By brother called me to tell me that when he Googled my name to get my website information for a potential client, the search results at the top of the page were with merchantcircle.com, and they listed a bad review with the number 1, 2, and 5 Google listings!. Not only was it a bogus bad review (I have never met with someone with the name listed as the reviewer), but it had a bogus phone number listed. In fact the bogus response had nothing to do with my business skills or product, it was simply a childish name calling response calling me an Idiot and a Scumbag’.

If we as small business owners actively CHOOSE to utilize this ’service’ (and I do use the term loosely), then we could also CHOOSE to invite comments. If we don’t claim it, because quite frankly we have better things to do than monitor some bozo trying to kill off our business, then leave us the hell alone.

Due to this episode, I’ve already warned literally dozens of businesses about these jerks and will continue to do so…

“My business was just phone-spammed today by a company representing merchantcircle.com — the prerecorded voice message said “a customer has left negative feedback about your business” and to “visit merchantcircle.com to view this feedback.” There is no feedback on my business; it’s a bait-and-switch scam, baiting business owners with non-existent negative feedback and switching to a sales pitch for their services.”

Other hallmarks of a shady company such as no phone number posted and having to hunt for an email address (questions@merchantcircle.com) would indicate to me that this is a company to avoid ANY dealings with.

After receiving an email from the Governors office inquiring to my email that I had supposedly sent them, I did some checking and here’s what I found. MerchantCircle had sent an email to the Governor of Connecticut fraudulently using my name as the signatory which boasted about the MerchantCircle service and asking them to sign up. Yes, they in-fact, took my personal email after I was jerk phone spamed, high jacked my email address and sent emails out making it appear they were from me with the intent of endorsing their service.

After days of aggravation over the issue (it’s my reputation not theirs) I officially reported the fraud to the State of Connecticut and to MerchantCircle, the State has promised to look into the fraudulent practice of Merchant Circle. MerchantCircle honored my request to cease and desist notice and removed my account. No apology, no answer on their practice – just hiding from phone and email inquires.

Their practice is certainly viral but not a mystery anymore –Ben Smith and Wayne Yamamoto are common internet spammers and scamsters of the worst kind that give legitimate companies a bad name.

For an in-depth unbiased look at MerchanCircle fraud tactics look at the post here:
battellemedia.com/archives/002632.php

L. Rubin

I don’t care about you letting them review consumer reviews. It simply makes you a shill, no matter how you put it.

But that isn’t the issue. The issue is that you have highly inflammatory ‘reviews.’ You know of them, but you choose to leave them to force the business owner to sign up and remove the offending review (which boosts your ‘claim’ of high adoption rates). In fact, you directly benefit from these highly inflammatory (and slanderous) comments. That sums it up.

What we do encourage is for businesses to have a web presence and know what’s being said about them on the web. That’s why we aggregate reviews from sites like Yelp and Yahoo!Local, to make sure mom and pops have it easier. Our listings are optimized to come up higher in search engines, that’s why people find them. You didn’t mention that the sign-up is free and the business listing is theirs - which they can remove if they want, even if they don’t sign up (think of Myspace).

The two reviews you list ARE ridiculous and silly - but these are the type of reviews people are writing and will continue to write. The one difference between us and anyone else, is that we make some kind of effort to tell the merchant their reputation is being tainted. Do other sites allow you to remove CONSUMER reviews?

Jacob, I’d love the opportunity to show you what we do from the merchant side, because there is no way I’d be working at a company that would disrespect my father’s integrity and his livelihood. We give businesses a voice on the web - please contact me if you doubt my sincerity.

Sincerely,
Kevin
kevin@merchantcircle.com