Marks Enterprises: Save Your Money

I own a couple of websites, and I'm always on the lookout for new ways to market them. I'm usually quite business savvy, but this time I almost got scammed by the so-called "Internet Marketer of the Year, 2007" Nick Marks. Almost, but I outsmarted he who should be called "Scam Artist of the Year", since that's definitely a more appropriate title. On June 2, I signed up for a package that provided a bunch of e-books on marketing. One of the "free" offers was the Rapid Business Growth DVD by Nick Marks. I only had to pay $7.95 for shipping. I figured what the heck.

If I decided to get the DVD, I was supposed to get a "free" website as thanks. Well, $197 dollars a year to host a website is not free, Mr. Marks. However, the website was custom made for me, I like its premise, and I will keep it for a year, but that's it. The customer service for the website is also efficient, and they answered my questions.

However, that's where all of the good things stop. When I signed up for the DVD, I also got myself into a subscription plan, wherein I had to pay $37.95 a month for his ridiculous magazine and DVD of the month. I had no plans to continue with my subscription, and since the site clearly indicated that I could cancel at any time, and provided contact information, I figured I was all set.

Well, I wasn't. The DVD was supposed to come within 7 to 10 business days, and I still haven't gotten it. Plus, when I decided to cancel my subscription, all of the ways to contact customer service resulted in absolutely no answers, no confirmations, nothing.

Unfortunately, I paid for the shipping through my debit card, and since they had that on file, I knew that they would start charging me automatically starting a month after I placed the order. No way was I letting that happen. Yesterday, I went to the bank and changed my debit card. So, when Nick Marks tries to get money from me, he will meet with a lovely "unable to process transaction" kind of message.

Bottom line: don't purchase anything online with your debit card or credit card unless it is a major retailer. For all other purchases, pay only with PayPal, as you can cancel subscriptions and get refunds efficiently. And, above all things, stay away from any website by or affiliated with Nick Marks.