This company solicited and marketed their product by direct mail addressed directly to middle school children throughout the country. The letter informs the student that he or she is possibly eligible to be included in the upcoming edition of the Registry, congratulates the student, and lets him know that he is one of only a select few considered for the "honor" of appearing in the Registry.
My 12-year old son, who was solicited for the Registry, had been getting a number of letters from various schools, programs, and entities because he had been targeted as an honor student and had already done well on an SAT test sponsored through Duke University. Thus, his name had been appearing on a number of student lists, and we did not think anything about his being solicited for the Registry. We can only assume accordingly that the referenced company has no trouble obtaining a list of students to target. Additionally, the company has a professional looking web site (which as of this date is still accessible.)
In May, my son received the first letter from Grady C. Sturgess, III, CEO and Publisher, requesting biographical information which my son completed and returned.in July, my son received another letter from Mr. Sturgess congratulating him for his acceptance in the upcoming Summer 2004 edition of the Registry along with a biographical proof form. The correspondence states that there is no charge for the honor of being listed in the book, BUT an order form is included for ordering a copy of the book, OR a copy of the book including a picture of the child, OR a book and plaque, OR a book, picture & plaque. Prices for all of this ranged from $45.00 to $84.00 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. On behalf of my son, I ordered a copy of the book to include photograph for a sum total of $62.00.
To date, over eight months later, no copy of the Registry has been received, no refund of funds has been received, and customers are unable to contact anyone with this company since their phones have been disconnected and no forwarding information appears to be on record for them. Even when the company's phones were connected, callers continually received voice mail. Calls were not returned. E-mail messages were never responded.
It is reprehensible that this company has exploited and taken advantage of children. Though their last known address may no longer be valid, it is of great concern that they may move operations elsewhere and continue this scam.
I have already contacted the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs, my own State's Consumer Protection Division (Texas), The Federal Trade Commission, The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) Mail Order Action Line, The Better Business Bureau of Metro Atlanta, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (Mail Fraud Report). I strongly encourage anyone who has been affected by this situation to do the same. State and Federal agencies need to receive multiple complaints so that they can see there has been a developing pattern. The Georgia Attorney General's Office does appear to be looking in to this situation: Address — Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs, 2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, East Tower, Suite 356, Atlanta, GA 30334.
Mr. Sturgess and his company must be prosecuted and brought to justice. And at the very least, this matter must be brought to public attention, particularly those in the school system who will likely be impacted in the future. Write, complain, scream, and holler (to all agencies listed above and any others you can think of) for the sake of our kids!
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