Hi Pamela,

I have to begin by letting you know I am not a lawyer or certified financial advisor, etc. I know from having a business that things can get a bit kooky and phones go down with computers at times and can back up the whole process. Just yesterday I went to place an order online with a company in CA and their phone system seemed to be down. Luckily I could order online with them and let a rep know there were issues.

Anyway, here are your options. If a charge has not been made, they could be have just been having issues. I don't know. I say this because I legally can not say anything damaging about the company at this time, I can only present my personal findings if you know what I mean. Only the truth. :) But if you are thinking of changing your mind at this point here is what I would do. They have not charged you correct? I would call my credit card company or bank if it is a debt card and let them know you think your card number has been compromised. They will stop payments on anything getting charged to that account. You may need to call any other companies you have outstanding charges with and explain your situation as well - depending on how your card is connected with other things. You may have to update accounts once a new number has been sent to you.

I find your being in Canada really interesting in this mix. My question is - did CRS realize you were in another country? They must have. So they are basically saying their kit is beneficial even when dealing with international laws? That is something to look into all in itself.

Please do keep me updated! I would love to hear if they get back from you - and should you decide to follow through I'd love to hear if/when you get the kit and your personal assessment of the kit.

Oh Peter, I am so sorry to hear this. As an online marketer I know there are ways to make money, and companies like this just really can make every online opportunity look like a complete scam. I have been there - so I know how you must be feeling right about now.

I'm guessing you had some kind of subscription in place in order for your credit card to bill you again? From the looking around I have done I am not able to see where New Age Marketing is at this point.

As for CRS, I am unable to verify where they are getting their call list from and that is extremely concerning. This is information that (I think) should be provided to the public. Meaning - they should explain how they came across your information.

Hi Sue,

Yes, we heard FTC thrown into the pitch as well, so I'm giving them a call today. For them to say that they are monitored by the FTC - well everyone is "monitored" by the FTC as far as I know. There is nothing to stop anyone at anytime from filing concerns or complaints with the FTC. But to tell you the truth - the FTC has bigger fish to fry and even our cries and complaints (on another scam) were not attended to - to my personal knowledge, unless there is something that is in the works.

While they (CRS) are listed over at the BBB that is not rocket science. This does not make them approved by the BBB or endorsed by the BBB - it is just a general listing of businesses.

Take for example Kimkins - which was the scam that inspired the initial creation of this blog back in Dec 2007. The business is still open, and can say legally they are listed in the BBB. If you follow up, Kimkins has a rating of F thanks to relentless consumers who took action to file their complaints about the company. Of course, these complaints did not find their way there in the beginning. It took a couple of years for the company to gain enough exposure to get to the point of consumers uncovering facts that were disguised by the company and honestly that company would have never gained the popularity that it did if the truth had been available from the beginning.

And while the service provided by CRS may be valid, I am a bit disturbed over the fees and pricing. What on earth are they doing that will cost them $1,000 to do? You have to consider "they would attempt to get my money back" and wonder - are they going to fill out your paperwork for you? Either way, if they don't get your money back they have claimed $1,000 either way which is still a good chunk of change. Anyone who decides to go for this package should be entitled to a list of actions that this company plans to do. The job they are doing for you if you know what I mean. It should be treated the same as going to a doctor or a lawyer. Do you just hand the money over? While many people do - this is a big mistake. Will you let the doctor shoot you up with something before asking what is in it and what is it for? Is it really necessary to get your wisdom teeth pulled out? For some, yes, and for others they just get it done without getting that second opinion.

The scariest part of this business is that they have some how obtained a list of the victims. There is now someone out there who has YOUR name, YOUR phone number and knows that you were taken for some money. It is not like a charitable organization that is saying "we want to help the consumers and we only charge what is necessary to run the business and we don't get paid unless you do." This company has got their hands on a LIST of sensitive information. My biggest question is how on earth did they obtain this list? And if they got it, who else was able to get it?

In marketing there is a saying "the money is in the list" and this is a prime example. The people being targeted are those who have or had money, thousands of dollars of it, and were willing to part with it. You are all an extremely vulnerable group - and CRS is taking orders regularly (just a guess - they told me 25-35 per day) with no assurance to the consumer that they will get a refund of any kind. They can not guarantee you will get your money back - and it was smart of them to make sure you know that. This covers them and validates them keeping your money irregardless of the outcome. We are reliant on the words of the representative or the manager to trust that they have satisfied customers and testimonials.

Perhaps they do have access to some funds, and I don't know a whole lot but to insure all the people who signed up for the scam I was involved in could get their money back this required the assembling of a class action lawsuit.

There is nothing to stop other companies from squandering funds away and declaring bankruptcy. How deep will this refund money pile go before it is dried up? Isn't each consumer entitled to a refund when a business is fraudulent?

Assuming that the practices of CRS are in order, I'm afraid for those at the bottom of the barrel who may not get the help they deserve. I could be wrong about all of this - and let's hope I am. I'll be sure to let you all know what I am able to get out of the call from the FTC.

J. Portier,
Thank you for stopping by! Wow! A grand up front and 20 percent? That is crazy. At the same time, I understand completely. In your case you'd be getting back over 10g if they could produce. There is no reason in my opinion for you to have to shell out a grand to get there! This could be factored into the end result - IE 1,000 service charges after they get your money back for you and 20 percent bonus. I think everyone would be much more willing to take them up on the deal if that were the case.

I know in this time of economic strain it would be nice to jump in and retrieve funds asap, but personally I have advised my friend to hold off for now. I'd really like to see a company or name report on them that I recognize.

I am curious to find out what exactly is in the DIY kit. If it is things like filing a complaint with the FTC I have a video on how to file a complaint with the FTC right here - LOL ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ_qkpZFK8s Just whiz by the drama and sarcasm in the front (my own entertainment for others on another case) and you can follow along as I file their online form.

The company which scammed Jim was in AZ - is this where the company that scammed you is? Perhaps we can contact someone in AZ to find out the process of getting some money back.

Hi Ashley,

I'm not sure on the spelling of your gmail address - ei or ie?? Either way, feel free to explain here in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by - I would really like to clarify who is what and where, and get some verification on these services and a success rate. I had offered my friend Jim to be a guinea pig in return for a testimonial if he was successful in getting his funds back with using Consumer Retrieval Services but they claimed to already have too many testimonials.

I'm all for these services if they really work, but I think it's scary for some people to get called like I've been hearing about and the service already has their information.

Can you tell me if you are working in some way with the FTC?

Not very smart of Mr. Peabody in my opinion. Very unprofessional. I hope for his sake this was just some scammer attempt - otherwise Mr. Peabody is in some big trouble for the way he pursued sending me a letter like this if you know what I mean. He may have as well emailed it to Heidi and had her issue it in a newsletter. I probably would have seen it sooner. What the heck is he thinking?

Columbo!

Hi John, I first must say I am honored you stopped by to visit. Hmm, marketing factor - honestly I was not looking for the most important marketing factor - I just see it as a trap.

Perhaps them saying up front "we wish you to use our web design service?"

Anyway, I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. Is it "what in the letter would get a response from someone who didn't know better?"

Honestly, I'm perplexed. Perhaps you could tell me what you think is the most important marketing factor. The post was more of a public service announcement than anything else - but I'm always willing to learn what ever I can. If you are seeing something I don't I would love to hear about it.

Hi Ted,
Yes, it is an ongoing issue. Best thing to do IMO is to revisit. There is an overwhelming number of people joining the web every day. So, while maybe you are aware of this issue, there are many I'm sure who are not.

Old posts can fall by the wayside. I don't mind bringing the topic back to the surface - especially if it is still something happening.

My only goal is to help others by making them aware.

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