Localadlink/Boomj Who's Selling Adspace? Henderson,Nevada

I purchased almost $1,000 in ad credits from Local Ad Link at a discount when I became a BB with the company. Local Ad Link's advertising also said that I would be paid commissions on these these credits when they were used. Instead, I was double-charged for ALL ads I attempted to place using the ad credits, and Local Ad Link has refused to pay me commissions on any of the ads, unless, of course, I pay for these ads a second time. Originally, I thought it was an honest mistake, but, after multiple email conversations with Don Feightner, of Local Ad Link's support department, I received the following in an email:

There was no error here on our part at all, only misinterpretation regarding the checkout procedure and commission structure on your end.'

So, apparently, this is Local Ad Link's position - they sell ad credits to potential BB's, and then refuse to honor them when they are used. Local Ad Link also does not pay commissions as advertised - whatever you might have read is inaccurate - I can tell you from my experience, ALL ads that I do not pay for twice were not commissionable.

Local Ad Link provides two options when you get to the checkout page after purchasing your ads. I used the first option - and I was double-charged for my ad, later the second charge was removed and the commission was reduced to zero. I used the second option when I placed the next ads - and I was double-charged for my ads AGAIN, and was told by Don that I would only be paid commissions on the ads if I paid for them this second time.

As you can see by Don's response to my outrage at being billed for something I had already paid for, he said there was no error on their part in double-billing me before paying commissions. This is definitely NOT what is stated in their advertising!

The following is documentation chronicling my experience, any my observations as the events occurred:

The email below is the first one I sent to support regarding the ad I placed on 3-11-09 using BB credits, and the second email is Local Ad Link's response. As I mentioned before, I used the first drop down box when I placed this ad yet I was charged $199.95 for the ad even though I used my ad credits to pay for it. When I received the following response, with incorrect information, I knew Local Ad Link support had not even bothered to investigate the matter, as they denied that I had even been charged for the ad!

---- Original message ----my email to Local Ad Link -------------------------

> Hello,

> I have an urgent problem that needs resolved today. Please contact

> me = immediately. I ordered an ad last night, got an error message

> and no = confirm, then this morning I'm being billed for $199 -

> even though I = used BB inventory and the online statement showed

> zero for amount due. = If this goes through, it will put my bank

> account in overdraft. Please = call me to resolve this asap.

> Thank you.

-------------------------end of first email ----------------------------------

----Original message ----Local Ad Link email to me ---------------------------

support [#65767] Re: Request from 1084385

dd 134 to me Mar 12

Reply

Dear Customer:

Thank you for contacting Local Ad Link re: overcharge on ad posting of

'Success Coaching Online', Invoice #LAL27842, dated 3/11/09.


Our records show the above invoice was charged in the amount of $0.00.

Please check with your financial institution on the transaction.

Best regards,

Local Ad Link
------------------end of second email -------------------------------------

After receiving the above email from Local Ad Link support, I never received a phone call, or any follow-up after Local Ad Link stated the charge had not occurred. I continued attempting to reach someone at Local Ad Link regarding this issue. I sent multiple support tickets to Local Ad Link, including a copy of my bank statement and a number for Local Ad Link to use to send the bank a fax with the correct information. I also left multiple phone messages. No one contacted me. I finally became frustrated, my funds were frozen at my bank, and the last I had heard from Local Ad Link was a denial that I had been charged for the ad - which was obviously untrue - I had definitely been charged twice for the same ad!

I then started doing some checking online regarding Local Ad Link and discovered others were also having problems with support at Local Ad Link. I was referred to Ripoff Report. I posted my experiences here. It was then that I finally received a response from Don. In his email, Don said the problem with the billing was due to an error on Local Ad Link's part and that he would straighten it out, and he also included this caveat:

'Upon resolution of the matter I am requesting that you take down or revise your post on rip off report.'

Hmmmm, sounds like a bribe to me . . . since they hadn't even done anything to remedy the situation yet! I'd bet that if I had not posted my experience on Ripoff Report, Local Ad Link would not have ever acknowledged the error, or attempted to resolve the matter . . .oh, and btw, when Local Ad Link did remove the second charge, they also removed my commissions.

Here is the complete email from Don below, minus my personal info.

------original email --------sent to me from Don at Local Ad Link support -------

FW: Refund for the charge on 3-11-09

show details Mar 19

Reply

S,

Your incorrect charge has been brought to my attention, as well as another issue that arose regarding a post on rip off report (http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/435/RipOff0435074.htm).

I have reviewed the report and I have also reviewed all the tickets you have sent in to support & I have also reviewed all of your account information and would first like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

As you can see below, the refund has been processed by our payment verification team due to an error on the Ad Setup, Our programmers have corrected this issue and our sincere apologies go out to you regarding this.

I take a lot of pride in my job and finding this report has upset me. With that said I have taken the extra step to get this resolved for you and I have also spoken with upper management regarding the $xxx in fees that you have incurred from your bank and I have received approval to have a check cut to you for the fees that you have been charged due to our error. To get this taken care of immediately for you, please fax (702-463-7007 Attn: Don) me your CC statement showing these charges, or an online statement, or please request something from your bank in writing regarding these fees and I will personally have our VP sign it off then I will walk it over to our CFO and she will cut you a check for the fees.

Upon resolution of the matter I am requesting that you take down or revise your post on rip off report.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thanks,
Don
-----------------end of email ----------------------------------------------

Next, you'll see the email I received from support the following day, the email where support basically called me a liar for saying I had been charged twice for the same ad. I believe this is Local Ad Link's normal" response to support inquiries of this type. You know, ones that have not been escalated because someone wrote a post on the Ripoff Report.

As I mentioned, I received this response the day after Don was concerned about my post on Ripoff Report. You'll see that this email from support was inaccurate, had ignored all the data I had already sent regarding the transaction and then actually said . . . If you were in fact charged" . . . Please! Why was my integrity being questioned? I was not the one who had double-charged anyone! I was only the one who had believed Local Ad Link's advertising - big mistake!

- - - -original email - - - -from Local Ad Link support to me ------------------

support [#67697] Re: Request from 1084385

TB 133 Mar 20

Reply

Hello

It will drop off within a few business days. We wholeheartedly

apologize for the inconvenience and just let us know if there is

anything else we can do!

However, if you can confirm with the bank that this is a completed

charge (not pending), please provide us with the LocalAdLink Invoice

number, the username of your .COM ad account, and the date it was

purchased, also ask them to reference this ticket(if using a new

ticket). If you were in fact charged, we want to make sure you are

taken care of! We appreciate the efforts you are putting forth and

just want to let you know we are here to help in any way we can. We

are very excited to have you on board! Just let us know if there is

anything else we can do!



Take care,

LocalAdLink Support

------------------------end of email ----------------------------------------

Besides having the fact that I was being double-billed trivialized, I was being told that the charges would drop off when the money had, in fact, already been taken from my bank account, I was being called a liar and I was being bribed. I had finally resolved the issues with the bank on my own by filing fraud charges against Local Ad Link. I was angry, and by then was also questioning why it took 8 days for my ad to appear online, rather than 72 hours, and why my other non-related commissions were late.

Eventually, I would also question why my back office showed that I would not receive any commissions on this particular transaction, but I will address that question after I show you my response to Don's email. At this point, I wanted to straighten this out for myself, and I wanted to be sure this wouldn't happen to anyone else I brought on board as a BB, or to any business owners who would place ads. I raised these concerns in the following email to Don.

------original email -----from me to Local Ad Link ----------------------------

Don,
I appreciate that you want to do a good job. If you asked me, I'd suggest you find out where all of the following problems originated and start with attempting to rectify them, so future BB's and business owners do not have to go through what I just experienced.

I could not use my account for almost a week, and eventually had to void my card - causing me to then spend hours contacting honest vendors that have been automatically taking payments out of my account on a monthly basis, some of them for years. I still cannot use my card, as my new one hasn't arrived yet. To say this experience has been aggravating, is putting it mildly. Fortunately, my bank was more helpful regarding this issue than LAL was.

If you've reviewed my emails, you know that I contacted LAL support first, and had tried repeatedly to resolve this issue. All I received from LAL support was a notification that LAL did not charge me! - even when I did a copy/paste of the bank statement and sent it to LAL. I received no other response from LAL until today - and even then, the additional charges were not addressed until your email.

I don't know whose fault this was - but I do know none of it was my fault. I was the one who tried to correct it - remember?

Customer support, and the string of errors I've seen, is inexcusable. In addition to the problem with the unauthorized charge, my ad was not displayed until today (it was purchased on 3-11), and the ad still does not show up in my back office - hmmm, will I ever receive commission on it? And, how do I know the same errors won't occur if I try to use the balance of my ad inventory? Of if I submit an ad for a business? Will this happen to them? And, of course, there was also the issue with the $130 that came almost 2 weeks late. I can understand that LAL is in beta - but it seems kinda odd to me that LAL is able to collect money - even unauthorized money - but cannot deliver the product, the commissions, or reasonable support.

Maybe you think all of this is petty - but I personally do not intend to represent a product to a business owner without knowing that it will be delivered on time, that they will be billed appropriately, and that if they have a legitimate concern the support department will treat them respectfully and at least investigate the claim instead of acting like the customer somehow made up the issue . . . who would waste their time doing that?

Personally, I know it's often more efficient to have a support ticket system. But not having a phone number where someone can contact a live person when there is a more urgent issue - and not having anyone return the phone calls when someone does leave a vcm - also implies to me that customer support is not a priority with LAL. I don't know what department you work in, but if it's customer service, you certainly have your work cut out for you! If LAL keeps making these mistakes, you're going to have a lot more people dissatisfied with the product, the service, and the support.

Best of luck to you! If you'd like to send me reasonable explanations addressing the unresolved problems concerning credibility, product, commissions, and support - I'd appreciate it.
Thank you,

---------------------end of email -----------------------------------------


To this day, I have never received reasonable explanations regarding my concerns, only excuses. All I've received are 'pat' answers that have proven to be empty words. I didn't include all of those emails here.

The following documentation addresses the reason for my additional questions regarding the commissions on this ad purchase. I paid for this ad with ad credits and used the first option when checking out. I was charged a second time for the ad, then, when the duplicate charge was dropped, my commissions were eliminated. My back office shows $0.00 as the Commission Amount for this transaction.

It was after having the problems with this transaction that I asked for clarification from Don regarding the commission structure. I wanted to be sure I'd be paid as advertised on my next transactions. Below, you'll see Don's answer, my subsequent actions, and the new issues that were raised once I followed Don's direction and used the second drop down option for my purchases.

The following is a quote from my email to Don on 3-24-09, when I requested clarification:

------------------excerpt - email from me to Don----------------------------

My sponsor told me I'd receive commissions on ad inventory, is this accurate?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

And, Don's answer to me. . .

-------------------excerpt - email from Don to me ---------------------------

When you use a BB package to check out an Ad and you choose to use one for a free month, there is no commission paid."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The free month was the first option, so I thought this explained why I would not receive commissions on LAL27842, and why the commission amount is $0.00. OK, lesson learned. I thought I must have made a mistake in how I checked out, and that was why I was not being paid commissions on the sale. Dummy me! I hadn't realized yet that the reason I wasn't being paid was because I hadn't paid twice for my ad.

Don's next sentence told me how to get paid on future ads or so I thought at the time. This was in reference to my question about commissions:

----------------------excerpt-email from Don to me-------------------------

" If you select the second drop down to use as 100% commission for yourself, 100% commission is paid."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so since Don had also said in that email: 'You can expect commissions for this ad when the recurring bill date sets in on 5/11/09.' when my commissions were $0.00 for the ad (shown in my back office), my commissions on the first ad were going to be $0.00, and I would be paid $0.00 on 5/11/09. The first option hadn't worked - I was double-charged for my ad, and then was going to receive $0.00 in commissions. So I figured it was time to use the second option . . .

So, that's what I did the next time I submitted my ads I checked the second drop down and expected to be paid 100% of my commissions on those ads. However, that is not what happened. Instead, I was AGAIN charged twice for my ads.

When I questioned Don about this, he explained to me that I misunderstood Local Ad Link's system. In other words, I was told that Local Ad Link's system is set up to charge TWICE for ads placed by a BB, and Local Ad Link's system only pays the commissions Local Ad Link advertises once a BB pays two times for the same ads! . . . that's certainly NOT explained in Local Ad Link's advertising!

In the following emails, you can see my outrage at being double-billed, and you can see Local Ad Link's response to my outrage:

First, an excerpt from an email I sent to Local Ad Link:

-------------quote from my email to Don F at Local Ad Link ------------------

Any reasonable person would not have expected to be double-billed for

ads. That's only logical. No reasonable business routinely charges

their customers twice for the same goods. I'm sure you don't pay for

items you purchase twice, and that's fair. When I saw the 100%

commission, I expected it meant I'd be paid 100% of the commissions

due me - as it is also unreasonable for a company to use the term

'commission' when it's actually referring to billing a person for

something they already purchased - that is not a 'commission' by any

stretch of the imagination! It's deceitful and dishonest for a company

to use the term 'commission' in this manner."

-------------------end of email quote ---------------------------------------

And this is an excerpt from the response I received from Don at Local Ad Link, regarding the above email:

---excerpt - email from Don F at Local Ad Link in response to above email------

There was no error here on our part at all, only misinterpretation regarding the checkout procedure and commission structure on your end."

------------end of Local Ad Link's response to double-billing issue ------------

In other words, I should have expected to be double-billed? And I should have expected to not be paid commissions unless I agreed pay twice for the same ads? The following quote is also from the above email I received from Don:

------------another quote telling me I misinterpreted Local Ad Link's advertising when I expected to be able to use the ad credits I purchased, and expected to be paid commissions on those ad credits, as advertised-------------------------------------------------------------------

Considering all the information provided above, I am requesting again that you take down your post on rip off report based on the issues you have been having are due to misinterpretation of our product."

-------------------end of quote ---------------------------------------------

Correspondence has continued in this manner from Don at Local Ad Link support, and he's stressed Local Ad Link's position, and also repeatedly stressed that I misinterpreted Local Ad Link's advertising. I don't think so! So I have decided to set the record straight and accurately represent Local Ad Link's product to everyone I can reach on the Internet.

Local Ad Link deserves to be accurately represented, and the public deserves to know more about Local Ad Link . . . so here it is . . . From the issues I have been having with Local Ad Link, I can tell you this . . . Local Ad Link clearly misrepresented their opportunity to me I purchased ad credits from Local Ad Link and when I went to use them, they were worthless! Local Ad Link also blatantly misrepresented their commission structure to me.

AFTER I purchased my BB pack, Local Ad Link has repeatedly told me they will not pay any commissions on ads I place with my ad credits, unless I agree to pay twice for those ads. In addition, Local Ad Link is so arrogant that they have repeatedly told me they feel this practice of billing a customer twice for the same ads is justified . . . that I misinterpreted their system when I expected to be able to use the ad credits I purchased, and when I expected the ad credits to be commissionable, as they were advertised.

In summary, I will advise anyone considering a network company to think twice about joining a company that offers a network marketing opportunity without selling a product . . . in this case, the product" I purchased was close to $1,000 of ad credits that were treated as worthless by Local Ad Link, the network marketing company that sold those credits to me. If those ad credits are treated as worthless by the company that sold them to me, I can't even imagine how Local Ad Link can justify their product" to local business owners! Why would anyone knowingly invest their money in something that even the company selling it feels is worthless?

Since Local Ad Link did not honor my ad credits, it should not have surprised me that Local Ad Link also refused to pay me any commissions on those ads. But it still aggravates me as this is contrary to what is stated in Local Ad Link's advertising, where they claim t the advertising purchased with a BB pack is commissionable.

I've worked in straight-commissioned sales for over 25 years, and have a reputation for offering products and services of value to my customers. It's because I live with integrity that my customers are loyal to me and refer me and my products to their friends and business associates. From what I have experienced with Local Ad Link, I would not recommend Local Ad Link's products, support, or opportunity to anyone for the following reason: Based on my experience, I feel that Local Ad Link is not even slightly in tune with their customers' needs.

Most people don't like to pay twice for the same product, most people expect a vendor to provide the product or service as advertised, and most people would not pay $299 for the privilege of working for a company that was selling an opportunity" where they would be expected to mislead their friends and business associates. Most people would not tell others they were purchasing a commissionable product with their BB pack, a product they could use themselves so they could honestly answer the questions: Do you use it? Has it worked for you?" when they knew for a fact that the advertising credits they were selling were worthless. It's amazing to me that Local Ad Link just doesn't seem to get this!

I was charged twice when I used the first drop down at checkout, and I was charged twice when I used the second drop down option. Those are the only two options available at checkout, so it became clear that Local Ad Link's system is set up to double charge BB's for ads, regardless of the way they checkout at the time they purchase their ads. Each time I tried to use my ad credits, I was billed for ads that I had already paid for.

I feel that advertising to potential BB's that they are purchasing ad credits, and then not letting the BB use those credits is misleading at best, and unethical and fraudulent at worst.

In addition, since I have refused to pay twice for ads, Local Ad Link has made it clear I will not receive commissions for any ads purchased with my ad credits . . . more false advertising?

If you've read this far, you're intelligent enough to see that Local Ad Link has taken my money, has not delivered the product they advertised, and has told me they have done nothing wrong . . .is this the kind of company you would like to do business with? Is this the kind of company you would recommend to others? I hope not!

I'm still waiting for Local Ad Link to refund me the charge for the double-billing - and now I can't access my back office either. So, even if I wanted the ads I paid twice for (which I don't, because they're useless to me) I wouldn't be able to revise the ads- which is a feature they advertise as being available to Advertisers. More false advertising? Coincidence? Or retribution for my second post to ripoff report?

So far, I've incurred $1,621.95 in charges due to Local Ad Link's "opportunity", and have nothing to show for my investment. I hope this post saves someone else from even considering Local Ad Link as a legitimate business opportunity.

I was a BB for LAL and initially was very pleased with their service offering. So as any entrepreneur would do I went at it full steam ahead! After 2 months of selling a ton of ads and signing up countless individuals things began to fall apart rapidly. So this rebuttal is from someone who had great SHORT LIVED SUCCESS!

Myself and all of my new recruits began not receiving paychecks, businesses disappeared from the web, and some of my customers were even double charged!

Well almost 3 months later still no paychecks, no businesses showing on any search engine, and no resolution to the dual charges. I have told everyone to dispute their charges as well file formal complaints with the SEC. I have done the same and recommend anyone who has been scammed by this company to do so as well.

We are now dealing with hundreds and hundreds of upset customers, AE's, and BB's. This company does not respond to any support inquiries so if you have a problem it is pretty much tough s**t.

I used to defend this company tooth and nail only to realize it is a total SCAM! Take it from me and stay away from these criminals!!

This perspective is from from a Local Ad Link representative and a business owner - and it's definitely NOT pro-LocalAdLink.

Local Ad Link has deplorable customer support. There is no phone number to reach anyone other than a computer . . . I have attempted to reach Local Ad Link multiple times through their support desk, and their phone system, regarding a billing error - their mistake, not mine. This error has already cost me $199.95 plus an additional $178 in bank charges. Do you think LocaL Ad Link has corrected their error? Of course not! So, their error is costing me money, but they're benefiting from the money they take from others to build their business and brag. They'll go to their fancy hoopla in Las Vegas this coming weekend and tell of all the money they're pulling in - my guess is that the money they're making is at the expense of many unsuspecting reps and business owners.

I became a representative for Local Ad Link because I know some businesses will purchase Local Ad Link for the convenience of it. Different strokes for different folks. It's not up to me decide what product is good for a business. A lot of people will pay a premium for convenience. Not everyone wants to manage their PPC campaigns, nor do they know how - or know of the other options available to them. So, Local Ad Link seemed to be a solution for a certain niche.

I say "seemed to be" because I tested the waters by running my own ad - and discovered that Local Ad Link doesn't always deliver the advertising a business owner purchases. In my case, they've charged me for an ad but I have yet to see it. And, we're past their 72 hour window - the time when the advertiser pays for their ad but Local Ad Link isn't contractually obligated to display the ad - well, apparently, Local Ad Link doesn't feel they need to display the ad after 72 hours, either! It's been 6 days since I ordered my ad. And my ad is still not on their website, or in my Back Office.

In other words, since I've paid Local Ad Link for an ad and it's not being displayed anywhere, that's the most expensive advertising I've ever seen! What kind of a product is that? They've taken my money, and I'm getting nothing in return. I may as well have thrown my money down the drain . . . and, yes, you guessed it . . . Local Ad Link support has not corrected the problem, although they've been contacted repeatedly about my concerns regarding this ad. Why should they fix their error? They have my money.

As far as the business opportunity goes - when you become a rep for Local Ad Link as a BB, you purchase approximately $1,000 in ad inventory that you are supposed to be able to use as a credit towards ads for yourself, or for other business owners, as an incentive to use Local Ad Link.

I wanted to test the system, so I used some of my ad inventory for the ad I referred to above - and I was charged $199.95 for the ad anyway! So, the claim of Local Ad Link ad inventory being available is also clearly bogus. Otherwise, why was I charged $199.95 for my ad?

When I contacted Local Ad Link for support, they actually told me that they didn't charge me! Yeah, right! My bank just made up the charge and somehow erroneously sent the $199.95 to Local Ad Link out of the goodness of their heart? They must think I believe in the Local Ad Link Tooth Fairy too! Gimme a break! How stupid does Local Ad Link think people are?

Local Ad Link also keeps plugging in additional income streams into their system that benefit the company, but not reps or business owners. Now, I have no problem with someone promoting affiliate products. We're all in business to make money. Local Ad Link selling vista products and cutting edge media leads is their prerogative but, get this . . . they're actually charging their reps $1 to view the salespage of cutting edge media! Amazing, but true. They don't even tell their reps. what cutting edge media is until after the reps pay Local Ad Link for the privilege of reading a salespage! Unbelievable!

I could go on and on, but I have to run for an appointment. I'll sum this up by saying this - I don't think most Local Ad Link representatives have a clue about what they're selling. And, from what I've seen, they're ONLY selling a business opportunity - and that business opportunity is built on sand - there's no product behind their claims that is worth what they're charging! In my case, I've spent almost $800 between charges, bank fees, and ad credits and have not seen any product at all. Their customer service is sub par, to say the least - for representatives and business owners alike.

Network marketing is a sound business model, but some companies sell hype and bad products - they bring in people to sell their opportunity - people who don't know how inferior their product is. The company keeps their money and, of course, the reps can't get a refund after they are in. Network marketing companies that treat others like this usually go out of business. I can only hope that Local Ad Link is exposed for what they are, and that others do not lose as much money as I did!

Oh, btw, I also brought 3 reps into the company - when I still trusted their hype - and was to be paid $130 for my efforts - and, guess what happened? No surprise here - they didn't pay me on time - I received payment nearly 2 weeks late - and I was sent a debit card with outrageous fees attached to it for future payments - like a $3.50 per month privilege fee, .50 per transaction fees - and a whole list of other charges for each withdrawal, etc. - guess who thinks that's a "convenient" way to pay their reps? Yep, Local Ad Link - who is undoubtedly making money on these fees while their reps are paying to help this company be profitable until they go public in a year or so.

And, of course, future payments to reps are based on continuous ad sales - you know, selling those ads that don't get placed, and then having the reps handle the complaints from their customers, since no one can reach customer support. How long do you think ethical reps will continue to sell for Local Ad Link? Not long . . .and we all know who will keep the money earned by those reps - yep, the company: Local Ad Link.

From my experience, all I can tell you is that Local Ad Link collects fees on everything, doesn't deliver their ads within their alloted timeframe, doesn't pay their reps according to their contracted agreement, doesn't investigate their support inquiries or answer them with reasonable solutions - and treats their reps and business advertisers like they're idiots.

I would certainly not recommend Local Ad Link ads OR their business opportunity to anyone with a conscience! Oh, and as far as their webinars go, I've attempted to get in on them 5 times in the past, and was either kicked out of the system or no presenter showed for the webinar. I contacted the infamous customer support desk regarding this problem - and, you guessed it - no response and the problem persisted.

Buyer beware! Local Ad Link dishes out a lot of hype, but I sure can't find any evidence of a decent product, a sense of ethics, or reliable support.

I applaud you & the other contributors for coming forward w this information. I, too, signed up as a BB and despite my own due diligence efforts, the questions re the value & benefits of this service are only being raised now. I, for one, got caught up in the halo effect of the founder, Bob McNulty, and the 'mission' of genuinely helping small businesses in this economy.

You've said nothing much. I hardly tried to sell any of this product because I lost interest shortly after I became a brand builder. I lost interest because my sponsor support was hideous, and they wont allow you to switch, they changed critical components of the comp plan right after I paid my $300.00 including elimination of stock options for account executives, and there's no real consistent proof these ads work on a commendable scale. It's nothing but hype so far. I see in your area of Cobb,Ca that there's hardly any ads sold to speak of including the surrounding area. So How many ads have you sold Mr. Professional? And more importantly how many of the merchants that bought the ads from you feel that they are getting their moneys worth. There's no reason for me to apologize. They should have given me my money back or let me switch to another team. Its all hype!! Mark my words... If these businesses feel the ads work, they will become account executives or brand builders themselves and buy their ads from themselves, unless they happened to get talked into a full year contract ad purchase. Its stupid to buy a full year at full price when they can essentially get the ads at half price, since they will be payed the commission, just by signing up as an account executive or brand builder. When the merchant realizes that they can by the ads from themselves the only residual to speak of for the original sales person will be the ambiguous team bonus plan. However, after April 25th this scenario will change due to the commission structure change. The policy active/inactive details are sorta vague. What happens after a few years of selling ads and you dont want to sell anymore or for whatever reason, health issues, etc. you decide your not going to sell anymore ads. Will they take all of your previous hardwork and accumulation of residuals, etc. and quit paying you because you're not continually selling ads. People need to really fully understand these issues. Beware! Like I said....SHOW SOME REAL PROOF OF ADS BEING SOLD BY SOMEONE CONSISTENTLY WITH PROOF THE SAME ADS ARE WORKING FOR THE MERCHANT. I know that when I go to localadlink page for my city and see what ads are featured paid ads and then go to google page to test and then enter several key words several times....the featured ad doesnt show up. Alls Im sayin at this point....Is get clear answers on several key issues before you pay a brand builder fee and put lots of time in this.

I have to say as a sales professional, " You need a check up from the neck up". Have you even made any sales to begin with? Thirty, forty, or fifty percent of nothing is still nothing. Why not try and become productive by generating sales on the products' value. When you realize it's still a great commission, apologize for the things you wrote.

Important Updates From Tech Department





TECHNOLOGY UPDATE: FRIDAY FEB 27, 2009


We are aware that some of you are experiencing problems with 1) ads showing in the directory and or the ad network and 2) getting a white screen when attempting to login. This is a temporary problem as we are currently in the process of migrating from Beta 1.0 to Beta 2.0. This is a migration of all our software (localadlink.com and the ad server) to a new set of servers. We are conducting this "live migration" to keep from taking the entire system offline during the overall migration process.

We expect this migration to be done by 1am on Monday night.

We expect to have some of the errors occur in different regions of the country while the live migration takes place. We apologize for this frustration and are striving to make our systems completely stable. These upgrades to our system will give us the ability to sustain the incredible growth that LocalAdLink is experiencing. The current system IS allowing ad sales and we will continue to accept orders normally. We are processing hundreds of new ad sales each day. We appreciate your patience in this matter.

More detailed updates on the progress of our migration will be released as they occur.

Thank you,

LocalAdLink Tech

the email that was sent to me from corporate evidentally had a type O in the second mentioning of the grandfathered for life statement it says that all brand builders who secure the position before January 7th, when it says before February 7th in the first half of the same email as follows. This is the same exact email. The reason Im bring this up is because I joined about 1st week of January 09 and this email ( I will send/forward it if you ask) was sent to me on FEBRUARY 4th, 09.
I DID NOT LIE...they did say for LIFE.

Major Corporate News Alert (Dr. Scott Elliott)



Major Corporate News Listed Below. All Current Brand Builder Positions Are Grandfathered FOR LIFE At 50% Immediate + 50% Renewal.

All New Brand Builder Positions Secured BEFORE This Saturday, February 7th At 12 Midnight EST Will Also Be Grandfathered FOR Life At 50% Immediate + 50% Renewal.

This Is Significant To Everyone Who Secures Position Before The Deadline This Saturday Midnight.

Corporate Webinar Tonight At 10 PM EST - Register At: www.localadlinksupportsystems.com

Grandfather Brand Builder GUEST Webinar - Thursday, February 5th - 8:30 PM EST - Register At: www.mylocaladlink.com/register

Powerful New Online Company Review - Refer Everyone Immediately To: www.mylocaladlink.com/video

We Are At The Very Inception Of A Global Marketing GIANT.


The Soft Launch Period for LocalAdLink has proven to provide invaluable information regarding the true power of LocalAdLink in today's marketplace. With company revenue more than doubling monthly it's an exciting time to be part of this great company.
The Purpose Of Soft Launch Is To:
~ Identify Core Field Leadership
~ Determine Price Point For Mass Volume
~ Establish Needed Company Profit Margins
~ Isolate Technology Glitches
~ Scale Field Support / Customer Support To Same Day Response
I am pleased to announce that Beyond Commerce and LocalAdLink have experienced sufficient market penetration to successfully implement long term price points and commission schedules that will provide needed profit margins for company profitability.
Company profitability results in having the resources required to immediately address and correct all current technology glitches and support issues.
This equates in our ability as Account Executives and Brand Builders to build life changing long term income while enjoying the highest level of corporate support, training, and resources.
We have come a long way in a very short period of time. Your vision, positive attitude, and leadership has, and continues to be, invaluable to the forward advancement of this great company and team.
Valuable Comparison Charts For Your Review:
CURRENT Price and Commission Rates valid until midnight Saturday 2/7/09
Renewal
PriceRateCommission PriceRateCommission
Basic$49.9550.00%$24.98 $49.9550.00%$24.98
Standard$99.9550.00%$49.98 $99.9550.00%$49.98
Premium$199.9550.00%$99.98 $199.9550.00%$99.98




NEW Prices and Commission Rates EFFECTIVE 2/8/09
Renewal
PriceRateCommission PriceRateCommission
Basic$69.0040.00%$27.60 $69.0030.00%$20.70
Standard$149.0040.00%$59.60 $149.0030.00%$44.70
Premium$249.0040.00%$99.60 $249.0030.00%$74.70


All Brand Builders Who Secure Position BEFORE Saturday, January 7th At 12 Midnight EST Will Be Grandfathered At 50% Immediate AND 50% Renewal Commissions - FOR LIFE.
All Current Brand Builders Also Are Grandfathered - FOR LIFE.


All Brand Builder Positions purchased BEFORE this Saturday, February 7th are Grandfathered - FOR LIFE.

MAJOR CORPORATE WEBINAR TONIGHT - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH - 10 PM EST
RSVP: www.localadlinksupportsystems.com

Thursday, February 5th - 8:30 PM EST
Grandfathered Brand Builder GUEST Webinar
Ensure Everyone You Know Is On This Powerful Guest Webinar

In your 8th paragraph first sentence you stated: "It was never, ever said, that we will be getting lifelong 50% commissions."

EXCUSE ME..... I still have this email from localadlink corporate:

After reviewing extensive analytics for needed company profit margins while rewarding us in the field for assisting with Soft Launch issues current brand builders will be grandfathered at 50% commissions for the next 13 months.

Initially this was communicated as 'For Life'. In order to increase current $50 cycles to $65 requires the company to cap 50% commissions for current brand builders to the next 13 months.

And here's a previous email to the above email that Im sure helped them to get alot of scurrying brand builders aboard:

All Brand Builders Who Secure Position BEFORE Saturday, January 7th At 12 Midnight EST Will Be Grandfathered At 50% Immediate AND 50% Renewal Commissions - FOR LIFE.
All Current Brand Builders Also Are Grandfathered - FOR LIFE.

I can forward these emails to anyone asking.

You stated in your rebuttal: There no longer is a monthly brand builder fee, AND when there was.. it was optional. They gave you 2 ads (normal 50 dollars) for 9.95 each to sell and STILL make the 50 percent commission on the 50 dollars.
REBUT: Since I joined or before... I never heard anything about a $9.95 ad you could sell and THEN still get a 50% commission on the actual $50.00 ad price? So Who cares. The brand builder fee was only optional if you were not producing enough ad sales. Dont you think you should've mentioned that?

You stated that the financial structure changed for our benefit.
Whatever...in long term THEORY,maybe, only. Losing the fast start $100.00 bonus is to the company benefit not mine...this was a huge critical change in MY personal compenstation and motivation. Furthermore having their recent (one so far) or an OCCASSIONAL promotion to pay us a $100.00 bonus is not the same as paying a continual $100.00 bonus For EVERY brand builder you bring in. Sometimes you just gotta take what you can get though.

You stated that we were given a heads up regarding No more stock options for Account Executives.

I never got a heads up about it before I joined..thats for sure. What happened after I joined doesnt matter as I have no control over it.

You stated No more Brand builder fee.
Well this is a change I'm not aware of...maybe because I no longer have much faith in hype, and havent been paying attention to the company or emails like I use to. Anyone planning on joining, among other things to scrutinize, make sure they're not charging the $19.99 monthly brand builder fee then if this is the case.

Maybe Your one of the whopping 10% or less thats really selling ads...to your friends or something. I think you've mostly put a spin on words, possibly slight deception, in your rebuttal. Its obvious you cant stand that someone has given truthful FACTUAL information. I didnt give nonfactual info as you stated. Well maybe you'll get a few brand builders out of your rebuttal. Your last sentence is stupid. I'll bet you cannot prove that MOST of the ad space is working for the merchants. I could be wrong. If anyone is planning on joining this company..SEE IF YOU CAN GET SoMe real Proof that these ads are working. Real Proof...not hype from a few people in the company. Believe me....most people if not all saying the ads really work are brand builders that want you to join. My sponsor refused to give me any upline contact numbers. Make sure you get someone as a sponsor who can really help you build a team in addition to asking some important questions about the comp plan, who's selling lots of ads, How are they selling them and get REAL proof the ads are working for more than just a few companies or brand builders. YOU MUST READ all OF the company policy/procedures. You'll see they can stop paying your commissions if they choose to. Remember they can change whatever they want regarding the comp plan and your compensation. And remember that the 50% residuals will probably stop real quick if these ads work for the merchant because they will likely become a brand builder or account executive themselves and they'll just pay themselves 50% because they wont buy the ad space from you any more..They'll buy it from themselves as an account executive or brand builder. It would not make any business sense not to buy it from themselves. This is major flaw in their comp plan as I see it. These are issues you really need to weigh out. Once again..READ THIER POLICY/PROCEDURES.

Hi,

I'm glad this site gives the opportunity to offer rebuttals, because I think so unfair, and non-factual information is being displayed here. Before I comment, rebute, or speak of anything in regard to Local Ad Link, I would like lay the groundwork to my argument, which in and of itself is more powerful than my argument itself.

Local Ad Link is still in the beta/soft launch phase. They have daily webinars, conference calls, and e-mails that get sent out to all of us. They have continually kept us updated on changes, fixes, errors, upgrades etc. Nearly every change they've made to the financial structure has been to our benefit. Also, I would like to comment that you don't have to pay to be on board LocalAdLink. You can make sales without putting any money down. I'm going to respond individually to each of this gentleman's points.

*I paid the brand builder fee in January 09. A big reason I came on was because of the quick bonus $100.00 we were compensated for bringing other brand builders in and I thought that it would be easier to recruit someone initially as an account executive (no brand builder fee) because they were to also to receive stock options. I figured its a no brainer..that within a couple weeks or sooner they would see the excitement ("hype") about this company and become a brand builder anyway. Account executives do receive a nice commission (I will speak to this in a moment), however the extra bonus was the stock options they would receive for their personal ad space sales production.*

This is all true, nothing incorrect here.

***After I became a brand builder, about a week- not great timeing i guess, they discontinued the $100.00 quick bonus and eliminated the stock options compensation for Account Execs. I understand that they needed to do something about this Quick bonus $100.00 issue because no one was selling ads; it seemed everyone was recruiting, no ads being sold-not many anyway, and everyone was just recruiting for that $100.00 bonus. I think they should have kept the $100.00 bonus, but required one ads pace sale for every $100.00 bonus receivable..something to this anyway. I guess it would have been to much to create tracking software for this rememdy. ***

You came on board the company in January, which was 3 months into the company's launch. It's a well known approach to offer deep early incentives to bring people on board. How long can a company maintain itself if it always give 50% commissions (like they still do) AND pay people for each Brand Builder. They cut into early profits to get people on board. Also, keep in mind that the company is still in it's BETA phase. It's not officially launched, nor are their sibling sites/companies. I do admit removing stock options for Account Executives may have left you with a bitter taste. But they gave forewarning of the event, AND it makes sense. You want stock in a company, get on board.

****Anyhow they've been making other critical changes every few days or weeks. Like telling everyone there in for life at 50% commission and residuals, then a few days later. changing from life to 13 months. I can deal with this too i guess. Here's my real question. Who Is Selling Ads?...Im talking real production to brag about...Maybe a couple people in the organization? Alls i know is when I check the big cities localadllink site where they've held big conferences such as Dayton, Ohio and Las Vegas, Nv...i see very few companies that are paying for advertising with localadlink.****

It was never, ever said, that we will be getting lifelong 50% commissions. That would be impossible to maintain. How do I know this? I've attended all the webinars and conference calls AND have all their e-mails. Please don't lie.
The scenario went like this 50% commissions and 50% on renewals. Then it changed to 40% commissions and 30% renewals (btw, we were given a 7-8 week heads up on this). THEN it was offered that those who are current brand builders are being grandfathered into the company, and will maintain the 50/50 structure for 13 months. Pretty generous if you ask me.
Need proof it works? Shoot me an e-mail divinejc@gmail.com. I will show you ads, testimonials, and even phone numbers for people and businesses using this, and getting results. You're speculating here.

****It appears that 90%+ of reps, the brand builders and account execs are not selling any ad production worth speaking of. Also Im on the computer alot...When i first heard about this....the company claims that Boomj, critical partner site with Localadlink, is the largest babyboomer and genx networking, social site out there. Hmmmm..Im not convinced..go to the site Boomj.com and see for yourself. So far the ony people making money are the few that started this. How Much? Well, there's a brand builder monthly fee. Currently about 5000+ brandbuilders paying $19.00 per month ongoing activity fee = about $100,000 a month to a few peeps that started this and the few employees in customer service. And of course they've brought in 5000 x at least $300.00 ($300 brand builder fee is now $349.) ****

Where is your data for your first sentence? You know BoomJ.com is being redone yes? There no longer is a monthly brand builder fee, AND when there was.. it was optional. They gave you 2 ads (normal 50 dollars) for 9.95 each to sell and STILL make the 50 percent commission on the 50 dollars.

Originally they had 3 customer support reps. Now they have 15, with a support ticketing system. You're complaining about a company in SOFT LAUNCH. Look it up. Go to www.localadlink.com, what does it say by their name? Thank you

***Once again..Who is Selling A respectable number of Ads..other than just a handful of people? Its all been nothing but hype so far. I hope for the economy this works out. The product/concept is great.***

Of course there's hype, and the product works. What's wrong with that?