I decided to agree to StoresOnline's large purchase price, believing that their marketing information, and internet tutorials would be worth it. I found that the workshop misrepresented the materials I was sold. The package for a set of 3 websites included a CD-ROM. The letter in the package stated: "This CD containss additional introductory materials and launches you to StoresOnline..."
The CD contained only a link sending me directly to StoresOnline. The "helps, tips and tutorials" had to be accessed from the StoresOnline website, and were not on the CD. At the workshop, I experienced the first of several poor business practices. My receipt was rewritten 3 times (I have copies of all three). The receipt stated that I was paying for a "Complete Store Building Software License and Password Fee."
The workshop guarantee and agreement stated that I might become a merchant by paying a Maintenance Fee. Exactly what this consisted of was never made clear; the presenters indicated over and over that what they were selling was an easy way that I could build a functional website in my spare time.in fact, it was not easy, and I had several lengthy and high pressure sales calls from StoresOnline to pay them additional thousands to do some of the work for me and to coach me in their high pressure sales techniques. This is the old "bait and switch" technique.
For an electronic commerce company, StoresOnline is heavily dependent on the FAX. Despite having taken my money, they required ongoing FAXes with my signature to initiate various steps of the process. I faxed in a form to change my URL to the one I had purchased, but the email reply to my complaint about this not happening stated "At this time I am unpleased to announce that I do not show in our records that we received your Virtual Domain Name Hosting Form." "Setting up a domain name is yes electronic but we do require that you fax in the form with your authorizing signature to host and maintain that." I'm not sure what they mean, again.
Recently, I was contacted by Submit Solutions, who said they had been given my name by StoresOnline, because some StoresOnline merchants had be contacted by another search engine submission/optimizing service, asking for thousands to perform an essential service that StoresOnline does not offer, and does not include in their storefront package.
They do connect you to some search engines for one month only. There is no point in having a website (generated from a canned set of samples, certainly not worth the $2500 fee per site, sometimes referred to as programming and sometimes as maintenance) when it isn't actually online. I followed all their instructions, but unlike the congratulatory page 26 of the tutorial, "You Did It! Congratulations — your store is on the internet!" well, it wasn't.
StoresOnline had given Submit Solutions all my account and contact information, without my permission. This is a violation of my privacy and their hosting agreement.
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