I first saw the ad on t.V. For GRI in 7/04, contacted them, got the info package, sent them the money for 3 locations on 8/1/04. I was told it would take 30 days to receive all needed equipment, that all the phones and equipment was new, and marketable, and that GRI could easily find locations.
It looked so easy. They would find me 3 locations, I would sell cell phone time and cell phones and have cashless ATMs through the locations, the money from the cell phone time and cashless ATMs would be deposited directly into my account and I would get cash for the phones.
GRI sent me the terminals for the cell time and cashless ATMs, but no cell phones. The terminals were in boxes marked reconditioned. When I contacted, them they had excuse after excuse as to why it was taking so long to send phones. Finally they sent me phones which were reconditioned and obsolete. The packaging and phones were so bad I was embarrassed to show them to anyone. I tried to activate one of the phones and found that it didn't work. When I contacted GRI, they told me the phones were programmed wrong and they would take them back and replace them.
By this time (which was over 60 days since I had sent in my money), I was so disenchanted with GRI that I asked for my money back. According to the contract, GRI has to deliver all necessary equipment within 45 days or I could break the contract. I made many phone calls to GRI, wrote a letter to the Better Business Bureau, and sent a certified letter to GRI requesting my money back.
GRI responded that they interpeted the contract to mean they had 90 days to deliver the needed equipment. I had an attorney look at the contract and he said that no, it clearly meant 45 days. My research also showed that GRI hadn't filed the necessary paper work and they were no longer incorporated.
At this time I looked into the arbitration process to try to get my money back, and found that I would have to make a trip to Florida and spend money up front to even take GRI to court.
I decided to give GRI another chance even though I had lost all faith in ther ability to provide the business they promised, mostly because I didn't want to invest even more money into getting my money back.
Next GRI did send me cell phones to replace the bad phones. They are from a company called Justalk, and they are also obsolete and reconditioned. I tried to activate a phone and found that there was confusion between Justalk and GRI regarding how this was to be done. Justalk also couldn't get local phone numbers for my area so the phones when activated will have a 1-800 number.
At this point, I was going around and around with Justalk as well as GRI, trying to get this to work. I had never heard of Justalk and would have never have gotten the distributorship if I had known that GRI didn't really have cell phones at all.
GRI finally got me my first location. When I was looking at the distributorship, GRI assured me this was in high demand and getting locations would be easy. When I took in the phones and the store owner actually saw, them they lost all enthusiasm because they are so outdated. At that time I bought cell time for the phone I had activated for my self.
Several months later, in January, GRI got me a second location. Once again, when they saw the cell phones they lost their enthusiasm but decided to give it a try. Several of their employees bought cell time. Neither location had any use for the cashless ATM, and GRI by then had pretty much given up on this.
The second location had several people buy cell phones but when the customers found out that they couldn't have a local number they didn't want them and they brought them back.
At this time, in early February, I made a went to Miami on a business trip so I stopped by the company headquarters to see what I had gotten myself into. I was given a tour of the place, which consisted of mostly cubicles to sell the distributorship, or find locations. Everyone was polite and assured me this will work but I was not very impressed.
GRI then found me a third location. It is 85 miles from my home, which isn't even in my original distributorship area, but I was desperate enough to take it.By this time the first location had given up so I took everything from the first to the third.
By this time I got my bank statement which should have contained my commission from the sale of the cell phone time, but no money had been deposited.
I contacted GRI about this and about finding me locations that could actually sell the product but only got the runaround. GRI started changing my locators, each one starts out sure they can make this work then I never hear from them again. When I contact GRI, I have a new person and it's like starting all over again.
About the first of June my then-locator told me GRI was changing companies that handle the cell time, and I would be getting an information package about how this will work. Just like the phones, I would never have gotten the distributorship if it had been made clear that GRI didn't really sell the cell time.
I never got any information package, and each person at GRI has a different story as to how this is going to work. When I ask about the cell time that I never got paid for, I'm told that was the last provider's responsibility and GRI isn't going to do anything about it.
Today, 9/10/05, I called the second location and they told me to come and get the cell phones and equipment as they don't want to try any more. The third location has never been able to sell the time or phones.
The conclusion is that GRI took my money for a distributorship that they misrepresented, and cannot make work. There is no written material or manual to follow and each employee has a different idea as to how this works. When I contact GRI there is never anyone that has the authority to do anything.
My dealings with GRI have left me disillusioned, frustrated and very stressed. I have made a $15,000 investment in a company which appears to have little or no regard for their distributors and which appears to be set up merely to get your 15,000 dollar initial payment. I would appreciate hearing from others who have been ripped off by this company, especially anyone who can help me get my money back.
I have one word for anyone who might be thinking of signing up with Global Resources - DON'T!!!
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