About a week ago, my 12-year-old daughter entered a contest with this company. She sent a poem which she is very proud of and which has gotten very high praise from her friends and teachers.
Today, she received a letter in the mail from Lavender Aurora (even the name makes me suspicious, although my daughter has an uncommon name, also) stating that her poem was chosen to go on to the semi-finals and that it would be published in "Great Poems of the Western World", normally a 69.99 value, but she could purchase it for 39.99, plus she was being given a gift certificate for $10, so that would make it 29.99.
Also, she could enter her poem in the "Great Poetry Contest", which would allow her to receive a free copy of "Our 100 Most Famous Poets".
I immediately smelled a scam, so I got online to check it out and found your website. Thank goodness I did!
For one thing, if she is being published in a book, she ought to see the proof of her poem BEFORE sending any money in, not AFTER. As for the second contest, they ask you send a $5 "handling fee" per poem entered. She shouldn't have to send ANY money simply to enter a contest, and that makes the offer for the "free" "100 Most Famous" book null and void, because $5 per poem is not free.
Also, on the certificate, "Lavender" tells my daughter, "You are my new best friend!" My daughter has never met anyone by the name of Lavender, doesn't know you, and therefore can't be your best friend. This is just a sick attempt to appeal to her emotional nature and steal her (our) money.
I've read a rebuttal by the company on here stating that everything has a cost, and therefore, the convention (which would cost us money to travel to as well as money to attend) is not a ripoff. That is all well and good, but we are a family on a strict budget and we cannot afford any such travel or convention, so what then... She loses because we're not rich?
I'm very dissapointed that this company is being allowed to prey on our innocent children in this way.
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