There is this company called “Netbiz” that has been sending me phone spam more or less every day, despite me being verbally abusive to them on the phone when they call.
They say they’re calling “from Google” or “on behalf of Google” and that they have started a new feature for whatever topic your site covers. Then they go into a sales pitch about getting you to the top page of Google with this program.
This, is obviously, misleading. Netbiz works with Google the same way hundreds of thousands of businesses work with Google, through their Google Adwords program. To get to the top of Google all you need to do is signup at Google Adwords and place an advertisement. It is easy, you do not need some company to do it for you. This type of predatory sales pitch is fairly common and Google severely frowns on the companies doing it. It may even be fraud the way they say they’re calling on behalf of Google, that is merely my opinion though.
Also, please note, these results are NOT actually organic search results, these are ads. The way to get to the top of the organic search results is through organic SEO, which you can read more about in my seo guide.
After getting yet another call from these people I Googled them and didn’t find any other warnings so I thought I’d make one, to let the less-than-Google-savvy small business owners out there know that they do not need a company to place Adwords ads for them, they can do it themselves.
November 9th, 2008 at 5:39 am
They’ve been phone-spamming and e-mail spamming some of my clients, as well, and I blogged about it a few days ago.
Their approach does seem awfully misleading, and even if you understand that they’re simply reselling AdWords PPC ads, their approach to PPC advertising seems something less than ideal.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Clarification: Is NETBIZ a scam or that good?
Why have a website if your customers can’t find it? If you have a business website, and want it to be a lead generator, you know you need to be on the first page of Google and/or YAHOO! for the keywords people type in when searching for your product or service. Otherwise, your competitors will get this business uncontested.
If your website already shows up organically/naturally on a search engine’s first page, now is the time to maximize your online exposure. Having two front page SERP (Search Engine Results Page) positions, (i.e. one organic and one Sponsored Links/Pay-Per-Click) ad can drive your company’s credibility through the roof.
Sure, you can sign up for a Google Adwords account and experiment with a Pay-Per-Click campaign on your own. However, do you really want to, or can even afford to: spend hours on research and then take chances with wrong conclusions; risk uncertain, volatile costs; be swindled by “Click Fraud,” spend many stressful hours throughout the day bidding and monitoring your ad positions. You’ll have to if you want to always stay on the first SERP in order to brand your company’s name, and be available for leads.
NetBiz.com, a Google Adwords Qualified Company, is “Making the Internet Easy.” The NetBiz Search Engine Placement (SEP) Program guarantees your website this first page position with Google and/or YAHOO!. NetBiz SEP is limited to one company per search phrase on a first come – first served basis. Your website will be placed in the Sponsored Links section (located at the top and/or right side of the SERP) on a month-to-month basis with no contract required. If necessary, NetBiz will bump one of your competitors off the first page in order to place your guaranteed ad there. You will pay a low, fixed, monthly fee (as low as $50.00/month depending on traffic and competition) and not have to worry about PPC (Pay-Per-Click) charges.
Why not let the knowledgeable advisory staff at NetBiz research “where the fish are really biting” and custom tailor a package that will fit your company’s marketing and budgetary needs. Based on our years of exceptional internet marketing success we will design ads for you that will have high Google SERP relevance and also grab your prospect’s attention. Then, the NetBiz Customer Service Team will efficiently monitor and bid your account to always keep you on Google’s and/or YAHOO’s first page. Guaranteed!
Utilizing Netbiz Search Engine Placement is a cost effective internet marketing strategy because it frees up your time so that you can capitalize on your core business competency. Our SEO competitors are jealous of the huge success, over 10,000 clients worldwide, and great BBB record that NetBiz has achieved over the last six years.
Why wait? Prospects are looking for your products and services on the internet today! Call us toll-free at 1-800-847-2226. NetBiz will help you to get the highest return on your advertising investment and put your site ahead of your customers and your competition.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 am
If you want to be seen as legitimate you have to stop representing yourself when you cold call people.
1. You are not calling on behalf on Google, from Google, or through a partnership or a special program with Google.
2.You’re offering to arrange advertising, not organic search engine placement.
3. You’re not providing a service to get to the top of the search results, you’re providing a service to advertise on search result pages.
I’ve found that companies with a quality service do not need to misrepresent it to gain customers, and a company that feels the need to use misrepresentation probably doesn’t offer a quality service.
I urge you to reform your telemarketing practices.
December 30th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I received one of these unsolicited spam emails from Netbiz (www.netbiz.com) today… but it was from Stephanie (I guess Daren got fired due to his honesty).
Of course, as a looooong time web designer and SEO guy, I went straight to Google and found this page. (Now I don’t have to create one, thx Chris!)
Here’s whats funny about Netbiz … they must have found my site sitting at the #2 thru #6 position in Google (my ranking depends on the weather). Has been on the first page for years. So what does the Netbiz spam email say to possibly combat that scenario?
And I quote…
“For instance, anytime someone anywhere in over a hundred mile radius of Dallas does a search for “web page design”, your website would be on the first page of Google.com.”
A hundred mile radius? Hmmmmmmm… never heard that claim before.
All they are doing is reselling Google adwords as Chris stated above. Do your adwords yourself, Google makes it so simple its stupid… and you will have more money for more adwords!
If Netbiz was a truly reputable company… they wouldn’t be sending you a 4-page unsolicited spam to your email now would they.
While not illegal, per se, in my humble opinion they are taking advantage of those people who don’t know any better.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:41 am
First of all, we do not just send out emails to people, there is no auto generator for phone numbers or emails. We ONLY send emails to people who we speak to that ask for them. If the employee is new, of course they are going to make some mistakes, and that “blind” email (if it really WAS blind) very well could have been a mistake.
As for the “hundred mile radus” <– (which is incorrect) they were speaking about a regional search. Meaning, it’s targeted to your local area with boundaries set by Google.
To the last post,
Just because your website is between #2-6 on the first page of ONE or SEVERAL searches, doesn’t mean you’re there on EVERY SINGLE SEARCH.
** We HAVE changed our representation to say something BESIDES “on behalf of Google”
** Obviously, we do not offer organic placement. We never have, and never will say it.
** We’re providing a service which allows you to not have to spend time managing your own adwords account. We make sure your ad STAYS on the first page of Google. NO MATTER WHAT. EVEN if your “budget” is reached, you’ll still be there, and we take that loss. We get your ad to the first page, we do not guarantee any specific position.
*BTW* We are qualified by Google to do this. They obviously do not frown upon us, as we bring millions of dollars of consistent business to them every year. You can go to the website netbiz.com and you’ll see the logo Google created for us to show that we are a Qualified professional. (Keep in mind, if we screw that up, they can EASILY revoke that title.)
We are not trying to scam people, we are also a faith based company. And to absolutely NO offense to some people (most people) there really are just some people who JUST DON’T GET IT.
Oh, and we’re not “phone spamming.” We literally go through websites individually that ARE NOT on the first page of the search we performed, and dial the phone number into our phone.
December 31st, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Ok, let me denounce some of your comments as they are untrue or you have been misinformed of what your personnel are doing.
You contacted me FIRST, unsolicited through my email. You never called me. I can prove that with my phone records! I have NEVER heard of your company until I received the spam mail.
1st) You said: “We ONLY send emails to people who we speak to that ask for them. If the employee is new, of course they are going to make some mistakes, and that “blind” email (if it really WAS blind) very well could have been a mistake.”
— How could that be if you never called FIRST… as you imply… Which you didn’t… and I can prove that through phone records. So, your statement IS incorrect.
2nd) You wrote: As for the “hundred mile radus” <– (which is incorrect) they were speaking about a regional search. Meaning, it’s targeted to your local area with boundaries set by Google.” — — – Heres the original paragraph from your email… and don’t imply that I changed it because that would be an outright lie.
“I have done some research on what searches are being made that are likely to turn into qualified leads for conversion. For instance, any time
someone anywhere in over a hundred mile radius of Dallas does a search for “web page design”, your website would be on the first page of Google.com.
This is a $150 a month investment.”
— SO, that puts your comment either an outright lie or you are, again, misinformed of your company’s/employee’s actions.
3rd) The email I received stated: “Because we have made Google a lot of money, we are the preferred partner and are given priority placements for flat rate positioning (instead of Pay-Per-Click).”
— You are “THE” preferred partner? You must mean “A” preferred partner. Though I will admit I haven’t researched to see which of Googles adwords resellers is “THE” preferred partner. I doubt they have “A” preferred partner but I don’t know. So, I will give you that one even though I disagree with that.
4th) You Wrote:
“** We HAVE changed our representation to say something BESIDES “on behalf of Google”
** Obviously, we do not offer organic placement. We never have, and never will say it.”
— I didn’t comment on that portion so I won’t respond to it. But I will agree with you that the email I received did NOT say either of those things.
5th)You Wrote:
“** We’re providing a service which allows you to not have to spend time managing your own adwords account. We make sure your ad STAYS on the first page of Google. NO MATTER WHAT. EVEN if your “budget” is reached, you’ll still be there, and we take that loss. We get your ad to the first page, we do not guarantee any specific position.
*BTW* We are qualified by Google to do this. They obviously do not frown upon us, as we bring millions of dollars of consistent business to them every year. You can go to the website netbiz.com and you’ll see the logo Google created for us to show that we are a Qualified professional. (Keep in mind, if we screw that up, they can EASILY revoke that title.)”
– I have NO conflict with what your company does… many other companies do the same thing… I can go take the Google exam and spend $1000 every 90 days and be a adwords reseller too. I just have a problem with the way your company’s advertising techniques since you sent me an unsolicited email. (And NO, you never called first meaning you used my email address off the website and did not call my phone number first.)
6th) You wrote: “We are not trying to scam people, we are also a faith based company. And to absolutely NO offense to some people (most people) there really are just some people who JUST DON’T GET IT.”
– I never said you were trying to “scam” people so don’t imply I did. As for Netbiz.com being a “Faith-Based company”… Give me a break, sigh.
And as for your comment “there really are just some people who JUST DON’T GET IT.”
I WISH I didn’t get it… didn’t get your Unsolicited SPAM that is!
To wrap this up… Im on the National Do Not Call List and my States Do Not Call list. Apparently, for some reason, maybe because you pull phone numbers and email manually from websites, you do not abide by these rules. I’m sure theres a loophole somewhere.
Lastly, Maybe, since you think “Some People Just Don’t Get It” you should read this: http://www.jamesshuggins.com/h/tek1/spam_and_law.htm
Again, I have no problem with your business dealings, just your advertising techniques that cost MY business time and money!
If need be, I can post the entire, unedited, email I received here… though I doubt you would want me to do that.
Have a great day!
January 30th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Russ,
I too have been on the receiving end of an onslaught of phone calls from these people. And yes, I have heard the “we are a christian based company” line, too. I have asked them repeatedly to stop calling me and yet I have lost count of the times I have picked up my phone only to hear one of several scripts which include the lines “we are an affiliate of google” and “we are their largest search engine placement (?) affiliate”. My web guy filled me in on this band of no goodniks. He says that if you call anyone at google you can be sure they will not have heard of netbiz. Also, what they claim to do anyone can do and do it more effectively and for alot less money.
Beware of their dubious claims for this is a call at all costs and get their credit card number outfit. It’s creepy to use religion as a selling point in my opinion anyway, and all too often this means you are dealing with an unscrupulous and unethical group. I doubt anything claimed by netbiz.com. Spread the word and keep fighting the good fight Russ!!!!
February 1st, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Hey guys I am right along side of you on this one. Currently I am trying to get back the money they charged my companies credit card without my permission. I had agreed to try them for one month to see if my cpc burden would lessen. At the end of the month they were suppose to call me with a report that showed the results of the campaign. I even emailed and ask my sales rep. for it. Two days after they charged my card again (without permission this time) my sales rep Doty called me to tell me I can not have a copy of the report because it had their costs on it. Well, needless to say we went round and round until I said I’m not using them anymore if I can’t see the performance report. That’s when I found out they charged my card. The refused to refund, sent me an email with what they said the report said, but was not the report only a typed email. Then I find that two of the keywords were misspelled. What a nightmare, everyone should know this before they do netbiz with them. My rep even went as far as to offer to pray with me before I signed up. I guess to prove that God was going to make it happen. I am heading to the BBB on Monday and writing a RipOff report. If anyone would like to contact me you can reach me through my site – crawlspaceinfo.com.
March 26th, 2009 at 10:04 am
They just called me! Thanks for the insight.
April 14th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Guess who just called me again. He didn’t say he was from Google, just “we’re actually a Google qualified company” blah blah “We’re doing a special promotion and we want to get one business from your category to feature so that you’re always at the top of the Google search results.”
No mention of it being advertising and not a search listing that you’re buying.
April 17th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
i just received a call from some girl called Kathy at netbiz. i told her i was not interested in her pitch so she started to lecture me about how i wasn’t running my company correctly. i’m small (1.3 million / $250k net) so i’m doing something right. i had to laugh when i read they were a “christian company”. every time i’ve heard “dont worry i’ll pay you, hey i’m a christian” that’s when i dont get paid. i called her back at her number 503-718-6321 and got the same lecture.
April 27th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I have to agree with John from Netbiz.com. Adwords can be done by anyone but do you really want to? I mean c’mon! It’s time consuming and I don’t care how savvy you are, your going to make mistakes. You might be able to work on your own car, or do a little plumbing but…you get my point. You’ll save more money having someone do it right the first time. You understand.
There are a lot of other companies that do this with many different business models that don’t feel like your getting mislead or scammed. Flat rate means flat profit for netbiz.com you never really get to know or even track conversions because they don’t offer it. Let me see my clicks per month and my click thru rate. Let me know what it Cost Per Click from Google and in-turn the % of margin they make off you. Ha.
I by know means want to come off like this is a pitch as John from Netbiz.com did. If you really are looking to have a Google Adwords account and dont want to risk the time and money doing it wrong yourself. Adwords Associates will manage your campaign for a %percentage% basis. You can see what your Traffic is you can login to your Google Adwords Account and see your stats for yourself. No smoke and mirrors here. We Manage your account, you pay Google then Adwords Associates the percentage of your cost. You only pay for results plain and simple…
One last thing.
“I’ll let you all in on an industry dirty little secret.” They don’t want you to see your stats, they don’t want you to know how good your doing or BAD, they want to get your billing information and hope that you never look at your credit card statement again.”
I used to work for them and now own my own company.
June 17th, 2009 at 10:50 am
I am really shocked to see how many people have been called by this company. I just got a call today from these guys and its the same story everyone else has heard. They claimed to put our website #1 in Google by paying them $50 a month. What a scam? It is ridicilous how these companies make a living. I did a search and led me to this post.
Jim
July 7th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I just signed on with them for $125.00 per month. I am using Google Adwords now and have been for about a year and a half and we spend about $25.00 per day which is a lot for us where we are a small business. I spoke with Jennifer and asked at least 75 questions and felt that she was being honest with me when saying that we will be at the top of the first page for our particulas business. I will let you all know what happens, I’m hoping for the best!
July 13th, 2009 at 11:04 am
This sales lady must be ‘New’.
No mention of organic or adwords, regional or global. And an implication that they control the front page of Google! Shocking sales techniques. Someone should get a lawyer to look over this.
Hello,
Thank you for your time on the phone. I appreciate you taking the time to
listen to my offer.
We currently have space available on the first page of Google under
“xxx” for only $50 per month and “xxx” for only $75
per month and “xxx” for $325 per month. This is a month to month
agreement, no long term contract. You may cancel at any time. There is a one
time account creation fee of $79.95, then the monthly fee for the search or
searches you choose to be listed under.
We guarantee your website will be on the first page of Google 24/7. Most of
our clients land in the yellow box at the top of the page. We will monitor
your account to make sure you are receiving traffic.
We place only one client on the first page of a search. This ensures you
that we will not have anyone else compete against you for placement. Our
searches tend to sell quickly, so I encourage you to contact me asap if you
are interested.
We accept Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover, and E-Check as payment methods.
If you choose to use a credit card, we usually have you up on the first page
within 2-3 business days. If you choose to use E-Check or it usually takes
up to 10 business days.
Our website is: http://www.NetBiz.com and you can read what clients are saying
about us at: http://www.ivouch.com/netbiz
If there are other search terms that you are interested in, please let me
know and I can research them. Thank you for your time. I hope to earn your
business.
Warm regards,
xxxx
Internet Marketing Specialist
July 17th, 2009 at 4:37 am
I’m back and all is great! I just checked this morning to see where we would show up and there we are since we have started using netbiz at the top of the page. So far so good!! Thanks Jennifer and netbiz!
Sincerely,
Michael Fowler
Holiday Guest House Bed & Breakfast
August 20th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Did anyone ever think about the fact that Google offers these types of “keywords” or “phrases” for up to thousands of dollars a month based on how many times they are clicked… Seriously, why would you waste $50 a month on a placement product, if the price is so low, because of the fact that it isnt getting the search traffic to make it cost effective. There are plenty other companies who arent running on “county campaigns” or offering $50 phrases… because those companies are only interested in selling the phrases that work. Do some research, you might find a smaller, not so “corporate hungry company” who pins their sales people against one another to sell the same phrases. Good luck to all those people who claim to be “happy customers”, if you really are, I wish you all the best… but hope you’ll end up working with a company that is better.
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I am shocked to see all of this about this company. I was ready to give my credit card to him when I started reading all of this and I just abruptly ended my call.
I was told for $50 a month I would get this great key word and it would be better than any others that I was using on my own ad words account. I spend $300 a month for my adwords right now that I created and manage on my own. He was telling me that I would be better off with this one other keyword opposed to the 1000 keywords I have under my own account. I am sure that for $50 a month I could also find one listing and get on the front page myself as I am on the first page under my own already.
Thanks to you all for your honesty about this company I am glad you saved me from a waste of money and time!
September 11th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Dear Netbiz,
Your continuous calls to me are a waste of your resources. If you insist on wasting our time together, please at least change up your script.
It is so tiring to her “Hi, this is xxx with netbiz and I’m calling on behalf of google” over and over again.
Thanks for writing the blog post, now I don’t have to.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:09 pm
First, the people that really make money are visible EVERYWHERE!
Print, ONLINE, and through Media.
So, would you say that financial investing businesses are all scams because of Bernie Madoff, Lehman Brothers, and Bear Stearns???? NO, not at all!
NetBiz.com is legit and full of educated professionals. Lots of them have college degrees and are working on their Masters.
My mother is a successful Green Builder but does that mean she knows how to place her website on Google where her developments will be seen?
Plus, do you think she would want to spend her days monitoring her placement on Google, or closing on properties from buyers that found her homes on the first page?
Enough said. Thank you.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
If you were a legitimate business you wouldnt be getting complaints like this. If you just said you are pay-per-click consultants you wouldnt be scamming people. Wise up and shift your stinky thinking NetBiz. Until then when our clients ask about you we will continue to send them to this page as an example of what they might be getting themselves into
November 5th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Wow. I just read through all of these comments and was shocked… Blogs are the bathroom stalls of the internet. You can say ANYTHING you want and get away with it.
Unfortunately, many people in here have been misled. I’ve been a Netbiz client for many years and have zero complaints. My rep explained to me that the keywords and prices are market driven, and you’re not paying-per-click with Netbiz. You’re getting a permanent, 24/7 spot on the first page for the keyword you select, and you’re the ONLY client that they place on the phrase.
The fraction of comments in this blog that are negative pale in comparison to the good this company is doing for people and for my business.
Those of you who are running an Ad Words campaign on your own know that the average amount of time your website is on the first page is only an hour and a half a DAY. Netbiz guarantees the first page 24/7 for their clients, and that is a position I’m not willing to give anyone else.
Don’t be misled by these frustrated bloggers. Netbiz is legit and I can’t say enough about how they’ve helped my business.
November 6th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Like the rest of you I was also called by Netbiz (Randy). Randy strongly implied that they controlled the first page of Google search results. Randy guaranteed me placement in the #1 or #2 spot in the “yellow box” for a number of top tier keywords.
At first I just assumed Netbiz was a shady AdWords reseller – I get calls like this all the time – but then Randy gave me pricing info.
He offered me the #1 or #2 AdWords spot for the keyphrase “cleveland cavaliers tickets” for $700/month. The current average CPC for this phrase is $10. TEN DOLLARS per click. Randy also implied that I would be on the Google content network as well as in the search results. I have an e-mail from him quoting these prices as well as promising placement in the “highest position possible”.
This offer is insane. It just isn’t possible. To me, offers like this pretty much guarantee that it is a scam. Netbiz as a company would be losing buckets and buckets of money each month.
To the people that say that Netbiz is worth the money – you are being ripped off. Sure, your ad might show up. But there are other companies that will do it much cheaper (ie, charge you a flat rate to manage your campaigns) and with much more transparency.
I don’t think the argument that Netbiz is an “AdWords Qualified Professional” holds much water. Anyone with experience in AdWords and a campaign to spend money on can get that title.
November 21st, 2009 at 8:26 am
I have filed multiple complaints to Oregon Chamber of commerce, Google, & BBB against Netbiz.com for deceptive sales tactics!
I purchased their services on 11/18/2009 after receiving a phone call from one of the Reps we talked for 45mins & I agreed to try the service.
I was told it cost $75.00 a month I told the young lady (Kara E. Amspoker)I would take a chance on spending $150.00 for 2 months service.
When I received the e-mail confirmation I find that $154.95 was deducted from my account!
as there is a $79.95 “setup” fee!(that Kara never mentioned)when I called to complain to the sales mngr she started the conversation saying “I understand there was some sort of misunderstanding” I told her there was no “misunderstanding” Kara never mentioned it!! After speaking to the billing dept I’m told it will take 7-10 business days for my refund!
All the while I’m being told that I must’ve “misunderstood” Or didn’t hear her say there was a setup charge.
I was also told by customer service that their bank is responsible for the delay
but when I talked to billing they said it’s MY bank holding it up & that I must’ve “misunderstood” the e-mail refund letter!
These people are liars! Even though they did get me to the top of page 1 in the yellow box it had to be the specific phrase “chicago personal training”
when I tried other search phrases ” chicago personal trainer” or “personal training in chicago”
mine would not show up but the same company beneath me came up for every search phrase! That’s the company to go with!
Don’t be fooled by these LIARS!
December 30th, 2009 at 1:20 am
SCAMMING BASTARDS!! They have just taken $79.86 USD from my account on 24 December.
On 22 Nov I agreed to pay $2.95 to get an information pack on how to make money from Google. TWO days later they have charged my credit card $79.86USD for Elitepack 8663962729.
I have only just received my statement so I have been charged these two amounts, have received nothing and now have had to cancel my credit card and contact the disputes department. December charge is by NETBIZ.
This is a major scam and I am going to kick up a stink until I get a total refund of the two unauthorised thiefts from my credit card.
Beware! Any information on how to get my money refunded greatly appreciated.
January 23rd, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Pamela A, check your info. Netbiz.com does not have an ‘information pack’, nor do we have anything called an ‘elite pack’. You may want to double check your information. Buyer beware…there are numerous companies out there imitating Netbiz.com, but there is only one true Netbiz.com. You can find us online at http://www.netbiz.com. Any customer service rep would be happy to walk you through OUR website and verification process.
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:24 pm
Netbiz is a great company that does what they say they will do. They get you to the front page of Google in the sponsored links. Yes you COULD perhaps do it yourself, however it takes a LOT of time and energy to run your own ad campaign effectively. Time that I as a business owner would rather spend getting new clients. I could also learn to tune-up my own car and cut my own hair. I prefer to leave it to businesses who specialize in car tune-ups and hair styling, so I have time to make money instead.
February 12th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
My wife ordered ‘Google Cash’ some months ago. She doesn’t regularly check her credit card statements but last week discovered that Netbiz has been charging her $86.00AUD every month since; four months worth in total. She did not agree to any such ongoing charge and does not even have an active website at this point. This is quite clearly a scam, and the pro-Netbiz comments in this blog are obviously from Netbiz employees looking to deflect the negative attention this company is deservedly receiving. Information about the deceitful ‘business’ practices that Netbiz indulges in is all over the internet and I have already made contact with a handful of Netbiz ‘customers’ who are keen to team up with us to recover their losses. My wife’s brother is a QC so legal costs are not an issue for us; they certainly will be for Netbiz though.
Witty1, regarding your response to Pamela – Netbiz may not have either an ‘Introduction’ pack nor an ‘Elite’ pack, but they certainly don’t hesitate to bill people indiscriminantly for these mysterious items.
February 16th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Netbiz is a complete and utter scam. I have filed multiple complaints with the Better Business Bureau, and I encourage everyone to check with your BBB and see the monumental pile of complaints that have been filed. The company’s deceptive marketing and total lack of transparency and accoubtability are recurring themes. Stay away from this company.
February 27th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
NetBiz offered to sell me a phrase in Google’s Sponsored Links, and it’s value is $200. That plus the “set-up fee” is 279.95.
I changed my mind and called back after 2 business days and wanted a refund. The salesperson was angry and thought I should keep paying for another month or two “to give it time to work”. I asked to speak with a supervisor.
The supervisor apologized that all payments are non-refundable. But she offered two alternative phrases that might be of more value to my company. Each of those phrases were $75 each and that’s a total of $150, and so I had a $50 refund coming to me of the $200 I’d paid for the first phrase.
One of those two search phrases was posted to Google’s Sponsored Links as promised. But the second phrase was NEVER posted to Google, not even in the days after I called a third time complaining the non-fulfillment of their promises.
I repeated my demand for a refund due to non-fulfillment of the agreement. The same supervisor I’d spoken with before said that a full refund IS possible but only in the first three days so I was too late. (Though I had first called 2 days after purchase, when she’d told me a refund was impossible). She also claimed to have made the requested changes, which was false. And she claimed her company had initiated a refund of $50, which also has proved false.
I called a week later, protesting again that only one of the two phrases I’d bought were on Google. Again, predictably, the supervisor continued with the same excuse-making tactics. She promised the second phrase would be posted immediately and I’d be charged a “pro-rated” amount. And again, the result was non-delivery of the promised goods. And still no refund ever showed up.
They’ve had lots of time to refund my money for non-delivery of my purchase.
For those of you who had your cards charged without permission, report it to the bank that issued your card. Also everyone be very sure to file a complaint to the BBB.
March 1st, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I just received a call from NetBiz today. They left a message saying they had seen my website and , worked with Google, and could get me on the first page, and left a phone number to call. I couldn’t wait to call, because, you see, we don’t have a web page. That was my first clue that Mark Wilson with NetBiz was not an honest person. I did call him and told him I was excited to know he had found our web page because I didn’t know we had one. He started stammering and then said, “I hope I didn’t lie to you”, to which I replied, “Oh, surely you wouldn’t do that”. He asked me to let him look again and when he couldn’t find a website for us, stammered even more and started trying to tell me he could still get us on the first page of Google. At this point I told him that he obviously had lied and was a total disgrace and hung up. Then I found this website and was even more glad of my action!
March 24th, 2010 at 5:35 pm
I used to work for Netbiz. They are a sweatshop/boiler room operation. I was fired essentially for not being willing to lie to people to get them to sign up. The average sales pitch they tell you to use there is more or less false, and even that isn’t actually good enough to sell the product consistently. To do that, you have to be willing to play snake oil salesman.
Also, they significantly mark up most of the search terms, charging you for a 7% click through rate when realistically, most of the terms get a click through of less than 1%. But if you do happen to go overcost, they hound you aggressively to increase your payments or switch to a cheaper (less effective) search.
Don’t go with this company when you can do adwords more cheaply on your own.
April 23rd, 2010 at 5:55 am
I really appreciate your time to share your experience.
You just save me couple hundreed $ Best,K
May 10th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
I just wanted to let you all know my take on this. I do work at Net Biz. and we are a family there that does truly want for your business to succeed, we are not taking your money. we do not find you on a list. we find you by doing a-lot of research on your web sights and we try to see who is not getting the business that they should be getting. We really do work with google. we are qualified by them to service you. and yes we are a faith based business. at net biz, good Friday is a paid holiday. and on that day the company has a service given for the employees for them to hear the Word of God and respond to the call for salvation, in-fact, just this past Good Friday,11 employees gave there lives to Jesus Christ. the president and the vice-president are both Christians and so are many of the people who work here. so, please do not judge the book by it’s cover, we are humans here at net biz who have families just like you and we are trying our hearts to provide for them and help you truly succeed for your business. I have been with the company for almost 2 months and everyone that i signed up are on the first page of Google.
thank-you for your comments. try to see the cup as half full and see what we really do. and for those who had a bad experience. on behalf of netbiz, it is not in any way our intent for you to be taken for your money. we are trying to save you a lot of money that most of you are paying to be on search pages that you are not even being seen. thank-you and may you all have a blessed night and day.
June 9th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
The post by “Timothy” dated May 10th, 2010 just PROVES what a scam Net Biz truly is! I am one of many who knows exactly what SEP is and I don’t need these knuckleheads to mismanage my Google AdWords account for me. What I need if for them to stop wasting my time with their incessant sales pitches, as I have asked them AT LEAST 20 TIMES to stop calling me!
BTW Timothy, it’s a webSITE…and you purport to be an expert??!!
June 21st, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Sparky,
I don’t work for Netbiz.com but I find your arrogance and hatred for netbiz to be interesting.
You harass Timothy for the common mistake of using sights instead of sites.
Yet you make an extreme bonehead mistake of using if instead of is. Perhaps you should practice a Christian philosophy of ignoring the sliver in someone’s finger, when you have a 24ft beam sticking out of your own eye.
One theme I have seen in this complain list is poeple saying that they have asked a company to stop calling them 20 times.
Just for your own edification… A company will not remove a caller just by them asking.
If you want to be removed you need to join the do not call and do not mail listing. An employee can’t just remove you. Especially if they aren’t calling from a list. You poeple have stated on numerous occasions that they call from your website info. How is an employee that makes cold calls supposed to let other employees know not to call you if they are looking up websites. That would be a huge data base and the salesman would never make any calls because they would have to constantly check the database of companies not to call. Does that even seem remotely logical?
June 21st, 2010 at 7:56 pm
I find it perfectly logical actually that a company that conducts phone sales would keep a central database, managed by a computer (those newfangled devices that make record keeping, such as “constantly check[sic] the database of companies not to call”, very easy) on who not to call, and as well to remove people who ask to be removed. For they would have to know they are violating federal laws, and possibly state laws as well, if they fail to do so.
If you are ever prosecuted for breaking federal telemarketing laws I wouldn’t think a defense that consists of “it was too hard not to call people who asked us to stop” would be very successful.
June 21st, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Also before you start accusing a company of wrong deeds you should probably realize that there is a yournetbiz and netbiz.com.
netbiz.com sells a service for websites and google ad placement.
yournetbiz sells packages for online businesses.
From what little I know about google ad space there is a limited vision of what google ad words will do.
If a company tells you that they will put you on the front page for the following ad “a+b+c=d” then you only have yourself to blame if you “thought” that would get you first place under “d-c-b=a”. Google ads are very specific and fine tuned. If you want to be first under “d-c-b=a” then you need to pay for it along side “a+b+c=d”. If you want more than what you are paying for, then you are the greedy one not the marketer. I would venture to guess that 90% of the people whining in here are not justifiably complaining about a lie from the marketer but because they weren’t proactive and didn’t take the time to find out what they were getting.
From what I’ve seen in comments by customers that took the time to find out what they were really getting rather than “ass”uming they are all happy with their services rendered. There have been a few disgruntled ex employees who of course are never happy.
June 21st, 2010 at 8:04 pm
One other comment I just thought of.
Even if a company has the most ethical Management team, they can’t guarantee that an unethical sales person won’t misrepresent their company.
However, if they let it continue, even after knowing about it, that’s when they have a problem they need to deal with at the executive level.
June 21st, 2010 at 8:14 pm
<<– picture me rolling my eyes at Chris.
Did you intentionally misprepresent everything I said or was it an accident of ignorance?
What I said was, they don’t call from a calling database. From what call receivers and those that work for the company have said, they do research on websites in given regiions and focus on the websites and make their phone calls from the website they are going to call, then it would take forever to screen a database and make sure they have the right person for the right organization.
As is obvious there are similar website names, as in the confusion of people that are pissed at yournetbiz.com and are taking it out against netbiz.com.
so the database would not only have to have the website listing as well as a responsible party name listing to be viable. You think the government is going to undergo the management of that and enforce it? They don’t have time to go after the scumbags that stand on the street corner of our kids schools selling drugs let alone that night mare.
If a person what wise and had an issue with netbiz calling them, rather than scream into the phone 20 + times, why not put a “no soliciting calls” note prominately on the top of the web site.
Why not garner cooperation from a senator or congressman to incite some sort of regulation about calling when a business has a “no solicitation call” listing on their website.
Constant whining is only iritating.
I have nothing to gain either way from this organization, I just hate whiners.
June 22nd, 2010 at 5:24 am
Brad “who doesn’t work for Netbiz” you’re just digging yourself a hole.
You don’t need a database of websites, or of people, just of phone numbers.
If a sales agent finds a number they wish to call, before typing it into their phone, they type it into the database. If they find a match, they don’t call the number. It would take 10 seconds, it is easy to do, and it is the LAW. (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/alerts/alt129.shtm)
Failure to abide by the law will result in penalties to the business. Which is why pretty much every company that relies on telemarketing to grow their business does so.
July 20th, 2010 at 11:29 am
COMPLETELY TRUE. ALWAYS DELIVER.
Net Biz contacted me the same way. I didn’t believe them either. BUT, they are completely true to their word. For every search term I purchased, I have a top 3 place on Google. That is a huge bonus my small company and new website.
I’ve read about all of the skepticism and can really vouch for the fact that they have delivered on every promise.
July 27th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I signed up with Netbiz today for $100/month. I stupidly did not ask to see the Terms and Conditions before I gave them my card number. I was charged the extra $80 without being told. I plan on calling tomorrow and demanding a refund on the “account setup fee”; otherwise, I am hoping that this will help give my massage therapy biz a kickstart. I don’t know how/have time to learn to do Google adwords, and I can pay off $100 in two hour-long massage sessions. Here’s hoping, and next time I’ll be more careful before signing on the dotted line.
August 17th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
While some employees have misrepresented netbiz in their calls that was on their own accord. Netbiz says they are a Google adwords qualified company. In any sales job you will jave someone who lies to “do better” I assure you netbiz fires tjem promptly. Netbiz is Oregon’s seventh largest private employer and helps thousands of people. Checkivouch.com/netbiz
August 27th, 2010 at 7:10 am
Any company that has to tout being “faith based” as a mark that they have an ethical business automatically sends up a red flag to me. If indeed your business is on the line, then that should stand on its own, not be propped up by saying that you are Christian based company.
Hell, I’m Catholic and I don’t care what religion a company is or isn’t, so long as they get the job done and done well for a fair price.
August 31st, 2010 at 1:28 pm
I recently signed up with netbiz and am trying to determine if they are a scam or not. I am very familiar with how to run Google ad-words campaigns and have run many myself. The reason I signed up with them is because they guaranteed 1st page on Google for an expensive and competitive keyword (electricians)24/7 no matter how many clicks. For $159 per month- that is an unbeatable deal. I also had no problem paying for set up- that is a legitimate charge in my eyes. However the results I have gotten are extremely disturbing and suspicious. On a keyword that gets only 14,000 exact searches per month I will consistently use up my entire (small) budget each day if I bid for 1st page placement I will see a minimum of 10 clicks per day. I ALWAYS see immediate traffic from an adwords campaign, especially on popular keywords. Not necessarily huge traffic, but noticeable and traceable traffic via Google Analytics. So here I am with a keyword guaranteed to be on page 1 24/7 through Net Biz that gets 165,000 exact local searches every month and my traffic is….0. Yes 0 clicks- over a 2 week period. Yes, the ad has been there when I have checked. However it is unlikely to the point of impossible that on such a high search volume keyword with an ad on page 1 all the time, that I would see absolutely no click through traffic. I have asked repeatedly to see traffic reports but have not yet gotten anything. Hopefully I can get tot he bottom of this, but it sure is odd.
October 2nd, 2010 at 7:05 am
I have handled my client’s Google Adwords account ads for years and never heard of this company until a “NEW” client decided to use them. I provide my clients with a monthly Google Analytics report to show them everything about their website including the Adwords Campaign results. I have read that many people do not receive such a report from NETBIZ after many tries. I looked up where this company is located (Tigard, Oregon) and will list the WHOIS contact info below for those who want to contact them. I was lucky enough back in ’04 to purchase a good size block of Google stock when their IPO went public and have never regretted it since. The stockholder annual report is quite extensive and mind boggling but is very informative. Google has tried over the years to provide quality search results to consumers but companies like NETBIZ just seem to clog up the Internet with their worthless ads. It is a shame that people don’t investigate these type of companies before signing up.
Here is the WHOIS info:
Registrant:
Netbiz Advisors
7175 SW Beveland, Suite 100
Tigard, Oregon 97223
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: NETBIZ.COM
Created on: 18-Jan-95
Expires on: 19-Jan-19
Last Updated on: 18-Nov-09
Administrative Contact:
Anderson, John brandon@netbizadvisors.com
Netbiz Advisors
7175 SW Beveland, Suite 100
Tigard, Oregon 97223
United States
8888472226
Technical Contact:
Faussett, Ryan rfaussett@netbiz.com
Netbiz, Inc
7175 SW Beveland, Suite 100
Tigard, Oregon 97223
United States
8888472226
Domain servers in listed order:
DNS1.NETBIZ.COM
DNS2.NETBIZ.COM
Registry Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Registry Status: clientRenewProhibited
Registry Status: clientTransferProhibited
Registry Status: clientUpdateProhibited
October 12th, 2010 at 9:21 am
Hello, All.
I just got off the phone, having been contacted by a Rep named “Richard” from this organization. I have to admit I was pretty excited to know I would possibly have an opportunity to finally grow my Avon biz successfully. (Lord knows my catalogs, samples & Avon website really aren’t “putting me out there.”)
Before it was time for me to give my CC #, I politely asked Richard if I could return his call.
I pored over a great deal of your commentary, as well as by others on other sites.
I just returned Richard’s phone call, leaving a v-mail informing him of my findings & that I am not comfortable sharing my CC #, as I am a single parent & really not @ liberty to try netbiz.
I’m very disappointed, as I’ve been selling Avon since March, & only Avon is truly seeing any real profit, truth be told.
I’m hurt “faith” and “God” are being used by way of manipulation. I serve God, so I’ve been sitting here @ my desk with my mouth dropped. I am simply dumbfounded by all of your testimonies.
Thanks to All for sharing / warning. God Bless each and EVERY single one of you!
October 13th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I probably wouldn’t choose companies based on anonymous testimonials from the internet. If I were going to use Netbiz, I would ask my sales rep to give me one or two names and phone numbers of clients, and I would give them a call. Then ask your sales rep; “what are your strengths and weaknesses?”.
Conduct an independent evaluation using information gathered from multiple sources.
October 27th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Please dont confuse the above with UK based web design agency http://www.netbizweb.co.uk who are established and employ a dedicated team of designers and developers!
November 1st, 2010 at 1:05 pm
These ass-clowns call me 5-7 times per week ON MY PERSONAL CELL PHONE that is on the National Do Not Call Registry. I request time and time again that they remove that number from their list. They refuse. I now report each and every call to the FCC. I’ll get those bastards yet. They are just lucky I’m a long way from Oregon. I mean, have some f-ing respect, seriously!
And how professional is it that they’ve tried to hijack this post? Of course, they just come off as a scam to anyone with intelligence because they are.
November 7th, 2010 at 8:49 am
To whom this may concern,
I got a call from them and told them I would love to speak to them and to schedule a date a few days later to discuss.
The answer was that this is urgent and if you don’t sign up “now” your competiters will get your keywords!
This is an ugly way of marketing! They didn’t want me to have time to think about it ’cause they were afraid I would have time to think and understand the foolishness of this idea, or will google their name (and find this blog).
I don’t respond to people that need an answer on the spot!
November 16th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Can I register my business phone number or a fax number?
The National Do Not Call Registry is only for personal phone numbers. Business-to-business calls and faxes are not covered by the National Do Not Call Registry.
If your cell phone is listed on your business website as a point of contact it is a business line and not covered by the Do Not Call list. Just an FYI
November 17th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I just found this via a Google search. Good stuff, Chris. Someone had to say this. These guys are completely clueless, and some of the answers from other posters are quite interesting too. I didn’t know that being Christian somehow made any business activity ethical, either. “Let’s see…thou shalt not kill…thou shalt not steal…nope, nothing that says thou shalt not pick up the phone and market. Thou shalt not lie? We’re not lying. We’re just presenting truth in a different light, that’s all. Jesus still loves us, right? Okay. Good.”
A client of mine received the cold call from these clowns on Friday and referred it to me. Rather than rehash the comedy that ensued, I’m going to post the link in the website field. Apparently the NetBiz VP himself has responded…or at least his executive junior assistant VP in charge of changing the toilet paper rolls, filling coffee mugs, and feeding the company piranha.
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:46 am
I used to work for a company like Netbiz and a VP and have dealt with Netbiz (Ahhh they didn’t know when I called about one of my websites). anyway, I left the company I was at just for those types of lies everyone has mentioned above. I formed a low cost ethical PPC company that works for my clients best interests.
let’s face facts. $50 a month for an exact match term will give you horrible results without negatives. and you are guessing on what term works? It doesn’t work that way my friend. Take into account management fees and overhead. Do you really believe your small percentage left would keep you on 24/7, at the top even? State farm spends thousands of dollars a day to stay at the top 24/7. You are bidding against others on a regular basis. You are in rotation.
By the way. The Netbiz rep who called a friend of mine, gave her so much BS, she had to wear boots to hear the conversation. Flat out lies! but then when I called and spoke to a rep about one of my e-commerce websites, she was open and honest and very professional. So they do exist at Netbiz.
Anyway, if you want to know the truth about any PPC provider… ask to see your actual Google account versus the report they give you. You eyes will be opened up wide! Transparency people!
November 29th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I have been scammed by netbiz. I too received a call from netbiz (Kurt) They could get me top listing within 3 days if I paid 250/mo for a search word with a 100 account activation fee. I have been wanting to try to promote our website better and get a better search listing so I thought “Why Not?” Dummy me! I gave them my credit card number. Seven days later I emailed Kurt to tell him I had yet to see our company on the front page. He did not respond. Two days later I emailed him again. Again no response. Today I attempt to contact him at the number and extention he provided. I was conveniently disconnected. I called back again and got somebody other than Kurt. He said Kurt’s extention had changed. I gave that extention a try and nobody answered nor was there a voice mail. I then tried to contact netbiz customer service line. Again no answer. I now have clicked on their contact page and sent them notice that I have been defrauded and I expect a full refund. They have yet to return my call or email me back. This is a scam!!!
December 8th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
thanks for this, i to got a call from them saying the same thing ( on my cell)for only 200 bucks a month I to can be ranked yawn. Come people facebook and good adword campaigns are the way fot that type of money. By the way I asked him to show me one realtor who was using their service and they could not show me one online
December 20th, 2010 at 8:21 am
Google suspended Netbiz.com as a reseller 2 months ago. They are not an “affiliate” of Google. Netbiz questionables sales practices were reported and called into question and because of their violations they had to shrink their operation by one call center.
December 21st, 2010 at 3:17 pm
I just got the shaft from them too. I feel like a bonehead for not looking into it more. I’ve been trying to cancel my account since October and just finally received notification that it was cancelled. (I am sorry to say that she got me so mad I called her a f*$#@&* B!$@# I never get mad or curse and I can’t believe that I let her get to me) They don’t have any record that I ever called. The employee that set me up and who I called at least 6 times over the last 3 months doesn’t work there and apparently didn’t log any of my phone calls so they can not refund any of my money because they provided a service to me and I am responsible for paying for it. BTW I could NEVER find my listing even when I searched with Norm on the phone with me or his manager and I did not get ANY clients from it AND no one I know was able to find me. I am just sick about this.
December 22nd, 2010 at 6:41 pm
I worked with Netbiz and at first it seemed to be really good and great. I saw this site already before I had said yes to my interviews and since I needed a job I didn’t bother to go deep in details in the interview process. Guess what, when I started there was no real training. They claim they are training you while they literally put you on the phone and change your script day to day. There is no approved script from their marketing or legal department. This company is going to get sued big time and Netbiz will close down pretty soon. They are looking to closing down the Mohawk office as it isn’t really making any money. WE WERE TAUGHT TO LIE TO GUARANTEE YOU IN FRONT OF gazillions of People. ALL they cared is your CREDIT CARD!!! Things we did working for this company from saying We are working directly with Google. The owner of this company should really just beware of what all their employees are doing…. One big law suit case and it would turn this company Upside Down in a blink of an Eye!
January 9th, 2011 at 9:44 am
I typically am very careful on doing business with companies calling and soliciting their business. However, the sales rep had me believe that she was part of Google and guaranteed me top placement on Google ads. She even promised ongoing one on one support to improve my campaign with Google Adwords and helping me to be on the top organically. First thing I noticed was that after getting me to sign up, another rep took over and the first one didn’t want anything to do with helping me after signing me up. She had made empty promises which she had no intention of keeping. They couldn’t even get the keywords or the wording to the ads right. When I asked for corrections to be made, I was told that they would charge me $75 for everytime I made changes and the keywords that I was requesting would cost more. Luckily, I had email confirmation with my original request. So they reluctantly made the necessary changes. I was following the ad and would notice that at times my ad would not show up. When I asked them about it, they told me that I am mistaken. That everything looks good from their end. I told them that I was paying them to ensure top placement and that I don’t have the time to keep checking up on them and since they obviously were not doing what they were getting paid for, I told them to cancel my account. When going through my bank account, I realized that they had kept on charging me. I checked Google to see if my ad was showing. It wasn’t. I contacted them again and demanded the money that they owed me. Which was over $1100. I told them that I had canceled my account and know that they don’t have my ad up and asked why they are still charging me. I was told that my ad was not canceled and the reason my ad doesn’t show up is because Google doesn’t allow it anymore. I asked that if they hadn’t canceled my account like asked and Google doesn’t allow them to “do that”, then why didn’t someone contact me to let me know that my ad will no longer be up? Furthermore, why would they continue to charge my account? She said the best they will do is credit me $250 and that is firm, not a penny more. I have not accepted and am still fighting to get the money that they owe me.
WARNING: Netbiz is a scam and they WILL steal your money!
January 29th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Netbiz is a scam.
They lie about what they do. They said they were going to put me on sponsored results, and instead all my traffic came from google’s larger network of ads which is not targeted like the sponsored results right above the natural search engine results. I was located there, but got no traffic. Fine, Ok, I agreed to be put there for their over priced charges compared to the traffic I would get. They said they were the only resellers of google, that they get the lowest price for traffic, but I ended up paying more. If they were only more honest, and gave results, I would have paid them for many years. They should ensure I get lots of traffic and I’m happy. Then I would tell all my friends who have websites, go use them, they rock. they took care of my adwords, and it saved me time. They made some money, they got me a lot of new customers, and I can’t see them not being part of my marketing plan. Instead, they get noting, and I hope no one ever uses them.
After telling them that I was unhappy, and that I didn’t want to continue with this campaign, they charged my credit card again. After complaining, they did reimburse the charge and i Have closed my account.
this company should be shut down, they are what is wrong with the internet.
February 2nd, 2011 at 8:00 pm
As an ex-employee of Netbiz, I can assure you that they are a TOTAL AND COMPLETE SCAM!!! Netbiz is run by your typical, run-of-the-mill, hypocritical talibangelical christofascists that would slit their own mother’s throats for a buck. Faith-based = bullsh*t artists. If you’re looking to optimize search engine results, learn how to effectively use META tags w/in HTML and google adwords. Your time and money will be better spent.
February 12th, 2011 at 3:11 am
Netbiz already shut down their Beveland Street office in Tigard, OR so the information you see online about this location is full of crap. Its general Manger, Rebecca Bernard, was demoted. They are also looking into shutting down their Mohawk Street office in Tualatin, OR. It’s general manager, Michael Clancy, was demoted because he made a gay bias slur against an employee publicly AND one of his employees with a known anxiety disorder was rushed to be aided by paramedics when Mr. Clancy would not allow the employee to compose herself after he was screaming at her. He threatened to fire her if she moved and she collapsed onto the floor. Nimbus Blvd, OR general manager, Ron Way, is the epitomy of evil: he preaches evangelical christianity but laughs as he twists the minds of his employees until he fires them or quits. He tells them they are there to make his house payments and his car payments and if they can’t make the money to get out. Nyberg Street, Tualatin, OR general manger Dan Kinney is a horrible liar. He fires, demotes or shoves qualified managers out the door if they don’t meet his personal target salary – he tells everyone HE wants to earn $350,ooo a year. He constantly screams at his salespeople and the stress causes them to quit, walk away or incur doctor visits due to high blood pressure and stress. He constantly preaches about God and expects everyone to pray with him – yeah, how about that is actionable in court. The vice president Larry Waggoner hates homosexuals, but he is a pastor that preaches that the company is God’s company. He hates homosexuals and is a pastor? Well, why does he constantly crash his laptops and expect the IT guys to fix the problem only to have them find all the gay porn that is downloaded on his laptops, his Ipad and his cell phone. Google revoked their status so now they are trying to jump on the Facebook bandwagon. Horrible company!
February 24th, 2011 at 5:52 pm
Before I started working for my company, their sales pitch got the best of our decision makers and they subscribed to NetBiz. When I found out about this, I was very baffled. They called to give us feedback on our listing. Apparently we were paying $175/month and received 3 total clicks.
They recently called back not too long ago starting out with the same sales pitch as mentioned in the above blog post. I asked them directly, “So you’re using Google AdWords?” and of course they outright lied and said no. The sales lady was extremely aggressive, insulting, and even went as far as to claim that we were going to be billed monthly unless she talks to the CEO of the company.
Someone needs to take this company down, ASAP. Total scam, complete liars, and dastardly business practices.
April 5th, 2011 at 10:02 am
It took me years and lots of money to avoid the scams like netbiz. They claim to be an authorized agent of Facebook? Their web site looks professional and they come across being knowledgeable on the surface but once you start digging deeper they will expose themselves for what they really are. By asking specific questions I was able to get the rep to trip on his tongue. If a business only wants your credit card information right then and there because they claim opportunities will be missed, then you must hang up and run as fast as you can. The best policy I finally discovered through my own mishaps when dealing with firms like netbiz is before you give any information to anyone sit on it for 24 hours, do research and make an educated decision. I have yet to miss that many opportunities in a 24 hour period in my 10 years in business any way.
April 7th, 2011 at 1:29 am
Google revoked their reseller status and the company shut down two call centers and people started leaving or they were being fired when they complained about being cheated by the very company they had built. Not only are customer being cheated, loyal employees and sales managers were being cheated when they stood up against the company. They lost 175 people (from 350) in the last 6 months. But they still take money from clients any way they can. scam artists
April 19th, 2011 at 5:21 pm
So first and foremost i send my appologies to all the companys i called while working my short 2 weeks at netbiz. i totally didnt know about alot o the stuff that was going on here. But i do remember talking to someone on the phone and he stated that he had paid 1000 dollars to us for a custom facebook add but hadnt seen any results. I can honestly say this was probably the least organized job i have ever had its just a bunch of people sitting in a room calling lists of numbers and they dont care if you call more then once even in the same day! yesterday our own manager (dan) almost walked out creating a big scene in front of employees i personally know of alot of others leaving because they cant stand this company i cant wait to see this place come apart it already has down sized dramatically and i think the only reason they can keep finding people to work there is because its so easy to get a job there. they do absolutely no training to help employees do better its just a joke you get paid 10 an hour and maybe if you make a sale they MIGHT give you the 5% commisson… i wouldnt recamend anyone go through this company and i hope all the people that i called read this post before making any decisions. To find out on that this is a christian based company hmmmmm weird i was never told that by anyone that worked there but then someone that works there said ithimself in a post well im glad i dont work for this company anymore personally they are not worth anymore of time. Just business owners becarefulll! they change theirscript everyday they changed it three times in my only 2 weeks there!
June 11th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Date: Friday – October 1, 2010
To: Tony Beeler, Randy Camat, Dana Shaffer, Dan Anderson
RE: Hybrid Compensation – Post BETA
Due to the completion of the BETA test for the Hybrid team, it has come to our attention that our commission structure (as outlined by Hybrid Manager Tony Beeler) has changed drastically as follows effective immediatly;
Hourly: $10.00
Commission: 10% on gross revenue
Industry standard pay structure for this industry is as follows;
Annual: $40,000
Commission: 15% on gross revenue
Recurring: 5%
Post BETA compensation is completely unacceptable. Since coming from the SEP floor we have worked harder than ever before to make this position and test phase successful because we knew that the future of this team was based primarily on the success of this team. When the Hybrid team was originally formed we were told the following;
1. BETA would eventually end – understandably
2. There would be an extensive email blast to support publicity of Netbiz Hybrid/SEO
a. This was never done
3. We were to assist in building client retention and provide a fair amount of customer service in an effort to reactivate old clients, gain new clients, and build services up for existing clients
4. We would not make any commissions or spiffs on upsells for SEP reps
5. We would not make any commissions or spiffs on customer or retention services
Now, we lose even more. We continue to do what we did before. We do it better. We’re better trained. We’re more seasoned. But, we receive $5/hour less, our commission structure doesn’t change, we don’t get paid until a product has been fulfilled, and we STILL don’t get compensated for upsells, retention, and customer service. Is this an improvement? Does this build our morale? Does this inspire us? The answer is NO!
The results of this new compensation will most definitely result in the following;
1. Desperation sales
2. Low employee morale
3. Lack of professional integrity – due to desperation sales
The Hybrid Team has NEVER been a full team. With a full team in the near future based on the results of the last two months, we can conceivably see double those numbers and steady growth upwards. The only way to do this is to support the team that is working hard to achieve this goal for Netbiz.
Please consider the following;
Hourly: $15
Commission: 10% on gross revenue (with the opportunity to earn larger commissions based on gross quarterly or annual sales)
Recurring: Based on individual monthly revenue
According to industry standard, this is a more than fair request. Every single one of the team members on the existing Hybrid team will NOT be able to survive on what you are proposing. If this is something you’re seriously considering or have even decided upon, rest assured there will be no hybrid team at the end of October.
Please review and consider this request. As a team, our goal is to make this successful, to constantly grow the bottom line for ourselves and ultimately for Netbiz. We came into this position with the intent to make this company better, make it stronger, and bring in more immediate revenue for our Netbiz. I believe that was the Netbiz goal as well.
If this is truly the goal of Netbiz, taking away the team’s salary and taking away the motivation to sell will completely derail this project and decimate the Hybrid team.
July 5th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Starting my own company to compete with Netbiz. Any takers?
July 7th, 2011 at 4:48 am
I just read an article here:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/7/prweb8614734.htm
Title: NetBiz Inc. Ranks in Top 30 of Oregon’s 100 Fastest-Growing Private Companies For 2010
Looks like despite the enormous amount of bad PR, this company is still growing.
I did apply for a job there right after I graduated with my MBA. Never been a customer, but did get a chance to see the inside of their office, which is a huge suite right off I5 in a mall there. It was crazy, definitely a telesales call center, the biggest I’ve seen in real life. The interview went well as it was quite apparent I would not make a good fit there and I was able to leave satisfied I didn’t have to work there.
After seeing their operation, seeing the reviews online, and kind of figuring out what they do, it makes me feel like small internet marketing businesses in this country need to step up a bit and take their market share away. We need web professionals to be advocates of technology and make sure that the average consumer understands how the world wide web works.
July 12th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Hey, Web Marketer. The article was submitted by Kim Welsh. She si the “professional writer” of the group. All of the people in attendance to receive the fake award have inflated titles. (1 is a wesite dept manager, one is the Social media specialist, one in the billing manager…you get the picture). Kim orders these articles from writes in India who cost a fraction of what local writes would charge. Instead of giving work to portland/vancouver residents, she pays $1 per article to someone in India. That is no joke.
They also faked the numbers to get the award. I mean really – in mid 2010, there were 350 employees. From the cuts that started in October, 2010 through June, 2011 – there are only 50 people left. 3 of the 4 call centers were forced to shut down. They relocated their corporate office into a smaller office because they are bleeding money. EVERYTHING IS A SHAM. That is what the article should be written about.
July 12th, 2011 at 11:48 am
I used to work here. The company has a poor retention rate because they don’t care if ads work for their customers, they just want the money. Its been bleeding money for years because of the high payouts the owner and general managers were getting ($250,ooo + per year), leaving everyone else to find side work to supplement a $300/week income.
This company went from 350 employees and being the 14th fastest growing company in Oregon, to 50 employees in 7 months, a Google certification revocation and numerous threatening letters from Google, a BBB revocation, numerous managers and top sales people walking out and complaints to the Labor Board and lawsuits against the company.
This company rips people off all day every day and I just couldn’t stand doing it anymore. Can’t wait to see this company file for Chapter 11. I will throw the biggest party around to celebrate justice.
September 20th, 2011 at 10:08 am
So I was working there for a while and just got fired. Did everything they wanted me to do. But because I didn’t lie and cheat hard enough, fat ass Dan (manager) fired me. Well, better than working for a company that just threatens all the employees everyday with being fired. Who can work like that? And we’re sopposed to con customers too? Get over yourself. Your company is not that great. A shitty little company on the top of Famous Footwear? please!
September 20th, 2011 at 10:18 am
This was on realtown.com and has complaints about the company.
RE: NetBiz.com and SEO – May. 17, 2011
Posted by K Riesen
I would like to express how NetBiz is a very compable Internet Marketing Agency. How is it that a business can have a 70% retention rate on a month to month basis -NO CONTRACT and be worng?? It’s not possible. The only way they make business work is by earning it monthly.
Generally those that jump to the conclusion internet marking is a scam are ones who have NO CLUE about internet marketing.
Permanent Link
RE: NetBiz.com and SEO – Jun. 11, 2011
Posted by Ugly Truth
Kate Reisen, you were demoted for lying to and cheating customers and for forging sales paperwork, so the company demoted you.
Google found out about the scam and yanked the reseller agreement until just recently. Kate, thanks for exemplifying the fraudulent practices of your company.
**FYI, the company went from 350 employees to about 60 now. Terrible company, terrible complaints, even the employees are treated terribly.
October 5th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Netbiz has never cared about their employees or their clients they claim to be a christian run company but there is nothing in there business practices that would be approved of by the church.
They take the clients money and throw them on a single keyword at a set monthly budget if the client gets more than a 10% clicks then that campaign has gone over cost because now its cutting into the companies 90% profit.
There have been many suggestions as to how to improve client retention and still pay the employees a competitive pay but the new VP is actually trying to bury the company so they can start over with a new name Promote Local.
Changing your name does not improve business practices it just simply detours the clients from chasing down your actual reviews.
And K reisen its not a 70% retention its a 80% cancelation and the few that dont cancel in the first month probably forgot they were being billed
December 8th, 2011 at 4:02 pm
So glad I left the company. I started a business after I left, put up a website and now these suckers are calling ME! Hahahaha! And I asked for them to put me on their do not call list (they have to by law) and they still call me. One more call and I file a cease and desist with my attorneys and we publicize it in the Portland Business Journal and the Portland newspaper, suckas!
December 12th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
My office gets calls all the time from them and they never listen when I ask them to put me on a do not call list. The people there are either arrogant or they are stupid. But, hey, if getting my attorney involved and the FTC is what is needed, then I guess I will have to do that, too. What a bunch of losers.
December 12th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
So I did a search on them online and they apparently are also now operating under the name Promote Local. There is even a facebook page with that info that says Don’t Be Fooled.
December 14th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
by Everyday FoodS
11/17/2011
I have researched NETBIZ on the internet and found 100âs of proof from their other customers reporting that NETBIZ is a scam and does not fulfill their verbal agreement of promises made to their customers. I say VERBAL agreement because NET BIZ never sends out a contract to sign, because they know that no one would agree to sign their contract if it was presented to their customers and they would not go forward in business.
Please review the MANY complaints about NETBIZ and how they promise and do not deliver, they represent GOOGLE and are not affiliated with GOOLE in any way, They LIE to get a sale and then do not provide any money into their promised promotions in GOOGLE rankings, and that they are a complete SCAM!
I am not asking, but kindly determined to have my money refunded. As I have provided proof and documentation and spent many hours in researching and providing validity to the nature of this company, NET BIZ as a scam. I have shown in my documentation proving that NO MONEY was ever spent on our facebook for promotion and any documentation NETBIZ has provided in lengthy contracts and threats I have never seen or signed. Thus making my contract with them null and voided. How can they hold me to a contract that I have never seen â this is very one sided and completely illegal. And they do NOT have access to our facebook â so they can not provide any proof of promotion unless shown directly through our facebook account of which they no longer have access to. Any other documentation has been forged and is not correct or true.
I was SCAMMED and NETBIZ took my money and did not put ONE DIME of money into my face book account. Why should I pay for this when nothing was provided or paid for by NETBIZ as promised.
Enjoy these pages of MANY businesses and people like you and me that have taken time to report NETBIZâs scams online. These reports have come from a variety of places found online and recommended to me by ONE of their clients who is no longer with them anymore because she too got scammed. Also please note: NetBiz has ONLY been in business since 2009 â and all these reports of SCAMS is incredible for a company who has only been marketing their services for 2 years. My company has been in business for over 7 years with ONLY one complaint found and that we also resolved with the customer quickly. NONE of these complaints towards NETBIZ have they ONCE tried to resolve with anyone that has reported them a scam. What does that say about how they do business â and as long as cc companies do not favor their client NET BIZ will continue to do business this way as they are getting away with it because NO ONE has fought them so hard as I have. Many people give up and say OH WELL. And Net Biz knows this, that is why their hefty contract scares cc companies into doing what they want. As also reported by a SCAMMED client of Net Biz online. Well again I will not be taken advantage of â I will either cancel my account with AMX if this is not resolved to my favor â and the bill will not ever be paid by me as I am a honest business women who has a reputation of good credit and report with my customers, but I will not allow this company to WIN again with my hard earn money that has been shown over and over again to your disputation dept. that I have been SCAMMED!
Please credit my cc the amount pending of $1807.00
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Chantelle Thomson
January 10th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
Geez, if I knew I had to get an attorney to protect me while I was working for the company, I wouldn’t have ever taken this job. They pitch the position to us like it is the second coming. What a terrible company to work for and what lousy services they pretend to give the customers. I feel sorry for the customers the most because they trust the salesman to take care of them. When the salesman turns over the order to the fulfillment department, they have no idea the customer has been crapped on. And then the saleman gets the bad reputation. Sheesh! I hate this company!
January 17th, 2012 at 1:56 am
WOW!
The last time I typed here was over 3 years ago and there were only 4 comments, 2 of which were mine,lol. I’m glad this became popular! I wonder what Darren s doing for a living now… hmmm.
February 2nd, 2012 at 10:25 am
Gosh, people are still being burned by this crappy little company? I wonder why someone hans’t filed a class action lawsuit yet? Ooooh, maybe big stupid HR Manager Dan Anderson threatened to sue them. Ooooh. hahahahahahaha!
February 6th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
That guy Darren is a high earning mortgage broker. He didn’t like the things he had to say while working at this stupid company so he went back to working as a mortgage broker and bam! – he makes $10k to $12k/mon. Screw this crappy company.
March 6th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
You know something is wrong when the two top SEO managers from this scammy company walks out to find other jobs – 2 weeks apart from each other. Changing your name and faking your company bio is not changing anything. This is still a scammy little company.
April 12th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Holy cowabunga, batman! I am so glad I canceled my contract with this company last year. Had I known about this blog, I would have never done business with them. Glad I only spent money for 4 months. I didn’t get any business like it was promised. But considering what I have read “Promises, Promises” just like the song says.
April 15th, 2012 at 11:32 am
http://www.netbiz.com/contact.php
How scammpy. Most of the people under Sales don’t even work their any more. They haven’t worked their since last year. Hahahaha! Liras, cheats and thieves all the way!
May 5th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Only the worst are still employed there. there used to be almost 400 people working there with a lot of offices. Now there is one sales office, administration office and 40 workers.
May 17th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Get on the bus. Get on the bus! Get on the bus right now!!! We taken over your town.
May 17th, 2012 at 5:56 pm
We like free tacos! Netbiz is awesome! Get down on some Gordita Crunch Time.
May 30th, 2012 at 10:09 am
See? This compnay has no fucking class. Look at this taco bell joker posting. Losers all the way down.
June 8th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Netbiz is not dead yet they once again changed their name and are now operating under Brandefined. The worst managers are still there and they are still scamming away. Do these names sound familiar…. Becca Bernard, Chris, Bill, Ron Way. Brandefined today what name tomorrow? http://www.brandefined.com
June 9th, 2012 at 8:38 am
I have also worked for NetBiz for a short amount of time in 2010 and almost fell for Brandefined because they hide the main people behind the scam so well. (I found a job with another company that actually provides a service) It was truly disgusting just being there as they basically teach you to lie on the phones and treat customers like one giant ATM machine. Only the top managers made any money as all of the clients would cancel when they would figure out that there was little to no service being done. These people are the definition of lowlife human beings.
June 12th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Netbiz is not Brandefined. Becca, Ron Way and Mike Clancy got fired from Netbiz and started Brandefined. Get your facts straight. Netbiz did change its name to Netbiz Local and Social, which is a stupid name. Chris Durig owns Fanbase Solutions after he got fired from Netbiz. If you’re going to point stuff out, make sure it is accurate.
June 12th, 2012 at 10:55 am
Netbiz Local and Social is hiring off of Craigslist. LOL! what losers.
Sell Facebook & Google (Tualatin)
——————————————————————————–
Date: 2012-06-12, 8:39AM PDT
Reply to: sales.jobs@netbiz.com [Errors when replying to ads?]
——————————————————————————–
Your Career Starts Here
Social Media and Search Engine Marketing are the Cornerstones of any Businesses Digital Marketing Strategy. Facebook & Google Marketing Provide These Solutions to Businesses. You will help businesses find success worldwide and get paid for it!
Are You a Person Who:
• Who is Fearless
• Can Work Independently
• Is Highly Self-Motivated
• Has Strong Phone Skills
• Wants to Make $35k-$50k within your first year
• To Be With A Company With Great Benefits:
o Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance Benefits; 401K; PTO
• Wants a Position with NO NIGHTS, NO WEEKENDS, NO TRAVEL
Then contact NetBiz today to discuss your future; you can reach our HR Manager, Ben Schultz, at 971-224-3805 or send your resume to sales.jobs@netbiz.com
Compensation: Base (Depending on Experience), PLUS Commission, PLUS Recurring Income & Bonuses.
Hiring Organization: NetBiz Hiring Organization: NetBiz Hiring Organization: NetBiz
• Location: Tualatin
• Compensation: hourly(DOE) + commission + recurring income + bonuses
•Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
•Phone calls about this job are ok.
•Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
PostingID: 3073024813
June 12th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Netbiz had so many lawsuits and complaints against them it was chaos at the end with people getting fired and leaving left and right. At the end they screwed over their own employees.
Brandefined consists of the same scam artists it is basically the new NetBiz. Same format, same sales pitch same scam. Another 6 months and Brandefined will have a million complaints and they will change their name once again or will close up and open back up with another name. There ARE legit companies out there but NetBiz and Brandefined are giving the whole industry a bad name.
June 21st, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Did anyone realize Netbiz Local and Social only has 26 salespeople now? *LMAO* They used to have between 350-400 people and fired damned near everybody or they quit. And that loser, Eric Kammer, is the sales floor manager? R U effing serious? That guy used to always be drunk, sleep at his desk and he was so fricken lazy. He almost got fired so many times. I guess when you hang out with the President, anything goes. No but seriously – it shrunk to 26 salespeople and a handful of people in the main office? WTF?! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
June 22nd, 2012 at 9:03 am
Netbiz was a JOKE of a SCAM. They could not keep it running for even a year after they started their little scheme. Funny that half of those con artists Larry, Ron, Becca Bernard now operate Brandefined.
June 23rd, 2012 at 8:23 am
Ahhh Becca Bernard what a snake. She could not sell anything when she started at Netbiz and now she is listed as “Operations Manager” at http://www.brandefined.com hahah what a joke. Looks like they got a list crew of new phone monkeys now ahaha from what i recall Rebecca cold not keep anybody working there for more than a week because of all the abuse and got FIRED. Nothing about that company is real, all the titles are made up, wow dejavu again.
June 23rd, 2012 at 8:32 am
They used to give fancy titles like “SEP Sales Specialists” when you were nothing more than a phone salesmen. Sales managers would say “Dont worry you will never see these people in real life just tell them anything to make a sale today” and laugh about it in the break room later. Becca Bernard used to post fake articles and fake awards all over the internet to make them seem more legit. Becca Bernard is nothing more than a failed sales manager who’s job was to come up with new ways to trick people into joining their little scammy company.
June 25th, 2012 at 10:53 am
I just did a search for Brandefined Reviews and found this website with others. Thanks for the warning!
August 10th, 2012 at 12:44 am
Becca Bernard is still around? Wow, what a joke. And her company is competing against Nettbiz? I figured she would have been back in a retail job by now.
September 17th, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Well don’t this beat all – 17 people were terminated from this horrible company and they were from the remaining sales team. Heck there were only about 20 sales people including mgmt. Hahahahahahahahahahaha! This is the karma that happens to the scabs that took the place of people thy pushed out. These were the backstabbers and blackmailers that now are taking the hit. Now you get to see what life is like in the real world, babes!
October 6th, 2012 at 1:18 am
Funny. Looks like the company kept the names of the employees in there contact list. Are they trying to pull the wool over customers eyes to make them think their ssales rep is still there? Freakin weird.
October 6th, 2012 at 1:20 am
Eric Kammer and Mallory Gwynn were fired and Eric’s name is still there. A lot of the people who were fired still have their names up.
October 16th, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Was I shocked when all of the sudden news of the old Netbiz (or the Scam-Team) started flying around, wow Becca Bernard is still at it with a new Brandefined name. These people are criminals, it is amazing how many scams they are behind on the web.
November 30th, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Holy mackerel. So, are they still in business at all?
December 17th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Definitely. And That I have experienced it. Let us go over this.
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