Local Advertising / Toolbar scam

ComplaintsInternet ScamsPerformance Media Placement

Complaint

0
YouCannotFoolMe
Country: United States
This company is owned by Carl Perkins and Duane Brinson under the name PBH LLC or Perkins Brinson Ho. They created the toolbars discussed here: http://www.scam.com/showthread.php?t=28710 and profited greatly. They may be at it again with this: http://www.performancemediaplacement.com/OnlineDemo.asp

The sales people they currently employ sell a new type of local advertising that has been reported as fraudulent. Here is a post on some of the things they promise: http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/AdWords ... 79abadae6&hl=en.

Both Perkins and Brinson worked for Search Initiatives (Now Elocal, Elocallistings, Elocalplumbers, etc.) until they were both "let go" for unknown reasons when the company formed Elocal. http://web.archive.org/web/20070621061940/htt ... om/company.html

Do not be fooled by promises of "exclusivity", 24/7 first page placement, unlimited clicks and other false claims. The company has been known to break many contracts and forces employees to lie. If they do not lie to customers they are fired.

Here are just a couple of the many URL's the company uses:
premiumlocallistings.com
performancelocallistings.com
performancemediaplacement.com
pl411.com
pll411.com
pll-orange.com
premierlocallistings.com
g2411.com
nw411.com

Please do your research before doing any business with this company.

Comments

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  • 0
    Paula Lee
    | 4 replies
    YouCannotFoolMe is a joke --
    i use Performance media's service and its been great for my cake shop.
    i am getting so much more business than ever.
    my account manager was honest and never made false promises.
    i wonder why YouCannotFoolMe spent so much time to spread rumor.  
    The webpage they built for me shows up first page all the time!
    I had a cheaper package before. But ive upgraded it to a 24/7 first page ad since my cake business is doing much better!
    btw, They do not ask for contracts....they sold me on month to month service!
    • 0
      Jason replies to Paula Lee
      | 1 reply
      Performance Media Placement is a fraudlent company. Just check the numerous complaint and rip off report sites. I used their company as well and YouCannotFoolMe is correct. Check with the FTC (the Federal Trade Commission) and you will find they are not a reputable company. It is hard to shut down companies like this. Never pay any website company 100% of the money upfront before the work is even begun. That alone should raise a red flag. I could write several paragraphs of how I was ripped off by this company. But I don't have the time to do so right now.
      • 0
        Marianne replies to Jason
        This company, in many cases, has refused to have customers read over the refund, general contract and legal agreements before they sign a customer up. The sales person, in these cases, fills out the online form that shows these agreements and never shows them to the client, until they wish to cancel.

        If you never saw a contract before signing up, never signed a contract and have a reasonable belief that you have been ripped off, just chargeback, explain the situation to your creditcard company and they will side with you. If the company failed to explain the refund/cancellation policy and/or you never saw a contract (because the salesperson filled the information out for you online {this is the information the company will send to the credit card company in their defense}) and you never signed a contract either physically or digitally, then you will win 100% of the time.

        They have been reported to the FTC and if you feel they fall within the guidelines the FTC provides for a scam, you could report them. Here is a link that explains what the FTC sees as a telemerketing scam.

        http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0076-telemarketing-scams

        If you feel like you have been taken advantage of by misleading sales tactics, you could inform your creditcard company and file a complaint with the FTC. http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0341-file-complaint-ftc
    • 0
      PHobbs replies to Paula Lee
      You are either an employee of this company or got lucky. I fell victim to these thieves as well. Look up the definition of the word "rumor." It's not a rumor if it's complete truth.
    • 0
      Performance Media replies to Paula Lee
      Google is helping to protect businesses who buy Adwords marketing through third parties. They require all third parties to adhere to strict guidelines such as 100% transparency, not making false or misleading claims and the account setup requirements. What does this mean for the business owner using a third party for Adwords management?

      * Google requires these third parties to provide the Adwords customer ID to all business owners: "It's important for advertisers to have the ability to contact Google directly with concerns about a third-party partner. To allow Google to properly investigate and assist the advertiser, we require that you provide your customers with the customer IDs for their AdWords or AdWords Express accounts when requested."
      * Third parties "...must provide your customers with monthly performance reports that include data on costs, clicks, and impressions at the Google advertising account level. When sharing Google advertising cost data with customers, report the exact amount charged by Google, exclusive of any fees that you charge."
      * Management fees must be disclosed: "Third parties often charge a management fee for the valuable services they provide, and end-advertisers should know if they are going to be charged these fees. If you charge a management fee (separate from the cost of AdWords or AdWords Express), let customers know. At a minimum, inform new customers in writing before each first sale and disclose the existence of this fee on customer invoices."

      False claims are described by Google as:
      * claiming false affiliation with Google
      * guaranteeing top placement on Google
      * claiming that ads will appear in Google Search at all times
      * representing free Google products as pay-for-insertion products
      * making false statements about how AdWords costs are calculated
      * offering unlimited clicks

      Read about everything here:
      https://support.google.com/adwordspolicy/answer/6086450

      My opinion is every person NEEDS access to the google adwords account. Access to an account will show how much was actually spent on the advertising, the position of the ads and frequency of ads being shown. If the company does not want to provide report access to an account, request the "Adwords Customer ID" and contact Google directly, they will provide all the information you want.
  • 0
    curious54
    | 1 reply
    I am thinking of doing business with performance media placement. Is there any one else out there that can back this claim up? Are they really a fraud?
    • 0
      PHobbs replies to curious54
      Late to the game here, but YES!
  • 0
    curious54
    I spoke with them on the phone today and they said they can get my business on the top page of google. They said they can do this for a set up fee of $600. And 300 a month after that. The salesman was kind of pushy. They do not use 12 month contracts like other companies but that could just be a sales tactic. If anybody has got some info on this company I would really appreciate it.

    David
  • 0
    Previous Customer
    The sales people tell a different story that what is in the contract. I was promised top of the page 24/7 with unlimited clicks for $150 a month. I am not sure how they could do this as I spend $5,000 a month on my own and still can't stay at the top. Not even a month passed and I got a call telling me I had to pay more money or the contract would be canceled. They do not make you sign a year contract because they would not be able to try and get more money out of you after the initial sign up. After talking to the FTC I was informed this is a classic bait and switch tactic. I am very disappointed to say the least. I wonder why the company can't be found in the BBB...
  • 0
    Peter
    I have used Performance Media Placement for over a year now, and I am extremely satisfied.  I tried to market my moving corp.  with other companies in the past, but nothing went well.  My sales rep is Jeremy, and he explained all of my options in the begining.  I chose to start with a budgeted campaign which worked pretty well, however after I had received some return on my investment, I have now switched my campaign to a 24/7 first page placement campaign and added some additional cities.  This campaign is working extremely well for my business.  I have searched Google numerous times, and every time, I have found my add.  In my opinion, the campaign I am currently running is exactly what was sold to me.  In addition to being extremely satisfied with my campaign, the customer service I receive from every person I speak with is second to none!
  • 0
    Peter is probably an employee.
    How can you have been with Performance Media Placement when their domain was registered in December of 2008? http://whois.domaintools.com/performancemediaplacement.com

    Also the 24/7 first page placement that is sold by any company is pure fraud in my opinion. There are too many variables to make such a promise, especially for a flat fee. A Google employee verified this in the post above. Ask for an impression share report on a daily basis and if its not 100% all day every day, then your ads are not being shown 24/7 as promised. http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=11722

    Here is another post about a different company promising the same thing.
    http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/AdWords ... 41f96d87e&hl=en
  • 0
    Makenzi
    I use this company along with many others for my advertising needs.  I have never had a problem with their service.  I receive enough business from their advertising efforts to more then justify my account.  Compared to some compaines I have dealt with, this company is by far the most professional.
  • 0
    Edgar
    It's amazing to me that such an obvious pattern emerges, when comparing the comments of those satisfied with Performance Media Placement, with those who "seem" to have a problem with this company:  Everyone in favor of Performance Media Placement uses their real name, while everyone opposed to this company uses some cheap, made-up, online pseudo-name, in order to prevent themselves from being sued for writing such outrageous lies.

    I openly challenge anyone with a legitimate complaint to write their complete full name, with the specific instance of what happened, the specific dates, the names of everyone at Performance Media Placement that specifically committed any alleged offense, as well as a complete description of Performance Media Placement's response in handling the situation (just the way real people with real complaints do, on the BBB, Rip-off Report, and other watchdog groups, where you won't find any problems with Performance Media Placement at all).

    But don't hold your breath...  Unfortunately, these alleged negative accounts are nothing more than the latest trend in scam companies, trying to tear down legitimate companies, with false reports.

    It works the same way in politics: if you know you're not a legitimate candidate, you try to tell enough lies about the other candidate to make everyone confused.

    Now that this message has posted, I'm sure that there will be attempts to manufacture phony names. However, all legitimate records will show that no legitimate actions have been taken against Performance Media Placement.

    The owners of Performance Media Placement are men of integrity that have chosen to leave companies that depart from the path of honest business practices, only to have mysterious, anonymous reports emerge, claiming that they are the ones who are dishonest.

    So go ahead, you nameless, faceless, lying, cowards!!!

    MAKE A LEGITIMATE CLAIM OR SHUT UP!!!

    I DARE YOU!!!
  • 0
    was skeptic
    This place rocks!Not only do they get you on the First Page of google, they offer a month to month agreement which allows me to decide if I want to continue the next month based on their performance...and they do perform!!!My phones are ringing about 30 percent more than before I hooked up with them! I'm staying with this company...During these tough economic times it's great to have Performance make up the slack and give me the advantage over my competitors.
  • 0
    Happy Previous Customer
    These peeps do what they say. I have ONLY been followed up on to see if I was happy. I NEVER was asked to pay more money and I have updated my website several times with them with NO additional out of pocket on my behalf. These people go the extra mile.I am a VERY Happy Customer.
  • 0
    Very Satisfied!!
    You said it all. I think any complaints are from companies who can't compete with Performance. Not only am I on on the first page of Google 24/7, but my business has almost doubled in the last 6 months...this company should charge more!
  • 0
    Kristin Moran
    This company has been aggressively & rudely calling a number of Fetch! Pet Care franchises in the past few days, until our franchise manager sent an email asking them to cease and desist. They were misrepresenting themselves, claiming to represent areas of the franchise's territory, but making simple mistakes, such as not realizing that MI stands for MIchigan, not MIssissippi.

    I am glad that I happened to be on another call, and did not have to speak with their rep, because we have not had one franchise say anything positive about their experience over the past few days, and there have been numerous negative experiences.

    Kristin Moran,
    Owner, Fetch! Pet Care of Herndon
  • 0
    Debbie
    I have benn using PMP for one year now and because of them I did not have to close my business.  I have a dog grooming shop and I signed up with then as a last ditch effort and I consider them an answer to my prayers.  I am always on the first page as they promised and the employees have always been there to help me.  Recently they let me freeze my account because I am getting more business than I can handle. They stopped billing me and still let me keep my web page.  God Bless Carl Perkins and his staff!
  • 0
    Wow!  The Shills Come Out
    Debbie, what's the name of your business?  Please share.

    Debbie,if you had bothered to read the post dated April 17th, Performancemediaplacement.com was created in December of 2008.  Here was the statement:

    "How can you have been with Performance Media Placement when their domain was registered in December of 2008? http://whois.domaintools.com/performancemediaplacement.com"

    You just said you have been with them for one year now. So far, the only company in this page that has put their name here is a complaint. Sad indeed.
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