The week’s buzz is rising on MerchantCircle, a local search play with a twist. I spoke to CEO Ben Smith this week, and he got me smart on the idea behind it. In short, MerchantCircle is trying to get local merchants to play the search game on their own terms, and I like that idea.
SiliconBeat has some good thoughts on it:
…MerchantCircle has pre-populated its database with generic business listings. Business owners can then sign in to claim their profile pages.
…Smith doesn’t view MerchantCircle as a destination site for users. Most people won’t go here looking for a local bike shop, although you could. Instead, they’ll find MerchantCircle profiles when they’re Googling for Palo Alto bike shops, for example.
The “circle” in the company’s name comes from the idea that merchants will create networks of affiliated businesses by adding their names to their profile pages and swapping ads with each other. The idea is to give merchants an incentive to invite other merchants into MerchantCircle. Indeed, Smith is relying on this type of viral marketing to build his business because he doesn’t have a cadre of salespeople to recruit business owners.
Garrett French has more on MerchantCircle here, as does Greg Sterling.
I, also received a call from them this afternoon. I was on their list last year and fell for it. I suggest people contact their state consumer affairs department, better business bureaus and attorney general’s office. I will do no business with anyone scuzzy enough to use an automated phone call to suck me in. Calling on Sunday is even lower. I hope they go out of business too.
Still at it — received the phone call this am. Glad I googled them first. Thank you for this web site!
well, I too have been bothered by this fake fradulent company. It is not as though we have enough to be worried about being a small business owner! They can Kiss my ____!
I own a major recording studio, and am very busy working into the wee hours of the morning recording bands writing radio jingles etc. These days especially with the net, my good reputation is more important than ever. I got the “favorable comment” call in mid August 2007. With the volatile nature of the net recently with email link phishing, websites that infect your computer etc, my bullshit detector went off and I googled merchantcircle.com first. I saw this and the only time I lost was reading these posts, for which I am gratefull. I will follow you up Mr. Smith with the law. Do Not Call list has a little $10,000.00 fine for you courtesy of me. According to what I read here it seems to me you are simply exploiting people’s natural anxiety’s because they want to do good by people, and are waisting their time. I’ll bet you are going to have to spend a lot of days at a court house with the attorney general and you won’t be making money. And “Just in case” you should know my reputation is fiercely defended by some of the best attorney’s in the country. I also used to work for a law firm as a court appointed trustee. If you are doing what they say here it really is a low down despicable trick.
Stay away from me and my business, I want nothing to do with your company or you. Be sure you and your friends speak the truth. DO NOT CALL ME AGAIN. If you or your friends should decide to hurt my business or reputation
it will prove even more catastrophic then the damage you have done to yourself already. It takes good will to suceed in business. I don’t see any here.
Mike
I called the Investors mentioned above and reported it and told them they are supporting a scam and phone spamming and to remove me from their list immediately. They said I probably got reported by a customer… I told them that was a scam and to just remove me. We’ll see, if they call again, more measures will be taken. Enough is Enough.
I must be in the minority. I like Merchant Circle. They have a lot to offer for free. I think I recieved the phone call about a year ago. Recently I rediscovered them and joined. They are growing.
It’s November 15, 2007 and Merchantcircle is still phone spamming. Got another call this morning. I’ve used the removal page three times over the last year and our entry keeps reappearing.
At this point all hope is lost. There’s no way to avoid this scummy company. What’s really amazing is that there are venture capital companies willing to pour money into supporting these idiots.
Someone with time should compile all these complaints into a merchantcirclesucks.com site.
check out http://www.oddbodd.com . Close to launching and has built-in moderation, great content and included services for businesses and they’ll be sending out a marketing kit to all the businesses who register with a list of where they can find reviews about them and what to do if they don’t like it. They are building the first CORRECT database where every business in the system knows they are there and has control over the content. Merchant circle still allows anyone to post anything on your listing! Support the first video based business directory that is designed to be honest, helpful for both businesses and consumers and can be free too! http://www.oddbodd.com. Oh, and they are building a team of local sales reps to help the small businesses who don’t understand all of this too.
PS. I am the owner of oddbodd.com and started it from a small business owners perspective because of companies that were trying to scare people into doing business with them. My phone number is on the site so please feel free to call me if you have any questions or suggestions on how we can make it better for you.
I, too have not been unhappy with the lack of moderation on MerchantCircle. I noticed a lot of you complaining about being on the “do not call” list too. Unfortunately business to business calls are exempt from the do not call registry. (See this website http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/alerts/alt129.shtm)
It does not, however, give them the right to lie, and to think they just received another 10million in funding too!
We received a spam phone call this morning…on a Sunday…saying we had a positive comment. So I went to the site and there aren’t any comments at all about us. Just a pop up to sign up for their service. I’d never do business that way. I also wasn’t able to find an email address on the website to complain to them.
I too got a recorded junk call on my business line claiming that MerchantCircle got a favorable post about my business. Of course, I found no such post. From reading earlier comments here, it seems that MerchantCircle’s practice is to call firms to make false statements in hopes of stimulating its own business/traffic.
With so many posts (above) reporting bogus junk calls, it may constitute fraudulent advertising on the part of MerchantCircle.
I think it’s about time that everyone who received such a junk call, report it to their state’s office of Attorney General. A list of all state AG’s, as well as their email and phone number is at: http://www.naag.org/
This crap has got to be stopped!
Disclaimer: The following is not legal advise.
Contact a licensed attorney in your state
before taking any action.
Concerning federal law and how it MAY apply to the type of junk calls made by MerchantCircle:
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) states at 47 USC sec. 227
(d) Technical and procedural standards
(3) Artificial or prerecorded voice systems
The [FCC] shall prescribe … standards for systems … used to transmit any … prerecorded voice message via telephone. Such standards shall require that –
(A) all artificial or prerecorded telephone messages
(ii) shall, during or after the message, state clearly the telephone number or address of such business, other entity, or individual…
I’m not sure, but I don’t think the MerchantCircle junk call included a phone number or physical address during the call. The TCPA was drafted in 1991 – before the internet’s practical existance. Back then, the term ‘address’ meant ‘physical address’. So, the lack of a physical address or phone number during the pitch may make the MerchantCircle calls a violation of the TCPA.
The TCPA does not require a state Attorney General to receive a report of 2 violative calls within in 12-month period for the AG’s office to act against a TCPA violator.
It may be productive to report violative MerchantCircle calls to your state Attorney General. Again, you can find your state AG at: http://www.naag.org/
Just got my first recorded spam telemarketing call from MC this morning, telling me about my “positive rating”. As many of you have found they have a private whois registration and no contact phone # on their site. Real ethical huh?
I do NOT recommend sending them any written or email requests to “remove” yourself from their spamming, as this will surely lead to even more spam from them and dissemination of your info to even more spammers.
All my telephone numbers – including my business’ – have been on the FTC’s DO NOT CALL list for over 2 years.
I have no prior business arrangement or dealings with them and they are not a non-profit organization or charity.
Therefore they are breaking FTC LAW, to the tune of $11,000 per incident.
To quote the FTC site:
“A consumer who receives a telemarketing call despite being on the registry will be able to file a complaint with the FTC, either online or by calling a toll-free number. Violators could be fined up to $11,000 per incident.”
(Source: https://donotcall.gov/faq/faqbusiness.aspx )
In addition, you have the right to sue them in local small claims court personally for this infraction.
I suggest each and everyone of you who are already on the DNC registry and who have received these illegal, unsolicited telemarketing calls to report them to the
National DO NOT CALL registry found here:
https://donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx
Through this forum I discovered and called this organization myself and confirmed that this # is in fact MC. The number to report this organization is:
570-708-8780
Report their asses each and every time they tele-spam you and let their fines heap up.
Spammers are scum.
merchantcircle.com is a scam. They call with auto messages of positive or negative of your business, with no identity to search for. Web site contact info leads to only to delete “yourself.” Some one is hiding and this is a perfect non-contact site. Scam at the best in their sights — or in reality– the worst. FCC is to on this list for stupid people.
I am an EMT who works for a local ambulance in Minnesota, and I recieved “the call” about 20 minutes ago… I also work as a freelance writer, and the call sent my cow-poop sensors into overdrive. I did the logical thing and started doing a bit of research on these swine and discovered everything that has already been written on this board… I wonder how the owners of the site are going to react when a few magazines start getting articles about their crappy practices?
I just received a call from this company. I’ve had my phone number six months, and it has been on the do-not-call registry from day one.
Best part? I’m a private, residential phone line. I am not a business, my roommate nor myself own or operate any business out of our homes. This is such low-life spammy junk – they aren’t interested at all in business relations if they’re calling homes that are in no way affiliated with businesses!
I could just copy and paste what Kristy said.
Jerk Spammers indeed.
Don’t fall for the innocent, “just put your telephone number in the blue box to check out your reviews” trick. Two things happen then. They know you checked and will be hit with even more calls. But much worse is even if you are on the do not call list the minute you give your phone number to any business they can do as they please with it. Neither they or any company affiliated with them are bound by the do not call regulations.
They called me at 12 midnight, wanting me to update my business on their website! I told them to go pound sand and me a vampire bat bite them on their ass!!
What a complete load of rotting garbage this “company” is. I do not have a reviewable company, as our business is not open to the public, never has been and never will be. We do not have “customers.” Obviously a complete scam to try and get cold calls to sign up for their dubious ‘service’ whatever that is supposed to be. I’d tell you what I REALLY think about merchantcircle and their (lack of) ethics, but I’m sure there’s a word filter in place.
Speaking directly to Merchantservice now: You suck, and you’re lame. You blow, too. Hard. Likely for shiny nickels.
Hello I ordered Merchants circles Starter plan @ 29.95 a month they Billed me $249.95 When I emailed them since there is no, customer support number, they changed the account to the 29.95 pacage and billed me again?
A total of $279.90 Now they say they wont refund anything?
I have contacted the BBB, and my police department but it looks like I have to wait the procedures to get it back. They said by email whether it was a mistake on there part or not they still began setting up the account so they need to be paid. It’s not my falt they messed up. I should not have to pay for their mistake.
I realize people here have been visctoms of phone scams but they also commit money scams. I adveise everyone not to give your credit card info to this company.
They are a ripoff company. Rumer has it they are not even linked to the companys they claim.
What honest company does not have a customer support line especialy if they are taking $250.00 orders?
I received a phone call from Merchant Circle yesterday. They said the business I work for had a bad review and to go to a certain site and enter your work phone number to view it. I did that to see what the negative review was and it turns out that they just wanted me to sign up my company on their website. I did not pay to upgrade and did some research. I tried to pull up this bad review on the web, but there was none. I wouldn’t trust them as a site to advertise on. Save your money for reputable websites that consumers really use.
As of today I have received a half dozen or more calls from this company on my cell phone. They started saying I had received a negative review, then just “a review.” I knew it was fraud but today I looked at the site for the first time. My business is not there at all. Liars. My number is on the do not call list and they ignore that completely. They interrupt me in meetings, even when I am going to the john. The goverment should arrest these creeps and fine them for everything they have!
Yep, they’re still at it to this day! Our “review” was “favorable” according to the automated call. However, when I use google to search their site, i don’t find any indication that our company actually has a listing with them. What a waste of my time. And Site Advisor lists them as a “green” (safe) site with no negative comments! Go to siteadvisor.com and start leaving nasty remarks for them if you’ve been spammed.
My company just received a phone call from this company too.
Of course, I googled them to see what came up and I saw this blog area and started reading.
I am glad that I saw this first before even going to their site.
The phone call that I received today sounds like they might be changing their tactics a little, though.
It didn’t talk about a negative or positive review. It stated that a someone had recently went to this site and saw us listed their as a company and that person wanted to check to see if we were legitimate company, as they wanted to do business with us. The message then stated that we need to go to the website to verify our information so that the potential “customer” can be notified.
Sounds like the scam in evolving.
They’re still spamming my personal cell phone on a regular basis. Complained to everyone. Just illegal call after illegal call.
I’ve had this number for years, I’m on the Do-Not-Call list, and I don’t even have a business that would correlate back to the number.
Just an update.
Just one more to this long list. I also received the message, saying someone had posted “a comment” (didn’t specify negative or positive) and urging me to check it out and confirm my information. Since the first comments were posted two years ago, I’d say this outfit doesn’t mind ticking off potential customers – or that it’s working so well that we’re considered collateral damage and discounted.
They are a ripoff company. Rumer has it they are not even linked to the companys they claim. thank youu mff
May 12th, 2008, and they are still at it.
The worst part is, for my company, they have two listings…one at the correct address, and one at one of our business’s Partners’ home address. He has just given me the task of getting the listing removed. Lucky me…
I received a call this morning from merchant circle and they have the same message but they took out the “negative comment” part and just said that someone has left a review about your company . I tried to just look up our company name and it isn’t even in their data base for someone to leave a comment about us. Looks like they found another way to get a few looks at their site…
Just got the same recorded call…”…someone posted a negative review of my company…go to merchantcircle.com…blah blah blah.” Is this not considered illegal to scam companies this way? Class Action lawsuit? Something? This company and the scum that run it are no better than spammers and should be dealt with as the law permits.
My company just received the phone call saying that a potential customer wanted to check if we were a legitimate company.
Of course, I googled them and checked out their website but it sounded fishy to me. They did have our name down but different address. Before “verifying”, I thought I’d research further….glad I found your website!!!!
They are at it again, after 3 years of this nonsense, I just got another phone call saying someone contacted them to get clarification that I am a legitimate business.
Yeah, right.
I’m always leary of scam companies that don’t give any way to contact them. They won’t give me their info, but they want all of mine?
Someone should pull out their fingernails and stick their hand in the pickle jar…
These guys are getting smarter about their crimes. I got neither a positive nor negative message but instead the call said they “had received a customer request that we verify that you are a legitimate business” and all I had to do to verify this was to type in your phone number into their website.
Question: If I was a crooked business, would I have any moral qualms about typing my number in their Blue Box to have them say that I was legitimate? Of course not– which proves this is a complete scam.
As stated above by “C” on 26 JAN 2008, do NOT put your phone number in their Blue Box as that establishes a business relationship with them and negates your Do-Not-Call list protections in most states. They can then sell your number to the world.
Several times this week I’ve been getting these frickin “trying to verify you’re a legitimate business” pre-recorded calls. I’m glad I found THIS site instead of signing in to their site, which no doubt would have left me open to all kinds additional spam.
Anyone who would choose to do business with a fraudulent company like this is an idiot. They’ve demonstrated that they are liars and cheats, so it’s a good bet they are also thieves.
I did as a previous poster suggested and took a few moments to write a review at Mcafee’s http://www.siteadvisor.com. I think if a few more of us weigh in on this we can maybe get them to just possibly SHUT UP!
Glad ya’ll are out there to inform us of scammers. This is a great way to keep each other straight and avoid bs (business scammers). I just got my first call and thankfully will not participate because of the great information on this site.
How would putting a number in the blue box get rid of the do not call list “protection”? Obviously they don’t even care about the list or they wouldn’t have called me in the first place.
I got the “verify legitimate business” call on 5/19/2008.
I can’t believe this guy is still spamming real businesses with his drivel after 2 years of negative responses.
Time to get a real job Ben.
Now they call on my 800 line. I have to pay for the call for them to leave me a message about verifying my business? What a joke.
I received two phone pre-recorded phone messages. One at my office and one at MY HOME a number not listed to me or my law office. Each message stated that a “customer” of Merchants Circle had seen my google ad and wanted to know if I was “a legitimate business” and to go to the merchants circle web site and enter my business telephone. I don’t advertise. I have a very small confidential client group so I know this was not true. Seems illegal to me as well as unethical and possibly a violation of interstate commerce laws.
Another Me Too! Did what most of us did, got a call stating someone wanted to verify if my business was legit, didn’t fall for it (skeptic that I am) and instead googled it to get here. It amazes me how people can fall for this, but of course, it’s why they do it.
I got an email last week forwarded by a customer who thought Micro$oft would pay them $238 for each person they forwarded the email to.
What a complete waste of my friggin time…
I get this call all the time at home (church parsonage) and at church…Both numbers are on the DNC list. It is from Merchan Circle. I called back the number and they have an opt out on the message. Wonder if it will really work or not. Anyway, Merchant Circle is…Administrative Contact :
WYBS, Inc.
v86d43fv4t2@networksolutionsprivateregis tration.com
ATTN: MERCHANTCIRCLE.COM
c/o Network Solutions
P.O. Box 447
Herndon, VA 20172-0447
Phone: 570-708-8780
I Just did more research. Network Solutions is the company that owns Merchant Circle.com. The domain name is based out of Herndon Va. I googled the company, and guess what…REAL PHONE NUMBERS!!! Give them a call..here they are
(703) 668-5505, (703) 668-4600, (703) 925-6999
Here is the phone number for Merchant Circle(650) 352-1335 ext. 515
Give them a call to let them know how you feel about their illegal telemarketing scheme. When you call you will hear a recorded message. Just punch in 515 and you will get a voice mail to leave a message.
Would love for everyone to call them, just like they call us.
I just received the same “verify that you are a real business call”, being an IT professional, I smelled a rat right away. Never went to their site, just found this instead. I hope they, like all their kind, get what they deserve someday. Scumbags.
I don’t own a business and my home phone number is unlisted, but yet I’ve received three calls from these bozos at my *home* phone, which *is* listed with the FTC’s Do Not Call registry. I’ve reported them each time.
I haven’t seen an opt out call, but have my doubts they would honor that since they don’t even bother to check the DNC registry.
Wow! Thanks for all the great comments.
We also received two calls from merchantcircle.com, stating that a customer found our web-site through google and wanted to verify that it was a legit company by entering our phone number on merchantcircle.com
This sounded fishy to me, too — so googled merchantcircle and I’m glad I did! I’m grateful for all your suggestions.
I think getting them on the alert level for negative sites is a great suggestion. This kind of scam needs to be stopped!
We just got the “legitimate business” call….thanks for all the comments…It helped stop me from wasting time.
Ditto for me – just received a prerecording that said a customer wanted to verify that we were an actual business after finding us on google. How annoying it is to be all excited for 30 seconds just because i just listed our new website through google – just to be disappointed at yet another scam. Thanks for the heads up.
Wow! I have only just started receiving calls from this company. I never realized I would find such a long history when I googled them. Having worked in the for-profit accounting world for a number of years I am very familiar with most phone scams (ie cheap lightbulbs and toner, copier verification etc) but this one was new to me. As a non-profit, we get calls all the time from people wanting to be sure we are “legitimate”. I’m glad I checked this out first. I use the BBB (Better Business Bureau) all the time to check out companies. The BBB has added e-companies to their list of searches. They are not perfect, but are a great help. (http://welcome.bbb.org/) Thanks for the postings from everyone. I suggest emailing this info to all your business associates so they can protect themselves too and maybe we can stop this pathetic company from existing. God bless.