Complaint Review: INTERSHOP Communications Inc

This goes back all the way to 1997. Intershop was doing a beta test of some of their e-commerce software. I was one of their beta testers. My job was to evaluate their software and report any bugs that I found back to the company before they released their publicly sold product. They provided me with a beta copy (pre-release) to test with. They made several promises to beta testers, one of which was that the would discount a $12500 software package to me at a cost of $5000, if I flew out to their office in San Fransisco for training.
I flew from Knoxville to San Fransisco at my expense, and paid them $5000. They told me that I would receive a retail copy of the software when it was released. I trusted them.

I called them several times in the months that followed, and never received my software. I moved to Chicago in late 1997, and attempted to resolve the problem again. No response. I contacted a local lawyer who told me that I would have to find a lawyer in the San Fransisco area to try and collect it for me. I tried again by phone several times. I figured a lawyer would cost me more than the $5000 I was trying to get back.

In August of 1998, I tried again, and was told to communicate with Al Powell in their company. I started communicating with him via telephone, but he soon stopped accepting my calls. I started sending him email, and kept copies. He admitted that his accounting department accepted my $5000, but still refused to either pay me back the $5000, or even a reduced amount that I was willing to accept.

Is there anything you can do to help me? I found out about you on television.

Thanks,
Matt