Flashcast Kids Aka Carl Carranza uses phony PR site to circumvent court order. Rip-off! Los Angeles California
Aug 25, 10:59 PM PDT
LOS ANGELES (KidsWire) Carl Carranza, Flashcast Kids and Flashcast Companies, Inc. has stooped to deception again.
One would have thought Carranza learned his lesson after being convicted on May 17, 2002 of 10 counts of fraud and false and misleading advertising, and was forced to pay thousands in fines (he was also sentenced to three years probabtion). One would have thought that he'd obey the court order which says that he must list the cost of his services prominently in all advertising.
But this seems not to be the case. Instead of complying with the good judge's order, and being responsible in his advertising, Carranza has opted, with trademark arrogance and bravado, and in his inimitable sleazeball fashion, to continue to advertise illegally, albeit this time through a couple of third party sources.
Carranza has enlisted web designer Jim Harmon to design a Public Relations website to advertise Flashcast Kids. The entire website, which calls itself Virtuoso PR which is dedicated to promoting one company only - Flashcast Kids. In fact, there is no directory or listing of clients; the main page opens directly to Carranza's Press Releases. This "Public Relations" site has no other clients, and it's apparent from the extensive and lengthly praise of Flashcast and its clients, along with poor grammar, that this "PR" info was written by Carranza himself. Needless to say, while this volume of information includes not just success stories, but how to sign up to Flashcast services (along with an exhaustive explanation of how their services work), it does not include any prices for any of the services.
The Flashcast "Press Release" site also includes a link to a "reliability report" at a website called - The Fair Business Association of America - which represents itself as a consumer reporting agency like the Better Business Bureau. Their main page states:
The FBAA promotes Consumer Confidence; any business that displays the Fair Business Association of America logo on their letterhead, website and store front shows and provides the consumer that they care about "Truth in Business."
The FBAA is a fraudulent "service" created by scam artist Carlo Oddo, a failed music business executive and recording artist manager who has ripped off hundreds of musicians for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The site was created to allow businesses who had been trashed by the BBB for shady business practices to mislead consumers into believing that these businesses were without complaints. In fact, many of the businesses listed on the FBAA site have unsatisfactory Better Business Bureau reports.
Carranza no doubt signed up to attempt to rehabilitate his less than stellar reputation in the entertainment business, but even with minimum investigation, it's easy to see that Carranza, like the FBAA, is out to shamelessly pull the wool over consumers' eyes again.
Here's Flashcast's Better Business Bureau report:
And here's the FBAA's Better Business Bureau report.
(URLs removed by ripoffreport.com)
The FBAA site allows Carranza, once again, to use a third party site to advertise and promote Flashcast kids, without including the cost of services as required by the court order.
In a related investigation, it has been found that Carranza, in papers filed related to his personal bankruptcy in April of 2001, states under penalty of perjury that Flashcast has been in business since 1994, when in all advertising, he indicates that Flashcast has been in business since 1988. Which is it, Carl?
Carl Carranza is up to his old tricks. Parents of the world beware.
FILED 8/25/04
KW
KidsWire
Hollywood, California
U.S.A.
CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Wilhelm
Downey,California,
U.S.A.
With a business record like this, how can you trust Carl Carranza? You can't!
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, August 31, 2004
DISCLAIMER: These are public records of Carl Carranza's bancruptcy in April of 2001. This statement of facts is readily available to the general public through the court system. When I read abour Carl's bancruptcy in another post, I decided to use my Pacer account to do a little investigating.
To all interested parties who might consider utilizing Flashcast Kids, Flashcast Companies or any other business owned and operated by Carl Carranza, I have posted the following in an effort to enlighten you as to the genuine nature of Mr. Carranza and his business.
Note the number of creditors he left hanging for a lot of money. Banks, credit cards, even a flower store and a dry cleaner! How high must those bills have been! And he even stiffed Harte-Hanks, the company which owns the Pennysaver where he did most of his illegal advertising! Looks like he defaulted on the IRS as well.
Is this the kind of man whose company you want to invest in? Is the the kind of management and business sense you want in someone who is advertising your child? Flashcast Kids and Flashcast Companies doesn't seem like a very good investment to me.
Carl Carranza is a crook. He's been convicted of fraud and false advertising, he's violated court orders by weaseling around his responsibility to advertise his prices by using third-party websites to sell his services. He's lied as to how long Flashcast has been in business. And now, as we can see, he's been a bad boy when it comes to managing his money.
Case #: 01-21960
Judge: Ahart AA
Date Filed: 04/18/2001
Chapter 7
Case Type: IndividualVoluntary
Business? No
Assets? No
Paid? Yes
Name and Address of Debtor
CARRANZA, CARL KEN
3575 CAHUENGA BLVD WEST #120
LOS ANGELES, CA 90068
Debtor SSAN: 032-58-6662
Tax ID: 95-4268123
Attorney For Debtor
MARK H FREEMAN
291 S LA CIENEGA BLVD STE 411A
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90211
310-657-0401
Trustee Assigned
ALFRED SIEGEL
SIEGEL GOTTLIEB MANGEL & LEVINE LLP
15233 VENTURA BLVD 9TH FLR
SHERMAN OAKS, CA 91403
818-325-8441
341 Meeting:
05/24/2001 at 11:00 a.m.
221 N. Figueroa St., Ste. 101, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Confirmation Hearing:
Claims Deadline: Originally Filed: 04/18/2001
Discharged: 07/30/2001
Complaints Deadline: 07/23/2001
Original Chapter: 7
Date Closed: 08/17/2001
Creditor Listing for Case 01-21960
CARRANZA, CARL KEN
Creditor No. CreditorAddress
1 CAPITOL ONE P.O. BOX 60000
SEATTLE, WA 98190-6000
2 CAPITOL ONE FSB P.O. BOX 85184
RICHMOND, VA 23285-5184
3 CITICORP VENDOR FIN., INC ONE INTERNATIONAL BLVD, 10TH FL
MAHWAH, NJ 07430-0631
4 CITY CLERK TAX & PERMIT DIV. WATER & POWER DIVISION 111 N. HOPE ST, LOBBY RM L68
LA, CA 90012-5701
5 COMMERCIAL MGMT SVCS, INC EP INVESTMENTS, INC 3575 CAHUENGA BLVD, W. 2ND FLR
LA, CA 90068
6 CONTINENTAL COMMERCIAL GRP 317 SOUTH BRAND BLVD
GLENDALE, CA 91204-1701
7 CROSS COUNTRY P.O. BOX 310711
BOCA RATON, FL 33431-0711
8 FIRST CONSUMERS P.O. BOX 5280
PORTLAND, OR 97208
9 FIRST CONSUMERS P.O. BOX 3910
PORTLAND, OR 97208-3910
10 FIRST PREMIER BANK P.O. BOX 520190
SIOUX FALLS, SD 57117-5147
11 FLOWERFUL DESIGN STUDIO 10933 HUSTON ST #217
TOLUCA LAKE, CA 91601
12 GE CORPORATE PLUS P.O. BOX 520190
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84152-0190
13 HARTE-HANKS, INC DBA: PENNYSAVER 2830 ORBITER ST
BREA, CA 92821-6224
14 JB FRENCH DRY CLEANERS 6040 JEFFERSON BLVD
LA, CA 90016
15 KELLI NORDEN AND ASSOC COURT REPORTERS 11726 SAN VICENTE BLVD, STE 205
LA, CA 90049
16 LAW OFFICES OF GROSSMAN AND MAHAN 7441 TOPANGA CANYON BLVD.
CANOGA PARK, CA 91303-2358
17 LAW OFFICES OF HENRY TOVMASSIAN THE WILSHIRE BRENTWOOD PLAZA 12400 WILSHIRE BLVD, STE 1300
LA, CA 90028-1030
18 LAW OFFICES OF J. JEFFREY LONG 12400 WILSHIRE BLVD, 13TH FLOOR
LA, CA 90025-1030
19 LAYA PRINTING, INC 1651 LA AREA AVE
LA, CA 90028
20 LEROY R. PERRY JR DC INC & ASSOC 3283 MOTOR AVE
WEST L A, CA 90034-3709
21 NEAL HANDEL, MD FACS 1125 S. BEVERLY DRIVE, STE 720
LA, CA 90035
22 NETWORK TEMP. SERVICES, INC 9171 WILSHIRE BLVD, STE B
BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90210
23 OFFICE DEPOT CREDIT PLAN P.O. BOX 9020
DES MOINES, IA 50368-9020
24 PACIFIC BELL DIRECTORY 3470 WILSHIRE BLVD, STE 313
LA, CA 90010
25 PITNEY BOWES PURCHASE POWER P.O. BOX 856042
LOUISVILLE, KY 40285-6042
26 PROVIDIAN FINANCIAL P.O. BOX 9539
MANCHESTER, NH 03108-9539
27 STAPLES CREDIT PLAN P.O. BOX 9020
DES MOINES, IA 50368-9020
28 TARGET RETAILERS NATIONAL BANK P.O. BOX 59231
MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55459-0231
29 THE ASSOCIATES P.O. BOX 9004
DES MOINES, IA 50368-9004
30 TOYOTA LINCOLN MERCURY OF HOLLYWOOD 6000 HOLLYWOOD BLVD
HOLLYWOOD, CA 90028
31 UNITED STATES TRUSTEE 221 N. FIGUEROA ST, SUITE 800
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-2650
32 LOS ANGELES CITY CLERK P. O. Box 53200
LOS ANGELES, CA 90053-0200
33 FRANCHISE TAX BOARD ATTN: BANKRUPTCY P. O. BOX 2952
SACRAMENTO, CA 95812-2952
34 EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT BANKRUPTCY UNIT - MIC 92E P.O. BOX 826880
SACRAMENTO, CA 94208-0001
35 INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE INSOLVENCY I STOP 5022 300 N LOS ANGELES ST, ROOM 4062
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012-9903
36 INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE P. O. BOX 30213
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA 92607-0213
37 TEXACO PROCESSING CENTER UNKNOWN
DES MOINES, IA 50359-0001
38 PACIFIC BELL INC 1010 WILSHIRE BL 9TH FL
LOS ANGELES, CA 90017
39 PITNEY BOWES CREDIT CORP PO BOX 5151
SHELTON, CT 06484-7151
40 PITNEY WORKS PO BOX 7011
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46207-7011
Jamie
Burbank,California,
U.S.A.
Wanna buy some snakeoil? Finally, somebody is speaking out against this crook! Carl Carranza
#3Consumer Comment
Fri, August 27, 2004
I paid $495 to be listed with Flashcast's "adverising service". I was incredibly displeased with the results of the services Flashcast provided me and after almost a year, I asked for a partial refund and they were unwilling to give me a dime.
Carl and Debra were very nice in all of the pre-contract meetings (even though Carl reminded me of a smarmy car salesman), but once I signed the paper I was like the invisible woman and they would never return my calls. When I stopped sending in the monthly payments, they finally called threatened me with a lawsuit! They were actually trying to get me to pay for a crap service that I never saw one benefit from.
I talked to another mon who had similar experiences but is just writing it off and is afraid to speak up. By the way, I read those pages and they make it sound like Flashcast kids are working all the time but they're not, it's mostly just go-sees for extra work (which doesn't pay for gas).
I'm glad that someone else is watching them. I too noticed how they were advertising without the prices of their services. I hope somebody investigates and takes action. I wish I found this site before I spent my money.