Lavoramarketing and other scams

[xzol]

[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Update.[/FONT]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']I have tried to cancel my Lavora Marketing. A few days after I e-mailed them asking to cancel, I got a phone call from someone who was in charge of managing customers marketing programmes. They asked me why I was cancelling and I basically told them about the poor service and "lies" I had been told, oh yea and the fact that I have had 0 new clients and 0 leads.[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] [/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']They have now upgraded my account for free and upgraded me from 5 key phrases to 25 for no extra cost per month.[/FONT]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']This might now be worth doing (£99 + VAT per month for 25 key phrases)[/FONT]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']This also makes me wonder:[/FONT]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] 5 Key phrases = £99 per month (was £199)[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']15 key phrases = £299 per month[/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif'] [/FONT]
[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']I am getting 25 key phrases for £99 per month and they still make a profit on that.[/FONT]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']My point is, how much mark up are they making on the people that were paying £99 or £199 for 5 keywords. Makes you wonder.[/FONT]
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[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']Regards[/FONT]

 

[the locksmith]

Thanks for that. Think I got a call from them on Thursday.

Asked them to email me details as I was too busy to talk. (and wasn't really interested anyway)


Oddly enough they didn't email me !

TBH as soon as someday asks to "speak to the business owner" the shutters come down now anyway. I eventually will get round to persuing one of [removed by mod] through the telephone preference scheme.

 

[HonestSEO]

I have heard of this company but in a good light actually, however when i looked in to them further i found them to be vague and to not actually be offering anything i couldnt do myself very easily hence i didnt sign up with them. It is widely known that PPC isnt the place to concentrate your efforts as natural/organic results provide a better return once you are placed highly enough for it to count.

Try this.

Keyword analysis: Identify the search terms in your industry that are achievable and are getting some traffic.

Web Page Layout: Make sure once you have selected the right keywords you place them in the correct areas in the site so that the spiders can easily identify what product or service you are offering.

Linkin: Use the search terms again to internally link the pages together ensuring that the keywords your linking from go to the relevant pages. Also incrementally build external links using the search terms again to link back to the relevant pages in your site. Quality is better than quantity so research links properly, this is your business so spend time now and it will pay dividends.

Any probs reply to me and ill help where i can.

 

[epolito]

Everyone be aware, this fraudolent company have now re-branded themselves answer IT-group because under their previous trading name (Lavora Web) they got caught by trading standards and the media doing disreputable business as pointed out in all your comments.
I have got caught out in the same scam. This is their agenda: making it very hard for you to cancel the agreement and giving you no control over the campaign. They obtain this by:
1 - Applying a "letter only" cancellation notice policy so that it is difficult for a customer to prove, at a later stage, a cancellation request was sent in the first place.
2 - Applying a 30 days notice period on cancellation notices so it's hard to time a cancellation request so that you don't get charged another month of unwanted service.
3 - Once you send a cancellation letter, a member of their team will call you saying that rather than cancel the campaign you can "pause" it until when needed again. Then when you send them another letter of cancellation they will tell you your campaign was on pause and not cancelled and that they require 30 days notice so you'll basically need to pay upfront for another month of unwanted campaign. This will repeat itself in a viciuos circle from which is difficult to permanently get out.
Basically their tactic is to hold on to a customer as long as they possibly can squeezing out money out of them even when the customer no longer requires the service.
4 - Their payment charges are not standing orders or direct debit, quite conveniently for them, making it very difficult for you to cancel the transaction before hand, unless, like said above, you cancel your card (or pretend you've lost it) so your credit card company will send you a new card.
This is how you trap them. When you send the cancellation letter, send it recorded delivery and keep the receipt with the tracking number (usually starts with GB).
Keep a copy of the letter on your hard disk (the time stamp on the properties of the file will prove that the letter was not created or modified at a later date).
Obtain proof of delivery (this will also contain a proof of signature from the Lavora member of staff that collected the letter) from the royal mail online tracking service.
Let Lavora, or whatever the hell they change their name to, charge you, then report the transaction as fraudolent and send your credit card company all said paperwork and any invoices containing Lavora Web's trading address (this will also prove that Lavora Web and Answer IT group are the same trading company) and your credit card company SHOULD cover your loss, investigate the matter, and take action against them.
If you are angry like me forward the same paperwork to the media or watchdog and you may even get a snippet on the papers, or on TV
Finally best of luck and lets nail the thieves.
Emi.

 

[sweets]

I fell for their scam 2 weeks ago. what caught me with this company was the fact they sell off the back of Facebook. They also dont sell directly under the name of answer-it until the transaction is going through its another company called first-point, I took it because when I paid for facebook ads before it seemed that every impression created a click through for my business, with this being unlimited impressions what could go wrong??
well 1. first proof of the ad. They couldnt spell!
2. they say you have a portal to see the number of impressions and clicks.
fact: this is done by a report at end of the month and there was no way was I going into month 2.
3. you can change your ad through the portal.
fact: yes you can by sending a message through a contact us window.
4. you can change your geographic location.
fact: yes you can by sending a message.
the portal is just a means of selling further services and messaging some person at the other end.
so the big question after is!.. how the hell do you know if your ad is running, you don't.!.
The staff. Inital sales guy was pleasant the rest are agressive and rude to the point I asked one guy to stop shouting.

I get bombbarded daily by SEO companies selling their services upto then I have said no , no, no. who can you trust?

 

[SEO Lady]

I get bombbarded daily by SEO companies selling their services upto then I have said no , no, no. who can you trust?

Ask an SEO company for a direct phone number of 3 clients as references and their associated websites, take 20 mins out of your time asking those people

 

[popunder]

Answer IT Group address is Warrant House Altrincham, same as Lavora as detailed here.

Might be worth people getting a pre-paid Visa card before embarking on any contract like this which involves repeat payments from a card, that way you can just pre-load the right amount each month - or not if you decide you're being cheated.

 

[Ali-v-8]

Interesting

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2011/04/lavora-lorra-lies.html

 

[popunder]

Don't suppose the £37k costs will worry them too much though considering how much they've made over the years. Their boss lives in a £2m house etc.

I believe they are also the firm trying to mis-sell Facebook ad campaigns under the name First Point as described in this thread.

 

[the locksmith]

@Ali-v-8
Your post and link most interesting.

Oddly enough it was only when I told them I had asked Google to confirm that Lavora were acting on their behalf that suddenly they told me I would not be billed any further amounts and that our "contract" was terminated !

These guys make my blood boil... mostly because I was stupid enough to fall for it. These days as soon as.... "May I speak with the business owner?" is heard, the shutters come down and the call is terminated pretty quick ! I try to remain polite to them but it's bloody difficult !!!!

 

[Wiggy]

Lavora, First Point, AnswerIT, Mike De Martiis. . .

Oh what a tangled web we weave. . .

Had a nice chat with a sales guy from Media Networking, it can be good fun if you're awake and thinking. They were going to send me a proforma as I don't do business by credit or debit card. . . This was about an hour ago and I'm beginning to think the guy has thought through our conversation and decided to cut his losses and try someone else. . .

Whatever will I do? All those impressions he promised, woe is me. . .