About 6 months ago my fiance and I had gotten a call from Cassandra Pruit of USA Card Services in response to my fiance's request for more information regarding their "Golden Opportunity".
She stated that USA Card Services would put up $6,000 to start our own website for dropshipping. I was 8 months pregnant at the time, so to a young couple in need of extra finances, this sounded like the break we needed! All we needed to do was sign the documents she'd fax over and we'd get everything started. She told us they'd give us a list of drop shippers that pertained to what we'd be selling (children's clothes), I'd have a coach call me weekly to see how my progress was coming and to help with any problems I would have. She also said that all the searching for information would be done by a "team" they provided. All I had to do was follow the easy outlined steps and I'd be on my way.
She said for the lease of the credit card machine (I signed with GlobalTech Leasing and dind't find out until my account was billed that my contract had been sold to LADCO) I was told it'd be roughly $98 a month, which would come directly out of my sales, and that I had 30 days before I'd be billed. (4 weeks was all it was 'supposed' to only take 4 weeks to learn everything, set up my site and be active)
She rushed me through the process, stating that if everything wasn't signed and put into their system within the next 48 hours, the opportunity would be lost. She did a credit check and stated that I'd need a co signer. I couldn't get one and she said she'd 'see what she could do'. Later called me back stating that because my idea sounded like it was a good one, and because I was so eager, and determined, that the company (USA card services) would act as a cosigner. A man called me, asked a few questions and that was that. Cassandra went so far as to give me her personal cell number and called me a few times to see how my family was doing and made it a point to put a personal touch on it. She said she liked us, we had potential, she wanted to see us succeed!
The first month I only received 1 call from my 'success coach' and that was of no help. I sent numerous e mails to Cassandra as well as to the support team at USA Card Services and with no response from her, (I tried her cell as well and could never get an answer) and the lack of help I received from the support team I was left on my own to handle it.
5 payments had passed and I still couldn't find more than 3 drop shippers (when I asked for a list, the list that was provided had nothing to do with the prodcuts I wanted to sell and they suggested that I change my idea and sell something else!) The site was absolutely horrible. And although they offered a few different options pertaining to the appearance of the site, all of them were a joke. The example they had originally had me look at wasn't anything close to what I was now forced to choose from. There was NO WAY the example they showed me was made from the same layout! Most of the information I was forced to enter, didn't pertain to my drop shippers nor to the way I wanted the site set up, and you can't move on designing the site without entering this information... So I was stuck, with no active site, a credit card machine I couldn't use, and $104 dollars taken out of my account every month!
To make a long story short, I tried numerous times to put a stop payment on anything from LADCO, only the withdrawls weren't made under LADCO, they were random numbers or abreviations that led to nowhere. NO number was provided, and my bank couldn't give me any information (i.E. A phone number to call) so the electronic withdrawls kept coming.
Now in collections and being harassed by Comercial Collections of America's General Manager Tom Barom whom has personally stated that because of my lack of cooperation and refusal to pay his outragous 'deal' (he wanted me to pay $500 imediately 'or else he was going to sue me ASAP') that anything I said had no validity. I explained to him that I felt I was wronged and wasn't going to pay for something that I couldn't use. I also told him I found info online (usacomplaints.com) that shed some light on what a horrible company LADCO is. He said he doesn't deal with 'web people' and that nothing on the web had any validity to it. He stated that my contract was 'non cancelable' and that I had no choice but to pay. I told him what I had really gotten was not what I had signed for and that I was going to start a suit against all parties involved. Tom seemed to have taken this personally, (we've actually gotten into yelling matches over the phone, at my place of business. They don't ever call me at home) because he tried over and over again to convince me that I shouldn't sue LADCO that I should go after the vendor of the site... I've looked at all my paperwork and they all seem to be connected, in one way or another. I was advised by an attorney to sue the company that held my contract. Ladco. Tom has threatend me, stating that he'd rather me NOT pay the collections, that he wants me to go to court so I can see what a reputable company LADCO is and so I can learn my lesson, trying to sue a large company.
I've written a letter to CCA, to LADCO and to the attourney general stating my case. I'm now moving forward.
I'm taking my case to small claims court, but I"d be glad to have others with me to bring a civil suit or a class action law suit. THIS IS WRONG AND NEEDS TO STOP!
Please contact me if you've been wronged as well and feel like doing something about it. I believe you do so in the rebutal section. Or e mail me at [email protected]
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