I had used Superpages pay per click program for 7 years. The way it works is you set your budget and they're suppose to stay within that budget. After a year or two I got to the point where I had set my budget perfectly to last most of the month if not all. In the past I have had average results (good enough to continue). I had checked my budget around the 15th of August and it was roughly were it should have been, around half. About four days later I had received an e-mail proclaiming my budget was spent. I had immediately contacted them to inquire about click abuse. They inferred it was impossible although they didn't seem to know how to check on it or even provide a report. I then decide to call a few friends who also advertise with them. They all confirmed an uncommonly high click rate, as well, with little or no customer response. I had then called a number of competitors, that are of acquaintance, who also advertise this way. They had reported the same activity. I can't prove any malfeasance on their behalf but I feel that this would happen again. Me and several of my friends have pulled our accounts with Superpages not only because of this suspicious activity but also their apathetic response. If you're a small business owner stay away from this company. You'll save money and time.

I canceled my account and was charge for 6 more months! I spoke to a sales manager and he stated at least 5 times via phone that my account was closed and that I would be refunded all incorrect billing. Not only did I KEEP getting change, when I spoke to billing they said the sales manager Fazzle Ramzan (spelling?) never did anything! Get everything in writing and call the BBB.

When Superpages.com contacted me I initially said I wasn't interested. But the sales agent kept talking and convincing me so I asked whether my ad would also show on Google. She said yes. Not only would it show but it was possible that a person living within some mile of a certain zip code would be able to search for my business on Google. I was sold. I agreed to the 15 day trial and then, if not canceling, to the 3 month contract with $48 a month. I received a package from Superpages.com some ten days later, and after going online, true enough, on specific searches on Google my business would show up. The problem was that my business was showing after typing for the type of business plus a neighbor city, but not when typing my own city. I thought this was something that could be corrected with proper set-up. I was wrong.

Towards the end of the month I received $48 bill. I'd failed to cancel the subscription. I was willing to pay because I still believed that this ad, combined with the Google search, could help. So, I called Superpages.com and after telling them how I wanted to set up my ad so that it was more visible on Google they dropped the bomb. Superpages.com had nothing to do with Google! And the reason my ad would sometimes show was because of how Google was functioning, not because of Superpages.com. However, they did have another package - much higher priced - that would combine Superpages.com to Google. That's how they explained it to me. Well, this is not what I signed up for!!! I told them to cancel my account. They canceled but only after the 3 month contract was up. I told them that I wouldn't send any bill to them because I was deceived. They threatened with the collections agency, that my credit history would be affected. I told them that I had been mislead into signing up for a product that was wrong. Finally, one of the representatives (all of them had been unbelievably rude to this point, with placing me on long holds without telling me that they would) said that she was going to play the authorization tape. Well, in the tape, I did agree to the contract of 90 days, but nothing was mentioned about the product I was signing up for. All of this had been discussed prior to the confirmation of the contract. I told them I wanted to listen to the tape prior to the authorization part and they said that they would request that tape, which would take 3 weeks and then they would contact me. Well, after 4 weeks, and no calls from Superpages.com I received another bill of $48 for the next month. I still hadn't paid for the previous month. I called Superpages.com and asked what happened to the tape. It turns out the tape had been available the previous week and they all had agreed that it was a valid sale to me. I asked to listen to the tape. After some more persuasions they put on the tape. It was the same authorization part! I said I wanted to listen to the conversation that took place before the automated signing of the contract. They said it wasn't available. How is it possible that the entire conversation of around 20 minutes prior to the authorization is not available??? I'm still not done yet with Superpages.com. I'm deeply hurt that anyone can fool a fellow human being.

Superpages.com has called me over and over about buying online ads. They start off by calling you with someone who can barely speak your language and then spend five minutes reviewing you listing. When they finish they transfer you to a supervisor. The most recent time the guy came on the line and said "hello" with lots of noise and other languages being spoken in the background.

He proceeded to read from some canned material and asked me elementary questions to get me to say yes. The oldest sales technique in the book. Very poor sales pitch. Then when I told him I wasn't interested in their service for our company he acted like I was dumb and questioned my authority to make decisions for the ad choices of the company I work for.

When I asked me to remove me from their solicitation list he said I will have to get your full name and title for that and you will have to take full responsibility for it. "Okay!" I said. Then after I gave him the info he said. " You are taking full responsibility, m'am". Darn straight!

Superpages.com get your act together. When you're dealing with businesses you don't use the same shameful tactics as a snake oil salesman.

BEWARE OF SUPERPAGES!

Please forward the complaint to the address below.

Ripped Off By Verizon Superpages
Jan. 24, 2007

Verizon SuperPages.com
6665 N MacArthur Blvd.
Third Floor MC33
Irving, Texas
Email: [email protected]

In SuperPages cover letter on the contract I received states “You’ve made a smart business investment by advertising on SuperPages.com. Now that you’ve joined the #1 online yellow pages with , it will be easer for potential customers to find you.” (The punctuation error after with is theirs, not mine)

Ripped off: Below is the Ad I ended up with for $75.00 a month on SuperPages.

The Cruise Princess
901 N Fisk Ave Pmb 146, Brownwood, TX 76801
(325) 641-8242

The Ad should have also had our website www.thecruiseprincess and our company slogan “The Right Cruise For You!” per my conversation with the salesman. The contract has states the the website URL www.thecruiseprincess.com will be in the Ad but the didn’t add our tag line phrase as mentioned about.

I verbally agreed on Dec. 19. and was told the Ad wouldn’t be posted until a couple of weeks and most likely after the first of the year. When I went and checked the Ad after the first of the year I was extremely dissatisfied with the content. I immediately sent a FAX for termination but was told when I contacted SuperPages by phone that the 14 days to cancel had expired. So now SuperPages billed me for three months for the Ad for a total of $231.00

Not only does the Ad stink to high heaven, it is buried under 8 national advertisers so that any potential customer would select before our illustrious Ad.

When speaking with SuperPages personnel including management, they came off as impersonal and not concerned that they had an upset customer. When speaking with Brian (Manager) I told him that I do whatever I can to make sure my customers are satisfied and get what they expect because I want their repeat business. Brian said, “You mean to tell me that ever person you sell a cruise to is happy.” I worked in customer service related businesses for thirty years and I would have been fired on the spot for treating a customer in that manner. Another point is that I have more than one business which I provide above and beyond great customer service.

1. I am requesting a full refund of $231.00 from Verizon’s SuperPages.

2. I also recommend that SuperPages changes the way the do business in order to become a company, which provides what they promise in all their promotional words. When SuperPages makes a mistake they make the customer pay for it.

3. How about contacting the customer when their Ad is posted and make as much effort reviewing the Ad with the customer as they do in getting you to sign up with them in the first place. And do all this before they bill you.

4. Stop making your customers pay for your mistakes.

Yes, they got my money but they didn’t get my business.

I would recommend they change the name from SuperPages to SuperDupeYouPages.

Beware of SuperPages…because it’s not super at all.

B. Nelson
Brownwood, Texas