My company decided to engage the services of Qualified Leads Incorporated to promote a product and service the homeowners. Telemarketing is, of course, a common direct marketing approach to new customer acquisition in business to consumer sales. We chose Qualified Leads based on the very compelling and professional presentation of Darren Paulson, the supposed business development professional. Essentially, Darren throws the bait.
We executed the agreement and, as required by this incredibly upstanding company, overnighted the check payment. I was instructed to contact Darren with the tracking number of the package and we would proceed with the set-up of a 30-hour trial campaign. When I contacted him I was instructed to send all the materials needed to the second leg of the con game, Teresa McCarthy.
Teresa McCarthy, also the "consummate" professional, went through all the motions one would expect from the "Account Manager". The first indication that something was wrong, was the delay in getting back to me regarding the agreed upon launch date of the campaign. Being suspicious, I decided to research the company and soon found myself on usacomplaints.com. I read through several of the reports to actually find that I was experiencing the identical treatment of previous reporters. Making it worse was the fact that Darren Paulson and Teresa McCarthy were named in several complaints.
I immediately contacted my bank to stop payment on the check and realized, of course, that is part of the scam. Overnight the check, give them a tracking number, and they initiate what would seem to be reasonable delays in communication to deposit and clear the check. I decided to play the game and see if I could at least receive minimal performance from these thieves. I contacted both Darren and Teresa with enthusiasm and encouragment acting as though I didn't have a clue to what they were actually doing.
Then the scam was fully illuminated. The "launched" the pilot campaign and reported they conducted 15 hours of calling the first day. The results report they sent was written by a virtual illiterate.in 15 hours of calling, they were able to set one appointment with a prospect who already owned the only product we sell.
In their first "15 hours" of calling they stated they were unable to reach 87% of the prospects. They reached only 13% of the people they called. It is a simple impossibility invest 15 hours of dialing with those results.
Upon receiving the report, I initiated a call to Teresa McCarthy and asked if she was alarmed that 15 hours of calling would result in a single appointment and that appointment was with someone who already owned the single product we offer. She said no, that maybe they were just calling at the wrong time or the list they were using was flawed. She was unable to provide any legitimate response. Rather than challenge her, I asked her about their 25 appointment guarantee for the 30 hour campaign. She reiterated that if they didn't meet that goal, they would complete the entire campaign at their expense. I asked if she believed they would actually set the remaining 24 appointments in the remaining 15 hours. She intimated it was possible, confirming that she was either a complete idiot or there was no intention of honoring their agreement.
Obviously, the remaining "15" hours resulted in 1 appointment. The appointment was set for 5:00 on a Monday. I received the information for the appointment 10 minutes after the appointment was to occur! I called the prospect and was informed that the appointment was set for the previous Friday. The information provided on the lead was a complete fabrication.
This so-called company does not exist. It is a fairly ingenious con game and it will continue unless someone takes legal action. The complaints on usacomplaints.com span a few years on this so-called company. They actually have the gall to put reputable companies on their website as clients and I am amazed that these companies would allow their good names to be used to defraud unsuspecting business owners.
Before considering entering into this scam, give your money to charity. If not to a worthy charity, simply shred it because the value for your money will be equivalent to the trash it becomes.
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