Complaint Review: Perks Connect -

As far as I know, a review is an opinion of a person who has had contact with a company and/or their offered products or services. That is exactly what I wrote…a review.

Numerous other complaints are filed on:

800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-727-3757

scamguard.com/perksconnect/

usacomplaints.com/miscellaneous/1073877-augeo-perks-card-complaints-reviews.html 

fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/583033

angiemillgate.com/the-scam-i-almost-bought-into-and-what-i-learned-in-the-process/

consumeraffairs.com/employment/perks.html

private-complaints.com/search/?q=Perks

Despite complaints filed in all of these forums as well as BBB, against this unethical company, apparently, my opinion was alleged as an infringement and libelous according to the complaint that company filed in the content site my article was posted in. They made this false accusation to the site admins to have my review removed.

Personally, I think their problem with my article was that it was well written and very specific. They lost a lot of potential business according to the numbers on my analytics. Yet still, they insist on operating in the same unscrupulous manner.

So many people on the web have complaints filed against this unaccredited company, and most of those people also said it was a scam, but I alone, am apparently the only person reviewing them that has allegedly crossed this imaginary line. 

No matter how many of their operatives posted comments attempting to refute it, it failed to undo the effect of my review; and the opinions and gratitude of most of my readers, who either concurred, or thanked me for saving them from losing a lot of money.

Aside from this, if my article had really violated hubpages terms, it would never have been published, or stayed published in excess of five years on that site. They’ve cited and unpublished articles for far less.

Since this unethical company perpetrated a lie to get my #1 rated article on google pulled and unpublished there, I thought I would republish it in its entirety, including the comments here, so that you can see that I was within my rights to post it as a review.

I gave factual information on my encounter with this company, and then gave my opinion of the company and their tactics. My opinion then and now is that they operate like a scam and are unethical in their business services. This was the article I had posted.

Local Deals Review: The Perksconnect Scam For Businesses

The Phone Call

I had received a few phone calls on my phone that showed the name Perksconnect. I had no idea who or what this was, but it showed up on the call log, so I went to check my messages. The message I was left excited me, because the caller stated that she was looking for a massage therapist to take care of employees from two major companies in my area: Winn Dixie and Holy Cross Hospital.

Naturally, I was pretty thrilled at the prospect of potentially landing even one large corporate account like this, so I was interested in speaking to her to see what it was about. However, I never realized that she called on 2 different numbers until much later. The first number she called from was 613 number, and then from 800-727 - 3757. After playing phone tag for a few days, I called one afternoon while driving home, and managed to reach her.

The Pitch

She said her name was Ensa Labush. The reason she called me is because they were desperate to find massage therapists for the employees of these two major corporations, who were knocking their doors down looking for massage therapists. She stated that she had tried a few other well known massage businesses, but most of them, like Massage Envy, were unwilling to give any discounts above 10%.

She asked me what discount I was willing to offer, so I asked her if she had been to my site, as there are quite a few discounts offered through packages, and several of the packages could be used for corporations. She then stated that these would not be purchased by the corporation, but by the employees individually.

Well, this already was not sounding corporate, as first indicated, but at that point, I was still too psyched at the prospect of this volume of business. However, I offered a discount and she was pleased with the discount I indicated. She asked a lot of questions about my business, and then indicated that they could set up an account for me on their site, which would give me a lot of exposure and in which I could make changes myself, so I could alter or enhance current or new deals I wanted to offer.

Actually, on much of this information, she flew through it so fast, I could barely keep up with the specifics of what she was offering me. I was pretty confused at this point, about what they were allegedly setting up for me.

Dropping The Bomb

All of this sounded great, and she was talking 90 miles per hour; plus, I was in the midst of rush hour traffic, so I was also distracted with that. So imagine what was going through my mind as I’m driving through this traffic listening to her spiel telling me she’s going to get me all this business. I was thrilled with the prospect, but in the back of my mind, the thought was there about cost.

I kept wondering how she benefited from the whole deal, because people don’t just call you up offering exposure and business like this without a catch, yet she hadn’t mentioned a dime yet….YET.After she went through this whole deal, which, by the way, caught me completely off guard; then she finally got to the part I had been wondering about  —  the money.

First, she did a review of everything she was offering to make sure I was fine with it. Then she told me that I could get these services from them for four months for $198. When I told her that this was not going to work for me at the moment, then she said, “Well I have four spots to fill, and I can’t guarantee that this will be available to you when you are ready to do it. I can’t guarantee that some other massage company won’t take the spot. It has to be now.

”Since I said that the $198 was too much, she then went to allegedly speak with her supervisor  —  you know the deal; and then came back to me claiming that I had two choices. Imagine. She’s dictating to me that I have only two choices. This was the bullying sales tactics that she used, which is normally something I refuse to participate in myself towards anyone else no matter what I may be marketing. This was her high pressure sales tactic, as if I don’t know that she’s attempting to corner me, and direct my thought processes. As if I don’t know that there is a third option here.

So she tells me that either I can get an extra month, making it 5 months for the $198, or she can give me the 4 months for $149. Wow. Well first of all, I never asked for one month. She came to me. She called me initially, but there she was acting like she was doing me a favor.Of course you know that the nice fantasy she pitched to me earlier came to a screeching halt at this juncture. I was no longer confused. I was no longer bedazzled.

The fact of the matter is that if this was a legitimate marketing offer, she wouldn’t have come at me in that manner. If they could back up their claims of the 30k employees she was telling me needed massage services, and would be utilizing my services, then they would not be collecting their fee up front.

It would be a set up like Groupon, where a percentage is taken from purchases made when they are redeemed. Because this company is more focused on just getting a business to pay them, and apparently, not too concerned with delivering on what they are promising; and because (I don’t believe) they have the reach they claim to have; this is the reason for the high pressure and hard sell tactics.

The Thrill Is Gone, Baby

She made everything look really good at the beginning. I had been so enthralled with the idea of getting this much business from two corporations. However, after she hit me with her high pressure, bullying sales tactics, a red flag had gone up in my mind. At that point I told her that I needed to check out their site, because I could not access it from my smartphone. She then sent me a link to my email.

Fortunately, someone had just arrived at my house that I needed to see, so I told her that I had a guest that had arrived at my home and that I’d have to call her back after I had looked at the site.As I began to research the site, I found out that this perksconnect.com was a division of Augeo Affinity Marketing. If you look this company up, the reviews are not that good.

Additionally, despite the fact that reps from this company or division have stated that there are no BBB complaints on file about them; there are, but they were resolved to some extent, although I’m sure not to the clients benefit. So BBB may have no active complaints on file, but there are complaints in the system. However, if you want to really know what people think of this company and their tactics  —  visit this site:

(((REDACTED)))

There you will find reviews on this company; exactly how they approached or targeted the individual or company, and the results  —  if they successfully scammed the target, or what the targeted person thought of their high pressure marketing tactics. They even have service complaints from people on their Perks program.I looked at several pages on this board, and I did not see one satisfied person. In every complaint I saw, people indicated that this is a scam, except an obvious rep from the company, who stated that baloney about no complaints being listed with BBB. If you get any calls from this company, I’d hang up. Steer clear of them…a wide berth.

COMMENTS

Etherealenigma

6 weeks ago from Florida

I can't understand why they are still in business either. Thanks for commenting.

Fred Chambers

6 weeks ago

PerksConnect is a SCAM!!! They are nothing but a scam. Do not talk to them, do not do business with them, do not engage them in any way. They are not legitimate and should all be brought up on FRAUD charges. Amazing they are still in business. I guess they keep changing their company name and staying one step ahead of the law. Be Warned!!

Etherealenigma

2 months ago from Florida

Nicole, I am an LMT also, and that is how they tried to scam me. Be careful with offers from online services. Do your due diligence and research before signing or agreeing to anything; cause they can tell you anything on the phone, or in email, and make a website look so enticing. Don't let anyone try to manipulate you into a quick decision by telling you that you will miss out on something if you don't. Not even worth it. Thanks for stopping by.

Etherealenigma

2 months ago from Florida

Thanks Lily, for speaking up about these scammers. It's greatly appreciated.

Etherealenigma

2 months ago from Florida

So sorry you experienced that Ana. Thanks for your comments here to let others know about these victimizers.

Etherealenigma

2 months ago from Florida

So sorry you got taken in by her. It's a d**n shame. I wrote this article a few years ago, and she's still playing her manipulative games. I guess I'll just keep the article up, since it's still warning people about her activities. Thanks for stopping by.

Nicole Maisel

7 months ago

Thank you thank you thank you for writing this! I just got off the phone with Enza and was ready to do business with her, as a premiered featured massage therapist, for Carefirst employee benefits services. You saved me some dough, and this hard working mama thanks you! How do these people sleep at night, I don't understand!

kly81

9 months ago

I just got taken by this same Enza Labush. Only now she has upped her game. She is still fast talking and flashing all the wonderful things you can get and there were red flags I just didn't see them or pay attention to them as I usually do with all the commotion between her talking and my kids screaming in the background. She got my information and I didn't listen to the tiny little voice like I should have and didn't stop to slow down and read word for word everything and ended up giving her access to one of our accounts. I never thought that I would be happy about our account being negative but it was so she didn't get anything out of it yet but the account has mysteriously vanished from viewing. We can't see it when we log in but when I called it was still there. I feel like such an idiot! My husbands VA Benefits go into that account. And now we are thinking it is better to close our other account in order to make sure that is safe. It is a big old mess. I don't understand how people can be so cruel. We even talked about how my husband is an Army Veteran with severe PTSD. I can't even fathom how ugly and disturbed you must be to do this to people. I have 2 small children, we are in the middle of trying to move back home and now this. I guess I had wanted to believe that something good was finally coming out of this nightmare. I should have paid more attention :( Please anyone else who gets contacted by this company or by Enza LaBush tell her to go the hell away and get a real job. I am so angry and embarrassed. She should be ashamed of herself

Lily

12 months ago

I had 30 minute phone call yesterday with Rene Arias who seemed to have excellent training in marketing sales for SCAMMERS. He was selling the SUNY program PERKSCARD; very nice, cordial convincing. Emailed 4 documents while we were on the phone. One of them is a letter from the HR director from SUNY- a bogus letter! Another one was the agreement with 2 amounts; first one was about $4,000 to have the business name printed on the front of the SUNY employees card which he mentioned that this was already taken so he enticed me of taking the $2,995.00 that is available for business name advertised on the back of the card. I told him that I will get back to him in the afternoon, he then mentioned that there's another Home Care agency that is interested and I may loss the spot. And pressured me to sign the agreement so he can scam me with the $3,000.00. I did not sign the agreement! Thank God. I googled the company and indeed this was a SCAM. There was a post from a previous employee of the company who outlined the same talking points that Rene Arias used on the phone. Please hang up the phone when you get a call from PERKSCARD.

Ana Couto

13 months ago

I was contacted by an Augeo Affinity Markketing employee in March of 2016 stating they were in desperate need to find a Podiatry office in Manhattan to service a group (SUNY) of 7,000 students and employees through PC Perks program. They asked me if I would be able to handle such a large group. Since we have two offices servicing downtown and midtown and 4 doctors I thought hiring 2 more doctors would be sufficient. I agreed since we were looking to grow our business and paid $2000 upfront. Four months into the program I called them and told them I had not received one single new patient. They told me that all they do is provide my information on the app and its up to the viewers if they want to come. I asked how many viewers/subscribers were there to the program as they had promised 7,000 people and they responded with the number of school attendees which is misleading, false advertising and complete FRAUD! I changed my add in the app to the following message: FREE $50 AMEX Gift Card Testing program validity. First 10 callers will receive $50 AMEX gift card. Must call this number 917-660-xxxx. No strings attached. Not one phone call came through in the last 8 months of the program. This program is a scam and I will take it down. This is a fraudulent program not recommended for local businesses. It is the ultimate marketing SCAM.

Dean P.

15 months ago

Frankly I think this is hysterical how everyone is listening to the rants of Sandra, who seems to be more upset she didn't get a chance to actually try the service for herself. I 'm not saying this was a huge success for our business. But in the end I spent $595 and we recouped our investment and made another $750 on top. So I'm satisfied. It wasn't a huge hit right way, it took some time and some internal marketing on our own, but again, I'm satisfied. Now since I am saying this actually worked for us, according to Sandra I must work for this company because how on earth can anything positive come from this company. Perhaps some of you should have focused on finding additional ways to make it successful for your business instead of coming on here and going off. You get out what you give people...in life...in love and especially in business. Just because you pay for a service does not guarantee its success.

Etherealenigma

17 months ago from Florida

Dissatisfied PerksCard Business

Thank you very much for your post. It was well stated and informative, and certainly gives a very professional reason why people should steer clear of this organization.

UNKNWN

Thank you for stopping by and supplying the info on the president and vice president. As you will ocassionally see, there are a few of them from the company that try to comment here as if they are legitimate customers that are pleased with the services. You can read through that b.s. easily, but thanks for exposing her.

Joey K

You have been complaining that I never posted your comment. I removed the 4 complaints, but your original comment is posted. Don't think for one minute that I don't know you represent that company. Why else would you post repeated complaints about your comment not being posted, including criticism telling me how the comments system works? The reason that happened is that I have not visited this site for a while, and since hubpages does not send notification via email for comments on an author's post, I was not aware of them. However, your post as a rep of the company is up for anyone to see. I'm sure no one will be fooled by it any more than I was.

Jesse

Good for you! They are like the reps from a collection agency that try to stonewall you into an arrangement because they are getting big commissions for doing so. Be cautious with any company that represents itself in such a fashion.

Reid Ready

Yeah, the name dropping should have been the first signal. If they are that good, and their services so great, why would they need to name drop.

semi-anonymous

I agree with you. I think they trolled my website too. Thanks for the rep info.

RalphNader

LOL....thanks for that laugh! Busted!

KPrevallet

Thanks for the visit. No problem. I'm so glad it helped you out. My philosophy is to expose unethical practices by companies like this one. Why should they continue to get away with financially raping people with their illicit practices and piss poor service? I'm so glad I didn't go with them. Joey K from the company says that she/he doesn't see why I would write such a scathing review when I never used their services. I'll write "such a review," when I have been trolled, and received an unsolicited call from a phone bully and their company that tries to bulldoze me into something I never expressed any interest in, nor wanted in the first place; especially if the person soliciting me as a COLD CALL, is rude and disrespectful. Thanks for your comment.

Dr Woods

No problem. Glad it helped you.

Etherealenigma

17 months ago from Florida

Rosario,

Thanks for your comment. I'm happy to see that people are still being helped by this article. Sorry for your losses on that. Just make sure to research anyone making promises like that, so you can avoid the pain of such a loss in the future. I'm SO glad I didn't go with them.

Dr Woods

17 months ago

Thank you for your comments. While she was talking a mile a minute I googled "Perks Connect" and found your comments and hung up. Thanks again!

KPrevallet

18 months ago

Thanks for taking the time to write this review - I was wondering what was up with these people, and now I know. You're saving a lot of people a lot of wasted money!

RalphNader

20 months ago

I received an email from Rachel from Perks, she said she was "working with" the local Vet's Admin. A former employee of mine is a top level executive with the local Vets Admin and she told me she had never heard of Rachel or Perks, now who is a scammer. I won't simply complain I'll put you out of business for good scammer

semi-anonymous

20 months ago

I think ``scam'' is probably an appropriate term. I got unsolicited commercial e-mail. No mention in the junk e-mail that I should send them money, but I confirmed with the spammer that indeed they would want money.

It turns out that I did nothing to get on their junk e-mail list, they had just been scraping web sites to obtain possible targets. This practice suggests that they may be at least a little sleazy.

They appear to have been around for some years. It is possible that at one time they were a reputable (as opposed to sleazy or spammy) outfit and had some legitimate purpose in being. I have no information supporting this view, however.

You may have more information from them by contacting their reps:

[email protected]

[email protected]

I cannot assure that you will not be added to junk e-mailing lists when you correspond with them. I am unaware of many legitimate businesses sending out unsolicited commercial e-mail.

Rosario

22 months ago

Yeah, I got scammed too. Spent over 1500 for a promise to be promoted to thousands of SUNY employees and not one phone call or lead. It was pretty much a waste of money. They totally lured you in thinking it would be free until the end. STAY AWAY from this Company! I am surprised such large institutions would continue to maintain a relationship with this fraudulent company.

customer

22 months ago

customer service numbers

http://1-800-number.net/

Reid Ready

22 months ago

I had the same experience with Perkscard. The rep stated that Sony was looking for life / wellness coaches for their employees. Dropped a few names of other coaches they were interviewing/considering. Then, after 45 min, hit me with the annual coast of $895, plus $13.95 per month. To me, this is not worth it, when there is nothing ensuring their users will select me, let alone what type of ROI I can anticipate. I agree with the shared sentiments that the approach is undesirable. www.reidreadycoaching.com

Jesse

23 months ago

Just came through this today, I ultimately declined the offer after the same exact tactics were used on me, I did Some research , came to my senses and realized what it was, a listing like I the yellow pages. But I agree with ethereal and Heidi esp. Maybe those reps need to make a base pay so they are not appearing so desperate in their attempts to sell us legitimate advertising

Joey K

23 months ago

I found this business model to give my company great exposure to a market that i had not tapped into yet. Basically I would say they definitely gave me the key to the gate, and I am excited to see what's on the other side. The model seems to be structured a little differently than mentioned in this article... so perhaps the criticism was taken and improvements have been made. After listening to the details of this discount program i don't see why any business owner wouldn't think it was a great model... You just have to be smart and use all tools at your disposal in life and make them work for you. I am surprised someone who had not tried it out would be so harsh with their review... but to each is own.

UNKNWN

2 years ago

FOR EVERYONE READING THESE ARTICLES, DO NOT BELIEVE A WORD THAT "COMPANY" SAYS. THEY ARE THE SCAM ARTISTS OF ALL SCAM ARISTS..BY THE WAY ETHERREAL..., THE MK PERSON YOU WERE SPEAKING TO IS MARY KRAPI**** (THEIR VICE PRESIDENT). SHE IS A SCAM ARTIST HERSELF. I ONLY KNOW THIS BECAUSE I SPOKE WITH HER ON THE PHONE ONCE BEFORE WHEN SHE TRIED TO SMOOZH ME OVER AFTER I COMPLAINED ABOUT PAYING $3,000 TO BE ON THE FRONT OF THE CARD ON OF THESE "PERKSCARDS". SHE IS REDICULOUS AND SO IS HER "SO - CALLED - MANAGER PATTI CANONE. THEY ARE BOTH BACK-STABBERS AND COULD CARE LESS THAT ALL OF THESE BUSINESSES DON'T SEE A DIME BACK OF THE MONEY. MAY AND PATTI DESERVE TO BE FIRED !!!! NO QUESTIONS ASKED. THEY ARE LOSERS !! THEY MANAGER A GROUP OF TELEMARKETERS BECAUSE NEITHER OF THEM ARE EDUCATED ENOUGH TO DO ANYTHING BETTER WITH THEIR LIVES... WHAT DO I SAY TO ANYONE READING THIS FORUM ??? DO - NOT - DO - BUSINESS- WITH - PERKS - PERKSCONNECT - PERKSCARD - OR AUGEO AFFINITY MARKETING!!! YOU WILL WASTE YOUR MONEY, GUARANTEED!! INSTEAD, CALL PATTI CANONE AND RIP HER A NEW A$$ !!! WHAT A WASTE OF SPACE

Dissatisfied PerksCard Business

3 years ago

We are contributing this review to make sure other small businesses do not make the same mistake we did. For us, $595 is a large part of our yearly advertising budget. Our company could have easily used this in more fruitful and productive ways. Though we would not go as far as to call it a SCAM, it is certainly not a worthwhile advertising service. Here's our story: PerksCard Network, www.perkscardnetwork.com, misrepresented the potential benefit to our small, local Boulder, Colorado business. They offered a service that failed to deliver a single prospect in one year! We paid $595 for the service and tried different approaches to getting our money's worth by using the online system, Facebook and Twitter support to the PerksCard program, etc., to no avail. The primary problem is that this card is unlikely to be used by most employees at the company where the PerksCard program is offered. This card is provided to employees of a local business with larger than 1,000 employees FREE of charge; thus, it appears few people, if any, choose to use this online system to discover our offer. Despite the clamor from the sales office in NY, this service simply does not deliver the result small businesses want. Do not fall prey to the net-zero-gain promise of "you will be the only company listed in this service/product category within this PerksProgram." We even used the mobile perksconnect.com system and gave potential customers more than 50% off regular rates, but this did not deliver either. People seldom use these cards anymore, and much less, expect to find their business of choice within this system. REALITY CHECK: People use Google first nowadays to begin conducting any product or service search within their cities. If you are a small business, you are better off using the $600 on Google or even niche-targeted Facebook ads. Or, simply use the $600 toward real customers who buy and redeem offers on services such as Groupon; at the very least you will get a client you can serve who can then, based on your great customer service, potentially stay with you for future visits. THUS, WE WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THE PERKSCARD PROGRAM FOR ANY SMALL BUSINESS. PerksCard Network is located on 2561 Territorial Road, St. Paul, MN 55114.

Etherealenigma

3 years ago from Florida

Awesome! That's the reason I write these reviews.

Michael Douglas

3 years ago

Thanks for your post. I got an email from them today. I think this is the same outfit that called me a few years ago. I'm glad I googled a review on them and found your article. You've saved me some time.

comedykidsmagic.com

Etherealenigma

3 years ago from Florida

Sorry Vinny. I'm not in this site that frequently of late, so I didn't see your post until just now. Peace.

Etherealenigma

3 years ago from Florida

I am not aware of SUNY or what it is or represents, but I'm glad it worked for you. My objection at the time I wrote this was more about the way they conducted their business, specifically the manner in which they solicited their targets with some measure of arm twisting and deception. I'm thinking that I wrote the article over a year ago, and perhaps they have made some changes to their practices, and if so, more power to them. I only write articles like that when I see deceptive practices. If they've cleaned up their act and have a system that is working for you, I'm glad. Thanks for stopping by. Peace and blessings.

Vinny

3 years ago

I posted yesterday, Where is my post?

Vincent T

3 years ago

I received a call a few months ago from this company. They said they were working with SUNY and that they were in need of a fitness center. I receive calls like this all the time so I was on my guard. I read your article but then I went to SUNY's Benefits site and saw that they were on it. So I figured that SUNY would know better than the author of this column. Am I glad I did! I was able to get a spot on their landing page and I am already seeing employees and they are BRINGING FRIENDS!!

Etherealenigma

3 years ago from Florida

No problem. I'm glad it helped. That was my purpose in writing this article. Be blessed.

Sandra

3 years ago

Thanks. She's been harassing me for days and my gut was saying. no!! Your information was very helpful! Much appreciation

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

Heidi,

Thank you so much for your input. That was exactly my point as well. My thought is, if what you have to offer is so great and legitimate, why disrespectful approach? I got the same fast-talking, name-dropping, high-pressured and disrespectful approach that completely turned me off.

I'm sure you noticed the company rep that's been commenting here, attempting to sway my opinion, but my point continually to him/her has been, if you can see that your approach and "service" has created issue with so many people (see the 800 message board) then why not change your approach? Why continue to do what so many people are saying does not work for them, or is such a turnoff? Any good business out there puts customer service first, and has a marketing plan that is continually reviewed and updated to address such issues. Why continue with what you called "borderline deceptive and unprofessional" practises, and then come on my article and attempt to justify your company? It's obvious that they have no concern for what the general potential clientele they solicit to thinks. They don't care about their service issues unless, I suppose, you become a customer. So in that case, why worry about what I have to say, since I'm not a customer. I'm just another target that they missed on with their lack of professionalism.

Even if MK , their rep that's been commenting here, doesn't like the use of the word "scam" to describe them; the point of the matter is, they are seriously lacking in professional business acumen, and the fact that so many people have commented to this fact, is an indication that they need to clean up their act. Personally, I see no reason to change the wording on this article just because MK doesn't like it. Just as you read down here and saw the comments, and checked on the contacts they listed; others can too. I think its better that people see the full conversations so they have a good idea of what they are going to be dealing with if these bozos decide to call. One thing is sure, there are plenty of other advertising and marketing companies out there, that are far more professional, and honest in their dealings, and in telling you exactly what they are offering, than these guys. Thanks for the comment. Peace and blessings.

Heidi

5 years ago

So I received several email messages via my website this week from a PerksConnect 'Program Administrator' offering the same deal that was mentioned in the article for a local large business. I was hesitant to call because I thought it was some type of scam, but did eventually leave a message out of shear curiosity. My experience was pretty much the same as mentioned already, so I won't reiterate that, other than to say that being asked 'what type of discount I was willing to give the companies employees' upfront, without even so much as an explanation of the program, was somewhat off-putting, if not offensive. I work hard at what I do, and I'm good at it. So for someone to call me with the assumption that I already understand what their program is about, without even knowing what exactly it is I do (that was inquired about MUCH later) , and ask me to heavily discount my services right off the bat (with the constant reminder/tactic that there is a long list of 'other prospective wellness coaches who might be selected over me!), is a very unprofessional approach. And to be honest, because of those tactics, my 'scam detector' antennae was raised HIGH. So I called 2 establishments that the program administer claimed (in i=his initial emails) he was working with. One a prestigious institution, the other a legitimate well-known business entity. I spoke to their human resources/benefits directors who assured me that 'yes' they do have a partnership with PerksConnect to provide wellness coaches for their employees to consider, and that it was a good working relationship. So, based on that, I determined that PerksConnect is NOT a scam ('fraudulent operation') in that they do not lure with a promise they have no intention of honoring. In fact, the person I spoke to was VERY clear that there was no promise of clients, that a wellness coach is basically paying to have their name on a list of providers the employee can choose from - a sort of modern-day yellow pages for businesses provide their workers. If only PerkConnect offered it for what it is - advertising. Instead, they use the fast-talking, name-dropping, high-pressured, disrespectful approach that is reminiscent of bad car salesmen, is borderline deceptive, unprofessional, and just leaves a bad taste in one's mouth. So I can understand WHY others would call it a scam. Just my 2c.

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

Sure, you can give me those contacts, & when I have time available, I may look into them. However, what remains curious to me is why there are so many complaints about your business on the 800 message board link I posted? Care to explain that? Also, while you are at it, why aren't you addressing that, as opposed to focusing in on me? There are hundreds of complaints listed there, but you keep ignoring that when I ask about it? Don't you care about customer satisfaction?

MK

5 years ago

We are not a lead generation company or a "posting company" and have never claimed to be. We set up discounts for corportions to distribute to their staff. We only negoiate discounts after we have signed documents from that corportion to do so. The presence we supply is not open to the public. Yext has a great business model but that is not what we do. It is not typical advertising but it is a form of print and company specific website presence,not search engine presence . Which is nothing like the company you have mentioned above. If you were to place an ad in the yellow pages they are certainly not going to draft the artwork, publish your ad and then ask you to pay when it is done or ask you to pay if someone comes in from that ad posting. If you were to place an ad in the newspaper they charge you for eveything including the ink they use to print the ad. Most major corportions , charge local businesses to advertise with things like banner ads, and newsletter sponsorships, that are hundreds even thousands of dollars. I guess they are scams too because they charge upfront? OR maybe you do not consider them a scam. Either way, we are set up to be affordable, less then $40.00 per month and require no contract. Since you do not want to verify the facts, I believe it is time for us to agree to disagree. I would be more than happy to put you in contact with the contacts that are local to you so you can verify for yourself that what we called you for was legitimate until then I sincerely wish you luck in your business and your relationship with Yext.

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

On the message board link I provided, I did not see hundreds of positive comments for every negative one. In fact, I can't say I saw any positive ones. I'd only have to assume that those comments, if they exist would be posted by your dept within the company. If you do everything a merchant pays you to do...if your services are so great, why do you charge upfront for them? If your services were really guaranteed, then you would do something like the Yext corporation and charge for legitimate leads when they come in. Maybe you should look into that. I am listed with them, and they screen the calls that come in. If I get junk calls like from businesses like yours, they don't charge me for them. They only charge me for legitimate customers who are looking for my services. All other responses to my listing on their site are not charged to me. That is a company that provides a good service...a legitimate and fair service to merchants. Perhaps you should take their lead.

Mk

5 years ago

We respond to every merchant, we have a customer service team that works very hard to satisfy the thousands of merchants we service, which is why we have an A rating with the BBB. If someone does not contact us and choses to blog instead then it makes it very difficult to satisfy their requests. We worry about everyones "opinion" but some are untouchable. We also have an easy in, easy out policy when it comes to merchants. You again say that you don't "like the manner in which our company does business". That is not factual, nor is it a scam and it is your opinion. Which is is why I have a hard time with the word scam. If we were a scam then I would not be able to provide you with the corporations we "alledge" to market local businesses to. Which you did said was an issue. Now that I request that you contact them to prove our case, you ignore it. We put together programs for thousands of corporations nationwide and have been doing it for years. We do everything a merhcant pays us to do. That is never the question. We do not have 100% satisfaction, but it is important to us to reach out to every merhcant and every blog that allows us to. For every negtive comments there are hundreds of positive ones, but those are on the hundrends of pages after the negative posts. The reality is that it is easy to believe the negative. That is the world we live in.

SpeedySteamer

5 years ago from Sacramento, Ca

THANK YOU! Received an e-mail from them, and they referred to one of our current clients. Did more research and found your site. Very helpful. Now I have to block them, and inform them not to e-mail or call me anymore.

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

My issue is not with the contact you mention. I have nothing to do with that organization. My issue is with the manner in which your company does business. I've been called by other scam companies that try to suck money out of me before they even provide services or any proof of the returns they claim their services would provide. That is the nature of a business that is unethical. The site link I provided has plenty of complaints about the manner in which your company does business. Maybe you should focus more attention there and clear up some of those complaints as opposed to worrying about one person's opinion. There are hundreds of opinions and complaints there. Do you plan on doing anything about those, and compensating those people who have not been satisfied with the "alleged" services your company offered?

MK

5 years ago

I still do not understand how you can characterize our company as a scam based upon the link you provided. There are local businesses saying we are a scam because of the blog not because there is any proof. You do not have to take our word for it or some random ney sayers on line either. You want fact, you can simply request to speak to the conatct of the organization that you were called about. Which will than verify that we are not a scam and stop this all together. Let me ask you this, when you call the contact and they confirm that we do the Perks program for their staff and the employees love it, will you write a retraction to the fact that we are not a scam and you verified that what we said was true?

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

MAG: Not a problem. I really think that when companies act unethically, they should be exposed. As you can see, the company rep that keeps attempting to challenge me has only made excuses for the behaviour of their company's reps, so obviously, this sort of thing is condoned there. If so many people have written complaints on the message board link that I put up, one would think that the company would take a good hard look at their tactics and approach, and make serious changes due to the public outcry, but appararently, it's far more profitable to take people in this way, than it is to operate with decency and ethics that would serve more than simply take. Most small businesses in this economy are already struggling to either get afloat, or stay afloat. Who needs this sort of pirating approach? Thanks for your comment. GB.

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

While I appreciate your right to defend your company, I also appreciate the rights of hundreds of people to express their issues with your company's approach and sales tactics. If I was the only one with an issue with you, I could be a little more understanding of your point of view, but the number of complaints at 800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-727-3757 spoke volumes to me, and anyone can check on that just as well as they can check the links to winn-dixie that you put up. That site tells me what all the small businesses your company COLD CALLED and solicited think of your services. My question is, what do the Winn-Dixie employees and Holy Cross employees think of your services, and are they really getting everything your company claims to offer them? I wouldn't check your sites for that info, because I know it would be biased and only have things that make you look good, so please don't suggest that. And as to your claim that my statements are not factual...again, anyone can check the link above and see just how many factual experiences with your company are listed there in the form of complaints with references to a "scam."

MAG

5 years ago

Thank you so much for this article! :o)

MK

5 years ago

Scam is a very hard word that is overly used today. Unfortunately public opinion is 99% negative today on the internet. We have been doing business for over 24 years and of course we would respond to defend ourselves. I presented the facts, the proof that that we do a Perks program for Winn Dixie and Holy Cross. I question how you can see that as a scam? If you didn't like the sales approach or tactics, I apologize and it certainly is your right to not like something but to call it a scam it's a little overboard. Winn Dixie's website is not all daily deals, it has hundreds of local businesses that are in the states where they have locations. The Winn Dixie website was a collaborative design of what they requested and what we could do for them. Which is what we do for our clients, again you statements are a matter of your opinion and not factual.

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

Thanks for the comment. As I'm sure you saw, someone obviously from the company, commented trying to defend them. So I definitely appreciate your supportive comment. Sorry you got ripped off by them, but this is the reason I wrote the article...to warn others. GB

Mel

5 years ago

Just wanted to say, sadly - I was taken by these people. It is a SCAM - in the biggest way possible. And then they call to follow-up with you once you've cancelled with an aggressive collector-type person. It's unreal. Stay FAR far far away from this site.

Etherealenigma

5 years ago from Florida

If all you took out of my post was the words "high pressure sales tactics," then you missed the point. It wouldn't matter if it was over $198 or $1198 or more. The issue was the manner in which the rep talked to me, like I was some ignoramus that she had to lead by the nose so I would know what was good for me and my business. If this was such a great deal for businesses, then why all the pressure? If a business operates in a reputable way, they will get more business via word of mouth. It's fine to introduce something like this to me, but don't treat me like I'm too stupid to know what's good for my own business. Additionally, I checked all of the links you put up. On this one, http://mywdperks.perkscard.com/en/Pages/DailyDeals... most of the deals listed were coming to your site via groupon, livingsocial, and something called Fat City Deals. These are all organizations that don't charge upfront for the marketing, but take their fee after clients pay and have utilized my services; so why should I pay out any amount upfront to an organization that I have no proof can get me any business? Before I get a single client, I have to pay Perks with no guarantee that I will get anything out of the deal. Sorry. That's just not good enough. Perks may offer discounts to corporations, but that doesn't prove that the employees utilize the perkscards or discounts to the level the rep claimed.

And, if Perks is so fantastic in customer relations, as I experienced; why is there a complaint board with such a large amounts of complaints about this company? http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-727-3757

MK

5 years ago

Based upon the comments above see below links, this is public information and avialable on the web.These are true clients of Perks and not someones opinion of a "high pressure sales tactics asking for $198": Perks has been in business for over 24 years.

mywdperks.perkscard.com/en/Pages/Home.aspx

mywdperks.perkscard.com/en/Pages/FAQ.aspx#l...

[DOC]

2011-Workplace-Excellence - Alliance for Workplace Excellencewww.excellentworkplace.org/.../2011-Workplace-Excellence-Best-Pr...

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

File Format: Microsoft Word - Quick View

Holy Cross Hospital promotes employee health by mailing a quarterly Holy Cross ..... Thirdly, a service called PerksCard and Perks@Work provides discounts to ...

pepboys.perkscard.com/EN/Pages/Home.aspx

discover.store.sony.com/sonyjobs/pages/bene...

denverwoodmen.com/members/perkscard.aspxCached

perkscard.primepay.com/

home.earthlink.net/~james.jeffreys/ncdot/be...

sc.edu/faculty/benefit.shtml

ohr.sc.gov/OHR/employee/OHR-perkscard.phtmCached

team.georgia.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/.../perksExtend1211.pdf

PJ

6 years ago

Thanks I rec'd a e-mail from this company. You made it easy to mark it a phishing scam. PJ