After 5 months of owning a website developed by SMC and its Partner emerchant club. I started to investigate why my site was doing so badly.
After conversing with many web specialists online I found out that my website, by no fault of my own, was in the "sandbox" with Google.
This means that Google has penalized my site and will not Index properly with them.
Being that Google accounts for nearly 40% of the Search Engine market, this is a very important step to an online business. If a site is not constructed properly, crawlers and spiders from search engines will not properly crawl your site, and you will virtually have no standing in the online arena.
I researched further in depth with my site and ran my web pages through what is called a validator or MARK UO generator. This tool tells you how good or bad the script is that the site is designed with. (html). A validation tool can tell you how many errors are in a given web page or website at the HTML script level.
I discovered that my website had HUNDREDS of these errors and HUNDREDS of broken links within the site. This can virtually make your website look like a total mess to search engines and their ROBOTS/crawlers.
Also, withing my "site manager" (the portal to edit and control my website) there were many script errors. Sometimes I couldn't edit certain parameters because the edit button... Was simply not there. Other times I couldn't access certain other functions that are crucial to the site working.
So here I am now with a basically non working functional site. I spoke to one of the director of operations at SMC, MIKE, he told me to send him a fax stating my case and labeling the problems. I did so and sent him the fax. He said that I would be contacted within a week. Well I was curious after a couple of days what the status was. So I asked another employee if she knew anything. She poked around my account notes and basically told me that ALL my requests for refund of payment are denied. She also added that the higher ups decided that my claim was "unfounded". I was completely astonished to say the least.
I spent thousands of dollars to run this site with no success. I could not even generate traffic at the most basic level and this is WITH paying a search engine optimization team to assist me. I have spent close to 16 hours a day trying to make this site work. The last time Google crawled my site was OCT. 16th, today is Dec 28th and still no luck. This is NOT a functioning site.
TO sum up, I have spent about $4,000 dollars for this whole adventure. I wanted the money returned, thats all. I didn't even ask for a full amount. I simply asked for the amount I spent for the site, and the Search Engine Optimization package they offered (which is just a fancy doorway page which could do harm to NET standing also. I waved ALL monthly service fees I spent on the site. I thought that I was being totally reasonable.
But now, SMC is basically saying "come and get us you sucker". I have been speaking to a lot of people in the industry and they say that they hear this all the time. I even had one guy that had dealings with them for years tell me that they are a criminal syndicate and that their corruption goes deeper than people know. I would be curious how far it goes. The simple fact that I am typing these words can start a conversation that leads to one huge avalanche. I can only hope.
But here I am, with a website that does not work properly. I am out of all my savings. I literally GAVE SMC all my money. I have nothing now but a website in Googles sandbox. I am seriously thinking of taking legal steps, but I don't even know if I have the time or strength. I have a chronic pain syndrome similar to Fibromyalgia and stress will sometimes put my on the floor. That is one of the many reasons why I tried this adventure in the first place.
I also fear that SMC has its hands in many corporate cookie jars and that some people may "look the other way" when it comes to SMC. From what Ive heard, this company may be more corrupt than people realize.
If anyone has any suggestions of what I should do, they would be welcomed. If I start some sort of legal venture against SMC, I want to go all the way. I will not be satisfied with one solitary law suit. I was thinking that there are more than enough stories like mine, but yet SMC still exists and profits everyday. This cant be what America accepts as normal. We as consumers can NOT let Corporations such as this just railroad us and take our money while they TAUNT us to come get them. I say, lets give them a CLASS ACTION suit. Lets let them feel how it feels to be railroaded. I see posts from over a hundred people here with complaints against SMC. Imagine how many there are out there that didn't complain. How many times are we as citizens going to let companies with unfair business practices, that can be PROVEN, get away with their crimes?
If anyone decides that they want to take a stand against this company I would welcome the dialog and suggestions. I'm pretty good at collecting data and I know where a lot of media resources can be found for exposure. Remember, if a collective of people come together against a huge entity like SMC, then SMC will have pay a MUCH larger sum than the silly thousands they stole from people like myself.
I will check this board from time to time, please let me know what you think.
Kev
Kev
Los Angeles, California
U.S.A.
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