health etc!!)
  
  In this position you will :
  
  
  1-Call or telephone a Company Lead which will be given to you by your Sales Manager. You will be given a list of questions to talk to the company about in order to determine if we might possibly want to invite them on to our Show
  
  2 You will also Call Company's to schedule a telephone appointment for our TV Sales Manager- Producer to speak with a Company representative
  
  
  You WILL be on the TELEPHONE for at least 80% of your day
  
  You MUST be comfortable with the Computer- Google, Outlook invites and researching companies through their web sites
  
  You MUST be very articulate, and have a friendly, professional upbeat demeanor !!
  
  You SHOULD have a background in or understanding of a Sales environment and what motivates a sales team and its members
  
  
  
  This position offers a great base hourly rate of pay plus commission potential and Monthly Bonus'!
  
  We offer all full-time employees Health Care Benefits, Dental Insurance, AFLAC, Paid Time off Holiday Pay. We are looking for several Assistants to start so that they can support our Sales Managers individually with their goals.
  A New Hire class is scheduled to begin MONDAY, JUNE 13th so don't delay.
  
  Send your resume and Cover Letter directly to the posting and tell us about WHY we should select you for an interview?
  THEN, ALL APPLICANTS MUST CALL and leave a Voice Mail Message on our HR Hotline so that we can hear how you sound on the phone!
  954 691-1102 ext. 156
  
  A resume with no cover letter or call/message, will not be reviewed - Thank you!!

  Reply!
• +2

  Almost Infamous

  1 Jun 2011

  Just the fact that you are taking the time to post this shows you are not a casual observer, but a plant from the folks behind the scam.  I find it hard to believe you watched the show, googled it up, and took the time to post this here. Go back to selling time to unwary optimists.

  Reply!
• +2

  Rod Deutsch

  5 Jul 2011

  I was scammed by these clowns who I later learned looked me up online and through trade show publications. Their con was to call and say that they saw my product (dog bed) at a trade show and thought it "had potential" for a direct marketing spot on television in the USA. I "invested" $29,200 USD (more Canadian Dollars) and put out more than that to ramp up production, expecting to sell quite a bit in America.
  
  So, what did I get for my investment? NOTHING. That's right. NO THING. No spot was ever produced or aired and nothing ever sold through them. I later learned that many Canadian businesses were "Googled" and targeted, since these con men and women knew that we wouldn't likely be coming to Florida to file suit after already losing a boatload.
  
  Did you ever wonder why the only positive press on these people is from their own press releases? Now I see that they're running a new scam and will continue until the lawsuits start piling up, and then they'll re-invent that crooked wheel again.
  
  Sure "Rip Off Report" cleared them from any wrongdoing. Don't people realize that plenty of crooks pay ROR to remove bad press? Please. If you think for a moment that these folks are the real deal, I've got about 30 grand in the toilet that says they're NOT!
  
  One of these days they'll get what's coming to them and will hopefully be shut down for good!

  Reply!
• +1

  Regret Doing It

  14 Jul 2011

  Save yourself tens of thousands of dollars.  You can make your video, upload it to youtube and get more leads than you will with this useless outfit.
  
  Being suckered by this company is now the biggest mistake of my life.

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• 0

  Curious

  27 Jul 2011

  I too was called by these folks, and reading through this thread certainly causes me to be very skeptical. However, I have actually watched the show on TV and it seems legitimate. It had commercials, so it's hard for me to think it's an infomercial. I've talked to the EVP there, and he's provided me with plenty of people to talk to. I did talked to one person and he seemed happy with what he got. The people at the show claim the stuff in this thread and others are all the work of a single disgruntled ex-employee. That seems a bit far fetched to me, but then some of the comments here seem a stretch from what I'm hearing from what people are telling me on the phone. Is there anyone on this thread that could really provide a pro and con approach?

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• +1

  A Damn Fool

  6 Aug 2011

  Just a reminder.  Don't bother with this company.  I fall asleep every but wake up at 4AM spooked by the fact that I wasted $40,000.

  Reply!
• +2

  Been There Done It

  6 Aug 2011

  The pros:
  * your friends and neighbors will be impressed
  * you will have fun
  
  The cons:
  * you will have burned $40K
  * the staff just wants to go home at 5PM
  * the staff will not portray your product/service the way you want to
  * they will BS you just to get you off their backs
  * their motive is to get as many fools in the door and out just as quickly.
  
  If you want to blow $40K, just give it to me.  I have a monstrous debt to pay back now.  
  
  Let me repeat...this is the biggest mistake I have made in my life.

  Reply!
• -1

  BA Viewer

  15 Aug 2011 | 1 reply

  Its interesting that I watch the show every day. No I am not a plant. I am a person that does not like to watch the news with the debt and the wars and the other crap that starts my day off bad. The stuff on the show is all upbeat. Its good info and its things I like to watch as a mom. Im a fan of Denise Austin and of Fran Dresher and of Chris Noth and of Dolly Parton and of Olivia Newton John. All of who I have seen on the show. And Im hoping to win the Suzuki in the contest they have running now. I guess I would have heard of the benifits of the green tea oil that I use all the time on the Today show. But I didnt want to watch the crap that goes on around the show. So if companies pay to be on the show, guess what? They are smarter then doing a commerical. Cause I dont watch a commercial. Thats when I brush my teeth, or walk the dog, or make breakfast.

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  • +2

    Bangie replies to BA Viewer

    15 Feb 2013

    The show may be legit, but what makes you think these people are really affiliated with the show?

    Reply!
• -2

  Blogher

  16 Aug 2011

  I met the Balancing Act at Blogher, when they were a sponsor and they were very cool ladies. I started watching the show a year ago and love it.

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• +2

  Keeping It Real

  10 Sep 2011

  The "disgruntled ex-employee" excuse is getting old. If you want verifiable facts, read Matthew Chan's expose on these crooks (Google Matthew Chan Incredible Discoveries). If you want more facts, for every one disenchanted employee riddled with guilt over their part in the INCREDIBLE SCAM (no matter what name these people went by at the time), there are far many more defrauded victims.
  
  Contact Rod Deutsch at Mammoth Pet Beds in Canada and ask him about National Shopping Club. Ask Fred Ertl of FFErtl about his experience with Buyer's Shopping Network. Google "Wonder Winder" and ask Pete Goda about his experience with the folks at the corner of Sample and Pompano Roads in Pompano Beach, FL. Did you know that they gave out bogus references that these people bought into, "hook, line and sinker"?
  
  As long as P.T. Barnum is right about there being "a sucker born every minute," these people will still be in business. A fool and his money are soon parted. INDEED.

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• +2

  I'm Sorry

  10 Sep 2011

  You may want to do some research on Netronline.com of the Florida Public Records, Clerk's office, Broward County, FL. There is a Certified Foreign Judgment against Brandstar Entertainment in favor of The Bluetooth Sig, Inc. in the amount of $26,700 plus interest, etc., which resulted in a subsequent Writ of Garnishment against Wells Fargo & Company d/b/a Wachovia Bank of Delawarem which was their bank back in the day when their paychecks used to routinely bounce and there was a run on the local Wachovia every payday.
  
  Depending upon whether or not the Statute of Limitations has run, take the necessary steps to obtain a judgment against them, subpoena their bank records, and obtain a writ of garnishment against their bank accounts, where all of their ill-gotten profits end up.

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• +1

  Grateful

  16 Sep 2011

  I thank all of you for posting your experience. "The Balancing Act" pitched us with a $19.7K deal for a 3 - 4 minute slot airing 2x for my Company's product. The approach was very similar to others' experience with a setup person arranging the main interview with the executive producer. It can be kinda heady stuff when you first get off the phone with them but, a little due diligence that includes this blog, and we turned them down less than 24 hours later. My only lost "investment" was the cost to overnight some product samples to them; I consider myself lucky when compared with some of these stories!

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• -1

  I'm an ExEmployee

  23 Oct 2011

  I worked for fot The Balancing Act for over a year and I can assure you it is NOT a scam. It was a difficult sell though, because so many people don't understand the value of if. I can say the show isn't for everyone. If your sturggling to pay your bills and can barely get by week to week then don't spend 11k to 135K to be on TV. Duh. But if you are in a good position and could benefit from a top notch production piece to further your current marketing and PR efforts then yes it is worth it. You just have to have a creative mind to use the material returned to you and position your company however you like to get the most for your money.
  
  FACTS
  * When I worked there I never said we were affiliated with Lifetime. Only that we aired on lifetime.
  *Guests always were given exactly what they were promised and a lot of times so much more!! (Re-airs for one with no further cost to the client)
  *As a producer I worked directly with marketing Managers/Directors CEO's etc to make sure the content was EXACTLY what they wanted. (Often times lining up with their future marketing plans. Which was always what I suggested clients do.)
  
  I still watch the show sometimes although I usually prefer the radio in the mornings. I just sat down at my computer to pull uup their website to check out current contests I could enter (since I know they are legitimate from my time spent working there) and when I typed the show in the search bar I landed on this page. Honesly, it is sad to see that so many paople don't even give something a fair chance just because of a few 'bad apples' have shared their 'Un Educated OPINION'.
  
  I say if you have been contacted by them, do your research somewhere other than this website. Watch the show yourself. Go to their website. Do you really think that brands like Sears, Kelly Blue Book, Girl Scouts of America, and so many more national/international brands would allow the a SCAM to use their products on their show??????? How come none of the countless major brands have never filed a suit????????????? They have the deepest pockets of all and most importantly the smartest marketing professionals in the business. They know what the show is and they know how to leverage it. Again, its not for everyone. Some people cant afford it or don't know what to do with it.
  
  One final point I want to leave you with, because it was something i always enjoyed and can still see the quality in. The actual production that goes into each segment. It is not low quality production. If it was these major brands would not even bother.
  
  I know its been said before, but seriously you can't buy that level of quality production and a national airing for that price anywhere else. And yes they are on at 5am mountain time, but its 7 am everywhere else.
  
  Watch the show...go to the website and watch all the past segments... let your own intuiting guide you not the fools on this website who obviously have never taken the time to look anyfuther than their own ingnorance.

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• 0

  Gypsy

  19 Jan 2012

  Interesting to see others with a similar experience. I just got off my 4th phone lengthy conversation with one of the Senior producers. So far all I have is time invested, but after giving me all of the advantages and how I was a perfect fit for an upcoming show in March 2012. They even wanted to know if my business was big enough to handle national exposure. Finally after about 20 mins of telling me that this was not an advertisement but educational information for women, the lady kind of fluffs over what they need from me which was a scheduling fee of 39-7??? Then she continues to talk about something else before I can even wrap my head around what is 39-7. Then I say wait, we need to back up, what is the 39-7 you need from me? She says $39,700!!! I was stunned!!!! My mouth is still hanging open and it has been a few hours.
  
  You want me to come on your show and talk about what I do that can benefit moms and you want me to pay you? You want me to pay you for the content I give you for your show? That feels kind of backwards, like maybe you should pay me for filling space on your show.
  
  I was blown away and let her know that was not going to happen. She was disappointed & said she really wants me on the show, so she is going to see if the fee can be waived. I am not holding my breath. What annoys me is the back door approach, she was watching my website for weeks before actually contacting me, I could see her come and go, acting as if I was an important piece to the segment and then she hits me up with wanting nearly 40K. THAT is ugly!
  
  I went from being a almost sure thing to "well if it isn't this particular show, maybe there is somewhere else we can fit you in." There is no one else who can fit in the slot they really needed me in.......whatever!

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• +1

  Kelli Landon

  24 Feb 2012

  I'm so glad I found this site, thanks to my fellow Writers Group members in IL.  I was contacted by Tara Snodgrass (if I spelled that right), wanting to know about my book.  I told her all about it by phone and she dropped the amount of $5900 in my ear!  I told her that wouldn't work and she said I would be able to pay installments with this and that she would give me the weekend to think about it.  Sorry - not going to do it!  There's no way anyone should be paying this type of money and these people need to be shut down!
  Kelli Sue Landon, author.

  Reply!
• +2

  Greg

  30 Mar 2012

  It's an infomercial pure and simple. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a scam, but their sales pitch is less than straightforward. Really they should just say what it is--an opportunity to advertise a product for a cost.

  Reply!
• +1

  Ridic

  24 Apr 2012

  Renee Myers was the "producer" who contacted us. They're very smooth on the phone so you might think it's on the up and up. The dishonesty is incredible. No mention of fees initially but when we got around to it a laughable $39K plus was bantered about in the context of their high production costs. Hilarious except it wastes everyone time. We've been on every major news network and never paid a dime. Cable for $39K? Are you kidding. Shame on everyone who works there in what must be some telemarketing boiler room in FL. And shame on Lifetime for permitting such people to ruin their rep. Complain to the state's attorney general and federal department of consumer affairs. Maybe enough complaints will generate action since FL isn't doing anything to stop these scam artists.

  Reply!
• +1

  Not falling for it

  26 Apr 2012

  SCAM!  here's an email we received from Renee Myer's assistant, Shelley.  during the call, Renee carried on about the half million $ production costs they pay & quickly skimmed over the $39,700 they wanted from us.  why should a retailer pay to provide content for their tv program?  because as Renee explained it, participants with "financial skin in the game" are much more likely to stick to the demanding tv production schedule.  SHAME ON RENEE MYERS, SHELLY CUELLAR, THE BALANCING ACT TV, LLC & O2 PRODUCTION STUDIOS INC
  
  
  Good Afternoon,
  
  Please confirm the telephone conference by accepting this invite with Renee Myers, Senior Associate Producer of The Balancing Act, which airs on Lifetime Television Network. if, for any reason you need to postpone this call, please advise me prior to the scheduled time.
  
  Thank you,
  Shelley Cuellar
  Executive Assistant
  
  The Balancing Act TV, LLC    
  2001 W. Sample Rd.
  Ste. 401
  Pompano Beach, FL 33064
  P 954-979-8323 ext. 288
  F 954-969-1296
  scuellar@thebalancingact.com
  Produced by O2 Production Studios, Inc

  Reply!
• 0

  S. D.

  13 Jun 2012

  I've been contacted at two companies (job change) in totally different industries over the past 6 months by these folks. I tried to be congenial, but they have aggressive folks who try to set up the meetings.
  
  Although it's not proper protocol, I have stopped returning their calls.

  Reply!