I met with Brad (760-521-3169) who found my card at Starbucks on 11/13/2019 for ad space for my pet sitting service in a popular restaurant menu. Brad told me over the phone the ad space was was $15/week OR $60/month for 1/2 page in this take out menu. When we met in person he said he would give me a full page for a low fee.
The contact was for $149 to start which was for the designing of my ad. I tried to pay cash but Brad said it would be best to have a card on file so the payments be on auto pay. Brad told me and in the contract he went over with me the cost for my ad would be $268 for the whole YEAR. The ad would run 4 times during the year, the business was closed during the summer.
Brad said a woman named Lupa would be calling me from the office to confirm the contract over the phone. Lupa called me on 11/15/2019, twice, she left a message and called again while i was out in the field. She went over some contract that I agreed to over the phone, but due to her very strong accent I did not fully understand at time she manipulate the numbers.
I was told by Brad it would be $68/month for 4 months the ad would run and Lupa with her strong accent said $268/for 4 consecutive payments. Which i did not catch at the time. This conversation was recorded on their end. My ad was created by the ad department and I approved it on 12/11/2019 with Sarah. I received a bill in the mail 1/5/2020 for $1,072 (acct r7071fb-19) with an installment charge of $269.
I called the office and requested a call back 1/7/2020 from someone in the office to go over the billing. She basically told me that they use contracted sale people and they cannot promise what they sell to the client to be legit and that is why they call to go over the contract over the phone.
I requested to listen to this recording, she put the phone down while she was talking to someone else on the other line talking badly about Brad the sales guy and how her day was so stressful, she then called me a B**** and the line disconnected. She hung up on my 5 times after doing a very poor job of allowing me to listen to the recording with Lupa.
We argued about what the sales guy sold me, I asked her a copy of my contract. She said she would send me to collections. I advised her this is fraud what they are doing and she said it was not. She offered me some "black friday" special to pay the bill off in full to avoid any service charges, I declined this offer and would discuss with my lawyer.
On 1/10/2020 I spoke with Dana(818-446-2202) with accounts receivable who also threaten to send me to collections, she also said they would be disciplining Brad. I asked her for a copy of my contract and she refused to send it to me.I then spoke with Brad over the phone who agreed the $1,072 was not the correct charge for the ad space we agreed on, I said $268 for the year is what we discussed, Brad said that was correct.
He would call that day to clear up the situation. On 1/15/2020 I received a copy of a contract that was a black and white photo copy, the signature at the bottom does not look like my signature nor does the printed name. The amount that Brad and I discussed was not the amount on the contract that was emailed to me.
Nor did Brad ever mention an 8% interest amount for having a balance, because there should have never been a $1,072 balance. I did reply to the email asking them were this menu was because I went to the restaurant and they did not have any take out menus. I did advise this company I would be reporting them for fraud. I called Brad multiple times and left him messages and he did not return my call.
It all started when Mr. Carl Winslow the Austrailian scam artist approached me at my office one day in August 2017. He said he was a represenative for Menu Express and they could market my new small dealership in the area and get us alot of potential customers. He further explained that we could create an ad ourselves or the company he's represenating could create an ad to place in the menu at Thurmans Cafe located in Columbus Ohio and showed us an example of what it would like. He said Thurmans Cafe customers would be able to see our adveritsment while visiting the restaurant with their families or friends while dining at the restaurant. He also stated we would be able to create a different ad for each month if we'd like and that basically we could update our ad at any point if we wish to do so.
The only stipulation was we needed to have it in to them by the first of the month for the following month to print.
He originally told us that the initial " PRODUCTION FEE" was $199.00 and that was to cover the ad layout, necessary design and copy changes. By the end of the time spent with him, it ended up costing me $299.00 for this "PRODUCTION FEE" instead of the $199.00 he originally quoted and he said he preferred if I would pay with a check. I can't remember what the additional $100 was for exactly but it was something along the lines of us getting more printing room on the page. He was pretty persiatant I pay him with a check but I told him I don't have checks available at the moment so it would have to be a card or nothing.
At this point I should have went with my gut feeling and said NO because looking back now, I see a lot of RED FLAGS that I initially didn't see that day. He charged my card using STRIPE which is now called Point Of Sale for the amount of $299.00. He was unable to provide me with a receipt for the transaction on spot and said he would have his corporate office mail it to me. Well here we are in FEBRUARY 2018 and I have yet to receive a reciept for the transaction that occured that day in August 2017. A promised receipt isn't the only thing I have yet to receive from them, they never so much as return ANY of my calls or any of my emails. I can not get ahold of anyone from this company and I'm still being charged on a monthly basis. The contract I signed stated very clearly in 14 point font that I was to pay $308.00 per month for FOUR CONSECUTIVE MONTHS.
I have now been paying this scam operation since September 2017. Would you like to know what I have recieved from them so far? ONE advertisement in the TAKE OUT menu in Thurmans Cafe. I have emailed them a print ad in a timely manner (every month) as they requested and I still didn't get what I was promised. I am out ALOT of money and I have had only ONE tiny advertisement in a TAKE OUT MENU that people don't even know exists unless they request one from their server. I have learned this company operates under several different ficticious names and has several different banks accounts in various states. If you try to look them up, you will find several different comapnies generated by google. I was unable to find the company just by googling them, I actually looked my bank account from each month they stole money from me and googled the name followed by a series of numbers and that's how I was able to find out the real deal on this company (or companies they DBA). I am currently in a ferocious battle with my bank trying to get some of (if not all of) my money back. I have documented proof showing this company stole money from me and they don't stand by their part of the deal. They are out to prey on small business owners like myself so please be ware when it comes to someone trying to "HELP" you market your business. Trust me, this is just a short version of what I've been dealing with since I was introduced to this nightmare!
Menu Express Reviews
I met with Brad (760-521-3169) who found my card at Starbucks on 11/13/2019 for ad space for my pet sitting service in a popular restaurant menu. Brad told me over the phone the ad space was was $15/week OR $60/month for 1/2 page in this take out menu. When we met in person he said he would give me a full page for a low fee.
The contact was for $149 to start which was for the designing of my ad. I tried to pay cash but Brad said it would be best to have a card on file so the payments be on auto pay. Brad told me and in the contract he went over with me the cost for my ad would be $268 for the whole YEAR. The ad would run 4 times during the year, the business was closed during the summer.
Brad said a woman named Lupa would be calling me from the office to confirm the contract over the phone. Lupa called me on 11/15/2019, twice, she left a message and called again while i was out in the field. She went over some contract that I agreed to over the phone, but due to her very strong accent I did not fully understand at time she manipulate the numbers.
I was told by Brad it would be $68/month for 4 months the ad would run and Lupa with her strong accent said $268/for 4 consecutive payments. Which i did not catch at the time. This conversation was recorded on their end. My ad was created by the ad department and I approved it on 12/11/2019 with Sarah. I received a bill in the mail 1/5/2020 for $1,072 (acct r7071fb-19) with an installment charge of $269.
I called the office and requested a call back 1/7/2020 from someone in the office to go over the billing. She basically told me that they use contracted sale people and they cannot promise what they sell to the client to be legit and that is why they call to go over the contract over the phone.
I requested to listen to this recording, she put the phone down while she was talking to someone else on the other line talking badly about Brad the sales guy and how her day was so stressful, she then called me a B**** and the line disconnected. She hung up on my 5 times after doing a very poor job of allowing me to listen to the recording with Lupa.
We argued about what the sales guy sold me, I asked her a copy of my contract. She said she would send me to collections. I advised her this is fraud what they are doing and she said it was not. She offered me some "black friday" special to pay the bill off in full to avoid any service charges, I declined this offer and would discuss with my lawyer.
On 1/10/2020 I spoke with Dana(818-446-2202) with accounts receivable who also threaten to send me to collections, she also said they would be disciplining Brad. I asked her for a copy of my contract and she refused to send it to me.I then spoke with Brad over the phone who agreed the $1,072 was not the correct charge for the ad space we agreed on, I said $268 for the year is what we discussed, Brad said that was correct.
He would call that day to clear up the situation. On 1/15/2020 I received a copy of a contract that was a black and white photo copy, the signature at the bottom does not look like my signature nor does the printed name. The amount that Brad and I discussed was not the amount on the contract that was emailed to me.
Nor did Brad ever mention an 8% interest amount for having a balance, because there should have never been a $1,072 balance. I did reply to the email asking them were this menu was because I went to the restaurant and they did not have any take out menus. I did advise this company I would be reporting them for fraud. I called Brad multiple times and left him messages and he did not return my call.
It all started when Mr. Carl Winslow the Austrailian scam artist approached me at my office one day in August 2017. He said he was a represenative for Menu Express and they could market my new small dealership in the area and get us alot of potential customers. He further explained that we could create an ad ourselves or the company he's represenating could create an ad to place in the menu at Thurmans Cafe located in Columbus Ohio and showed us an example of what it would like. He said Thurmans Cafe customers would be able to see our adveritsment while visiting the restaurant with their families or friends while dining at the restaurant. He also stated we would be able to create a different ad for each month if we'd like and that basically we could update our ad at any point if we wish to do so.
The only stipulation was we needed to have it in to them by the first of the month for the following month to print.
He originally told us that the initial " PRODUCTION FEE" was $199.00 and that was to cover the ad layout, necessary design and copy changes. By the end of the time spent with him, it ended up costing me $299.00 for this "PRODUCTION FEE" instead of the $199.00 he originally quoted and he said he preferred if I would pay with a check. I can't remember what the additional $100 was for exactly but it was something along the lines of us getting more printing room on the page. He was pretty persiatant I pay him with a check but I told him I don't have checks available at the moment so it would have to be a card or nothing.
At this point I should have went with my gut feeling and said NO because looking back now, I see a lot of RED FLAGS that I initially didn't see that day. He charged my card using STRIPE which is now called Point Of Sale for the amount of $299.00. He was unable to provide me with a receipt for the transaction on spot and said he would have his corporate office mail it to me. Well here we are in FEBRUARY 2018 and I have yet to receive a reciept for the transaction that occured that day in August 2017. A promised receipt isn't the only thing I have yet to receive from them, they never so much as return ANY of my calls or any of my emails. I can not get ahold of anyone from this company and I'm still being charged on a monthly basis. The contract I signed stated very clearly in 14 point font that I was to pay $308.00 per month for FOUR CONSECUTIVE MONTHS.
I have now been paying this scam operation since September 2017. Would you like to know what I have recieved from them so far? ONE advertisement in the TAKE OUT menu in Thurmans Cafe. I have emailed them a print ad in a timely manner (every month) as they requested and I still didn't get what I was promised. I am out ALOT of money and I have had only ONE tiny advertisement in a TAKE OUT MENU that people don't even know exists unless they request one from their server. I have learned this company operates under several different ficticious names and has several different banks accounts in various states. If you try to look them up, you will find several different comapnies generated by google. I was unable to find the company just by googling them, I actually looked my bank account from each month they stole money from me and googled the name followed by a series of numbers and that's how I was able to find out the real deal on this company (or companies they DBA). I am currently in a ferocious battle with my bank trying to get some of (if not all of) my money back. I have documented proof showing this company stole money from me and they don't stand by their part of the deal. They are out to prey on small business owners like myself so please be ware when it comes to someone trying to "HELP" you market your business. Trust me, this is just a short version of what I've been dealing with since I was introduced to this nightmare!