National Yellow Pages Online - SCAMMING CUSTOMERS OVER THE PHONE

On March 13, 2008, I received a rude phone call from a representative named Gordie (phone: 866-270-6697 ext 601) demanding payment on an invoice. I asked him what he was referring to and he said that he was calling from National Yellow Pages. He needed a fax number and would fax the invoice. I told him that I had never received any invoice from National Yellow Pages and I didn't know what he was referring to.

After a long sigh, he said that I had purchased an ad in National Yellow Pages and it had been running since 02-14-08. I asked him if this was a joke. He became quite angry and said No, it was not a joke. I asked him to just cancel the order and I was certain there had not been such an order placed anyway. He continued in his rude manner, and informed me that this order could not be cancelled. So I told him to fax a copy of the invoice to me and to put a number of someone higher than him on there as I would need to get this straightened out.

I did receive the invoice via fax, with of course no number to contact any superior. But I question why I get a phone call one month from this alleged purchase with an extremely angry man on the other line. Why didn’t I receive any notification prior to this phone call.

I remembered speaking with National Yellow Pages and found my notes from 02-14-08 when I spoke with a Valerie at National Yellow Pages and then a Shannon. On my note, I have Shannon's phone number ( 866-270-6697) and I have where he works in Quality Control. When I had orignally

spoken to Valerie (the one who made the cold phone call), she quoted me a price of $389.00 for a national listing ad and told me that she would mail out information for us to review prior to this purchase (after I asked her for information to review-it was not originally offered). I had already told her that we only have ONE location and we are local, so we didn't need to be included in the National Listing. However, she continued to talk to me about putting our business in the listing - so because she had told me that I could review documents prior to purchasing, I was ok with everything.

She then transferred me to Shannon in Quality Control. He talked about the listing and gave me a reference number. I did not authorize a purchase, though I did tell both Shannon & Valerie that I was authorized to make purchases for this business.

Today Gordie called back - he spoke with the owner of our company. He played back the recording of my conversation with Shannon. During the recording, Shannon's explanation of the fact that I was in fact authorizing a purchase was crystal clear the first time, which right off makes me truly believe that this tape has been tampered with. Because right after he says that, you hear me ask him to repeat himself. This is because I could not understand a word he said - he was WAY too quiet.

He does repeat himself and on the tape I say yes. I feel completely and utterly scammed. Because I was told that I would be able to review this information PRIOR to purchasing it. And I was lied to.

Interesting how the only recorded conversation is the one between myself & Shannon - but there is no record for when Valerie tells me, after I asked her, that she will send out documents to review before I have to make any decisions.

I checked the mail for weeks, and because I never received anything, I figured that the initial call was a scam and nothing would happen.

I am so disturbed by the whole ordeal, I don't know what to do. When I try to even look National Yellow Pages Online up on the internet, nothing even shows.

How can I trust this?

The owner has since paid for this listing by credit card over the phone with Gordie.

I think this is absurd. I know how businesses run. And when something like this happens, you write it off. Therefore, I am asking for a refund in full and I am contacting the Better Business Bureau. Something needs to be done to people who think that they can make cold phone calls and charge people's accounts.

The truth is...the more I think about what happened during this telephone call...the more I remember telling Shannon that I did NOT want to make a purchase at this time.....

I have NO doubt that my tape was edited so that it could make National Yellow Pages Online look "legitimate".

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I just got a similar phone call with a similar recording of my voice and a faxed invoice, with heading of Buisness Info Solutions and an address that googled as an Atlas Gear Co in MI. I'm calling the Better Business Bureau now. If anyone can help please contact me.

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What they do is play something different in the background than what they are asking you for. That's the part they record. When I asked the lady to be quiet and let me listen to the recording, she played it again and interrupted it before the payment part. I asked her to stay quiet and let me listen to the whole thing, and she said "one moment" and hung up. It was a close one. That is an unbelievable way to make money, even in this economy.

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The same thing just happened to me. I never signed up for any advertising with them and they say that I did. They say they have a voice recording of my approval that they will not play for me unless we go to court. He also told me I was being "abusive" towards him when I refused to agree to pay for something that I did not order. How did this problem work out with you?

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There are a few of these 'National' internet marketing companies out there scamming businesses. Report these people to the Better Business Bureau and more importantly at www.ic3.gov -- they need to be shut down and prosecuted. Whatever you do, DO NOT pay these bastards!

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I also was scammed by this company and paid an invoice for $443.99 with our business credit card. Does anyone know if I can somehow retrieve our money we paid to these scammers? Please respond if anyone out there has any advice. Thank you

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I just got off the phone with a Steve MacDonald from National Yellow Pages online. I paid, by credit card, 389.99!!!

In October, 2007 one of my employees supposedly excepted this service. We all know she was slammed. She is a graduate of Villanova, on a full scholarship, and is working on her PHD.

I never responded or even opened the bills because I never ordered this service. They sent it to a debt collection agency. The bill was now at $587.33. I called the debt recovery company and they had me listen to the tape. They also told me that the online yellow pages are "a dime a dozen". I asked for the phone number to Nat'l Yellow Pages Online. That is how I reached Steve MacDonald. I asked him what their web address is:

national-yp-online

Someone needs to stop these illegal authorizations. It is hard enough to stay in business. I

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My company was contacted during the beginning of November 2008. Fortunately, I work for a government operated office and told them if they want their money, they have to go through the city. We have received a few calls since then, one time being today (1/15/09).

Since I was the one who supposedly "authorized" the sale in the first place, they played me the recording (far too choppy for a landline call), and there were several parts of the recording missing. As I knew of the scam after the inital call in November, I let them know I knew how they operated business. The person on the other end said they were being misrepresented and no longer did business with that company. In rebuttal, I said then that makes whatever contract null and void, but the person kept pressuring me, even threatening legal action against me personally. After a few minutes of arguing defiantly and being downright cocky, bringing up a countersuit for harassment, the person hung up on me mid-sentence.

Hopefully since I work for a government operated entity, there might be more liablity in their regard and it will help shut them down eventually. From what I have read through various consumer report sites, they do not present legitimate lawsuits against anyone, so do not worry in that respect. They have been barred from doing "business" in Canada. I can only imagine America is next on that list.

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I went through the same thing last year and they have been calling to collect the money... yes $389.00... if you go to www.ftc.gov and submit a complaint that this company conducts fraudulent sales and unethical practices. I have done it and you can do to help this company go away.

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National Yellow Pages Online tried to pull a fast one on me too. I told the "accounts receivable" person that I would not pay, that it was fraud, and that I would be contacting the Better Business Bureau. He asked if I was threatening him. I did file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and NYPO never responded. BBB suggested that I contact the small claims court in Chicago, where the business is located. I called them and they were noted interested in doing anything unless I wanted to sue them. I have not heard from NYPO since. Good luck.

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I've recently ran into this same problem. I was an admin asst. for a company in Nov. '07, and got a call asking me to confirm with yes/no answers our address, phone number, etc, in order to update an existing listing. At no point did they ask if I was authorized to make an order, or if I wanted to. After receiving an invoice, my manager threw it away, and proceeded to berate the collections people who called (from the NYPO). Today I got a call from one of them claiming he was going to send the entire matter to court, and I could be summoned to Illinois, and that if the case went to court we would owe over $2,000 - but that if we paid by credit card over the phone before 5, it would only be 452 and some change - and then he said "but forget the change." Excuse me? Since when is a legitimate business allowed to forget the change on a legitimate invoice? A manager returned their call and they played a recording of me answering yes to the questions "Are you authorized to purchase this ad?" and "Do you want to spend $389 for this ad?".

It just boggles my mind that these people are able to go home at night feeling good about what they do with their lives.

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I work at a software company in NJ and I did get the same call. when they called again and confront me with the tape I realized that they cut off part of it (the Part I said I am not purcahsing and paying anything). I Then told him over the phone that this was a scam and a good one and told him that I will report them to the business bureau.

He had the nerve to call back and say that we will hear from their legal department. when i aksed him to give me his company's address he hang up the phone.