ComplaintsforManufacturers' News, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  06/17/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  BBB complaint re mni directories and IndustryNet.com Arizona Manufacturers Directory (AMD)In February, 2024, we received a letter from mni that appeared to be a verification for a free listing in the **** It appears mni uses this inquiry letter as an order form. There is no indication that the letter is actually an order form.The letter begins with the statement: Your immediate response is needed to ensure that the listing for Sun Fashions Designs appears with full contact info alongside all of the other jewelry suppliers in the upcoming **** We sent the info, then received a statement for $233.00 in March, 2024 We have been receiving the advertisement letter from mni since 1997. We never purchased the advertising offer. The listing would appear automatically in the mni directory with normal print. Since 1997 through 2024, we have not received one inquiry from a prospect from ****** Is the Company not advertising?The letter we received is not titled as an invoice or purchase order. There is no indication, neither a notation nor a label on the letter describing that the letter is actually an order form. The letter is merely an advertisement, solicitation, requesting that an authorized person ensure the listing appears with full contact information. No representative from mni called to confirm a sale.In addition, the letter is confusing in that it refers to a basic listing. On the mni site, the search results refer to a preferred listing or a preferred supplier. Do positive reviews lead to the classification as a preferred supplier, or merely paying the money mni requests.*** says that if a customer is not completely satisfied with the service they do not have to pay. This is not true. When questioned, an mni rep insisted on payment to avoid collection. This solicitation letter is deceptive. We wish removal from their solicitation list, zero billing and a credit for the invoice. We have had the same experience as the other companies'complaints.

  Business response

  06/19/2024

  We do not force any customer to pay if not completely satisfied with our services, so we have credited the invoice and the customer will receive no further invoices or statements.  This is our first notification of any problem.  We have no record of the customer ever informing us they ordered in error.  Our records indicate that our customer service rep made four phone calls to the customer (4/9, 5/10, 5/23 & 6/7) to make sure that everything was to the customer's satisfaction, but in each case he had to leave a message on their company voice mail and did not hear back.  In any case, we have credited the invoice and removed this company from our mailing list.

  Customer response

  06/20/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company solicits via correspondence, but does it in a way to fool the buyer into thinking its a free ad service. They also said they made several call attempts to try and verify our "purchase" which we have no record of. Their customer service reps called to threaten that if we do not pay we will be sent to collections. They say if you are not satisfied with service you do not have to pay but that is a lie! We have been trying to get this invoice voided for weeks now and they asked us for proof from our answering service that they never attempted to call us which we sent to them and they still have not responded. Along with this, they have the rudest, most disrespectful people working customer service who have no problem raising their voice and yelling at you even when you talk to them with respect to bully you into paying for this scam.

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company has sent us a statement regarding past due invoice. They are now threating us if we do not pay by Sept 16, 2022 it will be forwarded to ********************** Services for collections. Which is so crazy because we had no idea we signed up for another year with them. We signed up for 2021 and have paid for the listing. Unfortunately, now they are stating we renewed for 2022. Which we do not have any signed documentation or authorization paperwork regarding renewing the listing. Our manager called to discuss the bill and the *** rep told them they called in Feb 2022 and we confirmed for another year. The bill was for the renewal for a full year for our company listing on their site and in their catalog which we had no record of ever giving them confirmation to renew. A statement showed up to our facility. When we called to get record of the conversation; the rep said they do not have recordings. You would think it be part of their policy if they run into issues like this; and by the looks of other complaints they have done others the same way. They need to do better and not assume and/or charge people for things they did or do NOT want. Also the rep had the audacity to mention how many visitors we have received on their site; unfortunately, as a company we have not seen any results from their site. We are not satisfied. It was a complete waste of resources. We will not be using them EVER again.

  Business response

  09/13/2022

  We do not force any customer to pay if not completely satisfied with our services, so we have credited the invoice in question.

  As the customer states, they ordered and paid for a preferred listing in last year's edition.  On 2/18/22 our sales rep ******************************* called ******************, the person who authorized last year's listing, and simply asked her if she would like to renew the advertising for this year's edition.  According to ********************, ************** said yes she did wish to renew.  We immediately mailed ************** an order confirmation dated 2/18/22 confirming the $220 renewal.  We were never notified of any problem or dispute over the next few months.

  So in late May the Register was published and distributed with the customer's preferred listing included.  It wasn't until June 1 that we were first notified of a problem.  ******************** remains adamant that he was given verbal authorization to renew this on 2/18/22, and that ************** must have simply forgotten, but again, we do not force any customer to pay if not completely satisfied, so we have credited the invoice and the customer will receive nothing further.

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We received a notice stating that a **** for advertising in the directory had been sent to collections. We did not authorize our business to be listed in the directory. Collections ****** calls demanding payment for a service we did not authorize. We had the same experience as other companies that have reviewed MNI. We did not want the service and never want the service in the future.

  Business response

  07/15/2022

  ******************** ordered and paid for advertising in our 2021 edition (their check #***** for $185.22 received 5/10/21).  On 7/22/21 our sales rep *************************** called ***************************** and asked him if he wished to renew the advertising for the 2022 edition at a cost of $199.  According to ******************, ********************** said yes, and we mailed him a confirmation of the renewal a few days later 7/26/21.

  At no point thereafter did we receive any instructions to change or cancel the order, so in January 2022 our 2022 edition was published and distributed with K.D.K.'s advertising included.  We mailed the company an invoice for the agreed upon $199 on 1/15/22.  Our records show we called the company 3/1 & 5/24 to inquire about the status of the invoice, but we could never talk to anyone and our messages were not returned.  Today is the first we're hearing about any dispute.

  We do not force any customer to pay if not completely satisfied with our services, so we have instructed our collection agency to cancel the placement and cease all contact with the customer.  We never would have placed it with the collection agency to begin with had we known this was disputed, but again, this BBB complaint is our first indication of any problem.  The customer apparently never attempted to contact us directly to resolve the matter.

• Initial Complaint

  04/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We received a letter from MNI Industynet.com that we would be listed in the Directory of ********** Manufactures, to please sign letter to EDIT our listing. We did so. Letter state DID NOT state that our signature would be authorizing a purchasing of an add. This is fraud! No where in letter does it states your signature is buying an add or authorizes a purchase. It implies you are only editing your company info for a directory and the cost of a listing $199, implying you have a choice to purchase, not that you ARE purchasing. Letter does not indicate you are buying ANYTHING by signing. Bait and Switch. FRAUD

  Business response

  04/20/2022

  First of all, we do not force any customer to pay if not completely satisfied, so we have credited the invoice and the customer will receive no further invoices or statements.

  That said, we are mystified by customer's allegation of "bait and switch" when he acknowledges that the sentence immediately prior to the signature line is "Cost of the basic phone, email & web listing, which is bold, is $199 due upon publication in March".  The last sentence is "We'll mail order confirmation and invoice".  We believe those two sentences are very clear.  Nowhere on the form does it state "please sign letter to EDIT our listing", as customer alleges, or anything else that implies or states the listing is free.

  Additionally, please note that the person filing this complaint is not even the person that placed the order.

  Regardless, we have credited the invoice and will not contact the customer any further.

• Initial Complaint

  02/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My office manager received a call from ************************************** collecting a debt for $197.00 from August 2021 for a Manufacturers ********* I am owner of a small (3 employee) contracting company and I asked everyone here if they've heard of MNI and all said no. She told the gentleman who called, no one here knows of this company or what they even do and that we have never even seen anything from the company. She instructed the person to email the Invoice so I can review it. In the meantime, I was opening the mail and received a statement from **************** Services regarding his earlier call to me. I still have not received a copy of such invoice via email.I immediately got on the BBB website, and noticed a few similar complaints, some with the same dollar amount owed. If you can help in anyway, I'd be most appreciative. I feel we do not owe this amount and I will send them notice to refrain from calling my place of business or communicating with me or my company in the future. I thank you for your assistance.Rich

  Business response

  02/06/2022

  Given the extensive correspondence sent to ******************************* personally, we are very surprised he claims not to be aware of this invoice until last week.  Back in April 2021, we mailed **************************** a solicitation to purchase a phone, web & email listing in our annual ************* Manufacturers Register and IndustryNet.com.  On 4/28/21 we were faxed a signed order for the proposed listing (see attachment).  As you can see, this fax clearly came from ******************************.  As is our standard procedure, we mailed ******************** a confirmation of his order on 5/6/21 (also attached).  This confirmation included a copy of his signed order.

  We were never notified of any problem, so in August the 2022 ************* Manufacturers Register was published and distributed with ****************************'s listing included.  At that time we mailed ******************** a copy of the IndustryNet section featuring his listing, as well as an invoice for the agreed upon $197 (attached).  We followed that up by mailing statements of account balance on October 1, November 1 and December 1.  Additionally, we emailed ******** Trucking documentation about this invoice on 9/28/21, and called the company on 10/19 and 11/9.  ********** the call went to voice mail and we left a message, but our calls were not returned.

  Finally in late January, when the invoice still had not been paid, and we still had heard nothing from the customer as to why, we had no choice but to turn the invoice over to a collection agency.  So after all the above it appears we finally now have the customer's attention. It would have been nice if he had given us a call and asked for clarification of this invoice, but it appears he chose to contact the Better Business Bureau before even giving us a chance to explain or resolve this matter.

  We do not force any customer to pay if not completely satisfied with our services, so we have instructed the collection agency to cease collection efforts.  But we hope the customer will review all of the above (and the attached documentation), and reconsider his position that this is a "scam" worthy of the attention of the BBB.

   

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩