:evil: :evil: just a letter to let your readers know that one of poetry.com's affiliates are practicing what can only be described as a money grab.
recently I entered a photo contest with pictures.com and tried to send my warning to the person posted on your website to give more people the insight these people are doing below is the email I sent cmarsh which for some reason was returned undeliverable. I assume because he is no longer researching into legal action.
I noticed that you had at one time posted that you were investigating poetry.com and its affiliates. I have a story to tell on both ends. the most interesting being the picture.com affiliate. whom I sent in a photo that supposedly one honorable mention and I was supposed to receive certain prizes because of it. the most being a silver award cup engraved with my name on it .. see website below for image of cup as it was sent to me .
http://207.68.164.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_l ... 6ln%3dWall
this plus other incentives were used to try to get me to pay for a very expensive trip to Washington to receive said award. since I can not go traveling do to the fact that I am disabled from a car accident I tried on several occasions to reach them . but the only thing there site and all its feedback areas sent you to was only one thing. either a yes or no to the convention. seeing no way to contact them I just ignored them and the reward . so after half a dozen more emails to cajole me into going to this
so
called convention of photographers and receiving my award there , they sent me a finale email saying .they were sorry I couldn't come to the convention but if I were to send them a cheque for 168.00 I could receive my medallion and award cup and membership to a photo magazine for a year . there excuse for this high price was that the prize is so heavy that it costs a fortune to mail , plus part of the cost was to have someone from THEIR organization stand up and say a short blurb about the photo and the aut
hor.
it was that last email that made me realize that it was all just a money grab scheme and because of that it made me very depressed for several weeks. now I still look forward to entering photo contests and have one prizes before where the company's who I entered just sent me the prize that I had one.. no cost to shipping or anything. so this was a good experience in the sense where I learned there are many crooked company's out there who try to take advantage of the unwary. as for there poetry.com .. I ente
red a
very poor quality poem there to test them on there ethics.. knowing full well that it was not one that I would ever think anyone would want to post. and low and behold I received a you are an awesome poet email and if you want to pay such and such a fee we can give you this hard cover bound anthology with YOUR poem in it for only <cant remember the exact amount> fee. this told me that my feelings were true to form and they were just using others feelings to get them to purchase a book with there name and po
em in
it. and not one of a legitimate source. I have since contracted to a publishing firm in Australia who is doing a full book of poems of just my own works.. so one day I hope to be well known as a writer . but until then I suggest to others be wary and be aware..if it looks to good to be true..it usually is.
Robert Wall
p.s the convention price they listed for was for 595.00 dollars to attend.
see website below for proof .
http://207.68.164.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_l ... 6SC%3dDC04

there should be some law stopping company's like this from doing the kind of buisness they are doing .
robert

_________________
to find the peace in the world , one must first realize that the world is inside each of us, so we need to adjust our views inwards not outwards to find true peace.

Robert, if it makes you feel any better, they suckered me for a while, too. I also won "Honorable Mention" for a photo I submitted. You forgot to mention the part that they also want to charge you $49 (approximately, I forget the actual price) to purchase a book "featuring" your picture!
I've also been receiving the B.S. e-mails for the trophy and the trip. They even had me going for a while. I was so proud of myself for being honored. But their stupid e-mails gave it away. It's all one big money-grubbing con.
I'm sorry they messed with you. You're right, it's evil and unfair.
But think about this: you should feel good that you didn't send them a check!!

I too have been suckered into their scam! I recently submitted a photo which I am very proud of, into their contest. I recieved a letter in the mail telling me that my photo was selected for the semi finals( a chance to win $10,000) and that they would like to publish my photo in their upcoming photography book "Endless Journey's". They asked me for payment to recieve a copy of the book ($70). If they are using my photo, you would think I would recieve a copy for free! I didn't know it was a scam until I read this.
I am very disappointed. Thanks for letting me know.

JRossi

:( Saw the replies while I was AGAIN surfing the web to see if I could find a way to contact the folks at picture.com. Well, they have my $69.00 and $8.00 S&H for the Endless Journeys book. My photo was entered last year, and I, too, received mailings and emails about how wonderful a photographer I was. I sent my request for a book, along with the OK to charge my VISA. I have never heard anything about the book since. That was October 2003. I've called, and stayed on hold anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes each time. Apparently, either there are a lot of people calling, or they have no intention of answering the phones. I've tried the "help" email address listed on the page where one can order the book, but low and behold, it is always returned as undeliverable. I feel so stupid as to fall for this!! I just feel fortunate that I did not go for the Washington trip and all the prizes that went along with it. Does anyone know if they actually had a meeting? I even tried emailing a "reply" to the ones I received from picture.com, all returned undeliverable. I'd really like my money back. Is this something that could be reported to the USPostal Service. I still have my original letter saying the book would be published in October 2003. Well, where is it. Anyone who can provide some suggestions to report this company, I'd certainly like to hear from you. Thanks, Glenda

Missgls - if you charged the book to your VISA, why not complain to VISA? Inform them that you ordered the book and now eight months later you have not received the book, nor have you been able to contact the publishers. Given that they haven't fulfilled their obligation, would VISA reverse the charges?

If this company accepts VISA, VISA won't be happy to learn they may be a fly-by-night scheme, if they are. You could just be in luck.

And if you don't get your money back, you may just get their attention.