29 Prime
Complaint 146593 Details

I was also defrauded by 29'Prime

Hello,
Thank you for your blog site.
I am emailing to let you know that I also was a victim of 29'Prime.

I was called by 29'Prime on April 17, 2012, and given a sales pitch that they could place my website on Google Page 1 (for a minimum of 3 out of 10 keywords) and of course I was a little doubtful, but I listened to their guarantees "Rank On Google Page One in 60 Days or Less” – “Google Page One…or IT's FREE".
So I decided to try them out. And I made sure they understood that I was NOT a Local Business, did not want or need or benefit from Google Local Listings, since my website is offering digital products worldwide.
Their initial Set-up charge on my credit card was $299.

The following day, April 18th, they called me to remind me and clarify that I would be receiving a Google Postcard with a 5 digit PIN from Google, and that I MUST call them immediately upon receipt of my Google PIN for them to activate my account and begin the SEO for my 10 keywords.
Again I asked how long this would take, and he replied 3-5 days, at the most, and to make sure that I called 29'Prime as soon as I got it.
I then asked him again, how long will it then take for my site to rank on Google Page One? and he confirmed that it could take up to 60 days, but often some of my keywords would rank sooner, even in 30 days or less.
Again I asked him to confirm that if they could not get at least 3 of my keywords to rank on page one in the 60 days, their service was FREE ... and he assured me that the 29'Prime Guarantee was exactly that: "Rank On Google Page One in 60 Days...or it's FREE".
Later that same day a charge of $99 appeared on my credit card statement (apparently for the first month's 'service charge').

Four days later I had not yet received my Google PIN, so I emailed them a service ticket...immediately received a service ticket auto-confirmation response...but no one ever personally replied or answered my questions, and no one ever called me to resolve my inquiry!

One month after signing up, May 17th, I still had not received my Google PIN.
Later that same day a charge of $99 appeared on my credit card statement (apparently for the second month's 'service charge').
So I sent another email service ticket...and again I received the same auto-responder service-ticket auto-confirmation response...but no one ever personally replied or answered my questions, and no one ever called me to resolve my inquiry!

9 days later, May 26th, I finally got fed-up with them totally ignoring me and emailed the following:

"I am extremely frustrated and angry at the total lack of service from 29 Prime...
Since my initial payments of $299 on Apr 17th and $99 on Apr 18th, I had waited for 29 days for your postcard with my PIN number to arrive in order to activate my account!
Nothing had come...
Another payment of $99 was taken from my credit card again today, May 17th, and still nothing has been done with my account.
So I had by then already spent $497, with absolutely nothing to show for.
So I wrote you an e-mail with my displeasure and also placed a service ticket (#21928) to get an answer, but no one ever responded!
I was completely ignored...
So after patiently waiting for another 8 days, with no response from anyone human, I received an automatic auto-responder canned e-mail!
Your service is absolutely non existent and deplorable. You should be utterly ashamed!
It is now 38 days and I still have not received my PIN or even one single courtesy or follow-up call from any one at 29 Prime...
This is terribly and shamefully unprofessional behavior.

I have been in the construction service industry 30 years and I personally respond to every call within 8-12 hours, by myself, with no secretaries.
Your total lack of response is absolutely inexcusable and unacceptable.

This morning, May 26th, I finally made a phone call and waited, and was finally told that I was now first in line in the queue when a recorded message directed me to leave a voice message, so I opted for speaking with a service consultant, and waited, and repeated the process twice, and waited, and waited, until finally I could wait no longer and left a voice message...but no one responded to my message either.

I now have come to realize that 29 Prime cannot be relied upon or trusted at all. Your service really stinks!
I am so incensed with 29 Prime...yet I am still by the grace of God restraining my anger...for now...

I actually trusted your promise: "Front Page Placement Or It's FREE"!

Well the reality and the fact is that I already paid out $497 and 29 Prime has done absolutely nothing for me in 38 days, not even activated an account.
This is absolutely disgusting and totally intolerable!
NOT ONE SINGLE thing was done! An Absolute BIG FAT ZERO?
EXCEPT TAKE MY MONEY !

I thus demand a FULL REFUND of all my monies paid to date...and an immediate termination of any further or future payments ever again.

PLEASE REVERSE ALL AMOUNTS CHARGED TO MY CREDIT CARD IMMEDIATELY
- ALL CHARGES UP TO THIS DATE - ALL $497 - AND NOT ONE RED CENT LESS -
AND DO NOT EVER APPLY ANY FUTURE CHARGES - EVER AGAIN -
YOU DID NOT EVEN COME CLOSE TO KEEPING YOUR PROMISE
I DEMAND A FULL REFUND - NOW - - IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH ?

Furious,
--
Peter L Brenner”


Well, as usual... that was totally ignored as well, just like all of my other attempts.
8 days later, June 4th, I sent another email cancellation notice, and again was ignored on my third attempt.
I realized that in 2 weeks they would again be charging my credit card with another $99 for their 'monthly service charge' so I then called my credit card company to bar this merchant and stop 29'Prime from taking any more money from my account, and also initiated a dispute to reverse the first 3 charges (total of $497) for NON-PERFORMANCE of so-called services. So Mastercard proceeded to reverse these 3 charges on my behalf.
After 48 days of being totally ignored by 29 Prime…I get a refund from Mastercard. Boy was I relieved!!!
The next day, surprise, surprise! I got an email from 29'Prime ...
Never got any responses before this, either by email, or telephone, not even once, until I finally cut them off and got the 3 previous charges reversed...! So now I get a prompt email expressing their surprise!!!
They had the gall to sound surprised as to 'Why I had Cancelled?"
So I sent them a long email with all of the service tickets' numbers and finally they responded by email that they had closed my account and confirmed that my account was now shutdown.
And yet the "push-button Template webpage" they had put up for my so-called personal account, was still live, and still is today (August 13th, 2012) as of this writing.

Then about two weeks ago the BAD NEWS came that 29'Prime had sent my credit card company a 12 page record of service performance and Mastercard had re-billed my account with the 3 original charges, and I was out $497

I have tried several times to dispute these dishonest, fraudulant charges, with Mastercard, but they insist that since I voluntarily gave 29'Prime my credit card number and agreed to their TOS that I am on the hook...

In order to re-open my dispute I now have to prove to Mastercard that 29'Prime DID NOT perform the service as per their Terms Of Service, by providing an unbiased Third Party letter on that company's letterhead, providing a documented Second Opinion to the improbability of 29'Prime ever achieving their promises, demonstrating they did not perform the service, and that they violated their TOS...(since I paid for 60 days but nothing at all was done), and only then can my dispute be re-opened, with no guarantee that I will get my money back.

So the long and short is that I have been screwed out of my $497...

29'Prime is a scam operation and they will try to take you for as much money as they can.
Please beware…Stay away from them like the plague.

I sure would love to get these crooks behind bars, where they can no longer scam innocent business owners, but first must try to help all of us victims to get some of our stolen money back while we still can.
--
Peter L Brenner
Toronto, Canada
August 13, 2012

P.S. I give my express permission for you to publish this story on the site.
P.P.S. 29 Prime still advertises its business address as:
29 PRIME, 2233 West Balboa Blvd # 115, Newport Beach CA 92663 Tel: (949) 777-6616
So to verify, I actually contacted the Newport Beach Police Department (949) 644-3717 or (949) 644-3681
NBPD 24 hour Crime Tip Hotline: 800-550-NBPD or 800-550-6273 and reported their fraudulent activities.
There is no Suite #115 in that building at 2233 W. Balboa Blvd., and no such company at that address…period.
‘29 Prime’ is listed as a business with the Secretary of State in Nevada!

Complaints of harassment, dishonesty and fraud are also under investigation by the following agencies:
1 FBI – in Phoenix, Arizona - 21711 N. 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85024-5118 (623) 466-1999 Fax: ( 623) 466-1108
2 FBI – in Santa Anna, California - Box 1809 Santa Anna, CA 92702 (714) 542-8825
3 FBI – in Greater Los Angeles, California – 11000 Wilshire Blvd #17 Los Angeles, CA 90024-3603 (310) 477-6565
4 Irvine CA Police Department, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine CA 92606 (949) 724-6467
5 Newport Beach CA Police Department - 870 Santa Barbara Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (949) 644-3681
6 City of Irvine CA – Reports that business licenses for: 29 Prime, Your Local Merchant, Internet & OC Listing, and other operation front names associated with Russell Wallace and Forest Blackburn, revealed a hodge-podge of addresses and non-existent names of the companies’ “Person Of Process”.
7 California Attorney General's Office - P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 Toll-free: (877) 433-9069

Russell Wallace began scamming small businesses in 2007 with his SEO rip-offs using the name ‘Reliable Listing’, from there he changed names to ‘ilocal sem’, then later changed to ‘Your Local merchant’, and then to escape the heat changed again to ’29 Prime’. (This is where I got scammed and lost $497 for 60 days charges from 29 Prime).
His latest name changes connected to SEO rip-offs appears to be ‘Reliable Places’ and ‘ymslocal.com’. Please Beware… Every SEO company that Russell Wallace has owned or been a part of has not only had terrible press on the internet but also ruined many individual’s lives. Perform your due diligence before giving out your money!

Other authorities notified are: The Federal trade Commission, The Internet Fraud Site of The Federal Government, and The US Postal Inspectors, among others.
Note: A Class Action Lawsuit is now being prepared in Orange County Superior Court in Laguna Beach California.

They also violate Google’s Rules of Conduct, and Terms of Service, by posting glowing phony 5 Star Reviews of themselves (this was confirmed from the IP Address source), to fool prospective buyers and thus thereby luring people, victims, into their scam operations to rip them off for all the monies they possibly can, until the victim catches on and then it is too late! The honest small business owners’ livelihood is hurt and sometimes ruined!