An Update in the Savemore.com Scam Controversy

Daily Deal Media has been the recipient of much information concerning SaveMore.com and merchant/customer complaints and apparent fraud. For over a month we’ve heard about merchants not getting paid for running deals, vouchers not working, customers not receiving their goods after payment has cleared.

Kara Kamenec covered this story in depth in December, including an update after our merchant, Andrew Simmons, CEO of Oiiiio.com, contacted the Better Business Bureau.

“Simmons entered into two separate agreements with SaveMore.com this November to run promotional deals with two of his products: ornaments and canvases. After a lengthy, somewhat suspicious game of back and forth with account managers, eventually being moved completely from one representative to the next mid-agreement, the contracts were signed Simmons’ deals ran. First the ornament deal on Thanksgiving weekend and next the canvases deal on December 6th-7th.  As per the contract(s), specifically in paragraph 3.4, Mr. Simmons explained, he was to receive partial payment on the 5th business day following the end of the deal run. Unfortunately that was not the case. Instead, Simmons was left with 349 vouchers, the equivalent to thousands in orders from which he has yet to receive any compensation.

“Incidentally, the first payment was to be by check but the subsequent payments would be ACH. They also received my W9 twice, to make sure they had everything they needed, two weeks ago. Again, no return phone calls, just voicemail.” – Andrew Simmons

Simmons tried phone calls and emails with no success and eventually moved to the Internet and Daily Deal Media for assistance. His last interaction with Savemore.com was on December 16th, 2011. Simmons had sent another email to his account representative at SaveMore who had set-up and run his deal, inquiring about his missing payment. Instead of a response, Simmons received only an “Email Opened” auto-reply:

Subject: Payment Status
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 4:18:44 PM (UTC) Monrovia, Reykjavik
was read on Friday, December 16, 2011 4:19:21 PM (UTC) Monrovia, Reykjavik”

Kara also pointed out that the internet is swarming with complaints, as the second “suggestion” to come up on Google search when you type in “savemore” is “Savemore.com scam”.

The update from December 12^th featured an article from the BBB warning consumers to stay far away from SaveMore.com.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns shoppers who are going online to shop for last minute gifts and gift cards that SaveMore.com in Dallas, TX, has been the subject of 227 complaints in the last few months from customers across the country”.

“Although SaveMore.com answers complaints with assurances that problems have been addressed and makes credits and refunds, the complaints continue…Customers expect that businesses should not only address individual complaints, but also look into and correct the causes of complaints.”  - Jeannette Kopko, BBB

It’s been more than a month since the BBB launched its investigation into SaveMore and Andrew Simmons has given Daily Deal Media an update on his complaint.
 He got this response from Lee Stallings, Director of Complaint Resolution Department:

“The Better Business Bureau has made several attempts to contact the business regarding the above referenced complaint. We regret to inform you that the company has not responded within the normal 22 day timeframe and accordingly we are closing the complaint as Unanswered.

The Better Business Bureau develops and maintains Reliability Report ratings on companies in our service area. This information is available to the public and is frequently used by potential customers. In the case of your complaint, the company’s failure to promptly give attention to the matter will be reflected in the report we give to consumers about them.

If the company has contacted you in the interim, please notify the BBB immediately.”

Of course, SaveMore has NOT contacted Andrew since the complaint, in spite of reading his emails. “Clearly, the company and its employees are participating in this fraud,” says Simmons, after hearing of another merchant’s account with the company.

“One merchant said he didn’t get paid and couldn’t get them to answer, so he submitted another online form for a fictitious company and had an almost instant return phone call from Kimberly Draper. Of course, when she realized who she was talking to, she got off the phone quickly” says Simmons in an email to Daily Deal Media.

Mr. Simmons has begun proceedings to collect his company’s money through litigation and fully intends to pursue the company and its individual employees as well.

Daily Deal Media will continue to update this story as we gather more information.