Blitz Inc scam reviews, Seattle scams, Bellevue scams, National scams, marketing scams, etc. Blitz Inc reviews some known scams from the company president’s point-of-view. Tom Peck reviews known scams in the Seattle / Bellevue area from his personal experiences. Some are a ripoff, some are legitimate.
Since Blitz Inc is in an industry of scammers and con-artists (marketing), it is imperative for all of us to understand what a ‘scam’ may be. Just because a person, or ex-employee, doesn’t like a job, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a scam. However, consumer awareness is important to protect us against potential scams. So, where do we draw the line? Can we draw such a line? Can we rely on some random bloggers? Can we rely on Google? See below…
Blitz Inc ‘s Tom Peck on ‘Scams’
Let me start off by saying that all companies that produce some sort of content in the Google search results when searching for ‘scams’ are not all, in fact, scams. Although these companies may have complaints from former employees, they may be legitimate and provide a real service or product. What you should be aware of, is any person or company that requires some sort of advanced payment for a service. Although it may be a completely legitimate reason i.e. lack of credit requiring a prepayment for merchandise, it could be cause for concern. Another tell-tale sign may be offering something for nothing. If it doesn’t make sense, as to why the company or person is offering such service, it may not be legitimate.
Complaint and Review Sites’ Authority Opinions
Don’t put too much thought into whether a company or product has a listing with the Better Business Bureau. The BBB, in my opinion, is a form of ‘gentle extortion.’ A company can pay them money (which of course they like) for a better rating. Personally, I think if a company pays the BBB for an ‘accreditation,’ that company has been scammed. What’s even more funny, is that the seemingly authoritative site ‘Ripoff Report dot com‘ has a corporate advocacy program, in which a company can pay the site administrators some money, and they will change the <title> tags of the report to shed a positive light on your report. Wow.
I’ve heard a lot about door-to-door scams as well. My opinion in door-to-door companies selling products is that they are not necessarily scams. Although a majority of people hate the fact of going door-to-door, either commission-only or otherwise, the concept in itself is not a scam. It may be a crappy product that nobody wants. It may be ran by incompetent management. It may be under-paying, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a scam job. A lot of these entry level scam blogs refer to some door-to-door jobs as scams, that are simply just less than desire-able jobs. I think the blogs out there are great for warning people that aren’t looking for that type of thing, but I do think that they are mislabeled. Just because you don’t like a job or what it entails, doesn’t mean that it’s a scam.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Company Reputation
Unfortunately, any person (or company) can write whatever they want, get it published through a blog or complaint site, and their thoughts and opinions gain some instant credibility. The same goes for the opposite. A company can create a very positive image in the eyes of Google (less these days since the Panda update), even though the company may be in fact a SCAM! Through effective back-linking, article marketing, link wheels, link pushes, social media, etc., a company can gain a lot of visibility and get on the first page of Google. So what resources can we believe? … our own logic. If a company is too good to be true, either in their services offered, products delivered, or job offered, it usually is.
- Look at the facts, not the testimonials
- Ask yourself if the product or service ‘makes sense’
- Compare other businesses or products in the industry / market
- Make your own informed decisions
Known Scams According to Blitz Inc
Although not all companies are scams or ripoff ‘s, there are quite of few of illegitimate ones.
The Cruise Line Voucher
Some of my associates have been getting a call saying that they have won a cruise. I remember around ten years ago, I put my name on a list for a drawing for a free cruise. I was accompanying my mother at a craft show in Iowa and got bored, so I started looking around. I saw a table set up with some literature for a free cruise. I put my name in, my mother’s name in, and my brother’s name. A couple of months later, after I had forgotten all about it, they contacted me. I’m not sure if it was really a scam or not, because they required no money at all. I would be in charge of my own costs for the flight, but they would take care of the cruise. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of the company, nor did I book the cruise. I provided my address to the cruise company and they sent me the vouchers. I thoroughly scanned them for authenticity and couldn’t find any fine print or anything. Too bad I forgot about the actual vouchers until after they had expired. I wonder if it was legit. The other names and phone numbers that I registered at the event didn’t get called, so I don’t believe that they were just giving these vouchers to everyone who gave them a telephone number.
I hadn’t given that experience a second thought since then, until a couple of my associates got similar calls recently. Although this time around, they hadn’t signed up for any registration nor had they given out their phone numbers. The funny thing is, it was one day after one of them had just registered their phone number with the National Do Not Call list…lol. Is anyone else familiar with this concept? Taken anybody up on it? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Scams on CraigsList
Thinking about scams just brought two more up from my memory banks. When moving to Seattle, I was trying to find a place to live that would be affordable enough for me to not drain my bank account right off the bat. I moved out to Seattle from Cleveland and was SHOCKED at the cost of living! So, I was looking for something affordable…but not necessarily ‘cheap.’ So where else to look but CraigsList, of course. I had some decent luck with that site in the past, so why not?
After checking out a ton of different listings and emailing the owner of properties for details, I got some emails back. Some were vague, some were detailed. I didn’t think much of it. However, before even a credit check form had been requested, they were already asking for my checking account number, social security number, and even my pet’s name…? Very strange. I then googled some known Craigslist scams, and it popped up. Ok. Lesson learned. The good news is, I found a great place in Redmond after some more extensive searching.
Email Scams
Another scam that I remember is when another associate of mine received an email saying that a distant relative had listed him as one of his beneficiaries. Wow, who knew? Apparently, the person had passed away, and needed to un-load his money. All the ‘company’ needed was an email address, checking account number, social security number, etc. Haha..yeah right. Another similar scam is one that said he won some sort of international lottery. Guess what information they needed to transfer the funds.
Never give your personal information to anyone over the internet, no matter how ‘legitimate’ the site looks. If you do, make sure the address bar’s url is ‘https’ which means it is a secured transaction.
Google as a Research Tool?
Scams are really prevalent today with our internet culture. A lot of information is readily available for ‘research.’ I only put the quotes around ‘research’ because all it really is is typing words into Google’s search bar. So, when people say, “I did some research,” all they are really saying is “I know how to use the internet.”
Unfortunately, legitimate companies can often get a bad reputation once they get labeled with the word “scam.” For instance, when you type in any major company with the word ‘scam’ with it, something is bound to come up, and you instantly develop a less desirable connotation with that company.
The internet is like a bathroom stall wall. Anyone can write anything about any company or person, and not see any consequences from their actions. Maybe some day legislature will change some of this, but probably not as it may have some “chilling effects” on our right to free speech.
Scam Claims and Free Speech: Is ANYONE Safe?
This presents a unique argument in the realm of free speech and holding others accountable for libel on the internet. Feel free to leave your comments for any additional thoughts.
Let Blitz Inc Seattle assess the situation for you. A friendly reminder: Always drink responsibly and have a designated driver.
