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Have I been duped?

preciousairepreciousaire subscriber Posts: 2
edited December 2007 in Public Relations
I went to Invent-tech nearly 2 years ago, paid them almost $8,000


and all I`ve done is mail out flyers.




I am afraid I`ve been duped, is there any way to recoup my losses? Should I




continue to mail out the flyers? Is there a way I can get my flyers noticed




by the manufactoring companies??? HELP!

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    nevadasculnevadascul subscriber Posts: 3 Member
    Hi,`
    I looked Invent-tech up on the internet and found numerous post from people that used their services at Rip-Offs Reports.  I arrived at the URL below by typing in "Invent tech" on my google search window.  Or, you can use the URL.
     





     
    Here is the opening paragraph from one of those post:
     
    I used to work at Invent-Tech. They are a bunch of thieves, there is absolutley no doubt about it. They`ve had over 50,000 clients and have only licensed a little over 180 products, they`re losers! That is less than a .5% (HALF OF ONE PERCENT) percent chance of getting your product licensed using this company. Roulette has, approximately, a 48% chance of winning. So, indeed, you would have much, much better odds of success at a Roullette table. Would you pay eight grand for a vehicle, for example, that only had a .5% chance of working?
    (edited for formatting only, not content)
    Joel12/27/2007 10:48 AM
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    stonesledgestonesledge subscriber Posts: 608 Silver Level Member
    Hi preciousaire ,
     
    I definatley think that you have been taken advantage of. I am certain that is you contact your attorney that you can have some kind of recourse. At the very least contact the Better Business Bureau, any associations that they may be involved in and there local chamber of commerce.Could you tell us a bit more about your product that you have?
     
    Erin
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    LiveWiseLiveWise subscriber Posts: 5
    I`m sorry you were taken advantage of.  There are a lot of companies that PREY upon the dreams of entreprenuers and new businesses.  They know that people are already sold on the business deal and that they need to get the word out there and advertise/promote.  I feel like these people are con artists, scammers, and/or theives.  I feel like their business is illegal and immoral.  I believe that they can`t have a conscience to continue to do what they do.
     
    If I were you, I would call them and RECORD THE CONVERSATION.  Try to get Invent-tech to state what they said they would do and what actually happened.  You can tell them that you would like your money back.  It`s likely that they won`t agree.  I would then tell them you will be contacting the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General`s Office.  Check with your state law, but I don`t think you don`t have to tell them you are recording the call.  It could be very valuable to get a recording about  what they promised you to provide to anybody that would like to hear  (BBB or AG`s Office)
     
    Definitely, contact and submit complaints with each of the following:   The Better Business Bureau, The Attorney General`s Office, and any Consumer protection/advocate groups.  It`s probably not worth hiring an attorney to get your money back.  I don`t know how far you`d get with small claims--there`s a cap on how much you can sue for.  I know you spent a lot of money.  There are so many loopholes in the legal system that the law doesn`t always favor the honest.  Invent-Tech can say that they did what you hired them to do and that it`s your fault that your business didn`t succeed.  I think you will be more powerful with an agency that can do an investigation (not at your expense) and be able to fine them, penalize them and/or shut them down.  The worst thing you can do is not to contact the agencies because Invent-Tech will continue their antics untouched.  Eventually, after enough complaints, the agencies have to do something.
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    preciousairepreciousaire subscriber Posts: 2
    I was trying to understand the "legaleeze" in the regulations relating to deceptive practices and I`m sure I`ve been taken, I`m just not clear on which if any part of the law was actually broken.
     I released my idea to Invent-tech and gave them $750 to do a patent search which they naturally found to be `submittable` although they don`t get the patent for me until I have a manufacturer, then I sent them just over $7000 for a web address which I can send prospective manufacturers to (only after they sign a non-disclosure form which Invent-tech has) and a DVD of my invention on a computer graphics program plus 2 binders touting the wonders of my invention. I am under no further financial burden to them except that I pay for postage to send out these fliers once a month.
     This has been going on since May of 2006 and I have only been told to be patient that these things take time, then I found out during a phone call that my contract is up in May (2 years) and Invent-tech is under no further obligation.
     My invention enables infants to receive enough air to oxygenate them no matter what position they lay in. My study of SIDS tells me that since physicians have begun telling mothers to position their infants on their backs for sleep, incidences of SIDS have dropped 40%!!! That`s a huge number!!! and when my invention gets marketed that number should go even higher because infants begin to roll over in their sleep after about 3 months of age and they have not escaped the chance of SIDS until they are a year old.
     Scientists think that SIDS happens when a type of oxygen sensor in a child`s brain is underdeveloped and when the child sleeps on their stomach they cause an air pocket against their arm or a blanket or pillow, they re breathe that trapped air until all the oxygen is gone and they are only breathing the carbon dioxide they exhaled, finally they don`t have enough oxygen to sustain them and they die. They do not fight because that sensor in their brain doesn`t work correctly, `normal` children would turn their head or cry or something to increase the oxygen to their system.
     PreciousAire can prevent that from happening, it is lightweight and affordable by almost anyone. I have designed a model for home and for travel and I know that every mother, grandmother, auntie and friend would want to have one because peace of mind is priceless.
     
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    LiveWiseLiveWise subscriber Posts: 5
    That sounds like a worthwhile invention.  It sounds as if you`ve done a lot of research and got something that could save lives.  Good luck with getting it to market.
     
    Natalie
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    MillsFootwearMillsFootwear subscriber Posts: 3
    Wow, that Sucks!! Always look into a company before giving them your hard earned or borrowed money.
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    preciousairepreciousaire subscriber Posts: 2
    I know that, and I knew that, but they were on TV and they seemed so sincere, I guess I just wanted so badly to believe that I could really do this, that I had been given the vision to help these babies.
    We lost my God-daughter to SIDS in 1984 when she was just 5 months old, I was the last one to see her alive and I changed her and put her on her tummy to sleep (just like I had been doing with my kids for years) and she never woke up, it eventually broke up a marriage and has scarred all of us forever, this was my chance to make a difference.
    I am thinking of doing something else when I get my invention released from Invent-Tech like "American Inventors" or Oprah Winfrey, something!!! Does anyone know how one protects the invention without a patent? or how to obtain a patent when it`s still just a consept?
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    reaprreapr subscriber Posts: 1
    Sorry to hear about your situation.  You can always call them with a list of detailed questions and take some good notes for future reference.
    Then call your states Attorney General`s Office and explain to the person on the other end your situation and see if there is any recourse. They can also point you to some good resources too.
    When ever getting involved in something online always search using the words, forum, scam, company you may be amazed at how much money and grief you will save yourself.  Just about any company online that does a fair amount of business will have a few negative comments but if you run across a huge amount of comments and very few good this should be a red flag.
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