Scam Alert: 727-471-1418

HERE IS AN ACTUAL SCRIPT THEY USED OR STILL USE.

When they call people they use this Script.

*Agents Travel Network Script & Verification!!!!

Hi, (Customers name)

My name is __________ I’m a registered agent calling on behalf of *Agents Travel Network (or Travel Agents Direct which is what it’s called now)in regards to your bank account. As a valued customer we are going to send you $400.00 in American Airline Saving Vouchers and two free nights of hotel accomodations, just for accepting a 14 day free trial into our *Agents Travel Network program.

* Note IT IS NOW CALLED TRAVEL AGENTS DIRECT

This program will give you the same hospitality benefits usually only available to travel professionals, such as discounts of up to 50% on cruises, rental cars and airline tickets. You’ll also receive major discounts at thousands of resorts and hotels nationwide, including Hilton, Marriot and Radisson and you’ll save a ton of money on selected theme park tickets. Your membership will arrive with your own personalized Agents Travel Network (now TAD)identity card.

After your 14 days, if you decide to keep it, it’s only $19.95 a month billed to your checking account, with a one time activation fee of only $40.00. If you decide to cancel, just call the 800 number in your package during your free trial period, you’ll never be billed, and there’s no further obligation, Either way you still keep the airline vouchers and your free hotel accomodations, as our way of saying thanks for looking over the program. So you can’t lose!

Now we will be shipping your package to (Verify Address) is that correct?

How does your name appear on your checking Account?

If different from customers name: are they authorized signer on this account?

What is the name of your bank?

And you opened your account in (Customers City and State)

Now we are going to pull up your information to confirm that everything is correct. Please Hold.

(Obtain the nine digit ABA routing # from your manager)

OK, (Customers Name) I’m going to verify your ABA routing number that’s on the bottom left hand corner of your check book. If you can follow along with me to make sure the numbers are correct. (Confirm ABA Routing Number with customer) Is that Correct?

** Now there will be a symbol after those numbers I just verified with you, please go ahead and verify the next set of numbers, which is your account number.

Thank You!

** ASSUMING YOU GAVE THEM YOUR INFORMATION THEY THEN PREPARE TO RECORD THE CONVERSATION FOR BILLING PURPOSES. NOTICE ON THE RECORDING SCRIPT BELOW THAT THERE’S NO DATE SO YOU DON’T KNOW WHEN YOUR FREE TRAIL ENDS. THE ONLY DATE THEY RECORD IS THE DATE THEY CALLED YOU. ALL THE AGENT TELLS YOU IS THAT AFTER TWO WEEKS WHEN YOU RECIEVE THE PACKAGE IS WHEN YOU WILL BE BILLED IF YOU DON’T CALL TO CANCEL. PROBLEM HERE IS THAT YOU NOR SUNTASIA KNOW THE DATE YOU’LL GET THE PACKAGE EXACTLY B/C IT IS SHIPPED REGULAR MAIL. THIS IS SO THEY CAN CHARGE YOU AT ANYTIME IF THE PACKAGE EITHER NEVER ARRIVES OR GETS TO YOU LATER.

Verification Must Be Read VERBATIM.

Thanks for holding, the remaining portion of this call will be recorded OK??
(Must get affirmative, YES, OK, OR CORRECT) I’m speaking with (customers Name) and todays date is __________.

Now we will be shipping your package to (Customers Address) Is that correct? OK. Great ! And I’m showing your telephone number as (read customers telephone number back) For security purposes we need to attach a password to your file. What city were you born in ?

And what is your email address? These will act as passwords whenever You contact us.

How does your name appear on your checking account.

If different from customer name:(Are you an authorized signer on this account?)

What is the name, city & state of your bank?

Now, please read your routing number back to me that starts with a 0,1,2 or 3. Now please read back to me the account nunmber that YOU PROVIDED. Ok great.

After your 2 week free trial period, the program is just $19.95 a month with a one time activaction fee of $40.00 billed to the checking account YOU JUST PROVIDED to us. If you decide to cancel your membership, just call the 800-number in your package. Theirs no further obligation and the airline vouchers and hotel vouchers are yours to keep just for accepting the membership for the first 2 weeks. With your permission we’ll rush your Agents Travel Network card (Now TAD) and materials to you and your benefits will start immediately. OK?

If funds are unavailable upon deposit after the free trial your bank may charge you a processing fee.

Now, (Customers name), you qualify for 2 additional packages

!!AGENTS TRAVEL NETWORK —> FLORIDA PASSPORT UPSELL!!! (Changed to Floridaway)

As a new VIP member The Florida Passport (FloridaWay) would like to sponsor your first travel agent fam trip. Its called the Fun in the Sun Dream Escape, you’ll receive 6 days 5 nights of hotel accomodations in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. You will receive this on a 7 day free review basis. This fam trip is subject to blackout dates of Christmas, New Years & Special Events. These vacations are fully transferable and will be sent to you with a travel date of 1 year from today, which can be changed at no additional charge. This vacation package comes to you risk free for 7 days. If, during your free review period, you do not call to cancel,the promotional fee of only
One Hundred Forty-Nine Dollars will be applied to the checking account we have just verified with You. OK? Great. (Must Get an Affirmative, Yes, Ok, or Correct)

!!!Teliflex Communications UpSell!!! (Changed to Prism Communications)

As a Special Bonus you will also receive a free 21 day trial of unlimited long distance with voice mail from Teliflex communications (Now Prism). This has nothing to do with your home phone its in the form of a calling card and comes with a pin number. You can use this service from any touch tone phone at your home or office and call anyone, anytime, anywhere, coast-to-coast and talk as long as you want, free for 21 days. If after your free trial you decide to continue its only $49.95 a month billed to the checking account used today and thereafter, but keep in mind you are under no obligation to continue. If You feel its not for you simply call the customer service number within the free trial period and you will never be billed… its that simple… So with your permission under the terms described your billing information will be transferred to TELILEX Communications (Prism) and they’ll send out your free trail in the mail. OKAY?? (must get an affirmative)

*** Thank you for your time and have a good day/night.

*** Note You are told to hang up immediately and not engage in any other conversations with the customer b/c he or she might end up asking too many questions.

END OF SCRIPT..

Notice a few things on this script. I capitalized some words purposely b/c it lets you know how they get away with charging you. The words are “Now read back to me the account YOU PROVIDED” or “. . .billed to the checking account YOU JUST PROVIDED”. This places YOU responsible NOT them for giving out your information in order for them to have the right to bill you.

Another thing that sticks out is they tell you to call an 800 number that’s on your package to cancel the travel program but on the second package (Florida Passport or Way) they just say to call and cancel. On the last package (Teleflex or Prism) they say to call customer service # to cancel. Why? Because the truth is that they have 3 different numbers for you to call if you want to cancel everything. The agents are told NOT to give this information out to the customer in fear that they may cancel on the recording. They are also not allowed to give out the customer service number b/c many of them cancel everything on the same day.

When the customer starts asking questions like, “Do I have to call 3 different numbers to cancel everything?” The agents are told to say, “if you have any questions or problems just call the customer service number on your package and they will handle everything”. The customer might ask what is that number and the agent will say, “it will be on your package the day you get it”. The truth is that any numbers that the customer sees on the packages or gets from the agent themselves ALL lead to the same place Suntasia Marketing customer service department. When you call they tell you in order to cancel the other two packages you must call these numbers. Again it ALL leads back to the same place. They do this to frustrate you enough so you get tired of trying to cancel thus buying enough time to be billed later.

As for the travel discount card and the 21 day trial calling card, if you don’t send back the travel card you’ll get billed. The calling card has to be de-activated, by you writing a letter to them to do so, otherwise you’ll get billed. Another thing is even if you liked using the calling card (most of us have cell phones so there’s no need for this unless you are that dumb to pay $49.95 a month for long distance), the pin number often doesn’t work at all and you constantly have to call in to customer service to either get it fixed or get another pin number.

Some have posted here that they were told by the agent they needed to confirm your bank account number b/c the shipping & handling fee is $1.95 and we need your number so we can debit your account. THIS IS A BIG FAT LIE!! IT’S ALL A TRICK!! There is no $1.95 b/c Suntasia ships out the packages (if they ever REALLY do) through regular mail and they pay for that. Of course once they bill you then they make that money back and much more. This is why the agents are told to add the other two packages (FloridaWay which is a timeshare and the calling card) b/c that is where their profit is made. The $19.95 travel card just covers cost of the regular expenses (lights, security etc) in the company.

Hopefully this will bring you more insight on how these crooks work. I also know what rebuttals they use in case the customer has any objections to the products they sell. I will post those in the near future.

HERE’S HOW IT’S DONE AD DETAILED INFORMATION ON THESE CLOWNS!!

To begin with Suntasia Marketing is located on 8751 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33771 and their corporate website is http://www.suntasia.com .

Bryon Wolf is President and CEO, Michael Berndgen is the Chief Financial Officer and Roy Eliasson is the Vice President of Management Information Systems.

There are about 8 rooms total that hold about 24 agents in each. Six of those rooms are outbound (an automatic dialer that calls you), the other 2 rooms are for inbound calls (people who call in and are curious about who called them or maybe have a complaint). There is also one big room for customer service only, where they are suppose to handle the cancellations or any other concerns from customers like being billed without receiving the product. Any phone numbers the agent gives you for their products they’re selling (Travel Agents Go Direct, Floridaway, Prism Communications, Distinct Advantage, Freedom Gold etc), ALL lead to the same place, SUNTASIA MARKETING in Largo.

Your name, address and phone number are obtained through a third party company that they purchase it from. The third party company gets their information by the products you buy, or any other transactions you do that contains your personal information. They DO NOT and are NOT allowed to have or sell your SS#, DOB etc. Once the information is bought by companies like Suntasia, it is put into their dialer system to call you. The dialer clearly labels the list of names that are brand new leads and also how many times that specific list has been called. Unfortunately, this information is only seen by the manager of the room. He or she has access to it from the bridge (the big, high desk overseeing the agents when you enter the room).

Vericheck is a software system connecting them to all the banks nationwide that confirm whether you have an open checking account or not. Grocery stores, retail stores all use them to scan your checks to make sure your account is legit.

The only information the agent has on their computer at the time when they call is your name, address and telephone number. That’s it. After they give you their mumbo jumbo script about how you qualified and the “free” gifts (gas, airline vouchers etc) you’ll be receiving, they tell you it’s a reward for maintaining an active checking and ONLY active checking account holders qualify. They ask you for your bank name and the city you opened it in. The reason is b/c they can obtain your routing number through what else? That’s right Vericheck! It is only then that many are fooled to believe that the agent has your account number as well. The excuse the agent uses is, “we need you to verify the number to make sure it’s you”, but when you call their bluff they either hang up or put a manager on the phone to push for the sale and get the account. Their tactics are slick even downright insulting.

They usually say that you made a purchase through one of their 400, 1000, 1700 affiliates (pick a number yourself) and that is how your name was entered into their system for this special promotion. ALL A BIG LIE! Like I said before, they bought the names and numbers from another company for anywhere from .20 cents to up to .60 cents per name. Oh and by the way this same information that can be sold to another company by the people who bought them in the first place.

If you make them mad the agent can recycle your name back into the system. B9 is the code for DNC (Do Not Call List) on their system but unfortunately many times it is not used b/c they want to get back at you. The only way to get these people off your phone is by sending them a CEASE and DESIST letter to their corporate address. Donald Booth is their lawyer and the letter should be addressed to him. When they call again ask them for their FULL name and let them know they need to code your phone call as a B9, Do Not Call, after you hang up with them.

This company was raided by the feds a couple of years ago. They were there to look at what the agents were saying over the phone with their scripts. This is why management watches the agents to make sure they are not using any other scripts but their own. Sadly many managers turn a blind eye when their top sellers re-word the script to their own liking just to make a sale. I have one of those scripts that are used.

If you visit other sites (click below) and type in the search “Suntasia Marketing” you will see there are many, many people out there ticked off just like you.

http://ripoffreport.com/search.asp

http://scam.com

http://www.stopjunkcalls.com (click on message board)

http://www.google.com (type Suntasia)

Thank God I don’t work there anymore.

NOW, ARE YOU READY FOR THE GOOD NEWS? HERE IT IS!

SUNTASIA MARKETING SCAM IS EXPOSED BY A LOCAL TV NEWS STATION!

The media has started picking up the story on Suntasia Marketing and it’s crooked enterprise. The following link is from KOMO news in Seattle, Washington. Please click on the link below. It has vital information on how to report these guys and the investigation that is on going. It’s a REAL encouraging story and the people who have had enough with this company.

http://komotv.com/buyerbeware/story.asp?ID=44298

If everyone raises their voices just a little bit these guys can be run out of town.

Contact your State Attorney General’s office and then file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. It is NOT uncommon for people like yourself to be debited money from your checking account unknowingly for months by this company.

When I first started working there I remember managers bragging and joking about how dumb people were that they didn’t check their bank accounts for months sometimes even years not aware that the $19.95 was being taken out. This is why they tell their unsuspecting customer over the phone that they have over 30,000 active clients. The truth is the word should be 30,000 “unaware” clients.

Funny thing is they also tell the customer they’ve been in business for 10, 20 or even 35 years (pick a number) which should be a big red flag when you consider they only have 30,000 “clients”.

Anyway it is sad to read the posts of people who have been scammed by these jerks. This is why Suntasia is being investigated by the Florida Attorney General. The media as well has started exposing these crooks. If you haven’t seen the news story on KOMO Channel 4 in Seattle, Washington just click on the link below.

http://komotv.com/buyerbeware/story.asp?ID=44298

Hopefully with enough voices these guys can be shut down for good.

Isn’t the internet a great thing when used properly!? These guys (Suntasia Marketing) have been doing this scam since the late 90′s when they started out in Treasure Island then St. Petersburg and now Largo, Florida.

If you want to know who runs this company, just click below and you’ll see the pics of the corporate suits.

http://suntasia.com/officers.htm

Suntasia Marketing is located on 8751 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33771. Telephone: (727) 471-0276

Travel Agents Go Direct, Floridaway, Prism Communications, Distinct Advantage, Freedom Gold as well as other prior travel names are ALL or were promoted by SUNTASIA MARKETING in Largo.

Nothing surprises me any more with this company. They are certainly getting lots of attention from people, state attorney generals and the media. Sooner or later something has to give. Click below.

http://www.komotv.com/buyerbeware/story.asp?ID=44298

The reason you hear music blasted in the background is b/c they want to keep the agents ALERT on the phones. It is easy to sit there becoming complacent and not have any sales for the day. They ONLY get two 15 minute breaks for the whole shift. This includes lunch as well. Also some agents REALLY have no phone skills whatsoever even though they get trained somewhat and thus will be rude at times especially if you don’t comply with what they want or they’re struggling to get a sale.

The agents prey on gaining your trust and making you think their “free” vacation or gas vouchers is a once in a lifetime deal. Forget it! In times of high gas prices and over worked families it is easy to fall for their “pitch”.

I have posted the script that they use on customers (just look at the posts above under my name) and how easy it is to obtain your bank information. As long as you don’t tell them anything, for example: what is the name of your bank and where did you open it at, then you’re safe. If you did, call your bank and inform them to close your account then open up a new one. This way they can’t take anything out. Banks are becoming increasingly aware of these crooks.

If you visit other sites (click below) and type in the search box “Suntasia Marketing” you will see there are many, many people out there ticked off just like you.

http://ripoffreport.com/default.asp

http://scam.com (click on Hotel Scams link)

http://www.stopjunkcalls.com/ (click on message board)

http://www.google.com (type Suntasia)

If you’ve been ripped off by this company, I suggest you contact your State Attorney Generals Office.

IN FLORIDA THE ATTORNEY GENERAL NEW FRAUD HOTLINE 1-866-9-NOSCAM (1-866-966-7226).

They have been caught by the government before with deception. Here is the link.

http://myfloridalegal.com/__852562220065EE67.nsf/0/04AF34D09D8589468525687F005ED098?Open&Highlight=0,ftn

Also contact the better business bureau and file a complaint with them. Click on their website below. It will link you to the Suntasia page.

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452

Finally if you’ve been getting numerous phone calls from this company and you don’t want anymore, send them a neat, professional looking, certified CEASE and DESIST letter to their corporate offices made out to Donald Booth their legal eagle there.

It is time to get up and do something otherwise these crooks will keep taking your money.

I would like to start off by saying to you that I DON’T think you’re an idiot at all and will not say that either. The last thing you need now is to be chastised for an honest mistake. I know how easily a person can be duped due to the slick “wording” the agents use in their scripts. The REAL idiots are these crooks Suntasia Marketing who think they can get away with it but with the power of the internet, the media exposing them and people in general banning together to stop this fraud, WE WILL shut them down.

The first step you need to take is immediately talk to your bank b/c by law you have sixty days to dispute a charge. Banks are very well aware of these scam artists and can help or work with you to recover the money but you can’t stay sitting at home waiting. The more time that passes the less rights you have to recover any money owed.

TELL THEM IMMEDIATELY BEFORE ANYMORE CHARGES ARE DEBITED. YOUR BANK WILL CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT AND OPEN UP A NEW ONE.

Many people were charge for months and the bank was able to refund the last few charges that were made by “SCAM-TASIA”. Don’t go by what the recording said b/c there is no SPECIFIC date when your so called “free” trial ends. Let your bank know this or give them a link to this site so they can see for themselves.

Next, write them a certified CEASE and DESIST letter to their lawyer Donald Booth at the corporate address which is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road,
Largo, FL 33771

Telephone: (727) 471-0276

Let him know that you either didn’t get the package or it arrived late and you want a FULL refund b/c you never had a chance for the “free” trial. Also THAT you are NOT interested in anything at all they have to offer other than a refund b/c of the fact that the agents mis-represented themselves totally.

You can go to your local post office (if you did received their package) to find out what date it was sent. It should be post marked. Let Mr. Booth know this information and also notify him that if he doesn’t comply with your request for the FULL refund you will seek legal action against his company as well as contacting your local media. Trust me they’ve been exposed alot lately and this is the last thing he needs to hear.

Third, if for any reason you don’t get a respond DO contact your local tv news station. Most news channels in your area have a consumer complaint tip hotline. Go on the net and log on to their site. I know this would be a “juicy” story for them to report on if you don’t get your money back.

Finally, I suggest you file a complaint with your state attorney generals office letting them know the situation. The more people get involved the better off we will ALL be.

My suggestion is to send them a simple certified CEASE AND DESIST letter stating that you DO NOT want to be involved with their company in any capacity whatsoever. You are not to receive anymore of their useless promotions either by fax, email, postal mail, cell phone, land line, telegram, telegraph or pony express. Make it clear in the letter that you are not to be solicited any more and they are to put you on the DO NOT CALL LIST and if they don’t it is a violation of your rights and it will cost them a heavy fine. The letter should be addressed to their lawyer Donald Booth.

The Corporate address is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road,
Largo, FL 33771

Telephone: (727) 471-0276

Finally if everyone contacted the media to further expose these crooks then they would be boxed into a corner and monitored a lot better by the authorities. All you have to do is go to Google and type in the search area “list of tv stations in (insert city or state where you live here). Then go to the website and click on the links of the tv stations and write to them about these scam artists. You can refer them to websites like this one and others such as ripoffreport.com. The more stations everyone contacts the better the chances are of this story getting done by a reporter.

Telemarketing companies are being busted left and right by the media these days. This is a “hot” story at the moment and alot of stations will jump on the bandwagon for ratings purposes. You can actually see the news footage of companies that have been busted in the last 2 months alone. The link to that site is:

http://scamvictimsunited.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=9

So if ALL of you do exactly like Rachel Randall did in Seattle, Washington, your local news station to will get out the warning as well.

http://www.komotv.com/buyerbeware/story.asp?ID=44298

I can only tell you what I know but if you choose to sit there and do nothing then they will just keep calling.

NO! It’s because they bought your name, address and phone # from a third party company. If you read my prior posts it will explain the who, what, where, when and how about these guys. Your profession has nothing to do with why they called you. Your information (name & address, phone # only) was sold to them anywhere from .20 cents to .60 cents per name. It all depends on the list they buy of course.

Send them a certified CEASE and DESIST letter to get you off their stupid list. Just look above at my other posts and it will give you the address of these crooks.

Thank you Stacey. Your story just validates what I have been saying all along about this company and their products. They “prey” on people like yourself b/c you’re afraid to say anything.

If you would of said “I don’t want this” on the recording, then everything would of been invalid b/c you’re choosing to cancel right there. Unfortunately, many people are scared to back out in fear that their bank account might be drained. This is a big myth. The banks can assist you in cancelling your account and providing a new one.

Hopefully more people will come forward and the media along with the feds will go after these crooks. One story has been done on them already by KOMO TV Channel 4 news in Seattle. If everyone wrote their tv news stations in their area more would follow.

If you want to check out a couple of blogs about this company, you’ll see more people who have been scammed or were almost scammed by these crooks.

Blog #1 is someone who got a call from “Suntasia Marketing” promoting Travel Agents Go Direct. He quickly knew it was a scam especially when he saw the news report that was done on July 6th of a company scamming people and debiting their accounts unknowingly.

Blog #2 which you don’t have to register on their site is basically people who have been scammed by these crooks and are posting their complaints. If you think you’re the only ones being called or scammed by these jerks, you’re sadly mistaken.

Something definitely has to happen here.

Blog #1 link:

http://www.netjeff.com/blog/index.php

Blog #2 link:

http://www.icarusindie.com/freespeechzone/index.php?page=Suntasia

Here is a website of some “idiot” who’s promoting the shameful products that Suntasia sells. His name is Frank Rizzo and he is claiming how wonderful the “savings” are that you get from Distinct Advantage. He even posted the link to the DA site.

Let me make this perfectly clear to ALL of you. DA is a sham b/c there are “hidden” fees and costs you don’t know about. Anything Suntasia promotes has things in the fine print that need to be read very closely.

If you want to post your horror story dealing with this company then here is the link to Frank’s blog.

http://www.youareworthmore.org/node/17370#comment-13979

Let him know how you REALLY feel!

By the way before I forget, if you log onto the Better Business Bureau website you’ll see Distinct Advantage has 148 complaints against them in the last 36 months alone. Scroll down a bit on the site and you will also see a familiar number (727) 471-1416. That’s right it’s Suntasia Marketing ALL over again.

Here is the link to the BBB site displaying Distinct Advantage’s info.

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=90012544

Enjoy!

I guess someone must of complained about Frank Rizzo’s blog promoting Distinct Advantage because it is no longer there.

http://www.youareworthmore.org/node/17370#comment-13979

It was only yesterday that people posted the truth about this company. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Do you think they got the hint that it was a scam? lol

Julie that is EXACTLY what has to be done. Exposing these crooks in the media will put a BIG spotlight on them. Why? Because once a news organization reports a scam, word gets around quickly and thus they won’t be able to do some of things they were before.

So if ALL of you do exactly like Rachel Randall did in Seattle, Washington, your local news station will get out the warning as well. Here is an example if you didn’t see the news report from KOMO Channel 4.

http://www.komotv.com/buyerbeware/story.asp?ID=44298

There are also other people like Stacey in Michigan for example who not only contacted her news stations in the state of Michigan but has even forwarded her complaint to the local ABC news affiliate Channel 28 in Tampa, Florida. She has emailed Matthew Schwartz the lead investigator for the station there, in order to get her story out on what happened to her. You can email Matthew at the link below, if you care to express your concerns over this company called, “Suntasia Marketing”.

http://abcactionnews.com/investigators/index.shtml

These are the same people who promote Travel Agents Go Direct, Floridaway, Prism Communications, Distinct Advantage, Freedom Gold as well as other prior names that are now defunct.

Make no mistake about it, the more voices are heard the better the chances are of controlling these scam artists.

FYI: The Florida Dept of Agriculture announced a few days ago that a local telemarketing company in florida that does vacation trips has been fined for calling people on the DNC list. Here is part of the article.

Department Press Release

08-24-2006

Bronson Files Lawsuit Against Company For Violating ‘Do Not Call’ Law

TALLAHASSEE – Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced today that he has taken legal action against a Tampa Bay area telemarketer for violating Florida’s “Do Not Call” law.

A lawsuit filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court alleges that United Vacation Network Inc., of Largo, made at least 7 calls to Florida residents on the state’s “Do Not Call” list during the past 17 months. In addition, the suit claims that at least 4 of the company’s telemarketing calls contained recorded messages, which is a separate violation of state law.

You can read the rest of it here.

http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/press/2006/08242006.html

Even though this pertains to the State of Florida only, I wonder how many other commissioners in other states will follow suit.

BREAKING NEWS!! BREAKING NEWS!! BREAKING NEWS!!

SUNTASIA MARKETING/DISTINCT ADVANTAGE EXPOSED AGAIN BY LOCAL MEDIA, KETV NewsWatch 7 I-TEAM!!

Yes that’s right, you read it! Suntasia Marketing’s promotion of Distinct Advantage was exposed once AGAIN but this time by the ABC affiliate KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, Nebraska. Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?? Seems that a pattern is emerging here with this company and the media. This is the second tv news station that is an ABC affiliate which has exposed these crooks. KOMO TV Channel 4 in Seattle was the first to do it.

August 23, 2006

KETV NewsWatch 7 I-Team

“Man Warns About Suspected Phone Solicitation Scam”

An offer for free gas and travel vouchers sounded too good to be true when Ron Gaspard received one recently.
Gaspard said the call sounded suspicious. He knew better than to bite.

To see the rest of his story, click on the link below to the news investigation done by reporter Carol Kloss that Distinct Advantage (which is under the Suntasia umbrella) is a scam.

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

Oh how many times have I said if everyone called your local tv news station like Rachel Randall in Seattle and Ron Gaspard in Omaha have done, we would ALL be better off.

Rebecca and Rick if you both read the posts on this site you will see that “Distinct Advantage” is promoted by Suntasia Marketing.

Believe it or not someone created a “Suntasia Sucks” website. lol I kid you not. Here is the link.

http://suntasiasucks.icarusindie.com/forum/index.php

You can post your experiences their to. Also if you want to read the posts of two employees who ACTUALLY defend Suntasia then click on the link below.

http://www.stopjunkcalls.com/bboard/index.php?showforum=10

Talk about being in denial and stuck on stupid. One is a top seller there (Nomad, REAL name Josh) at Suntasia and the other one is April who is in customer service. They both claim it’s YOUR fault that you can’t be smart enough to understand the concept of a “free” trial. lol YEAH RIGHT!

If you care to express your disgust you can click on the link above and let these two wonderful employees know that they need counseling for their compulsive lying.

You’re welcome Jennifer. I am not surprised that the agent pulled their usual stunt telling you that they are affiliated with your bank or that you bought something from some business like Costco. They pretend to have your account info on file which they don’t, just your name and number only. It’s all a trick just to make you give up the account.

Now as to how they got your name and number. There are companies out there that compile a consumer list from a variety of different sources and sell it. You would be surprised how they get the information.

Here is a link to ONE of those companies that sells the lists. Keep in mind this company is NOT necessarily doing business with Suntasia. It’s just a sample.

http://www.spectrumdata.net/CMS426/Consumer%20Lists.html

If you want to find out how many companies are out there selling your information, just go to google.com and type in “Telemarketing Lists” and it will give you what you’re looking for.

Jennifer so far two tv stations have exposed these crooks. On July 6th KOMO Channel 4 News in Seattle, Washington did the first story on Suntasia. Click below if you haven’t seen it yet.

http://www.komotv.com/buyerbeware/story.asp?ID=44298

Thanks to Rachel Randall for speaking up.

Ron Gaspard called his local tv news station KETV Channel 7 I-Team in Omaha, Nebraska to have these jerks exposed. Click below to see the news story done by reporter Carol Kloss.

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

Believe me there’s MORE to come. Jennifer I suggest you do the same thing in your own town like Rachel and Ron have done. I know people right now who have contacted their local news stations to have their story done. If everyone did the same thing these guys would be gone.

I also suggest you write and send Suntasia Marketing a certified CEASE and DESIST letter to their corporate headquarters letting them know you DO NOT want any contact from them in any form. Make the letter out to Donald Booth their legal eagle there.

If you need COMPLETE information on this company, you can go to a brand new website called, “Suntasia Sucks”. lol That’s right! It was made by Kalvin B., a man who sued Suntasia in small claims court and won.

You can go to his site at: http://suntasiasucks.icarusindie.com/.

The site will serve not only as a warning against Suntasia’s shady business practices but other fraudulent companies as well. There is a forum section where you can post your story.

I hope this helps you Jennifer. Keep in touch and let us know if your newspaper, local news station or any other type of media decided to put your story out there for everyone to see.

Florida Telco Credit Union has posted the following consumer alert on their website:

“It seems that every day someone thinks of a new way to steal your identity, or your money. The Credit Union works diligently to protect you by training our employees to recognize possible scams, and by keeping you, our member, informed with ways to avoid them.

Below are scams we are currently aware of, please read them carefully. If you believe you have been a victim, please contact our fraud department at 904.723.6300″.

Updated 8/8/06

Telephone Scam
Target Company: Financial Institutions including Florida Telco

“If you receive a call from a marketing company called “Suntasia” who is involved with Travel Agents Direct, please be careful. They may offer you a free vacation. The person calling will tell you they know your account number with Florida Telco CU (or other financial institution). However, the number they quote is a routing number, not the actual account number. That’s where the scam belongs — they ask you to complete the rest of the account number for verification. Once you provide the last digits they then have your actual account number. If you have given your account number to a telemarketer who has called you, please contact a Member Service Representative immediately”.

Here is the link to their website:

http://www.floridatelco.org/186.html

I think the above statement says it all.

I told you I wasn’t lying when I said Suntasia’s customer service department makes it hard to get a refund and that the customers are totally misled. Well a former employee speaks out letting us know what REALLY happens inside the customer service department when you ask for your money back.

Some of the things she wrote was disturbing to read. Here are some of the quotes from her post.

1. “i worked for cust service for suntasia which pretty much means i cleaned up their dirty work and took the calls from customers that were ripped off . . .”

2. “we are instructed when a customer calls and wants their money back to make it impossible for them to receive it.”

3. “also contact the better business bureau. they hate when they get calls or letters from them bacause they are forced to give you the refund without you having to write a refund letter.”

These are just some of the things she told a consumer website that logs complaints. Just so you think I am not making this up, you can see the post for yourself.

Click below and scroll down to the bottom to read the rest of the story.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff204394.htm

I rest my case.

UPDATE: SUNTASIA REDESIGNS THEIR WEBSITE AND FINALLY FINISHES IT!

Suntasia Marketing has given their website a makeover along with some crappy music to listen to. Gold colored borders with black text on white background. You can actually see pictures outside of the building as well as what it REALLY looks like inside. There are pictures of just about every room (lobby, executive offices, customer service etc) including the ones where the agents call you from. They actually give you a map of where they are located and all the important information you need to know about these crooks.

http://suntasia.com/

Despite fixing their mis-spellings on one of their webpages like the word “company” they still have NOT fixed the mistake on how they spell S-u-n-t-a-s-i-a. Just click below and scroll down to the middle to see it’s still spelled “Suntaisa”

http://suntasia.com/overview.html

Geez you would think these guys would just look at the top of the webpage where it is still spelled correctly. I’ve only pointed this out about 100 times in these forums and then they wonder why no one respects them.

As for the content on the site, for example their “Mission Statement”, it’s kind of funny. I copied and pasted the statement below.

“Suntasia Marketing is committed to the highest standards of integrity and excellence in our industry. We strive to achieve supreme levels of quality in every aspect of our business.

Our mission is to stay profitable by consistently providing incomparably superior service, earning the loyalty and respect of staff and clients alike.

To do this, we must be diligent, trustworthy, honest and hardworking. When those values are realized, it is then and only then, that Suntasia can truly aspire to reach our ultimate goal – as the best total solution call center in the telemarketing industry”.

Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol. Lol.

First of all, “committed to the highest standards of integrity and excellence in our industry”? What standards? They have been and are being investigated by the Attorney General in Florida not to mention others around the country. Two news stations have exposed their marketing campaign as a scam and there is MORE to come I assure you plus the Better Business Bureau has numerous complaints about the sub companies they promote (IE: Distinct Advantage, Travel Agents Go Direct etc).

The next line is even more of a joke. “Our mission is to stay profitable by consistently providing incomparably superior service. . . . . . . .” Yeah right! You mean ripping off people by giving them a product that’s worthless then taking their money to earn interest on what was debited. This is how they “profit” from you.

Finally the line, “To do this, we must be diligent, trustworthy, honest and hardworking. When those values are realized, . . . . . . . .” Say what! Trustworthy? Honest? With all the complaints that this company has, they certainly are dilussional. You have agents that misrepresent themselves all the time when talking to the customers, the company itself is under investigation and the products they promote are useless. Hey, but at least they’re honest, right? Lol.

This company belongs in the “Hall of Shame”.

Well I am not surprised by the above post. Agents and managers often lie alot. There is no such thing as a blinking red or green light on his computer. What he does is he prints out your information to the “Router” (that’s the person who verifies if the account is good or not through the network of banks they’re connected to) then once it comes back approved the router gives the agent a thumbs up which means go ahead with the recording b/c the account can be debited.

Managers are trained to tell customers that they promise to give them ALL of their information about the company at the end of the call but sadly they never do b/c they know the customer will forget to ask for it. Notice he got your account information first before he gave you his company info? It’s a common routine at Suntasia.

When they do the recording your account information is still right in FRONT of their face. They need you to verify it in the recording b/c this way they have legal recourse that you gave it (account #) away voluntarily and were not “coached”.

As for ripoffreport.com, they have been fully aware of this site for years and they know people are beginning to catch on to their scam. It was told to me today that employees at Suntasia have been questioning things lately that they’ve seen on the net like the Florida Attorney Generals current investigation, the two news stories done by KOMO channel 4 in Seattle and KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, Nebraska and the tons of better business bureau complaints. Suntasia’s management apparently has responded by saying they are going to “take care of it”. Yeah right!

You did the right thing by closing your accounts but don’t be surprised if you get another call from these crooks asking you to do the recording over again. They always try to get back the sales call that failed.

SECOND FEDERAL CREDIT UNION WARNS IT’S CUSTOMERS ABOUT SUNTASIA MARKETING’S DISTINCT ADVANTAGE!

You read it correctly AGAIN! Like I stated many times before in my posts, banks and credit unions are becoming increasingly aware of these crooks. First it was Florida Telco Credit Union warning it’s members about Suntasia, http://www.floridatelco.org/186.html, now it’s the Teachers Federal Credit Union.

The following statement comes from the TFCU website.

Telephone Scam Alert

The latest tactic involves members contacted by individuals – by telephone – claiming to be a “Checking Account Supervisor” and offering “free” services. Please be aware these are not TFCU employees and the calls are originating from a company based out of Florida named Distinct Advantage. As when contacted by any company soliciting services via the telephone, TFCU recommends exercising caution. Ask questions to fully understand all aspects of the offer being made.
If you are contacted and note charges were made to your account without consent by Distinct Advantage, or if you feel employees of Distinct Advantage misrepresented themselves, please contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection. The toll free number for the Florida Attorney General’s office for filing a complaint is 1-866-966-7226. Complaints can also be filed online at http://myfloridalegal.com. Once on the site click on the ‘Consumer Protection’ link, then click on the ‘How to File a Complaint or Check on a Business’ link. All the necessary information for filing a complaint is provided.

You can click the link below to see the alert for yourself.

http://www.teachersfcu.org/about_tfcu/security.html

I promise you more is coming on this company.

The following companies are ALL currently or were promoted by “Suntasia Marketing”. Here is the information I’ve compiled on this company.

Suntasia Marketing, Inc.
8751 Ulmerton Rd
Largo, FL 33771

Tel#: 727-471-0276 or 1-800-NEW-TEAM

Website: http://suntasia.com/
Email: info@suntasia.com

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-information on this company is being updated, and no report in available at this time.

Travel Agents Go Direct
11125 Park Blvd Ste 104-364
Seminole, FL 33772
Tel#: 1-888-546-8844 or (727) 471-1411

Website: travelagentsgodirect.com
Email: traveler@travelagentsgodirect.com

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-Unsatisfactory
Over 160 complaints about this company in the last 36 months.

FloridaWay Dream Escape
2655 Ulmerton Rd Ste 407
Clearwater, FL 33762-3337
Tel#: (888) 488-8770

Website: http://www.floridaway.net
Email: traveler@floridaway.net

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-Unsatisfactory
111 complaints about this company in the last 36 months.

Prism Communications
3665 East Bay Drive Ste 201B
Largo, FL 33771
Tel#: (888) 694-9151

Website: http://www.prismld.com/
Email: talkto@prismld.com

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-Unknown
25 complaints about this company in the last 36 months.

Distinct Advantage
10500 Ulmerton Rd Suite 726-302
Largo, FL 33771
Tel#: (866) 545-5486

Website: http://distinct-advantage.net/pc_home.html
Email: info@freedomgold.com

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-Unsatisfactory
160 complaints about this company in the last 36 months.

Freedom Gold
10500 Ulmerton Rd Ste 726-302
Largo, FL 33758
Tel#: (800) 853-0473

Website: http://www.freedomgold.com
Email: N/A

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-Unsatisfactory
278 complaints about this company in the last 36 months

Agents Travel Network
3993 Tyrone Blvd Suite 608-182
Saint Petersburg, FL 33709

Tel#: (800) 853-9982

Website: http://www.agents-travel.net/
Email: info@agents-travel.net

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-Unsatisfactory
230 complaints about this company in the last 36 months.

Teliflex Communications Unlimited Long Distance
3303 Seffner Drive
Holiday, Florida 34691

Tel#: 617-782-2900

Website: http://www.teliflex.com/
Email: phoneservices@teliflex.com

Better Business Bureau Record: Status-Unsatisfactory
126 complaints about this company in the last 36 months

Suntasia Marketing according to their website also promotes other programs such as Leisure City, Freedom Ring Long Distance Service, Monster Mastercard, Variety! Spice of Your Life and Credit Life.

I have been searching for information on the companies listed above but have found nothing as of yet. I will be updating the list as changes occur. So far everything that is being marketed by Suntasia has had an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB. Currently the products being promoted by them are Travel Agents Go Direct, FloridaWay, Prism, Distinct Advantage and Freedom Gold.

Next time they call have fun with them and just mess with their head. Give the agent an account number that’s bogus and when they tell you it’s no good then say, “Oh I forgot you’re the crooks from Suntasia Marketing on Ulmerton Road in Largo, Fl. Your company are the famous crooks everyone is talking about on the net. Even the news stations are exposing you. Sorry there is no sucker here. See ya!” Then laugh and hang up.

I guarantee you if more people called their bluff, alot of those agents wouldn’t stay working there for long. Information is knowledge and knowledge is powerful. So go for it the next time they call you.

Yes, call your local news stations and state attorney generals office. Report the crooks. The more you put the spotlight on Suntasia the better we will all be.

I would also contact Walmart Headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas and let them know that a certain telemarketing company is using their name. They have threatened to sue Suntasia before for using Walmart’s name. Suntasia agents are NOT allowed to refer to any businesses which are not affiliated with them.

The company Costco recently had to send out a press statement letting their customers know that they DO NOT and will not do business with any telemarketing firm. Click below to see the press release.

http://www.kendallwatch.us/community/telemarketers-using-costco-s-name-to-entice-you-to-buy

So there are many things you could do. You just have to be willing to get it started.

That’s right! Frosted News in Fort Wayne, Indiana is warning all of its residents in the state about “Distinct Advantage”. They sent out the warning on August 30th. They were informed by the Better Business Bureau News Service. Basically, the alert says that the agents misrepresent themselves and in the end your account gets debited. Don’t give them any of your account information.

You can read it below.

Don’t fall for free airline ticket scam

FORT WAYNE (Better Business Bureau News Service)-If it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Distinct Advantage, located in Largo, Fla., and whose type of business is a travel club, has been making calls to northeast Indiana residents offering them free gas vouchers and free airline tickets. All of this for free, right? The person on the other end of the line will then ask for your routing number, and then wants you to confirm you bank account number. STOP THERE! You could get a lot more than what you bargained for.

Distinct Advantage has a total of 145 complaints to date, concerning issues such as misrepresentation in selling practices, refund disputes, and delivery and billing issues. Consumers were told they would receive a free trial membership package prior to being charged. Before the trial period ends, however, money is being debited from their accounts.

Please do not give any information to anyone until you have completely checked the company out.

If consumers or business owners receive a call such as this from any company, please contact the Better Business Bureau toll-free at 1- 800-552-4631 or locally at (260) 423-44333, with information regarding the name of the company, how they are trying to get your account information, and whether they are asking for bank account or credit card account numbers.

End of article.

If you want to see the news alert yourself, click on the link below.

http://www.frostillustrated.com/news/2006/0830/News/010.html

I will keep you up to date as more alerts come in.

BREAKING NEWS !

Consumer Alert: Discount Membership Clubs

A woman in McKeesport, Pennsylvania called her local news station b/c she got charged for a so called, “discount” package with the same bait scam, free gas and airline vouchers.

Shirley Smorey really believed she was getting $500 worth of free gas and airline vouchers but as usual the package got to her home late and thus Shirley got charged $59.99 membership fee plus the first monthly charge of $19.99. She also got a bounced check fee and is now out more than $113. Yes it’s typical folks that the people who are responsible in promoting this scam Suntasia Marketing in Largo don’t take the heat for it b/c everyone thinks it’s Distinct Advantage that is the only one involved. Make no mistake about it Suntasia is FULLY behind selling the products of Distinct Advantage, Travel Agents Go Direct, Prism, Freedom Gold and other names as well.

Suntasia Marketing is located on 8751 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL 33771 and their corporate website is http://suntasia.com/.

To see the video of the news story that was done by KDKA Channel 2 reporter Yvonne Zanos their Consumer Editor there , click below.

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

You all have been asking what you can do, well here is another example of someone taking action to expose these crooks.

CALL YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS! DON’T STAY SILENT!

Joe

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS ON SUNTASIA MARKETING AND IT’S PROMOTIONS.

The address where ALL the calls originate from is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road
Largo, FL 33771
Tel#: 727-471-0276 or 1-800-NEW-TEAM

Website: http://suntasia.com/

Live calls to your house start with the numbers 727-471-####. There are 8 rooms which hold 24 agents in each plus a customer service area. You can actually see what Suntasia looks like on the inside by clicking on their website above.

The programs and the companies they currently promote are:

Travel Agents Go Direct
Distinct Advantage
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Prism Communications

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Capitol Vacations
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

ALL the companies listed above have an “unsatisfactory” rating with the Better Business Bureau. Go to the BBB site below and type in the names so you can see the reports yourself.

http://bbb.org/

Suntasia Marketing according to their website also promotes other programs such as Leisure City, Freedom Ring Long Distance Service, Monster Mastercard, Variety! Spice of Your Life and Credit Life.

Three news stations have exposed Suntasia and it’s questionable business practices. Click below to see the news story.

ABC affiliate KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, Nebraska

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

CBS affiliate KDKA Channel 2 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

ABC affiliate KOMO 4 News in Seattle, Washington

http://www.kendallwatch.us/community/telemarketers-using-costco-s-name-to-entice-you-to-buy

Banks and newspapers are sending out alerts as well. Here a four alerts that were sent out in the last two months alone.

Florida Telco Credit Union Warning:

http://www.floridatelco.org/186.html

Teachers Federal Credit Union Warning:

http://www.teachersfcu.org/about_tfcu/security.html

Frost Illustrated News In Indiana:

http://www.frostillustrated.com/news/2006/0830/News/010.html

Pittsburgh Post Gazette Warning:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06269/725095-93.stm

The Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist is currently investigating this company. This is not the first time Suntasia has been caught. Click below to see the outcome of the investigation back in 2000 by the then Attorney General Bob Butterworth.

http://myfloridalegal.com/ (Type in the letters “ftn” in the search)

Suntasia was sued in small claims court by a man in Tempe, Arizona. He won his case and let the company know he was not going to be bullied around by them. He even created a “Suntasia Sucks” website. Click below to see.

http://suntasiasucks.icarusindie.com/index.php

Former employees have spoken out as well in different forums. Click below to read about a former customer service rep who exposes the inside crooked operations at Suntasia. Scroll down to the middle of the webpage to find it.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff204394.htm

There plenty of website other than this one that expose them. Just click below and type in the search box “Suntasia”.

http://www.google.com (type Suntasia)

http://scam.com (click on Hotel Scams link)

http://www.stopjunkcalls.com/ (click on message board)

http://scamvictimsunited.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=9

If you’ve been ripped off by this company, I suggest you contact your State Attorney Generals Office.

IN FLORIDA THE ATTORNEY GENERAL NEW FRAUD HOTLINE 1-866-9-NOSCAM (1-866-966-7226)or you can file a complaint online at:

https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

The information I have posted is to help those that don’t know who’s behind this scam. If you have any more questions, please read some of the older posts starting on August 12th which will give you more insight.

Joe

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS ON SUNTASIA MARKETING AND IT’S PROMOTIONS.

The address where ALL the calls originate from is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road
Largo, FL 33771
Tel#: 727-471-0276 or 1-800-NEW-TEAM

Website: http://suntasia.com/

Live calls to your house start with the numbers 727-471-####. There are 8 rooms which hold 24 agents in each plus a customer service area. You can actually see what Suntasia looks like on the inside by clicking on their website above.

The programs and the companies they currently promote are:

Travel Agents Go Direct
Distinct Advantage
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Prism Communications

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Capitol Vacations
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

ALL the companies listed above have an “unsatisfactory” rating with the Better Business Bureau. Go to the BBB site below and type in the names so you can see the reports yourself.

http://bbb.org/

Suntasia Marketing according to their website also promotes other programs such as Leisure City, Freedom Ring Long Distance Service, Monster Mastercard, Variety! Spice of Your Life and Credit Life.

Three news stations have exposed Suntasia and it’s questionable business practices. Click below to see the news story.

ABC affiliate KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, Nebraska

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

CBS affiliate KDKA Channel 2 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

ABC affiliate KOMO 4 News in Seattle, Washington

http://www.kendallwatch.us/communit…tice-you-to-buy

Banks and newspapers are sending out alerts as well. Here a four alerts that were sent out in the last two months alone.

Florida Telco Credit Union Warning:

http://www.floridatelco.org/186.html

Teachers Federal Credit Union Warning:

http://www.teachersfcu.org/about_tfcu/security.html

Frost Illustrated News In Indiana:

http://www.frostillustrated.com/new…0/News/010.html

Pittsburgh Post Gazette Warning:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06269/725095-93.stm

The Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist is currently investigating this company. This is not the first time Suntasia has been caught. Click below to see the outcome of the investigation back in 2000 by the then Attorney General Bob Butterworth.

http://myfloridalegal.com/ (Type in the letters “ftn” in the search)

Suntasia was sued in small claims court by a man in Tempe, Arizona. He won his case and let the company know he was not going to be bullied around by them. He even created a “Suntasia Sucks” website. Click below to see.

http://suntasiasucks.icarusindie.com/index.php

Former employees have spoken out as well in different forums. Click below to read about a former customer service rep who exposes the inside crooked operations at Suntasia. Scroll down to the middle of the webpage to find it.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff204394.htm

There are plenty of websites other than this one that exposes them. Just go to Google and type in the search box “Suntasia”.

If you’ve been ripped off by this company, I suggest you contact the State Attorney Generals Office and the local media in your area.

IN FLORIDA THE ATTORNEY GENERAL NEW FRAUD HOTLINE 1-866-9-NOSCAM (1-866-966-7226)

The information I have posted is to help those that don’t know who’s behind this scam. If you have any more questions, please read some of the older posts in this forum to give you more insight.

Consumer Alert: Discount Membership Clubs

(KDKA) McKEESPORT Just one telephone call can lead to missing money in your bank account.

A McKeesport woman says she was promised big rewards if she joined a discount membership club but she ended up paying for nothing.

KDKA Consumer Editor Yvonne Zanos reports these membership clubs were big problems a couple of years ago.

Shopping clubs, travel clubs and home repair clubs all promised discounts if you pay to join.

Many didn’t deliver and consumers complained, states took action and things seemed to quiet down.

But watch out… those telemarketers could be calling again.

“I really believed she was giving me $500 worth of free gas,” said Shirley Smorey. “I thought I was going to get two weeks of shopping. I thought what a wonderful thing.”

What started with an early morning phone call full of promises turned into a financial nightmare for Smorey.

“She said it wasn’t going to cost me,” said Smorey.

She says a telemarketer offered free gas and shopping just to try out a membership club that offered all kinds of discounts.

Supposedly it was free for a month and if you canceled, you never pay a dime.

Just two weeks after sharing her bank information and before Smorey ever received her promised free trial package in the mail something went wrong.

“I was trying to figure out where did my money go,” said Smorey. “My check bounced.”

Distinct Advantage had deducted a $59.99 membership fee plus the first monthly charge of $19.99.

Add on a bounced check fee and Smorey is out more than $113.

“This is killing me,” she said. “I don’t have the money.”

When it comes to feeling cheated by Distinct Advantage, Smorey has got lots of company.

The Better Business Bureau says this Florida based company has an unsatisfactory record because of more than 160 complaints.

Most of them are the same as Smorey’s: “funds debited before the free trial period ends” and no sign of that promised free trial package.

“You don’t get anything free. You don’t win nothing. You don’t win anything,” said Smorey.

Smorey’s bank, National City, promised immediate action to get Smorey’s money back and they removed the overdraft charge.

Zanos talked to Direct Advantage who apologized for any misunderstanding and promised Smorey a refund.

End of the report.

To see the news footage of this story, click on the link below.

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

Joe

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS ON SUNTASIA MARKETING AND IT’S PROMOTIONS.

The address where ALL the calls originate from is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road
Largo, FL 33771
Tel#: 727-471-0276 or 1-800-NEW-TEAM

Website: http://suntasia.com/

Live calls to your house start with the numbers 727-471-####. There are 8 rooms which hold 24 agents in each plus a customer service area. You can actually see what Suntasia looks like on the inside by clicking on their website above.

The programs and the companies they currently promote are:

Travel Agents Go Direct
Distinct Advantage
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Prism Communications

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Capitol Vacations
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

ALL the companies listed above have an “unsatisfactory” rating with the Better Business Bureau. Go to the BBB site below and type in the names so you can see the reports yourself.

http://bbb.org/

Suntasia Marketing according to their website also promotes other programs such as Leisure City, Freedom Ring Long Distance Service, Monster Mastercard, Variety! Spice of Your Life and Credit Life. I have not been able to find out any information on these promotions they sell.

The Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist is currently investigating this company. This is not the first time Suntasia has been caught. Click below to see the outcome of the investigation back in 2000 by the then Attorney General Bob Butterworth.

http://myfloridalegal.com/ (Type in the letters “ftn” in the search)

Suntasia was sued in small claims court by a man in Tempe, Arizona. He won his case and let the company know he was not going to be bullied around by them. He even created a “Suntasia Sucks” website. Click below to see.

http://suntasiasucks.icarusindie.com/index.php

If you’ve been ripped off by this company, I suggest you contact your State Attorney Generals Office.

IN FLORIDA THE ATTORNEY GENERAL NEW FRAUD HOTLINE is 1-866-9-NOSCAM (1-866-966-7226).

The information I have posted is to help those that don’t know who’s behind this scam. If you have any more questions, please read some of the older posts in this forum to give you more insight or go to Google and type in the search box “Suntasia Marketing”. You can find more information about this company and their questionable business tactics by just surfing the net.

Joe

Three news stations have exposed Suntasia Marketing and it’s questionable business practices. Click below to see the news story.

ABC affiliate KETV Channel 7 in Omaha, Nebraska

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

CBS affiliate KDKA Channel 2 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

ABC affiliate KOMO 4 News in Seattle, Washington

http://www.kendallwatch.us/communit…tice-you-to-buy

Banks and newspapers are sending out alerts as well. Here a four alerts that were sent out in the last two months alone.

Florida Telco Credit Union Warning:

http://www.floridatelco.org/186.html

Teachers Federal Credit Union Warning:

http://www.teachersfcu.org/about_tfcu/security.html

Frost Illustrated News In Indiana:

http://www.frostillustrated.com/new…0/News/010.html

Pittsburgh Post Gazette Warning:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06269/725095-93.stm

If you’ve been ripped off by this company, I suggest you contact your State Attorney Generals Office.

IN FLORIDA THE ATTORNEY GENERAL NEW FRAUD HOTLINE 1-866-9-NOSCAM (1-866-966-7226) or you can file a complaint online at:

https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

Also calling your local tv stations can help alot more getting these crooks exposed. You can see for yourself from all the media links above how “Suntasia” can be put in check by having the spotlight on them.

Joe

Telephone Alert – Members 1st Federal Credit Union

The latest telephone alert involves members contacted by individuals claiming to be a “Checking Account Supervisor” and offering “free” services. Please be aware these are not Members 1st employees and the calls are originating from a company based out of Florida named Distinct Advantage.

As when contacted by any company soliciting services via the telephone, Members 1st recommends exercising caution. Ask questions to fully understand all aspects of the offer being made.

If you are contacted and note charges were made to your account without consent by Distinct Advantage, or if you feel employees of Distinct Advantage misrepresented themselves, please contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection.

The toll free number for the Florida Attorney General’s office for filing a complaint is 1-866-966-7226. Complaints can also be filed online at

http://myfloridalegal.com/

Once on the site click on the ‘Consumer Protection’ link, then click on the ‘How to File a Complaint or Check on a Business’ link. All the necessary information for filing a complaint is provided.

For more information regarding alerts, scams, and fraud protection information please visit our http://www.members1st.org/Security.aspx?index=9

As you can see I don’t make this stuff up. To see the alert for yourself click below.

http://www.members1st.org/News.aspx?index=8#PhoneScam

This is the thrid banking institution to post warnings about Suntasia and it’s sub companies.

Joe

FOURTH ALERT ON SUNTASIA AND DISTINCT ADVANTAGE!

Phone Solicitation Alert:

Be aware of a phone solicitation scam that has come to our attention. The caller is claiming that the person has won a gift from their financial institution for being a member or customer in good standing. We know of these calls being placed from the “727″ area code. In the past, this group has used the business names of Distinct Advantage, Freedom Gold, and Capital Vacations. Do NOT give your account number, social security number, bank name or any other personal or financial information in response to any unsolicited phone call.

End of Alert!

This warning came from the UVA Community Credit Union website. To see it for yourself, click below.

https://www.uvacreditunion.org/phishing.html?1

My goodness how many alerts is it going to take before someone finally shuts them down.

Yes, we know these phone solicitations ALL lead back to Suntasia Marketing and it’s call center. Whatever number you get whether it’s the old 727-417-#### or the new 727-683-####, it’s still the same old scam they offer with the so called, “free” gas and travel vouchers.

If you want to have these crooks stopped, all you have to do is send them a certified CEASE and DESIST letter to their corporate office. Make the letter out to Donald Booth their corporate attorney. Write a neat and professional looking letter requesting them to remove your name, address and phone number from their files. DO NOT threaten them with any violence. Let Mr. Booth know you are not to be contacted by cellphone, landline, email, wifi, US Postal mail, telegram, telegraph or pony express. Simply put they are to CEASE and DESIST. Period. End of story. Inform him that should you keep getting more calls you will contact your own attorney to proceed with legal action.

One last thing though you have to make sure you write in the letter all the phone numbers that are in the house, just in case you might have an extra phone line. This method does work b/c many have done it and received a response from Suntasia. So instead of complaining, just get typing. It’s time for some action.

Oops! I almost forgot. To those who are going to write the letter to them. Here is the info below.

Suntasia Marketing
Attn: Donald Booth
8751 Ulmerton Road
Largo, Florida 33771

The headquarters is conveniently located in central Pinellas County, Florida.

Hope this helps.

EX EMPLOYEE AT SUNTASIA SPEAKS OUT!

A former employee at Suntasia let’s everyone know the inside game going on in there. She recently posted her experience working at Suntasia and even apologized to anyone she might of misled accidently.

If you want to read it, just click the link below and scroll down to the bottom. It’s titled, “ALL OF THIS IS TRUE, SUNTASIA IS A RIPOFF”.

http://ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff171692.htm

This company’s “free” vacation and gas vouchers are nothing but a sham.

Hey Rebecca, pay attention! I told you in my earlier posts banks are becoming increasingly aware of Suntasia and their umbrella companies. Well here is more proof for you.

A fifth bank alert on Suntasia and Distinct Advantage has been posted. This time it is GESA Credit Union sending out the warning basically calling Suntasia’s “Distinct Advantage” a scam.

Hang Up if “Distinct Advantage” Calls!

September 28, 2006

Recently, some members have received calls from a company that calls itself “Distinct Advantage Rewards.” They say they are authorized to give Gesa members a $100 gas voucher and a $400 travel voucher, all they need is your Gesa account number and other private information.

THIS IS A SCAM. They are not acting for Gesa and they are not giving away anything. They are scam artists trying to get your financial information for fraudulent purposes.

HANG UP on them, and report the call to the Consumer Protection Division of the State of Washington at 800-551-4636.

If you have given out private information about your account to anyone in this or a similar scenario, please call the Share Drafts Department immediately for information on how to protect your account. Monday-Friday, call 509-946-1611 or toll-free at 888-946-4372. If you need immediate attention on a Saturday, you may call the Kennewick Branch at 509-783-2117.

End of Alert.

Click below to see it for yourself.

http://www.gesa.com/master.html?http://www.gesa.com/fraud.html

This is becoming an all too common theme with Suntasia.

Dear Pokey,

I have recently inquired about the current investigation on Suntasia with the Florida Attorney Generals office and found out that this company has hired an outside law firm to handle their mess. That in itself is saying something about these crooks.

It is a sad day when the people who run this sham as well as those who work there can’t seem to admit that they have a serious problem on their hands. As for the investigation it was told to me that the spotlight will remain on them for good which means if they continue to screw up it will cost more than any fine levied against them. I believe refunds could be coming to those victimized by these crooks like in 2000. For now though Suntasia’s lawyers might just work out a deal to save face.

You have all the info you need on this company by reading the posts on this website ME. Just scroll up to the posts I have been placing for the last two months. The info is there.

Hey Mike you must be an employee of Suntasia or something. Let me tell you what the difference is. When I go to Walmart and give them a check I KNOW what is being sold to me. If for some reason I am dis-satisfied then I quickly return it for a full refund where as Suntasia quickly debits your account without seeing the product first hand and thus you have alot of red tape to go through in order to get refunded.

You should only give your checking account or credit card information to those you are familiar doing business with. Suntasia agents make it sound like they are affiliated with your bank which in turn fools many people. These deceptive marketing practices are what has them in hot water with the Florida Attorney Generals office for the 2nd time in 6 years.

There is no reason whatsoever for Suntasia to request personal account info if their product was REALLY legit.

To Mary and Mike:

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS ON SUNTASIA MARKETING AND IT’S PROMOTIONS.

The address where ALL the calls originate from is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road
Largo, FL 33771
Tel#: 727-471-0276 or 1-800-NEW-TEAM

Website: http://suntasia.com/

Live calls to your house start with the numbers 727-471-#### or 727-683-####. There are 8 rooms which hold 24 agents in each plus a customer service area. You can actually see what Suntasia looks like on the inside by copying and pasting their website address above to your address bar.

The programs and the companies they currently promote are:

Travel Agents Go Direct (may have changed names again)
Distinct Advantage
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Prism Communications

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Capitol Vacations
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

ALL the companies listed above have an “unsatisfactory” rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Suntasia Marketing according to their website also promotes other programs such as Leisure City, Freedom Ring Long Distance Service, Monster Mastercard, Variety! Spice of Your Life and Credit Life.

The Florida Attorney General is currently investigating them for unfair and deceptive business practices along with illegal debiting of checking accounts for the second time in 6 years. All you have to do is go to myfloridalegal.com and type in the letters “FTN” in the search box to see the report. They have even hired an outside law firm to help them with this mess. That in itself is saying something.

You can also go to google.com and type “Suntasia Marketing” in the search box to see ALL the sites out there that expose these crooks.

There are steps you can take to get your money back but it’s up to you to do it and always be persistent.

The first step you need to take is immediately talk to your bank b/c by law you have sixty days to dispute a charge. Banks are very well aware of these scam artists and can help or work with you to recover the money but you can’t stay sitting at home waiting. The more time that passes the less rights you have to recover any money owed.

TELL THEM IMMEDIATELY BEFORE ANYMORE CHARGES ARE DEBITED. YOUR BANK WILL CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNT AND OPEN UP A NEW ONE.

Many people were charge for months and the bank was able to refund the last few charges that were made by “SCAM-TASIA”. Don’t go by what the recording said b/c there is no SPECIFIC date when your so called “free” trial starts or ends. Let your bank know this or give them a link to this site so they can see for themselves.

Next, write Suntasia a “certified” CEASE and DESIST letter to their lawyer Donald Booth if you don’t care to receive any more solicitations from them. Their corporate address is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road,
Largo, FL 33771

Telephone: (727) 471-0276

Let him know that you either didn’t get the package or it arrived late and you want a FULL refund b/c you never had a chance for the “free” trial. Also that you are NOT interested in anything else they have to offer other than a refund b/c of the fact that the agents mis-represented themselves totally.

Also notify him that if he doesn’t comply with your request for the FULL refund you will seek legal action against his company as well as contacting your local media. Trust me they’ve been exposed alot lately on tv and this is the last thing he needs to hear. If you also contact the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint with them it at least assures you that Suntasia will have to respond. This is another thing they don’t like to do. It forces them to give a response to the BBB and thus give back the money owed.

Third, whether you do or don’t get a response contact your local tv news station anyway. Most news channels in your area have a consumer complaint tip hotline. Go on the net and log on to their site. I know this would be a “juicy” story for them especially during the months of November, February and May b/c of the ratings period. They need uniques stories to get their audiences attention.

Finally, I suggest you file a complaint with your state attorney generals office and in Florida as well letting them know the situation. The more people get involved the better off we will ALL be.

I hope this information helps you and Mike.

If you want to read about other victims and post your own story click at the link below:

http://scam.com/showthread.php?t=10804&page=2

There are three television stations that have exposed these crooks in the last five months alone and I assure you there are MORE coming. The station’s links are below if you want to read or watch the news story that was done on these jerks.

CBS Channel 2 in Pittsburgh

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

ABC Channel 7 in Omaha

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

ABC Channel 4 in Seattle

http://www.kendallwatch.us/community/telemarketers-using-costco-s-name-to-entice-you-to-buy

There are have been at least 5 bank alerts these past months on Suntasia as well. Here is the list of banks.

Florida Telco Credit Union
Teachers Federal Credit Union
Members 1st Federal Credit Union
UVA Community Credit Union
GESA Credit Union

Like I stated in earlier posts, they are currently being investigated by the Florida Attorney Generals office for “unfair and deceptive” business practices along with illegal debiting of checking accounts. Chances are they will pay a heavy fine with refunds to customers who were duped but at least the spotlight will be on them for a long time to come. If they choose NOT to change their business tactics I am sure the government will either take away their license or shut them down for good.

The Better Business Bureau has finally completed it’s report on the company we’ve been discussing in the posts above, Suntasia Marketing in Largo, Florida. For those who don’t know this company does marketing for vacation packages/promotions and long distance service.

Of course it is no surprise they have an “unsatisfactory” rating due to a pattern of complaints concerning misrepresentation and sales practices, unauthorized billing and credit issues, refund disputes and delivery issues. Now in all fairness the company did resolve most of the complaints presented by the Bureau but when you have 160 of them in 36 months that’s way too much for such a small company.

If you want to see the WHOLE report for yourself, please click the link below.

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452&language=1

The more people voice their concerns the better we can control how this company operates.

Once again another bank alert has been sent out to consumers. This time it’s Bridgeview Bank in Illinois making them the 6th financial institution to warn their customers about this company. Bridgeview Bank even names Suntasia Marketing and it’s sub company “Distinct Advantage” specifically in the warning. Take a look below.

THE FOLLOWING ALERT IS FROM THE BANK’S WEBSITE at: http://www.bridgeviewbank.com/

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO OUR CUSTOMERS

RE: TELEPHONE FRAUD ALERT

The Bridgeview Bank Group has become aware of a fraud scheme which has targeted some of our customers. In this scheme a consumer is called by a marketing firm and asked to participate in a customer service survey. They claim to have been hired by Bridgeview Bank. They claim that the victim will receive free gifts, but that they need to confirm a bank account number. The caller will read off the bank’s routing number, which is public knowledge, and ask the victim to provide the account number. The account number can be used to withdraw funds from the victim’s account.

Bridgeview Bank has not hired Distinct Advantage, Suntasia Marketing or any other marketing company to call our customers. You should be very cautious of any free offer made over the telephone. Never give out confidential information such as account numbers, social security numbers or other personal information.

If you have any questions please contact our Customer Care Department at 800-794-2070 or idprotection@bridgeviewbank.com.

For tips on how to avoid telemarketing fraud, please click here, http://www.bridgeviewbank.com/content.cfm?Contentalias=scam.

I keep asking how many alerts and warnings is it going to take before people realize these guys are nothing but a scam.

It never seems to amaze me how Suntasia Marketing screws up and then when they read it in a blog like this one, it quickly gets changed. Case in point.

A few posts ago I said that “according to their website” Suntasia Marketing promotes the following programs such as Leisure City, Freedom Ring Long Distance Service, Monster Mastercard, Variety! Spice of Your Life and Credit Life. I have not been able to find out any information on these promotions they sell. When I clicked on Suntasia’s website http://www.suntasia.com/products.html, suddenly there is no products listed that they sell. Hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? Do you think they read what they see on these sites?

This is not the first time they’ve done this. Recently when they gave their website a makeover I noticed they still had major spelling errors on there including their corporate name. As soon as I made everyone aware of this the spelling errors were corrected.

It’s funny but sad at the same time. They can’t even get their crap straighten out before anyone notices it. If you want to see the products they promote, well, right now you can’t. Click below and you’ll see what I mean.

http://www.suntasia.com/products.html

Remember this post in the future.

AND THIS IS COMING FROM AN EMPLOYEE OF SUNTASIA MARKETING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WHAT A PATHETIC FOOL!

Hey Braveheart, how about dealing with the REAL issue hindering Suntasia which is your company being investigated for the 2nd time in six years for unfair and deceptive marketing practices along with ILLEGAL DEBITING of checking accounts! Another words you guys misled the customers. Let me spell that out for you slowly, that’s m-i-s-l-e-d.

Or how about the six, count them SIX bank alerts specifically mentioning Suntasia and Distinct Advantage in the last 4 months alone including one just this week from Bridgeview Bank in Illinois. Oh wait, you didn’t see it? Let me help you. Here is the link loser!

http://www.bridgeviewbank.com/

Maybe you forgot the 3 tv news stations that have exposed your company as a scam. Oh wait I think you missed that to. Here let me help you AGAIN!

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

http://www.kendallwatch.us/community/telemarketers-using-costco-s-name-to-entice-you-to-buy

Your Pathetic Quote:

“Our company is one of the most profitable, legitment companys in the nation we have a stronger stock than half the company`s in this country and it`s done nothing but prosper. . . ”

Oh really? I don’t see Suntasia anywhere on the New York Stock Exchange lady. So I don’t know about your stock being stronger than half the nation. If this was true your company would be on the top of the Fortune 500 list and as far as your company’s profits are concerned, of course you have! That’s bc you and the other Suntasia agents constantly MISREPRESENT yourselves so you can hook the client into giving up their checking account information.

Finally Braveheart if Suntasia is so wonderful, why is it your company has an UNSATISFACTORY rating with the Better Business Bureau. Over 160 complaints in the last 36 months alone and growing. WOW!

Don’t believe me. Click the link below. Read ‘em and weep moron!

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452&language=1

So please if you are going to defend this pathetic company of yours, at least acknowledge the facts and that is Suntasia has alot of problems they totally ignore.

AND THIS IS COMING FROM AN EMPLOYEE OF SUNTASIA MARKETING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WHAT A PATHETIC FOOL!

Hey Braveheart, how about dealing with the REAL issue hindering Suntasia which is your company being investigated for the 2nd time in six years for unfair and deceptive marketing practices along with ILLEGAL DEBITING of checking accounts! Another words you guys misled the customers. Let me spell that out for you slowly, that’s m-i-s-l-e-d.

Or how about the six, count them SIX bank alerts specifically mentioning Suntasia and Distinct Advantage in the last 4 months alone including one just this week from Bridgeview Bank in Illinois. Oh wait, you didn’t see it? Let me help you. Here is the link loser!

http://www.bridgeviewbank.com/

Maybe you forgot the 3 tv news stations that have exposed your company as a scam. Oh wait I think you missed that to. Here let me help you AGAIN!

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

http://www.kendallwatch.us/community/telemarketers-using-costco-s-name-to-entice-you-to-buy

Your Pathetic Quote:

“Our company is one of the most profitable, legitment companys in the nation we have a stronger stock than half the company`s in this country and it`s done nothing but prosper. . . ”

Oh really? I don’t see Suntasia anywhere on the New York Stock Exchange lady. So I don’t know about your stock being stronger than half the nation. If this was true your company would be on the top of the Fortune 500 list and as far as your company’s profits are concerned, of course you have! That’s bc you and the other Suntasia agents constantly MISREPRESENT yourselves so you can hook the client into giving up their checking account information.

Finally Braveheart if Suntasia is so wonderful, why is it your company has an UNSATISFACTORY rating with the Better Business Bureau. Over 160 complaints in the last 36 months alone and growing. WOW!

Don’t believe me. Click the link below. Read ‘em and weep moron!

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452&language=1

So please if you are going to defend this pathetic company of yours, at least acknowledge the facts and that is Suntasia has alot of problems they totally ignore.

Your Pathetic Quote:

“Our company is one of the most profitable, legitment companys in the nation we have a stronger stock than half the company`s in this country and it`s done nothing but prosper. . . ”

Oh really? I don’t see Suntasia anywhere on the New York Stock Exchange lady. So I don’t know about your stock being stronger than half the nation. If this was true your company would be on the top of the Fortune 500 list and as far as your company’s profits are concerned, of course you have! That’s bc you and the other Suntasia agents constantly MISREPRESENT yourselves so you can hook the client into giving up their checking account information.

Braveheart if Suntasia is so wonderful, why is it your company has an UNSATISFACTORY rating with the Better Business Bureau. Over 160 complaints in the last 36 months alone and growing. WOW!

Don’t believe me. Click the link below. Read ‘em and weep moron!

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452&language=1

So please if you are going to defend this pathetic company of yours, at least acknowledge the facts and that is Suntasia has alot of problems they totally ignore.

AND THIS IS COMING FROM A SUNTASIA EMPLOYEE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WHAT A PATHETIC LOSER!

Hey Brain Dead (proper name), why do you and every other Suntasia employee always seem to avoid the facts. You guys NEVER address the problems that is hurting the company’s image.

For example, the current investigation being done by the Florida Attorney Generals office for unfair and deceptive business practices along with ILLEGAL debiting of checking accounts. This is the 2nd investigation in six years but this time you are under the microscope of the fedss, the media and internet. You’ve been caught before because the agents misled the customer into thinking it was a “free” vacation when it wasn’t. Oh wait! Let me spell that out for you real slowly. The word is m-i-s-l-e-d.

Or how about the three tv news stations in Seattle, Omaha and Pittsburgh that exposed your con game. Maybe you forgot the SIX oh wait! Let me say that AGAIN! That’s SIX bank alerts in the last 4 months alone. They are Florida Telco Credit Union, Teachers Federal Credit Union, Members 1st Federal Credit Union, UVA Community Credit Union, GESA Credit Union and the latest one just last week, Bridgeview Bank.

YOUR DUMBASS QUOTE:

“Our company is one of the most profitable, legitment companys in the nation we have a stronger stock than half the company`s in this country and it`s done nothing but prosper. . . . . .”

Oh really? Well I have yet to see Suntasia’s name listed on the New York Stock Exchange and if your stock was stronger than half the nation this company would be on the Fortune 500 list. Bryan Wolf (the owner) would be an instant celebrity.

As for the profits, of course you are making tons of money. It’s because YOU and every other Suntasia agent MISREPRESENT yourselves when you dupe the customer to give up their checking account information so they can have their money taken out before the so called “free” trial begins or ends. Suntasia deliberately sends out the packages late and thus the customer gets charged before they had a chance to react. THAT’S WHY YOU ARE MAKING ALL THE MONEY.

It’s funny b/c it was just two years ago you guys were bouncing checks to your employees. Don’t say it isn’t true b/c I know people personally who it happened to.

Finally Brain Dead I am sure your time is coming. No matter what you say or do to defend this shameful company, you can NEVER deny the facts.

This a deceitful company with a usless product that nobody wants and rude morons like yourself only justify what everyone else is saying about Suntasia.

IT’S A SCAM!

Excuse me??

AND THIS IS COMING FROM A SUNTASIA EMPLOYEE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WHAT A PATHETIC LOSER!

Hey Brain Dead (proper name), why do you and every other Suntasia employee always seem to avoid the facts. You guys NEVER address the problems that is hurting the company’s image.

For example, the current investigation being done by the Florida Attorney Generals office for unfair and deceptive business practices along with ILLEGAL debiting of checking accounts. This is the 2nd investigation in six years but this time you are under the microscope of the feds, the media and internet. You’ve been caught before because the agents misled the customer into thinking it was a “free” vacation when it wasn’t. Oh wait! Let me spell that out for you real slowly. The word is m-i-s-l-e-d.

Or how about the three tv news stations in Seattle, Omaha and Pittsburgh that exposed your con game. Maybe you forgot the SIX oh wait! Let me say that AGAIN! That’s SIX bank alerts in the last 4 months alone. They are Florida Telco Credit Union, Teachers Federal Credit Union, Members 1st Federal Credit Union, UVA Community Credit Union, GESA Credit Union and the latest one just last week, Bridgeview Bank.

YOUR DUMBASS QUOTE:

“Our company is one of the most profitable, legitment companys in the nation we have a stronger stock than half the company`s in this country and it`s done nothing but prosper. . . . . .”

Oh really? Well I have yet to see Suntasia’s name listed on the New York Stock Exchange and if your stock was stronger than half the nation this company would be on the Fortune 500 list. Bryan Wolf (the owner) would be an instant celebrity.

As for the profits, of course you are making tons of money. It’s because YOU and every other Suntasia agent MISREPRESENT yourselves when you dupe the customer to give up their checking account information so they can have their money taken out before the so called “free” trial begins or ends. Suntasia deliberately sends out the packages late and thus the customer gets charged before they had a chance to react. THAT’S WHY YOU ARE MAKING ALL THE MONEY.

It’s funny b/c it was just two years ago you guys were bouncing checks to your employees. Don’t say it isn’t true b/c I know people personally who it happened to.

Finally Brain Dead I am sure your time is coming. No matter what you say or do to defend this shameful company, you can NEVER deny the facts.

This a deceitful company with a useless product that nobody wants and rude morons like yourself only justify what everyone else is saying about Suntasia.

IT’S A SCAM!

Quote from Brain Dead:

“Those numbers are passed to some many peoples hands on a daily basis you can`t do shit with. Here`s my while I`m at you puss ass bitches 322271627 and acct 10143785434 try and burn you weak ass motherfuckers.”

I commend you on your use of language by the way. It is typical of most people who work at Suntasia. Now here is a REALITY check for the DUMBASS person in the above quote who placed their checking account and routing number for all of us to see. I highly doubt it’s REAL. it is probably from one of their own closed accounts b/c they don’t make enough to keep one. LOSER!

Take a look IDIOT! You think no one can do anything with that account? Of course providing it’s REAL. Well here it is MORON!

“Easy check fraud technique draws scrutiny” Click below.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7914159/

You talk tough but you’re an uneducated DUMBASS like the rest of your crooked co-workers.

Oh really? Well for your information I use to work for news stations and I can tell you when a scam is out there the media can be brutal but it’s only fools like you that stay in denial when the scam is revealed. While I do agree that tv news stations can hype up certain news items, when it comes to scams like Suntasia being exposed by CNN and such the bottom line is the truth eventually comes out. So far you guys have had three tv news stations in 5 months expose your scam and I PROMISE you MORE is coming. It’s NOT a matter of “if” ONLY when, when the BIG boys like 20/20, Dateline and so forth will come knocking on your door.

I also know Suntasia inside and out b/c I use to be an employee there. Towards the end of my employment there I knew the product was a sham. This company does not fool me one bit. I still have the scripts you guys use as well as the rebuttals. Totally misleading! The tactics used on the agents and the weekly meetings the execs have with the managers is a bunch of garbage. Bully directors and lousy wanna be managers with no skills to manage whatsoever.

I figured you would use the media hype as a defense but how about the six bank alerts that have been released in the last 4 months alone. The following banks have all sent out alerts specifically mentioning Suntasia and it’s sub companies (IE Distinct Advantage, Travel Agents Go Direct etc). Did you get the latest alert there player? Let me help you. It was released just a week ago. Click below.

http://www.bridgeviewbank.com/

You’re under investigation for the second time in 6 years for unfair and deceptive business practices not to mention illegal debiting of checking accounts. Your company has even hired an outside law firm to handle their mess. That in itself is a major statement. The first time you guys got caught in 2000, your company had to give back refunds in 16 states. Did you miss that to player? Here is the link. Just type the letters FTN in the search box.

http://myfloridalegal.com/

Oh and did I mention the companies that Suntasia promotes including themselves as a marketing company ALL have an “UNSATISFACTORY” record with the Better Business Bureau? Well why don’t we take a look at your company’s BBB record, shall we?

Click below.

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452

So you see Brain Dead your argument does not hold water and like most before you that have “tried” to defend this shameless company you’ve ended up looking like a fool. Maybe someday you’ll wake up to reality. hopefully it won’t be when Geraldo shows up with a mic.

My friend I accept your apology and I’m glad you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Like you I had aspirations of doing big things at Suntasia but when I found out in the end the product was no good I felt ashamed and embarrassed b/c of so many people I actually signed up for their shameless promotions. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make lots of money. More power to you if you know how but it’s “how” you do it that I question.

I knew something was wrong at the end of January 2006 when the then former manager Mark announced the company was changing it’s travel name from Agents Travel Network to Travel Agents Go Direct. The Florida Passport was changed to FloridaWay and Teliflex was changed to Prism. It actually sounds like “Prison” when you said it over the phone. LOL It is then I started becoming suspicious and actually found out that Suntasia had changed the names of the companies they promoted every year or so.

A month before I left an employee there actually told me to go on the internet and look up Suntasia on websites like http://www.ripoffreport.com and http://www.scam.com as well. I was shocked with all that I found and then I became angry. Angry b/c I was led to believe this was a great company. Nothing could be farther from the truth. People were and still are being ripped off by these crooks.

The programs and the companies they currently promote are:

Travel Agents Go Direct (may have changed names again)
Distinct Advantage
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Prism Communications

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Capitol Vacations
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

This is over a 10 year span and NOT all the former names are listed. Look I am not blaming you for trying to make a living but there are better ways of doing it other than at Suntasia.

I remember the heavy drug use by the agents and managers there during the shift itself. I am sure it still goes on. I also remember the weekly manager meetings in the upstairs board room with the head of directors Elvis. The bullcrap they make you believe only step on you b/c of politics. If you weren’t liked your ass would be taken out of there by blaming you for crap you weren’t aware of or if your sales floor had low numbers they would use that to get rid of you and promote the next guy. They lift you up at the beginning just to knock you down in the end.

I hope you can find other employment soon my friend b/c it’s simply not worth it. These guys under estimated the power of the internet and the media to. Time will tell how many people they’ve actually screwed.

They will fire you if you start rocking the boat and asking too many questions. It’s all politics in there. Watch your back b/c the knife is not too far off. Speaking from experience. Keep in touch my friend.

ANOTHER ALERT ON SUNTASIA MARKETING!

Yes folks you read right AGAIN! This is becoming a frightening pattern with this company. The following alert comes from the Better Business Bureau website at http://www.thelocalbbb.com/alerts/alerts.html?newsid=882&newstype=1

This is the latest press release that came out a few days ago.

CURRENT ALERT:

Suntasia Marketing Targeting Area with Deceptive Calls
Date: November 13, 2006

Suntasia Marketing Targeting Area with Deceptive Calls
Company Saying “You’ve Won a Vacation,” Quoting Personal Info

Spokane, WA. – November 13, 2006 – An elderly woman from Spokane received a call a couple nights ago from Travel Agents Direct. The person calling was named Arthur Holden, and the number displayed on her Caller ID was 877-777-2709, and yet the number the telemarketer left for her to call was 727-683-1112.

When she tried a call to the 877# number, a voice recording stated that “this is a call to which long distance charges apply, please dial “1″ first.

The telemarketer was offering 2 nights anywhere in the US, and airfare up to $500 on American Airlines for a shipping and handling fee of $1.95.

The elderly woman said, “NO, I do not give you permission to take money out of my account,” to which the telemarketer said they already HAD her account number. They proceeded to read her CORRECT banking info off, both her routing and account number.

The elderly woman, with her adult child, went to the bank immediately to report this activity, and the bank is watching her account for any unauthorized activity.

Scary, or what? And who, exactly is this company, anyway?

BBB investigations came to find that the long distance number given for this company is directly linked to Suntasia, a marketing group for vacation packages/promotions and long distance service located at 8751 Ulmerton Road, Largo, FL, 33771-3832, Web site: http://www.suntasia.com

This company has amassed 160 complaints as of the release of this alert, and based on BBB West Florida files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to failure to respond to one or more complaints and two or more unresolved complaints. However the business has resolved most complaints presented to the Bureau.

This company also has an unsatisfactory record due to a pattern of complaints concerning misrepresentation and sales practices, unauthorized billing and credit issues, refund disputes and delivery issues.

This company has responded to some complaints regarding such companies as, but not limited to, FreeStuffForYou, Imperial Majesty, Paradise Vacations, Membership Services, Capital Travel, Capital Vacations, Two Talk Communications, and Travel Agent Network (TAN).

End of Alert.

There was no account. They bought your name, address and phone number from a list.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA WARNS IT’S STUDENTS ABOUT DISTINCT ADVANTAGE AND OTHER PROGRAMS THAT ARE PROMOTED BY SUNTASIA MARKETING!

The following alert is from the University of Virginia website.

Scams from new sources:

11/15/06 – Be aware of a phone scam. The caller is claiming that the person has won a gift from their financial institution for being a member or customer in good standing.

We know of these calls being placed from the “727″ area code. In the past, this group has used the business names of Distinct Advantage, Freedom Gold, and Capital Vacations. Do NOT give your account number, social security number, bank name or any other personal or financial information in response to any unsolicited phone call.

End of Alert.

This is now the 8th alert sent out on this company by different sources in the last few months. Six alerts came from banking institutions while the other two came from the BBB and UVA.

If you want to read the UVA warning yourself, click below.

http://www.wise.virginia.edu/oit/security/scams.html

Folks,

I have written many, many posts in this forum for you in order to know what to do when these scam artists rip you off. If you scroll UP and start reading from the month of August on you will see ALL the information you need to know about these crooks.

PLEASE READ THE POSTS IN THIS FORUM AND IT WILL ANSWER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS!

Thanks

Suntasia Marketing Sir. End of Story.

Haven’t seen much trouble from this company? My goodness have they not read ALL of the bank alerts (6) in the last 7 months alone? These crooks keep scamming people everyday. They even call you on Saturdays.

If they have your account number they can. Call your bank and put a fraud watch on them. Let them know that an unauthorized charge can come in from Largo, Florida and you want to stop it. At least you’re covering your but ahead of time.

Nope. As long as you didn’t give them your account number, you’re safe. If anyone did though, you have to contact your bank immediately to put a fraud alert on them. Remember it doesn’t matter who calls you whether it’s Travel Agents Go Direct, Distinct Advantage etc., ALL the calls originate from Suntasia Marketing in Largo, Florida. The numbers begin with 727-683-#### and they change them every 12 months or so b/c people will eventually catch on that it’s them.

To make them stop calling you, simply write Suntasia a “certified” (keyword) CEASE and DESIST letter to their lawyer Donald Booth if you don’t care to receive any more solicitations from them. Their corporate address is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road,
Largo, FL 33771

Be firm and polite with your demands but never threaten them with any violence. Always make sure you list out all the phone numbers in your home including cell# so they won’t have any excuse to call you later.

The more we spread the word about this company the better off we will all be.

The following information is on Suntasia marketing and its promotions.

The address where ALL the telemarketing calls originate from is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road
Largo, FL 33771
Tel#: 727-471-0276 or 1-800-NEW-TEAM

Website: http://suntasia.com/

Live calls to your house start with the numbers 727-683-####. There are 8 rooms which hold 24 agents in each plus a customer service area. You can actually see what Suntasia looks like on the inside by copying and pasting their website address above to your address bar.

The programs and the companies they currently promote are:

Travel Agents Go Direct (may have changed names again)
Distinct Advantage
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Prism Communications

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Capitol Vacations
Florida Passport
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

ALL the companies listed above have an “unsatisfactory” rating with the Better Business Bureau.

If you were transferred to a recording department and did not re-verify your acct. info, they cannot debit anything but just to be safe call your bank and place a fraud alert on any of the named companies above.

Write Suntasia a “certified” CEASE and DESIST letter to their lawyer Donald Booth if you don’t care to receive any more solicitations from them. Their corporate address is:

Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road,
Largo, FL 33771

Telephone: (727) 471-0276

Let him know that you either didn’t get the package or it arrived late and you want a FULL refund b/c you never had a chance for the “free” trial. Also that you are NOT interested in anything else they have to offer other than a refund b/c of the fact that the agents mis-represented themselves totally.

Also notify him that if he doesn’t comply with your request for the FULL refund you will seek legal action against his company as well as contacting your local media. Trust me they’ve been exposed alot lately on tv and this is the last thing he needs to hear. If you also contact the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint with them it at least assures you that Suntasia will have to respond. This is another thing they don’t like to do. It forces them to give a response to the BBB and thus give back the money owed.

Third, whether you do or don’t get a response contact your local tv news station anyway. Most news channels in your area have a consumer complaint tip hotline. Go on the net and log on to their site. I know this would be a “juicy” story for them especially during the months of November, February and May b/c of the ratings period. They need uniques stories to get their audiences attention.

Finally, I suggest you file a complaint with your state attorney generals office and in Florida as well letting them know the situation. The more people get involved the better off we will ALL be.

I hope this information helps you

For those who are not aware how important it is to let people know about these scam artists including those in the media, here are some links on news stories that were done in 2006 on Suntasia Marketing and the products they sell like “Distinct Advantage”, “Travel Agents Direct”. Just click below and watch a woman in Pennsylvania who was being taken for a ride as well as others they tried to scam.

Consumer Alert: Discount Membership Clubs – KDKA Channel 2

Link:

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_265165935.html

“Man Warns About Suspected Phone Solicitation Scam” KETV Channel 7

Link:

http://www.ketv.com/iteam/9727067/detail.html

“Telemarketers Using Costco’s Name to Entice You To Buy” KOMO 4 News in Seattle.

Link:

http://www.kendallwatch.us/community/telemarketers-using-costco-s-name-to-entice-you-to-buy

They have not only been exposed by the media but as many as 6 bank alerts in the last year alone were sent out to warn consumers about this scam not to mention a second federal investigation still on going since July of 2006.

If you think if can’t happen to you think again. Remember ALL the products that are marketed and sold come from one place ONLY. SUNTASIA MARKETING in Largo, Florida.

The programs and the companies they currently promote are:

Travel Agents Go Direct (may have changed names again)
Distinct Advantage
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Prism Communications

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Capitol Vacations
Florida Passport
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

Any questions are welcomed but please read some of the posts in this site so as to not repeat the same information again. My last two posts answer 95% of your questions on who these guys are.

Hope this helps clear things up a bit. Comments welcomed.

Quote:

“I just hung up on the guy… how are the feds not cracking down this?”

THERE IS A CURRENT INVESTIGATION GOING ON WITH THE FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL SINCE JULY 2006. CALL YOUR STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE AS WELL AS FLORIDA’S.

You’re welcome Angela. I know this company very well b/c I use to work for them. Lasted about a year before I found out about their shameful business tactics. Many have got their money back but you must be persistant.

First, send them a “certified” Cease and Desist letter (see sample below). Next, contact the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint with them b/c at least it assures you that Suntasia will have to respond. This is another thing they don’t like to do. It forces them to give a response to the BBB and thus give back the money owed. Also contact your local media (IE new stations) and let them know about these crooks. They were exposed 3 times last year on tv (look at the post links above).

Finally, whether you do or don’t get a response from Suntasia contact your local tv news station anyway. Most news channels in your area have a consumer complaint tip hotline. Go on the net and log on to their site. I know this would be a “juicy” story for them especially during the months of November, February and May b/c of the ratings period. They need uniques stories to get their audiences attention.

Finally, I suggest you file a complaint with your state attorney generals office and in Florida as well letting them know the situation. There was an active investigation which began in June of last year which I believe is still on going.

Below is a sample of the Cease and Desist letter you requested.
Your Name
Address
Date
Donald Booth
Suntasia Marketing
8751 Ulmerton Road,
Largo, FL 33771

Dear Mr. Booth:

I request that you CEASE and DESIST in your efforts to market your products to my phone (insert number(s) here). I am NOT interested in anything your company has to offer other than a refund b/c of the fact that the agent I spoke to misrepresented themselves totally.

Also if you don’t comply with my request for the FULL refund I will seek legal action against your company as well as contacting the local media and the Better Business Bureau. It is my personal policy not to deal with marketing companies that solicit over the phone without my consent.

You are hereby instructed to cease any marketing efforts immediately by deleting my name, address and phone number(s)from your dialing system or face legal sanctions under applicable Federal and State law.

GIVE THIS LETTER THE IMMEDIATE ATTENTION IT DESERVES (scumbag is optional)

Cordially

Your name here

End of letter

Note:

Make sure you sign the letter otherwise it is not legal. Also, make sure you certify the letter when you send it. This way you have proof they received it. One last thing, remember to list ALL the phone numbers in your home including cellphones so they don’t have a chance to slip through the cracks and call you.

ATTENTION: ANOTHER BANK ALERT ON SUNTASIA MARKETING!

Like I have been saying all along, more and more alerts are being sent out by banks, tv new stations as well as the internet about these crooks.

The alert below was posted recently by Members Plus Credit Union warning it’s customers about Suntasia and it’s umbrella companies like Distinct Advantage, Travel Agents Direct and Freedom Gold.

Telephone Scam – BEWARE!

Members Plus Credit Union has become aware of a fraud scheme which has targeted some of our members. In this scheme a member is called by a marketing firm and led to believe that MPCU hired this firm. They claim that the member will receive free gifts, but that they need to confirm a bank account number. The caller will read off the bank’s routing number, which is public knowledge, and ask the member to provide the account number. The account number can be used to withdraw funds from the victim’s account.

The calls are usually placed from the “727” area code. In the past, this group has used the business names of Distinct Advantage, Freedom Gold, Capital Vacations, and Suntasia Marketing. Members Plus Credit Union has not hired Distinct Advantage, Suntasia Marketing or any other marketing company to call our customers. You should be very cautious of any free offer made over the telephone. Never give out confidential information such as account numbers, social security numbers or other personal information.

End of Alert.

You can see the MPCU posting for yourself by visiting the site at:

http://www.memberspluscu.org/ASP/whatsnew.asp

Scroll to the bottom and you will see it.

This come’s straight from the BBB website:

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452

BBB Reliability Report

The Better Business Bureau®
Serving Florida’s West Coast
P.O. Box 7950
Clearwater, FL 33758-7950
(727) 535-5522 (24 Hours)
http://www.bbbwestflorida.org

Suntasia Marketing, Inc.
8751 Ulmerton Rd
Largo, FL 33771-3832
Telephone: (800) 639-8326
Fax: (727) 471-0274
http://www.suntasia.com

The BBB reports on members and non-members. If a company is a member of the BBB, it is stated in this report.

Original Business Start Date: November 1999
Principal: Mr. Bryon W. Wolf, President
Customer Contact: Mr. Donald L. Booth, General Counsel – (727) 471-0276
Entity: Corporation
Incorporated: November 1999, FL
TOB Classification: Vacation Certificates & Vouchers
BBB Membership: This company is not a member.

Suntasia Marketing, Inc. is owned by FTN Promotions, Inc. This report also references Guardian Marketing Services Corporation, an affiliate of Suntasia Marketing. These companies operate out of the same offices in Largo, Florida and list the same corporate officers.

Additional DBA Names

FTN Promotions, Inc.
Capital Vacations
Guardian Marketing Services Corporation

Nature Of Business

Suntasia Marketing, Inc. conducts telemarketing services for for various companies, which are listed in detail in the Customer Experience section of this
report.

This company report also references the name Guardian Marketing Services Corporation, an affiliate of Suntasia Marketing. Guardian Marketing Services Corporation provides the customer service for Suntasia Marketing and the various companies that it telemarkets.

Customer Experience

Suntasia Marketing has an unsatisfactory rating due to a pattern of complaints concerning misrepresentation in sales practices, unauthorized billing, refund disputes, and delivery issues.

Suntasia Marketing provides telemarketing services for the products of various companies. Each of these companies has its own BBB reliability report detailing the company and its complaint history. As the telemarketing service provider for these companies’ products, Suntasia Marketing is the source for many of the complaints. You may get these companies’ reliability reports by contacting the BBB of West Florida at (800) 525-1447 or its website, http://www.bbbwestflorida.org.

These companies include, but may not be limited to:

1. Agents Travel, 3993 Tyrone Blvd, St Petersburg, FL, (800) 432-6350
2. Distinct Advantage, 10500 Ulmerton Rd Ste 726-302, Largo, FL, (866) 545-5486
3. Florida Passport, 6822 22nd Ave N PMB 432, St Petersburg, FL, (888) 612-2894
4. Floridaway Dream Escape, 2655 Ulmerton Rd Ste 407, Clearwater, FL, (888) 488-8770
5. Freedom Gold, 10500 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL, Ste 726-302, (800) 853-0473
6. Prism Communications, 3665 E Bay Dr Ste 201B, Largo, FL, (888) 694-9151
7. Teliflex Communications, 3303 Seffner Dr, Holiday, FL, (866) 821-8674
8. Travel Agents Go Direct, 11125 Park Blvd Ste 104-364, Seminole, FL, (888) 546-8844
9. VersaTalk, 3303 Seffner Dr, Holiday, FL, (877) 494-7363

Suntasia Marketing’s complaint information is as follows:

When considering complaint information, please take into account the company’s size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm’s responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

The Bureau processed a total of 185 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 185 complaints closed in 36 months, 47 were closed in the last year.

Company Management

Additional company management personnel include:

Mr. Roy A. Eliasson – Vice President
Mr. Vance Vogel – Executive Director of Sales & Marketing
Mr. Michael Berndgen – Chief Financial Officer

Bryon Wolf, President of Suntasia Marketing, Inc., and Roy Eliasson, Vice President, are respectively the CEO and Vice President of Bay Pines Travel, Inc. The Bureau has a separate reliability report on Bay Pines Travel, Inc., located in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Additional Addresses, and Telephone Numbers

Additional Addresses
9641 Gulf Blvd
Treasure Island, FL 33706-3209
Tel: (727) 367-6887

5621 Park St N
Saint Petersburg, FL 33709-6310
Tel: (727) 544-0776

5510 Gulfport Blvd S
Gulfport, FL 33707-4827
Tel: (727) 683-2240

13799 Park Blvd # 301
Seminole, FL 33776-3402

8601B Somerset Dr
Largo, FL 33773-2714

Additional Phone Numbers
Tel: (727) 363-4506
Tel: (888) 824-7675
Tel: (727) 360-5889
Tel: (727) 471-2058
Tel: (727) 471-0276
Tel: (727) 471-1777
Tel: (727) 471-1414

Report as of March 26, 2007
Copyright© 2007 Better Business Bureau®, Inc.

If you choose to do business with this company, please let the company know that you contacted the Better Business Bureau for a report.

BBB reports may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.

The information in this report has either been provided by the company or has been compiled by the Bureau from other reliable sources.

As a matter of policy, the Better Business Bureau does not endorse any product, service or company. BBB reports generally cover a three-year reporting period, and are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Information contained in this report is believed reliable but not guaranteed as to accuracy. Reports are subject to change at any time.

ONCE AND FOR ALL!

Your name, address and phone number are obtained through a third party company that they purchase it from. The third party company gets their information by the products you buy, or any other transactions you do that contains your personal information. They DO NOT and are NOT allowed to have or sell your SS#, DOB etc. Once the information is bought by companies like Suntasia, it is put into their dialer system to call you. The dialer clearly labels the list of names that are brand new leads and also how many times that specific list has been called. Unfortunately, this information is only seen by the manager of the room. He or she has access to it from the bridge (the big, high desk overseeing the agents when you enter the room).

Vericheck is a software system connecting Suntasia to all the banks nationwide that confirm whether you have an open checking account or not. Grocery stores, retail stores all use them to scan your checks to make sure your account is legit.

They usually say that you made a purchase through one of their 400, 1000, 1700 affiliates (pick a number yourself) and that is how your name was entered into their system for this special promotion. ALL A BIG FAT LIE! Like I said before, they bought the names and numbers from another company for anywhere from .20 cents to up to .60 cents per name. Oh and by the way this same information that can be sold to another company by the people who bought them in the first place.

If you visit other sites like google or ripoffreport.com and type in the search box “Suntasia Marketing” you will see there are many, many people out there ticked off just like the rest of you.

joe you make no sense. Are you admitting guilt or defending the company? I know that Suntasia has felons, that’s nothing new. When I was there Charles was the night manager at customer service. The place where the packets were was in was the compliance room. This company has some major legal problems ahead bc many of the so called customers DID NOT forget to call and cancel, they were charged regardless of the free trial. Even when they did call in time they were given the run around about why they shouldn’t cancel or given a bunch of worthless gas vouchers in lew of a refund.

UPDATE: BREAKING NEWS ALERT!

This is to let all of you know that the owners of Suntasia have changed their corporate name to Strategia Marketing, LLC. I just happen to drive by their building on the way to the beach and sure enough there it was. Same colors and logo as the prior name but it is still the same scam.

The company claims they merged with another one but nothing can be farther from the truth. It is same suspects still running the show. The only reason the owners of Suntasia changed their name is bc of all the complaints logged against them. If you look at their Better Business Bureau Report it is full of complaints. Click below.

http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/commonreport.html?bid=11002452

Now they have a clean slate with a new name Strategia bc they are not listed or registered with the Better Business Bureau. Same old scam though, you qualify for free gas and travel vouchers or grocery vouchers and they want you to give up your bank information to bill you whenever they want to.

The only difference in this new company as oppose to the old one is that Bryon Wolf, Roy Eliasson and Fred Wolf are all managers at Strategia which is a limited liability company. Suntasia was a full fledged corporation with a President, Vice President and so on.

You can view the incorporation documents yourself by going to the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations website at:

http://sunbiz.org/corinam.html

Then type in the names of the old and new company ….> Strategia Marketing and Suntasia Properties Inc separately to see the difference.

Don’t be fooled bc they are continuing to promote the same product. They are as follows.

Travel Agents Life Go Direct
Variety
Credit Life
Freedom Gold
FloridaWay
Freedom Ring Communications
Florida Direct
West gates Resorts

Here is a list of programs they use to promote:

Agents Travel Network
Distinct Advantage (Changed to Variety)
Prism Communications (Changed to Freedom Ring)
Capitol Vacations
Florida Passport
Travel Agency Network
Teliflex Communications
VersaTalk

Remember it’s always a different name but the same scam. You’ll receive $400 of travel or grocery vouchers along with $100 of gas vouchers in exchange for your bank information. DON’T BE FOOLED! DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION!

If you receive a call from them and want it to stop, just send them a “certified” CEASE and DESIST letter. The calls will stop I promise, otherwise Suntasia/Strategia will be facing a major lawsuit and these crooks know it very well.

Hope this helps you understand a little bit better who these clowns are.

Caller: Suntasia NOW Strategia Marketing
Caller Type: Telemarketer

CONSUMER ALERT!

ANOTHER BANK ISSUES A WARNING TO THEIR CUSTOMERS REGARDING SUNTASIA/STRATEGIA MARKETING’S “Travel Agents Direct” !

The following is from the Associated Credit Union website:

Don’t Take The Bait! Watch For E-mail & Phone Scams!

Current Scams

A company called Travel Agents Direct calls members to inform them that they’ve won free hotel and travel vouchers. They know the credit union’s routing number and ask for your checking account number to debit you for just enough to cover mailing you the vouchers!

The company gets information from those who may have purchased products from online marketing companies or infomercials, who pass on the personal information to Travel Agents Direct.

End of Alert.

Like I told you many times before, bank alerts are becoming common for Suntasia/Strategia marketing company. If you want to see the alert for yourself click the link below.

http://www.acuonline.org/home/accounts.accounts_alerts

The Florida Attorney Generals Office is conducting an investigation on Suntasia which is now known as “Strategia Marketing”. The attorney generals office though is stating on their website that, “The case file cited below relates to a civil — not a criminal — investigation. The existence of an investigation does not constitute proof of any violation of law”.

Here is the rest of it.

Case Number: L05-3-1172

Subject of investigation:
FTN Promotions, Inc.

Subject’s address:
8751 Ulmerton Blvd., Largo, FL 33771

Subject’s business:
Inbound/outbound telemarketing sales

Allegation or issue being investigated:

Unfair and deceptive trade practices regarding telemarketing sales and unauthorized debiting of consumer bank and credit accounts.

AG unit handling case:
Economic Crimes Division in Tampa, Florida

If you want to see the information for yourself, just go to the http://myfloridalegal.com and type the letters “FTN” in the search.

Suntasia recently changed their corporate name to Strategia Marketing, LLC. Now they have a new website with a different name. The only thing is that it’s just a copy of the old one. Take a look.

Suntasia’s Website: (former)

http://www.suntasia.com/

Strategia’s Website: (new)

http://www.strategia.com/

The only exception between the two is the different colors on the opening page using black instead of gold but the wording is still the same. If you want to know who runs this crooked empire, click below.

http://www.strategia.com/home.shtml

Remember it is STILL the same people, same scam (gas, grocery and travel vouchers), same products just a different name.

BBB NEWS RELEASE ON VARIETY!

Variety’s Telemarketing Tactics Deceptive And Questionable
Caller ID Displays 727-252-0434, Toll-Free 877-777-2709

Spokane, WA- May 24, 2007 – Variety is targeting our region with telemarketing calls that are raising red flags which include the quoting of sensitive personal info BEFORE you even give it to them!

Variety has the following contact info:

13785 Walsingham Road, Suite 113 , Largo , FL, 33774-3221, phone (800) 869-2909 (plus a slew of other 800#s), web site: http://www.myvarietyclub.com

This company has an unsatisfactory record with the West Florida BBB due to a pattern of complaints and has failed to correct the underlying reason for the complaints. Complaints mostly concern sales practice issues.

A regional consumer called to report that she received a call from Variety stating that she was on a “special list” and was “chosen” to receive a variety of coupons and other free offers, but they first required her social security number as well as her check numbers. The consumer refused to give this sensitive information to a cold caller.

The number that showed up on her Caller ID was: 727-252-0434.

When the BBB researched this number at: bbb.org we came up with a report for as well as a report for Travel Agents Go Direct with the following contact info:

11125 Park Blvd., Suite 104 – 364, Seminole , FL , 33772-4757 , phone (888) 546- 8844, web site: http://www.travelagentsgodirect.com

This company has an unsatisfactory record with the West Florida BBB due to failure to respond to one or more complaints and two or more unresolved complaints. However, the business has resolved most complaints presented by the BBB. As of the date of this release, this company has had 259 complaints in the last three-year reporting period. Complaints mostly concern billing, sales and refund issues.

The BBB did further research regarding this number by surfing online, and came up with a variety of blog sites that relayed such things about the 727-252-0434 number as:

1. “Called me today on my cell phone and said I am eligible for $100 in gas coupons. They asked to confirm my name and address, and then asked for my bank name and account number. The lady who talked to me called her supervisor, and her supervisor talked to me because I refused to give my bank info. I finally got tired of playing along, and hung up.

2. “I received an enormous amount of calls from Variety to my pre-paid cell phone. They wanted my personal information including my bank account numbers, home address and my SSN.”

3. “Told me i earned 100$ in free gas vouchers for good banking account usage. Wanted the bank I used. Wouldn’t give it to him. Tried to keep me on the phone and convince me he was trying to verify information. Didn’t fall for it and hung up!”

4. “I recieved an obsessive amount of calls on my cell phone from Variety wanting personal information including my bank account numbers, home address and birth city. I urge you all to report this to the FCC at: fccinfo@fcc.gov.”

TIPS

1. Gain as much information on the company you are speaking to as possible before you confirm or verify ANY personal info. If the caller hesitates or refuses to answer your questions, promptly end the call by telling them to take you off their list or you will report them to the FTC and hang up.

2. If the calls become harassment, then report them to the FCC, as well.

3. Whenever your personal information is quoted back to you by someone you don’t know, hang up ASAP and contact the appropriate bank or credit card company(ies) and report that your personal info was quoted to you by a stranger. Request that no unauthorized charges go through without your permission. Then—-

4. Check ALL bank and credit card statements regularly. In fact, make this a habit. If any questionable or unauthorized transactions are present, you can be pro- active ASAP.

5. Check the company out with the BBB FIRST before agreeing to anything via a cold call. If you have an unresolved issue concerning this or other companies, file formal complaints with your local BBB for resolve!

END OF ALERT !

If you want to see the alert for yourself then click below.

http://www.spokane.net/stay_connected/PressReleases.aspx?prid=699

The Better Business Bureau has updated Strategia Marketing’s report. It shows an unsatisfactory record including all the DBA names it has operated under such as Suntasia, FTN Promotions and so on.

Interesting to note they have created yet another LLC known as “Co-Compliance”. Whatever that means. It even has an email address, legal@co-compliance.com. I guess Bryan Wolf will keep creating companies until he runs out of names to call his unethical practices. Anyway, you can see the report for yourself below.

BBB Reliability Report

The Better Business Bureau®
Serving Florida’s West Coast
P.O. Box 7950
Clearwater, FL 33758-7950
(727) 535-5522 (24 Hours)
http://www.bbbwestflorida.org

Strategia Marketing, LLC
8751 Ulmerton Rd
Largo, FL 33771-3832
Telephone: (929) 245-5050
Fax: (727) 254-5055
http://strategia.com/

The BBB reports on members and non-members. If a company is a member of the BBB, it is stated in this report.

Original Business Start Date: November 1999
Principal: Mr. Bryon W. Wolf, Managing Member
Customer Contact: Mr. Donald L. Booth, General Counsel – (727) 471-0276 or legal@co-compliance.com

Entity: Corporation
Incorporated: December 2006, FL
TOB Classification: Telemarketing Service(s), Vacation Certificates & Vouchers
BBB Membership: This company is not a member.

This company previously was named Suntasia Marketing, Inc. The company changed its name to Strategia Marketing, LLC on April 30, 2007.

This report also references Co-Compliance, LLC, an affiliate of Strategia Marketing. These companies operate out of the same offices in Largo, Florida.

Additional DBA Names

Co-Compliance, LLC
Suntasia Marketing, Inc. (previously)
Guardian Marketing Services Corporation (previously)
FTN Promotions, Inc.
Capital Vacations

Nature Of Business

Strategia Marketing, LLC conducts telemarketing services for for various companies, which are listed in detail in the Customer Experience section of this report.

This company report also references the name Co-Compliance, LLC, an affiliate of Strategia Marketing. Co-Compliance provides the customer service for Strategia Marketing and the various companies that it telemarkets.

Customer Experience

Strategia Marketing has an unsatisfactory record due to a pattern of complaints concerning misrepresentation in sales practices, unauthorized billing, refund disputes, and delivery issues.

Strategia Marketing provides telemarketing services for the products of various companies. Each of these companies has its own BBB reliability report detailing the company and its complaint history. As the telemarketing service provider for these companies’ products, Strategia Marketing is the source for many of the complaints. You may get these companies’ reliability reports by contacting the BBB of West Florida at 800) 525-1447 or its website, http://www.bbbwestflorida.org/.

These companies include, but may not be limited to:

1. Agents Travel, 3993 Tyrone Blvd, St Petersburg, FL, (800) 432-6350
2. Distinct Advantage, 10500 Ulmerton Rd Ste 726-302, Largo, FL, (866) 545-5486
3. Florida Passport, 6822 22nd Ave N PMB 432, St Petersburg, FL, (888) 612-2894
4. Floridaway Dream Escape, 2655 Ulmerton Rd Ste 407, Clearwater, FL, (888) 488-8770
5. Freedom Gold, 10500 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL, Ste 726-302, (800) 853-0473
6. Prism Communications, 3665 E Bay Dr Ste 201B, Largo, FL, (888) 694-9151
7. Teliflex Communications, 3303 Seffner Dr, Holiday, FL, (866) 821-8674
8. Travel Agents Go Direct, 11125 Park Blvd Ste 104-364, Seminole, FL, (888) 546-8844
9. VersaTalk, 3303 Seffner Dr, Holiday, FL, (877) 494-7363
10. Variety, 13785 Walsingham Rd Ste 113, Largo, 33774, (800) 869-2909
11. Credit Life, 10460 Roosevelt Blvd N Ste 312, Saint Petersburg, FL, (800) 869-2909
12. Freedom Ring, 13799 Park Blvd Ste 312, Seminole, FL 33776, (866) 405-3952

Strategia Marketing’s complaint information is as follows:

When considering complaint information, please take into account the company’s size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm’s responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.

The Bureau processed a total of 176 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 176 complaints closed in 36 months, 58 were closed in the last year.

Licensing

This company is in an industry that may require licensing, bonding or registration in order to lawfully do business. The Bureau encourages you to check with the appropriate agency to be certain any requirements are currently being met.

Company Management

Additional company management personnel include:

Mr. Roy A. Eliasson – Managing Member
Mr. Vance Vogel – Executive Director of Sales & Marketing
Mr. Michael Berndgen – Chief Financial Officer

Bryon Wolf, Managing Member of Strategia Marketing, LLC, and Roy Eliasson, Managing Member, are respectively the CEO and Vice President of Bay Pines Travel, Inc. The Bureau has a separate reliability report on Bay Pines Travel, Inc., located in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Additional Addresses, Telephone Numbers, Fax Numbers, and Web Addresses

Additional Addresses
9641 Gulf Blvd
Treasure Island, FL 33706-3209
Tel: (727) 367-6887

5621 Park St N
Saint Petersburg, FL 33709-6310
Tel: (727) 544-0776

5510 Gulfport Blvd S
Gulfport, FL 33707-4827
Tel: (727) 683-2240

13799 Park Blvd # 301
Seminole, FL 33776-3402

8601B Somerset Dr
Largo, FL 33773-2714

Additional Phone Numbers
Tel: (727) 363-4506
Tel: (888) 824-7675
Tel: (727) 360-5889
Tel: (727) 471-2058
Tel: (727) 471-0276
Tel: (727) 471-1777
Tel: (727) 471-1414
Tel: (800) 639-8326
Tel: (727) 342-5900

Additional Fax Numbers
Fax: (727) 471-0274
Fax: (727) 342-5905

Additional Web Addresses
http://www.suntasia.com

Industry Tips

Amended Telemarketing Sales Rule Can Change the Way You Do Business

End of Report

Don’t forget that they also have http://strategia.com/ which is the same as the old site but a slightly different color. Now you are better informed.

UPDATE: BREAKING NEWS ! !

FEDERAL AGENTS RAID STRATEGIA MARKETING AKA SUNTASIA AND SHUT IT DOWN.

For Release: July 25, 2007

FTC Stops Massive, Deceptive Telemarketer

The Federal Trade Commission, with assistance from local police and the United States Postal Inspection Service, today halted the operations of a massive, Largo, Florida-based telemarketing scheme operated by Suntasia Marketing, Inc. The FTC alleges that over the last several years, Suntasia used at least fifteen different business names to defraud consumers across the United States out of tens, and perhaps hundreds, of millions of dollars. According to the FTC, when Suntasia’s telemarketers called consumers to offer supposedly “free” trial memberships in discount buyers and travel clubs, they deceived consumers into divulging their bank account information and later charged consumers without authorization for a series of negative option programs. With a negative option agreement, a company takes a consumer’s silence or failure to cancel as acceptance of the offer, and permission to bill them.

“The essence of this massive telemarketing scam was simple: trick people into giving out their checking account numbers, send them a brochure on a travel and buyers club, take money out of their bank accounts for as long as possible, and make it very difficult to cancel and get a refund,” said C. Steven Baker, Director of the FTC’s Midwest Region.

Consumers complained in near-record numbers about Suntasia’s practices. In total, the FTC collected and reviewed more than 5,000 formal consumer complaints against Suntasia that were submitted to various law enforcement agencies and the Better Business Bureau.

According to the FTC’s complaint, telemarketers typically began their sales pitch by indicating that they were calling in regard to the “banking account” of their “valued customers,” to make consumers believe that Suntasia was affiliated with their banks. The telemarketers explained that the consumers had been chosen to receive a series of “free gifts,” typically a combination of either “$100 in gas coupons,” “$400 in airlines savings vouchers,” or “two free nights of hotel accommodations.” Consumers were told that they could keep these gifts even if they ultimately canceled Suntasia’s negative option program. These gifts turned out to be laden with undisclosed conditions and restrictions that rendered them effectively worthless. Also, the FTC alleges that the defendants honored the “gift” vouchers only if consumers maintained enrollment in their programs, despite the telemarketers’ promises.

After offering the “free gifts,” Suntasia telemarketers quickly attempted to obtain consumers’ account numbers. They indicated that they needed to “verify” this information to confirm consumers’ eligibility to receive the gifts. Having already pretended to be affiliated with consumers’ banks, the telemarketers now purported to already possess consumers’ bank account numbers. They read consumers their publicly available bank routing numbers, and then asked consumers to “verify” the remainder of the account number from the bottom of a check. According to the FTC, many consumers disclosed their account numbers because they believed they were simply verifying information that the telemarketers already had. The FTC also alleges that consumers frequently thought their account number was being “verified” solely to confirm their eligibility to receive the free gifts, not to authorize any future charges to their accounts.

According to the FTC’s court documents, after consumers divulged their bank account number, the telemarketers quickly began recording a “verification,” asking consumers to repeat the account number they had just “provided.” At the end of the recording, Suntasia telemarketers quickly offered consumers two additional negative option programs, commonly referred to as “upsells.” The FTC alleges, however, that these “upsell” offers were presented in such a way that consumers did not realize they were being asked to authorize the purchase of additional products and services.

The FTC maintains that Suntasia never disclosed key information about its negative option programs. For instance, the telemarketers did not tell consumers the date that Suntasia’s charges would be debited from their accounts, or the telephone numbers consumers must call to cancel to avoid being charged. Nor did Suntasia tell consumers that they would be required to call three separate telephone numbers to cancel the initial program and the two “upsells.”

If Suntasia telemarketers did discuss the length of the free trial period, they represented that this period would begin only once consumers received program materials in the mail. The FTC alleges that Suntasia actually started consumers’ free trial periods on the date of the sales call, however, meaning that consumers often had little, if any, time to cancel Suntasia’s programs without being charged. According to the FTC’s complaint, some consumers did not receive any program mailings from Suntasia and thus had no opportunity to cancel before they were charged. In many instances, these consumers received their first notice of the trial memberships when the defendants began charging them. In other instances, consumers received the program mailings only a day or two before their accounts were to be charged. Suntasia did not provide any consumers with the free trial period that was promised in their telemarketing calls.
The package consumers received in the mail also disclosed, for the first time, the telephone number that consumers must call to cancel. Prior to receiving this package, consumers had no way to contact Suntasia to cancel or to ask questions. The FTC alleges that in some instances, Suntasia proceeded to charge the accounts of even those consumers who canceled its programs. In addition, if consumers successfully canceled one program, they were not told that they still may be charged for two other programs, or that they must call different telephone numbers to cancel each of those programs.

The FTC alleges that the defendants misrepresented their affiliation with consumers’ banks or other third parties, that they already had consumers’ account numbers, the starting point and length of the free trial period, that they would honor consumers’ cancellation requests, that consumers may easily cancel their participation in a program, and that consumers are entitled to keep and to use the promised free gifts even if they ultimately cancel the negative option program. The FTC also alleges that the defendants failed to disclose, or to disclose adequately, the following: that the consumer’s account would be charged unless the consumer takes affirmative action to avoid the charge, that consumer’s checking account information would be used to debit their bank accounts, the cost of the programs, the dates the consumers’ account would be charged, the dates that the trial period begins and ends, the specific steps consumers must take in order to cancel, including that consumers must cancel each of the programs by calling a separate telephone number, and the conditions and restrictions on the “free gift” vouchers that severely limit their value and usefulness.

The FTC also alleges that the defendants debited funds from consumers’ accounts without their express verifiable authorization and express informed consent, and that they did not clearly and conspicuously disclose that the purpose of their call was to sell goods or services and the nature of those goods or services, as required by the Telemarketing Sales Rule. The defendants also allegedly illegally purchased leads containing consumers’ unencrypted bank account numbers for use in telemarketing.

At the FTC’s request, a U.S. district court in Tampa has entered a temporary restraining order that temporarily halts the allegedly deceptive scheme, freezes the assets of all defendants, and appoints a temporary receiver over the scheme’s corporate participants. According to the FTC, the scheme is run by nine interrelated companies that employ more than 700 people. The defendants charged are: FTN Promotions, Inc., doing business as Suntasia Inc., Suntasia Marketing, Inc., and Capital Vacations; Guardian Marketing Services Corp, doing business as Guardian Escrow Service; Strategia Marketing, LLC; Co-Compliance, LLC; JPW Consultants, Inc., doing business as Freedom Gold, Variety!, Credit Life, and Freedom Ring ULD; Travel Agents Direct, LLC, doing business as Travel Agents Go Direct, Florida Direct, and Lucid Long Distance; Agent’s Travel Network, Inc., doing business as Florida Passport; Bay Pines Travel, Inc.; Suntasia Properties, Inc.; Byron W. Wolf; Roy A. Eliasson; Alfred H. Wolf; Donald L. Booth; Jeffrey P. Wolf; and John Louis Smith II.

The FTC received invaluable assistance in this matter from the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Largo, Florida Police Department, the Better Business Bureau of West Florida, Inc., and the Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services.
The Commission vote to authorize staff to file the complaint was 5-0. The complaint and temporary restraining order were filed under seal in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, with the seal lifting today.

NOTE: The Commission files a complaint when it has “reason to believe” that the law has been or is being violated, and it appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public interest. The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the defendant has actually violated the law. The case will be decided by the court.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.shtm or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,600 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.

End of press release

FTC website: http://ftc.gov/opa/2007/07/suntasia.shtm

KDKA Channel 2 in Pittsburgh has updated a story they did on one of Suntasia’s sub companies, “Distinct Advantage”, the discount savings program that was promoted up until a few months ago when the name changed to “Variety”. Same scam just different name.

A local woman a year ago named Shirley Smorey of McKeesport, Pa was one of the consumers to get caught up in the scam. She says she was promised $100 in gas coupons and $500 in airline vouchers just for trying a “free” membership in a discount buyers club. I am sure she is happy to know these scam artists were shutdown on Wednesday morning July the 25th. You can see Consumer Editor Yvonne Zanos new report by clicking on the link below and then just click play on the video at the upper right corner of the page.

http://kdka.com/consumer/local_story_207184342.html

Former Employees Speak Out About Suntasia’s Inside Operations

For those who don’t know how everything operated at Suntasia Marketing, I am going to link you to a website that gives you inside information on how these crooks got away with this scam for so long. Everything that has been posted here concerning the questionable practices of this company is true. Now here it for yourself.

Alex Eckelberry is the host of the website http://sunbeltblog.blogspot.com where he did a podcast interview with two former Suntasia (aka Strategia Marketing) employees. The two women agreed to be interviewed providing that their REAL names be with held due to fear of retaliation. They go by the names Stephanie and Carol. Many of the things they revealed I experienced myself but the fact that it is verified by these two women proves what I and others have been posting all along.

They talked about how;

* they presented the script over the phone to the unsuspecting consumer and how the agents tricked consumers by asking the name & city location of their bank so they could pull up the routing number and pretend to have their account #

* they heard other agents (ballers: high sales people) misrepresent themselves by saying that they needed the account number to verify that they had an open checking acount.

* everyone had to use the main key word “TODAY” because that was stating in the recording that they are not being billed for that day, but what Suntasia’s agents don’t tell you is that the consumer is going to be billed the next day and the next days to come even though it was suppose to be a two week free trial.

* they rebuttaled the person over and over again if they didn’t want to give up their account information. The slick wording that was used.

* Suntasia management also scammed the employees when their paychecks were wrong and how hard it was to get it corrected.

* Suntasia doesn’t care about your experience and just wanted you on the phone to make sales as quickly as possible.

* they felt the area (company grounds) was very restricted because of all the so called “secrets” between each room that was selling different products.

* the three different offers had three different numbers to call in case the consumer wanted to cancel. Unfortunately the consumer wasn’t made aware of this.

* the sales person would claim they were in the shipping department and never would give details about the products being offered.

To hear the entire interview, you can download the Mp3 podcast by clicking below.

http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ihs/interview2d88.mp3

A blank screen will pop up and a little white box in the bottom left hand corner will appear. Once the audio clip has finished downloading, the screen will show a gray Quicktime audio bar. From there you can click play. The interview is very lengthy but so worth it. I hope this helps you understand how massive this scam was.

Another Ex Suntasia/Strategia Employee Spoke Out and Talked to Fox 13 News in Tampa.

For weeks, Cory Millican put his nagging suspicions on hold and picked up the phone 450 times a day. What was he hoping to get? “Their checking account number,” Millican said.

Millican says he didn’t feel right doing it, but Strategia marketing pressured their employees to get the caller’s checking account number. They did it, he says, by tricking potential customers with discounts and freebies.

He was very clear about how the scam worked and how his conscience would not let him continue. He realized that the product was a sham because there were people who had no need for the travel or gas vouchers but his manager kept pushing him to do it. If you want to see the interview click below.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3884283&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Also Eric Seidel, he is the consumer lawyer for the station did a story on the fraud and illegal activity that went on. Click below to see video.

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=3879484&version=1&locale=EN-US

The big story on that day was done by Channel 2 investigative Reporter Jim Strickland from Atlanta where he confronts the owner of Suntasia Marketing Bryan Wolf and tries to ask him questions about his shameful company practices.

To see the report just click below.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pImOOYg9T0o

I guess Mr. Wolf will let his lawyer do the talking.

Oh Fact, how stupid do you think I am? You have gone around different websites refuting what I have been saying. Well, apparently you and I have been reading different reports because from what I have read you left out some very important details.

Let’s start the REAL truth process here shall we?

The company is now apparently in receivership, and in August, the Receiver published a preliminary report — which provides some very interesting reading. Yes, it dies details the high rate of refunds and returns, millions in consumer refunds in 1 year and some $24 million in authorized sales cancelled in the same year by the company’s in house compliance department but what YOU don’t tell everyone is that there were misleading sales tactics and the quality of the products sold was very poor.

Also to, they only starting do this in the last year or so because at the time they were being investigated by the State of Florida’s Agricultural Dept. Coincidentally? I think not.

In summary, it appears that while the receivership defendants have a strong compliance function (finally after 10 years of stealing from consumers) the overall marketing goal is to obtain, often with MISLEADING TACTICS, (did you read that FACT?) consumer banking information that is utilized to market and obtain payment for memberships and services of questionable value or utility. The Temporary Receiver will continue to suspend operations pending instructions from the Court.

The document also details the company’s assets and liabilities, including an outstanding loan on an 80 foot Lazzarra yacht.

So lets see Fact:

1) Strong compliance in one year

2) $24 million in authorized sales cancelled

3) misleading sales tactics

4) quality of the products sold was very poor.

5) overall marketing goal is to obtain, often
with MISLEADING TACTICS

6) obtain consumer banking information that is utilized to market and obtain payment for memberships and services of “questionable” value or utility.

So overall you might say that this company has questionable business tactics but of course Fact you won’t mention that part will you? This is bc you are defending an already sinking ship. Get a clue will you! The company you defend is a scam otherwise the FTC wouldn’t request to have them shutdown. Too many complaints and too many suspicious tactics.

Hey FACT! You sure sound like a lawyer to me but then again you are not man or woman enough to show your identity are you? But that isn’t relevant in your eyes anyways.

It’s kind of funny how you avoid the subject until you have no choice but to admit it in the end. You finally admit that the report doesn’t cover the ten years your company has duped consumers into your phony packages. Oh wait and that compliance thingy you talk about? Yes, it might of been improved in the last year before the raid but kind of funny you would mention that since you guys were under a state investigation at the time. Geez, I would change my company’s questionable practices to if I had the feds watching over me constantly. Here is a reminder in case you forgot.

Case Number: L05-3-1172

Subject of investigation:
Strategia Marketing, LLC

Subject’s address:
8751 Ulmerton Blvd., Largo, FL 33771

Subject’s business:
Inbound/outbound telemarketing sales

Allegation or issue being investigated:
Unfair and deceptive trade practices regarding telemarketing sales and unauthorized debiting of consumer bank and credit accounts. Acquisition and use of stolen consumer data from Certegy Check Services, Inc., including personal idenfiying and financial information.

AG unit handling case:
Economic Crimes Division in Tampa, Florida

You “rebuttal” me like you teach your agents to rebuttal your unsuspecting victims. It’s what you don’t tell them that got you in trouble. Like the 15 different company names that was used by Suntasia/Strategia throughout the years. Remember FACT. Let’s see Capitol Vacations became Agents Travel Network that became Travel Agents Go Direct. Distinct Advantage became Variety (same website to. lol) Florida Passport became Floridaway and so on and so on. Every year your company changed it’s name with the same script. Why? Because too many complaints came in and you had to change it in order to keep “things” going. That was preached constantly when I was there but I am sure you’ll deny that also.

Oh and what about that script with the “slick” wording in it. Yes FACT it’s what you DON’T say in it that is the reason your company is shutdown.

They never tell the consumer:

* There are 3 numbers to call if they cancel ALL three packages.

* The customer service number in case they want to cancel unless pressed by the consumer to do so.

* There is a $29 processing fee charged if they do succeed in cancelling.

* The $100 gas vouchers are only to be used $10 increments at a time and you don’t get all of them at first

* The $400 travel vouchers cannot be used all at once either. Your travel ticket has to be $600 or more to get at least $100 off and even more restrictions after that.

* The second package (FloridaWay aka Florida Passport) was a timeshare which many people didn’t want and the agent was not allowed to mention even though the consumer might of stated that during the sales call.

* Suntasia/Strategia DOES NOT track their package so the consumer will know when it will arrive.

So continue with your PR damage control campaign FACT because like I stated before your future is in politics not telemarketing. lol

Go ahead and re-open, I can’t wait because NOW EVERYONE knows who the REAL scam artists are. This time people will be more aware. For the record FACT I am not frustrated and I have no regrets exposing such a questionable operation like yours. When I was terminated it was a sigh of relief the day it happened. Why? Because I told the truth. How many times was I written up or warned by your management because I gave out the customer service number or an address for them to contact us? Many times FACT. Even your compliance manager told me the day I was fired that he over looked some things I would say when being monitored because I was well liked.

Oh and just in case you missed it, here is a link to another story that was done last night on your precious Strategia. I am sure you have a “rebuttal” for that to just like you did to your unsuspecting victims that were called.

http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=62843

Enjoy!

How sad isn’t it FACT? That you have to resort to personal attacks on me bc you know you dodge the truth every time. It never ceases to amaze me when someone exposes such a questionable business the first thing the oppsoition does is attack the persons character. Why? Because that is the only thing they have left in their arsenal.

With all the media attention brought to your precious Suntasia/Strategia the only way you can divert attention from Suntasia is by discrediting me with stupid links to MY personal information sir which NOW you are in a fight because that is posted without my consent. I NEVER have posted ANYTHING personal about ANYONE at Suntasia here and believe me I could of. This has to do with Suntasia Marketing questionable practices and that’s it NOT my personal life.

Oh and that idiot that posted those links the “REAL Nomad”, his name is Josh Johnson, Mr. Dialer “B” baller but yet he still uses that stupid screen name like no one knows who he is.

Make this perfectly clear FACT I am not hiding but a COWARD like you is. You know my name but you fail to reveal yours. Since we are exposing personal details here, it’s time YOU stop hiding and come out from wherever you are otherwise you are nothing BUT a coward attacking me personally with these stupid links that have NOTHING to do with Suntasia’s business practices.

Make it CLEAR to you. Posting personal links about someone’s life is weak and makes you look like someone desperate. I have no respect for you.

The difference is that I have NEVER EVER posted or tried to post ANY personal information about Bryna Wolf or any other member of Suntasia. I basically posted what I knew about the company itself through MY experiences there. Even when the media started knocking Suntasia bc consumers were calling them, Bryan Wolf NOT once had a spokesperson represent the company to handle the tv news stations questions and BELIEVE ME they did. He ignored the warning signs.

As for a personal vendetta? No, that’s how you see it just like everything else with that company. You obviously haven’t seen my other posts that I placed about phony companies in other forums which were raided by the feds last year, Fidelity Debt Consultants, Timeshare Inc. and so on. You say it is only Suntasia I target? Well you obviously haven’t been paying attention to my popular profile on Youtube. Take a look, there is more than 100 videos (other than Suntasia’s) in there.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Scambuster2007

Finally, I think it’s awfully low of you to even post the links because anyone would agree with me that it has NOTHING to do with the discussion at hand. If I would of done that to Bryan Wolf you would have berated me all over the net. I could see you doing that. Unfortunately, you and I think differently.