The Net Effect Scam?

As I wrote back on September 26, I had received my first issue of The Net Effect when I got my copy of Stomping the Search Engines 2.

Then about three weeks ago, I was billed for my second issue of the magazine.

Well now it’s November 13, and I still haven’t receive squat from them… meaning no magazine, no e-mail explaining the delay… nothing… ziltch… nadda…

I suppose my use of the word “scam” in this post title is too harsh, because there’s no sign of anything more malicious going on here aside from complete and utter incompetence. Clearly they’re having deliverability problems combined with a severe lack of customer communication.

Taking that in additional to the steep monthly cost of the magazine (I can get an entire year of Sports Illustrated for the cost of ONE issue of The Net Effect), it becomes pretty clear this is a BAD DEAL.

Now I just need to find that phone number to call so I can cancel my subscription…

Update: as soon as I published this post, I see from their web site that they’ve supspended new orders due to problems with their fullfillment company. Gee… it would have been nice to be told this through an e-mail, a postal letter, or a phone call.

Okay, so they’re having problems with the fullfillment company. Boo hoo for them. They already billed me for over $60 for the second issue and DVD, and the fact remains I didn’t recieve the issue, I never got a refund, and I was never contacted about the situation.

Perhaps if they had contacted me early on I would be more understanding. Too late.

Stompernet, you screwed up on this one.

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Stomping the Search Engines 2

Yesterday I finally received my copy of Stomping the Search Engines 2 (STSE2) via UPS, along with a copy of the Net Effect trade magazine. If you’ve already ordered your own copy of STSE2, you know that they try to upsell you on a few additional packages, and if you purchase all of the additional products you’ll spend over $400. If not, I want to make sure you know that. You also subscribe to the Net Effect magazine, so if you don’t want that, you’ll have to cancel it after your first order arrives.

Now I have to admit that I did purchase a couple of the extra packages. I opted to receive the StomperNet Insiders’ DVD of the Month that will accompany each issue of the Net Effect. I also ordered the Mega Pack, which is a collection of 4 or 5 modules covering additional topics such as Pay Per Click advertising. All said, I spent about an extra $100 on the upgrades.

So far I’ve watched the module 1 videos from the STSE2 disc, and while they were basic and introductory in nature (which is expected for module 1), the quality was excellent. I’m looking forward to watching the entire course.

My initial reaction to the Net Effect magazine wasn’t as positive. I quickly skimmed through it, read the first article, and thought that it wasn’t worth $30 a month. Later I decided to read through more of the articles, and they were all great. So while I’m still on the fence, I’m liking it more than I did at first glance, and have decided to remain subscribed through at least the second issue before making a final decision on it.

I haven’t had a chance to watch any of the extra videos from the Insiders’ DVD of the Month or the Mega Pack discs. When I do get a chance to watch those videos, I’ll post a note letting you know what I think of them.

If you have already started watching Stomping the Search Engines 2 or read the Net Effect (or watched any of the extra videos) then I’d love to know what you think of them! Please share your comments below…

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