Cal of Crestwood, IL, writes:
I found what appeared to be a job opportunity on Monster.com. I requested to be contacted about a position, which I was, at 8:00 p.m. CST, 12/1/00. I was told that as a requirement of the position, I had to have a website. The cost to set up the website was $89.95. The cost to host the website for one month was $49.95. I agreed to those charges. I was also told that my website would be up for display on 12/2/00. At the time I agreed to the charges, I was also told that I had three business days to cancel my website request, beginning on 12/4/00.

My website was not displayed until Tuesday evening, 12/5/00, and it was completely unsatisfactory for the purpose of doing business as described. It did not even list my name as the contact person. Also, I was told that I would recieve a significant number of leads to contact, they were not forthcoming. I e-mailed Mr. Bob Warren of iPowerBiz.com, informed him that I was dissatisfied and wanted to cancel my association with his company and the charges to my credit card.

He acknowledged my e-mail with a phone call on the morning of 12/6/00. I again verbally told him that I was cancelling. On that same morning, on an unrelated manner, I contacted my credit card company and found out that iPowerBiz.com had charged my account $588.95 under the name of IR Premier/Plus/PowerB. These were additional charges that I DID NOT authorize. I contacted Mr. Warren about these charges by e-mail on the 6th, 7th,and 8th. My final e-mail informed him that I intended to file a small claims lawsuit to recover the full amount. On 12/11/00, I recieved an e-mail from Mr. Warren that I would be refunded the charges (I have a copy of that e-mail).

I have since contacted iPowerBiz and their website provider OhGolly.com to resolve this matter, including the President of OhGolly, Mr. Frank Kavanaugh, and their General Counsel Mr. Paul Fuhrman. So far, there has been no resolution to this matter and Mr. Bob Warren has changed his e-mail address. However, I found the new e-mail address, and once again contacted him today through that e-mail address. I have also challenged those charges through my credit card company in writing. I also left voice mail messages today with the President and General Counsel of OhGolly.com but without any resulting contact. I have printed copies of my e-mail correspondence with all parties concerned.

Unauthorized charges to my credit card in the amount of $588.95, which I believe constitute credit card fraud. The inaction of both iPowerBiz and OhGolly to respond to my requests for a refund, and since I have been unemployed for 4 months, I am under a tremendous amount of stress trying to reconcile how I will pay for those charges. It was my intention to pay for my website with the business that the company said they would GUARANTEE that they would generate for me. I feel that I am the victim of credit card fraud and an MLM scam that preys on people looking for a legitimate employment opportunity.

Susan, an iPowerBiz aficianado, replies:
I searched your site recently for 'ipowerbiz' and came across one complaint from Cal of Crestwood, IL. His one complaint appeared five times in your database under complaints, Rogues Gallery, Consumer News & Alerts, Employment, and Scam Alerts. Cal is getting a lot of press here, and because of the way your database is organized, it appears that iPowerBiz is getting a lot of negative press.

I am an independent representative of iPowerBiz and I can assure you that the business opportunity provided by iPowerBiz is very legitimate. What Cal failed to understand is that iPowerBiz is not offering employment opportunities. As an Independent Representative, it is up to Cal to make a go of it. Those of us who are willing to work hard are doing just that, and more.

My impression, from reading your FAQ, is that you probably won't bother to clean up your database based upon that fact that Cal is confused about the difference between self-employment and working for someone else. However, it is decidedly unfair that you would tarnish the reputation of iPowerBiz based upon one complaint. It has been my personal experience with iPowerBiz that if anyone is unhappy with their products or services, they go the extra mile to correct the problem or they provide a refund, even if the timeframe exceeds their refund policy. Can anything be done to correct this unwarranted negative publicity?

Susan is the first person we know of who has ever complained that it was too easy to find something on our site. As for the substance of the matter, we read Cal's complaint as being primarily about the little matter of $588.95, which Susan did not address.

We are always happy to print responses from companies and if iPowerBiz can power up to send us something, more power to them.

Susan again ...
How do I issue a complaint against your organization? You seem to be very irresponsible, if not 'vigilante', in your tactics. I could easily 'round up others' who've had good experiences (and what would that magic number be, to get your attention?), but I have no promise that you would publish them. I read your FAQ's and the bottom line is that you do whatever you want. Your disclaimer says it all: 'We make no representation as to the accuracy of the information provided and assume no liability for any damages or loss arising from its use.' That's very convenient for you and very inconvenient for those of us who are working hard to make a living. You do indeed cause damage and loss, by not representing both sides fairly and by simply publishing whatever you please. What right do you have to make judgments and statements that impact the livelihood of others without verifying the facts?

You see, I am Canadian, and not accustomed to this outrageous misrepresentation of the facts, nor am I accustomed to an organization that does not take any responsibility for their comments.

What specifically can I do in order to correct this misrepresentation?

Susan could try calling the Queen, we suppose. Harry writes:
I, too, am a Canadian, and was amazed AND amused to hear Susan from iPowerbiz say that as a Canadian, she was not accustomed to deception and misrepresentation as business tactics. She must live in SOME OTHER Canada ...'cause the one I live in is FULL of lying chiselers and crooks ... with the government leading the pack. I think she was just mad because even the CROOKS in Canada aren't as hip or successful as those in the USA.

Not willing to let it rest, along comes Dan of Las Vegas:
I was investigating ipowerbiz.com and saw the complaint that was registered and the responses from you. I noticed your remarks to a lady named Susan from Canada and her last paragraph was off topic and didn't belong. I have found in my short time of dealing with ipowerbiz.com to be reputable and above board. On the other hand your juvenilistic (sic) response to her recommending she call the queen was in poor taste and shows a distinct lack of professionalism on your part. How can someone take your information seriously as an adult when you respond as a child? I am forwarding a copy of this to the consumer newsgroups also to see if you will submit this to your site inflaming (sic) you as you seem to be so fond of doing it to others. Perhaps it is your credibility that should be questioned? I look forward to your response.

We'll try to be less juvenilistic so as not to be inflamed too often, Dan.