PHOENIX - Be your own boss and earn thousands using Google. That's what one ad promises, but you might not get what you expect for that money. Earn $77 an hour online.Flexible hours.Home-based job.Those are the one line teases for the Internet ad. The job sounds so good, it almost screams, "click here." Jerry Landers of Fountain Hills thought so. He clicked it. Jerry said, "It leads you to believe it is an easy way to make money at home." The ad shows the success of Glendale mom, Kelly Richards -- remember that name. According to the ad, Richards states "I actually make $5,000 - $7,000 a month from home." Jerry agreed to the $1.97 charge to get more information. Then he received his Visa bill. “They said we've charged your card $129,” Jerry said. That is because he didn't cancel in three days. The company said the charge is clearly stated, but Jerry insisted that he didn't see it. That company is called Income Easy Street. Two-hundred-and-twenty customers have complained about Income Easy Street to the Better Business Bureau since July 2009. Felicia Thompson is with the BBB. “They're not correcting the underlying issue that folks are having concerning the risk free trial offer,” said Thompson, “They're not aware their card is going to be charged in that short period of time.” Thompson said all but one complaint was resolved. But the BBB currently gives Income Easy Street an ‘F’ rating.
“Because they are offering work at home opportunities through Google. We've seen a lot of the work at home sites pop up and take advantage of folks,” Thompson said. The Internet ad includes the word, “Google”, but some customers are now complaining about what the business is really selling. Monique used to work for Income Easy Street. “There was no product. They were selling nothing for $130,” she said. Monique said she spent a month working phones for the business at the south Phoenix location, and she got an earful. “People wanting their money back, people crying my rent check bounced, I can't feed the kids,” Monique said. We found Monique on ripoffreport.com. Monique claimed the cancellation policy wasn't clear online, but her instructions on dealing with customers were crystal clear. “Be rude, nasty and keep their money,” she added. So what does the money buy? Jerry received a CD labeled, Google Fortune. It tells you how to use Google AdWords to make money. “We advertised ourselves as Google,” said Monique. When we asked her if the company had any affiliation with Google, she responded, “Absolutely not.” In an e-mail to the Investigators, Google stated that it has no relationship with the business or with Google Fortune. In fact, they list Google Fortune as one of the "names to be wary of." Google also stated anyone can use their AdSense program for free. “I felt awful when I realized what I was doing,” said Monique. She was later fired. The attorney for Income Easy Street said the business sells advice. The customer has to come up with a successful business concept to make money. And she said banks stopped the company’s ability to process credit cards which has hampered refund efforts. Still, the attorney claimed Income Easy Street has sent out 11,000 refunds.
The ABC15 Investigators found this isn't the first time one of the owners, Robert Musick, has dealt with angry customers. When we told him he has a lot of people complaining about what’s going on, Musick replied, “I don't know what you're talking about.” In 1997, Musick was a salesman for Black Diamond Mining Corporation. Arizona authorities shut it down. Musick reached a plea agreement getting probation, and pled guilty to facilitation of fraudulent schemes. In 2005, he finished paying more than $83,000 in restitution back to investors. Not all Income Easy Street customers are unhappy. Their attorney sent us a letter from a satisfied customer that stated, “What I found was factual and informative.” But the attorney wouldn't help us find the happy client in the ad that impressed Jerry. So, we found her -- all over the place. Remember Glendale mom, Kelly Richards? The ads also list Kelly Richards as a Tampa mom, a Kansas City mom, a mom from West Palm Beach and Ohio. Ironically, we even found the ad on abc15.com and pulled it off the website. Income Easy Street's attorney said they’re not taking new money. And Jerry did get a refund when we made them aware.
Jerry Landers received one piece of information from Income Easy Street (see image at left). It warns customers that if they’re not happy with the product, they should not dispute the charge with their credit card company. That, they warn, will result in being blocked from making future online purchases with the members of badcustomer.com. Remember, with most low-cost trial periods, you're going to be charged if you don't cancel. Many online businesses will take your credit card number for postage or to cover the low-cost risk free trial period. Then they will charge your card a fee if you don’t cancel within a certain period of time. That’s called “negative option.” If you don’t opt out, they consider you in. If you don’t like that process, let lawmakers know. You can contact your legislator in the Arizona House and the Senate. You can also offer your opinion to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
| 
