I found Fluent through a web search, came up with their promotion of Customers Service. Basically, I spent $14,900.00 to set up a campaign with them. Looked like package deal to create a custom Flash ad, that I had to setup a domain name for and host. That is what the 14.9K was for, I assumed. Well, I was sent a contract to sign and pay up, 2-3 payments with terms to pay otherwise, interest would incur. That was my first "threatening" comment from them. This was a lot to front for a small business like myself.
I contacted them and I got the "you signed a contract" so pay up routine. Now I knew I was being intimidated, and could not get out of it with out a Lawyer, which I could not afford because I was sinking all my free budget into this. So I paid up the "production costs" and thought that was it, a campaign was part of that budget, and I would get leads from the special Flash Presentation, they would do the campaigning. Well I received follow up emails and phone calls to setup my keywords, set my budget, and pay extra. We the keywords that they said I should have, and the starting budget was over 10K a month, couldn't do it, I had no money for that. I told them they were nutz, and that this was an unfair tactic, since they never established a budget with me up front. If I know that going in, I would not have spent a dime with them.
Hence I feel I was deceived royally. I did get a follow up email from the Owner/President telling me to suck it up and pay the PPC fees to become a "big player". And on top of all that, they said that if I continue the campaign, an annual support fee of 10K would come into play, so I stopped all communications at that point, afraid new billings would be coming my way. I did not even get a final copy of my so called custom Flash Presentation.
So I am out almost $15k and received nothing. Mr Miller sure set up a well thought out SCAM, and he knows it, if there is a lawyer out there to take this on, this guy should be stopped. A so called Ad Agency would not operate this way. And now the domains are changing, sure signs this agency/guy and his people are on the run.
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