NZBOL.co.nz: a text book pro forma scam
Filed Under (Pro Forma Scams) by admin on 14-10-2009
Tags: nzbol, nzbol.co.nz, Shallendra Singh
I couldn’t believe my eyes when Invoice # 204556 plopped on my desk today from NZ Business Online telling me that I’d listed my company details on nzbol.co.nz. A whois search shows that the domain was only registered on the 7th September 2009 so perhaps they could explain to me why I had listed a company service that haven’t offered for a number of years now?
Oh, that would be because we never listed and this is a scam. Shallendra, when you read this, you can reply with the information on when and how we listed ourselves so that you were able to issue that invoice. Given that we wouldn’t do that, I doubt you can justify that invoice.
Fair Go ran article which claims that Shallendra Singh has invoiced thousands of other businesses. Read it and watch the clip at Don’t pay that invoice!
Fair Go’s article says:
Show me the evidence
I asked Shallandra Singh to provide evidence of the relationship that’s being “renewed”.He said his telemarketers call thousands of businesses, offering a free listing on the website.
Six months or a year later they send out the offer to renew the listing. I asked him for evidence of that prior relationship – a voice recording of the sales call.
The major flaw in that argument – the same argument every other time – is that he hasn’t been running this one for more than 2 months so how can any of the listings be up for renewal?
If you get an invoice from NZBOL.CO.NZ – DON’T PAY!
Oh, and it’s good to see that people are paying attention – check this search on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#search?q=nzbol
These NBO ‘operators’ have been trying to snag money from my business for some time — under FALSE PRETENCES in my honest opinion.
Earlier this year they tried by telephone: “We’re calling to give you the chance to renew your listing.” (I told them to take a hike.)
Now they’ve tried again, by post in the latest wave of net-casting: See the invoice they sent me (and hundreds of other business, apparently) here: http://www.empowereducation.com/graphics/NBOL%22invoice%22.jpg
Let me very clear: I have NEVER done business with these people (I can thank Sarah K/5nz.com and others for alerting me to this kind of scam).
The “Renewal” invoice they sent my business is, in my view, a dodgy, sleazy trick designed to fool a business’s ‘Accounts Payable’ into paying an invoice.
But the fact is this invoice is a bill my business is not liable for because I NEVER contracted them for any “service”. I did not agree to ’subscribe’ or ‘list’ my business with “NZ Business Online Limited, NZ’s leading Business Directory”. Show me otherwise.
To claim this is a “renewal” is, in my view, false and misleading conduct in the course of business.
That these ‘operators’ are still in business is a testimony to the power of brazenness.
NBOL looks to be running a dodgy pro forma invoice scam.
I hope they get shut down soon and for good.
Their contact details are info@nzbol.co.nz and 09 929 3299
Maybe it pays to ‘advertise!’
I received a letter from NBOL today with a “credit note” printed on the back —
informing me that “due to a system error in our accounts department, an invoice was sent you (sic) your company which should not have (sic).”
“Please do not pay the amount in the invoice.” (No risk of that, I can assure you.) “We have cancelled this invoice already in our system so please disregard the invoice you have received from us and accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience this may have caused you.”
‘If you still have any further queries regarding this matter please feel free to contact us on 09 929 3299 or email … and we would be happy to assist you further.”
For the record. – P
Did anyone else get one of these?
PeterA´s last blog ..Wow, BRILLIANT writing!
Our cancellation has come through too.
We’ll be sending through a request to close our “account” too as debacle means we have acknowledged we have an account with NZBOL and that by some means we have become advertisers on their site. Therefore in a years time they will be able to legitimately invoice us and chase us for payment.
So, if you’ve just ripped up your invoices and cancellation notices then you need to dive into your waste paper baskets and start taping the pieces together and send in your account closure requests.
The Herald on Sunday ran an article about NZBOL called Spam leaves bitter taste.
I find it astounding that if less than a thousand invoices were sent out that I personally know so many of the recipients and that we actually got one. What are the chances? Surely far more than that were sent out!
An apology currently graces the front of the NZBOL website and they have pulled the entire site! Check Google’s view of the NZBOL and see how many of those pages are actually live.
Irrational behaviour if they have actually got paying advertisers on board or are trying to run a legitimate business. Then again when the going got tough Shallandra Singh pulled the plug on NZBO and Searcha too.
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