Consumer Action

April 22, 2010

DataDepot.Biz E-Mail Lists May Not Be All They Are Advertised to Be

Stop!  Before you purchase that e-mail list from DataDepot.biz, you should know that you may well be buying a list comprised of duplicates and garbage.  You may think you’re paying for a list of some number of e-mail addresses based on what is advertised but, beware, you may have a lot of entries that are merely variations of one e-mail address.  One example provided to this author by one who was duped by DataDepot.biz is:

[name]@seven_eleven.com
[name]@seveneleven.com
[name]@7-eleven.com
[name]@seven-eleven.com
[name]@sevenelevens.com
[names]@seven-eleven.com

(the actual name in the example above has been replaced with “[name]” to protect the person’s privacy).

As you can see, you are not really getting 6 different e-mail contacts although, you may be paying for 6.  Do you suppose datadepot.biz will allow you to see the file before giving them your money?  Don’t bet on it.  But, here is something you can bet on – once you have given them your money and find you are not satisfied with what you receive, they will not do anything about it and, most likely, will just tell you that you agreed to their terms that state all sales are final.

Once you’ve reached this point, you have just joined the ranks of many others who have made the mistake of doing business with this company who, by the way, is the proud owner of an F rating with the West Florida Better Business Bureau.

If you are looking for an e-mail list supplier, I suggest you keep looking and stay away from datadepot.biz.

April 7, 2010

Don’t Give Up the Fight

If you have been ripped off or experience really bad customer service such as my well-documented troubles with DataDepot.biz and feel there is nothing you can do…don’t quit.  There are many things you can do.

Perhaps you feel filing complaints is a waste of time and, in the short term, it may be.  You may not get the resolution you want but, if you quit the fight while there are still options available, you have done exactly what companies such as the F-rated DataDepot want you to do. 

Filing complaints at the very least creates a record that law enforcement agencies utilize.  This record also provides information to consumers who are checking out the company before doing business with it.  Your time filing the complaints and documented the company’s poor customer service or scams is going to help someone else avoid that company and, in time, may end up helping to bring government action against that company.

Here are things you should do whenever you have been the victim of a poor company:

  • Save all e-mails, letters, etc. related to your complaint.  This is crucial for supporting your facts.
  • File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau serving the area where the company is located.  This may or may not motivate the company to do the right thing but it creates a public record and impacts the company’s rating with the BBB.
  • File a complaint with the County Attorney General’s office where the company is located.
  • File a complaint with the State’s Attorney General’s office where the company is located.
  • File a complaint with the FTC.
  • File a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Center.
  • Tell your story on every blog, forum and site you can find (do an internet search for “complaints” and you’ll find a long list of places).
  • Share your posts using the “share this blog” or “share this post” button available on most sites.  You can then publish your post on Stumble, Digg, etc.

Why is posting to complaint sites and blogs important?  When someone does an internet search for the company, they will also see the complaint sites referencing the company.

Again, your efforts may not result in the desired outcome for your specific situation; however, you will help steer others away from that company by taking the time to tell your story.  Remember, always stick to the facts that you can support and remain professional.  These points are keys to your credibility.

Finally, depending on how much time you are willing to spend, post messages inviting others who have had problems with the same company to contact you.  You may find enough people to begin a class-action suit.

I encourage everyone who has experienced scams, poor customer service or otherwise just bad business dealings to take the time to make your story heard.  If we consumers fail to act, these bad companies will continue to escape accountability. 

Good luck.

– Clark

March 27, 2010

Data Depot Uses Multiple Names

Filed under: Data Depot — Clark @ 7:03 am
Tags: , , ,

You may have read my posts regarding the unscrupulous methods of DataDepot.biz.  Perhaps you read some of the numerous complaints against them by others.  If you looked only at the name datadepot.biz, you may have missed some.   According to the BBB (with whom Data Depot has an F rating), they also can be found under the names www.b2bdata.org, www.email-list.com and In Touch Media, LLC.

Be sure to check them out uses all of their names. 

Stay safe on the internet and certainly stay away from this company.

Until next time…

March 26, 2010

Complaints Against Data Depot.Biz Continue

Filed under: Data Depot — Clark @ 10:34 pm
Tags: , ,

Yet another complaint by a customer who was ripped off by DataDepot.biz.  Follow this link to read Gina’s complaint.

January 26, 2010

Young People Speak – Forum Just For Teens Being Real

Filed under: Teens — Clark @ 11:29 pm
Tags: , ,

Hey Teens, you are not alone.  No matter what’s happening in your life, good or bad, someone cares and is here for you.  Share, vent, seek help, find new friends.  We want you to know that you matter!  We’re a new forum so join up and keep coming back as we build our new community.  Never Give Up, Hope is Real!

via http://youngpeoplespeak.lefora.com/.

January 19, 2010

Home Security Systems & Monitoring – Are You Really Getting Your Money’s Worth?

Ever wonder if your home is really being monitored by your home security company?   Perhaps you are looking for a company and not sure which one to choose.  ADT?  Broadview (formerly Brinks)?  Sterling?  Protection One?

I can offer two reviews based on first-hand knowledge.  Hope it helps someone in their decision process.

ADT:  We had ADT in our home for several years.  Fortunately, we never needed the protection they supposedly offered but, by chance, we learned about their poor monitoring service.  Their installation and equipment were no better or worse than others we had researched so we chose them based on their name-recognition. 

In January 2009, our alarm went off on two different occasions.  Neither time did we receive a call from ADT to determine if we had a real emergency.  According to their sales pitch and literature, they were supposed to immediately call to determine if a real emergency existed and, if unable to verify that we were OK, dispatch the police.  This did not happen either time.  In fact, their only response was to the second alarm and it consisted of us receiving a letter about 2 weeks after the alarm occurred.  These instances left us feeling very unsecure about our security company.  As a result, we canceled the service with ADT.

Protection One.  This company seems to place more focus on personal account management.  I have gotten to know one of their Residential Security Consultants, Jessie Hayes, Jr., and have learned a lot about his and the company’s approach to personal service to make sure their customers know they are receiving the services for which they are paying.  I am not aware of any instances where Protection One has failed to properly monitor their customers’ security systems.

I would certainly recommend Protection One over ADT based on my experience and knowledge.  If anyone has feedback about these or any other security company, please feel free to submit your reviews for publishing.

Clark Bailey, Owner
Bailey’s Health Store
Bailey’s Renew-o-vators Carpet and Floor Cleaning Professionals

January 13, 2010

Buyer Beware: DataDepot.Biz gets “F” from BBB Plus Other Bad Reviews

Filed under: Data Depot — Clark @ 7:15 am
Tags:

A few weeks ago I published a post about my experience with the rip-off company that operates under the name of DataDepot.biz.  I have since learned that their fraudulent activities in my case have been experienced by others.  For more information, see the following sites:

http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/datadepotbiz-a127942.html

http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/Company/datadepot-biz.aspx

http://www.complaints.com/2009/december/15/Rippoff_by_datadepot.biz_222552.htm

http://www.bbb.org/west-florida/business-reviews/mailing-list-companies/data-depot-in-st-petersburg-fl-90040440#top

http://www.xomreviews.com/www.datadepot.biz

http://www.siteadvisor.com/sites/datadepot.biz/summary/

http://data-depot.pissedconsumer.com/data-depot-is-a-company-of-crooks-20091217164848.html

http://datadepot.pissedconsumer.com/datadepot-biz-20091215164536.html

I will certainly stay far away from this “F” rated company.

January 8, 2010

Made in the USA – Again

Filed under: General Information — Clark @ 4:46 am
Tags: ,

One grasshoper on the railroad tracks won’t slow a train very much but a billion of them would.  With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American .

One light bulb at a time . . [this was copied from an e-mail I received from a lady]…

[Add-on from another e-mail recipient]…I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments . They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there . They were made in USA . Start looking.  In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else – even their job . So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let’s get behind her!

“My grandson likes Hershey’s candy. I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now . I do not buy it any more . My favorite toothpaste, Colgate, is made in Mexico now.   I have switched to Crest . You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets . I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off brand labeled, “Everyday Value.” I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats – they were the same except for the price . The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in – get ready for this – the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio .

So, throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle – Bounce Dryer Sheets . . … yep, you guessed it, Bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA – the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!”

[If you accept the challenge, pass this on to others via e-mail, sharing bookmarks or telling them about this post so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies!]

“(We should have awakened a decade ago).
 
Let’s get with the program . . . . help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U . S . A.”

Our textile industry, steel industry and now our auto industry are dying in our country as we continue to send our dollars to China, Mexico and Canada (among others).  This lady is correct, American made goods can be found at competitive prices and, generally, at comparable or better quality.  Saving a few pennies because something can be made overseas at low-paying sweat shops is costing our economy and, therefore, each of us, much more in the long run.  We are seeing our wages drop, increases in unemployment and solid manufacturing jobs being lost by the hundreds or thousands.  Entire cities are hurting because we have lost our pride in “Made in America.”  Yes, many of our businesses need to also re-think the way they manage and get to a point where they realize and/or remember that it is the American consumer and worker that makes them prosper.

January 4, 2010

Stop Giving Them Your Money…Throw Them Out!

Filed under: Congress,General Information — Clark @ 5:08 pm
Tags: ,

Even if you aren’t a sports fan this is very interesting!

                                                                                                          

  • 36 have been accused of spousal abuse
  • 7 have been arrested for fraud
  • 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
  • 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
  • 3 have done time for assault
  • 71 … repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
  • 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
  • 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
  • 21currently are defendants in lawsuits, And
  • 84 have been arrested for drunk driving
    In the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

NBA Or NFL?

Give up yet?

Scroll down…

Neither, it’s the 535 members of the United States Congress! 

The same group of Idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.  The same group that wants to give us healthcare reform that they themselves won’t have to live with. 

You gotta pass this one on!

November 22, 2009

Dear Angel of Death…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Clark @ 4:00 am

I just want to let you know, you took away my favorite singer – Hank Williams. You took away my favorite actor – John Wayne. You took away my favorite actress – Farrah Fawcett. I just wanted to let you know my favorite president is – Barack H. Obama.

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