Menu
Australian Wine Index

Australian Wine Index review: Fraud 31

R
Author of the review
6:36 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I received a mysterious charge on my bank account for $24.95. The vendor is AWI Ft. Lauderdale. I have no idea what this is and am having a hard time disputing. My bank CHASE can not locate the charge either. Good luck with this buill[censored] company that hacks into your account and posts charges that no one can figure out what they are for.

More Australian Wine Index reviews & complaints

Australian Wine Index - boiler room wine investment scam 416
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Australian Wine Index - Empty Promises 6
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Australian Wine Index - Empty promises
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
31 comments
S
S
Snuffe
, US
Aug 01, 2012 8:36 am EDT

The same $24.95 unauthorized charge from AWI appeared on my account. No idea how these guys got my card #.

E
E
edhernz06
, US
Aug 18, 2015 11:21 pm EDT

I wish I did my research before signing my Independent contract and SOW to work for AWI Enterprises. After I completed my training that I paid for thru Arise, I became certified and began taking calls. I was never contacted by AWI, I worked an entire month and still no pay, I began to try and contact Alma the CEO and one day after several attempts she picks up the phone and says she is in the midst of taking care of the payroll and that she would make it right! Now a month later and no pay and no one ever seems to answer the calls? I urge you not to make the same mistake I did and countless others have trusting Alma and AWI.

V
V
Verille
, US
Jul 30, 2012 7:44 am EDT

Got a call from by Bank saying that they saw a suspicious charge from AWI in Ft. Lauderdale. I've never heard of them. The bank stopped the charges thankfully. But I had to get a new card because of it.

A
A
ashultz8
Lyons, US
Jan 26, 2012 9:04 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

There are charges on my bank account from this group and I cannot contact them when I call the 888#. I am unsure how to stop more charges from occurring. Please help.

Thank you,
Amber

T
T
Taryn M
, US
Apr 15, 2015 2:55 am EDT

THIS LADY IS A PURE THEIF!

T
T
this lady should be shut down
vb, US
Mar 02, 2015 11:16 pm EST

AWI does not pay their csp they tell you that you are going to be terminated if u keep contacting them. never found out how much my py rate was until a couple month later, this ibo was out of the country and only texts once a week and then calls you 'sis' and tells you she will help you but never does. she is a liar and fires people once they should be getting their pay and hires more people for another three months and tries to fire them too. she thinks this contract she send and if u sign it according to her you are stuck or pay her anywhere from $500 to $20, 000 SCAM! the contract as she puts is in breach the moment she does not communicate like she says she will, the moment she dont pay you, the moment she refuses to tell you the pay. and the SOW she only sends you half of it she is a scammer. she is good at saying they changed the pay dates but you never get any money from them. i have worked over 80 hours with no pay and been told three different paydays with still no money and now her phone number and websites are all gone on awienterprises.com and she is using awienterprises.net until that account is deactivated. she is a scammer and tried to play it as she is a christain and she may be but Christains i know dont lie or scam people. you have to do training for two months and then you are suppose to get paid and it never happens. she has done this to so many people. she will offer you to be a partner or district manager but never pays you. not sure how she has anyone working under her. also heard she never sent out the 1099 that were due to be mailed january. i have filed a labor board and bbb complaint and was told many has also done the same. she is a liar and not sure why somebody dont shut her but down or sue her for embezzlement for misusing payroll funds. those are to go to the csp not her trip to china. worse person and company i ever ran across in my life.

T
T
truthteller16
Murrieta, US
Feb 22, 2015 2:32 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I too have been taken from that crazy ### and her doormat husband Jeffrey. They owe me and a few of my friends alot of money. I started servicing for this ### in Dec 2013, I worked 120 hours and she paid me for 80 hours and paid me $9.00 an hour when Arise was paying $10.75 an hour plus an incentive of $3.00 more per hour. I got a Christmas check of $429.00 for all those hours I serviced. She ruined my family's Christmas that year then ended my SOW with my client when I asked to be released. EVIL ###. Thank God they know all about her and helped me get my SOW back due to her immature ###. Alma Hissong needs to be taken down and pay everyone what she owes them. She wouldnt have her nice house, cars, or multiple vacations if she wasnt STEALING our money. And the fact that she is soo insecure that she has to boast about being the CEO big ###ing deal CEO of EVIL THIEVES ya be proud of that. Cant wait to see her taken down once and for all . I hope she gets to experience a horrible Christmas damn SCROOGE. Glad to see her website is disabled I hope she is out of business and thrown in JAIL where she deserves to be. In jail may they violate you and make you their 24/7 ###.

U
U
Unfairworkfromhome
Brooklyn, US
Oct 25, 2014 2:39 pm EDT

I would like to contact everyone to form a class action suit. Please contact me at fightforyourpay@gmail.com. No one should have to go thru this type of situation. Please forward your contact information and your experience with permission for an attorney to contact you to advocate on your behalf. The more people that respond, will allow the suit to be proceed. As everyone is across the states, it will be a federal case.

T
T
TomXccUs
Tecumsec, US
Oct 23, 2014 9:32 pm EDT

Jeffrey Hissong payroll@awienterprises.net via xcc.us
Oct 15 (8 days ago)

to tom
INVOICE of servicing for the period of 09/16/2014 - 09/30/2014 – 107 Calls X $1.00/Call = $107.00 - $19.75 Arise Service Fee = $87.25 - $500.00 Early Termination Fee = TOTAL BALANCE OF -$412.75

J
J
justme2014
Sumner, US
Oct 21, 2014 8:53 pm EDT

Unfairworkfromhome: I think you can ask Support to drop you from AWI so that you can moved to a new IBO. I had a contract with AWI and moved to own IBO, they are not trying to say I owe a fee as well for leaving (not in contract so nope). They also did not pay me for hours I worked and asked me to stop contacting them about getting my pay...I would suggest BBB, https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/Details#crnt complaint and www.adr.org (as stated in the SOW). Maybe even Labor Department and AWI's state business licensing department for complaint.

U
U
Unfairworkfromhome
Brooklyn, US
Oct 21, 2014 4:31 pm EDT

AWI Enterprises is posting a video of someone by the name of Nelson Castillo who is no longer a Performance FACILITATOR. He was demoted and he is just a csp. The things people will do to hype there business. No one should have to sign a 2 yr contract contract to be ripped out nor should anyone be charged. anywhere from 500.00 to 1, 000 to be in a contract when they have to pay their own taxes. No one should be told after the fact that she will not drop you if you want to explore your options by working with another IBO. Why would anyone want to sign a 2 yr contract. Oh by the way, if you decide to go further. Read the direct deposit form and then call your bank. They will tell you never give someone the power to take money from your account unless it is for a bill.

J
J
justme2014
Sumner, US
Oct 21, 2014 8:39 am EDT

When I say it's not fraud I mean the Partner Company (Arise).
But agree that AWI is a fraud and scammer. I was sent a Independent Contract from AWI. I left and became my own IBO, at which time Alma tried to tell me I will owe $500 for not being there a year. All lies as no where in the Contract does it state that, in fact says CANNOT be more than a year. Also they have not paid me my last pay check as well as other times I worked, and now they will not respond. The SOW says we need to go to www.adr.org for disputes. Maybe if enough of us go they will do a Class Action and close her down! I am also going to BBB, her state business licensing agency and https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#&panel1-7 if to complain. Here is a great blog to check out as well http://simpsonthomaspgmailcom.blogspot.com/2012/02/arise-work-at-home.html

U
U
Unfairworkfromhome
Brooklyn, US
Oct 20, 2014 10:43 am EDT

Miranda I know exactly what you are talking about. I was working with AWI for over 3 yrs. When I first started she never mentioned to me when I asked about what her expectation was to servicing via her company. She let me I would have to service with her for 1 yr as I did.
For the last 3 months my pay looked like crap and she blame Arise. Bad enough the invoices are made up by her husband and doesn't look like the invoice she gets. She makes up stuff as she goes along without giving people options. She lied to me about client changing how the pay would be in the middle of the contract. She also told me she put in a ticket for my adherence and it was denied. Well what she didn't know is I put in a ticket and it was approved. After I caught her in a lie not once but 3 times. I sent her what sow my pay was supposed to be based on.
Half the time she does not know all the facts with each client. Before anyone else decides to sign up with her, please don't she doesn't tell you how much she is taking from you to run her business. She doesn't want to remove your name because it will effect her Premier status. The more names she has in her database, the better it looks for her. If enough of us got together, please lets start a class action suit. So that companies like this will get the message. Work at home doesn't mean you have to be treated like an immigrant.

M
M
Miranda PH
, US
Oct 16, 2014 11:35 am EDT

AWI is a fraud has posted on website and thru correspondence they send no contract, I'm trying to be released, so that I can join another Premier Partner and was told that I have to PAY $1000 for a TERMINATION FEE FOR A CONTRACT, when I asked for a signed copy of this contract, I received NOTHING of course I knew this because I never signed one and wouldn't have. I also was not paid for hours worked and had and still have my time scheduled and worked for proof. THIS COMPANY TELLS LIES AND KEEPS YOUR MONEY, BE CAREFULL OF BECOMING AN CSP WITH THEM!

J
J
justme2014
Sumner, US
Jul 10, 2014 8:53 pm EDT

Oh let me add...your 'paystub' is an email of what looks like a screenshot of an excel spreadsheet pasted into the email...with your name and memo that says: INVOICE of servicing for the period of 01/01/2014 - 01/15/2014 **.** Hours X $**.**/Hour = $***.** - $**.** Arise Service Fee = $***.** - $***.** (CSP 101 $**.** & Course $***.**) = TOTAL EARNINGS OF $**.**...no joke that is your Invoice

J
J
justme2014
Sumner, US
Jul 10, 2014 8:41 pm EDT

To those comments about AWI Enterprise-aka Alma-it is not Fraud as is legit work and will get paid. BUT would say not good to work for. Will offer to pay for the courses and then take it out of your checks in full until paid...with out telling you this beforehand. And when you ask for a copy of receipt to show what they were charged from Arise you get no response. Also deduct for the monthly fee Arise charges them for each CSP...again without telling you this. They hold many weekly (non paid) meetings, which once you've gone don't really need again. But even though you are an Independent Contractor, they act like you have to attend them all, every week. Yet when you do decided to log in, many times no one is around, text them and no responds. Days later get response that times/dates were changed yet no communication was sent out of this. Once you are trained you are ignored and not supported. Suppose to contact them when unable to log in and work as scheduled, but when you do they say don't worry about it. You get emails of mandatory 1on1 meetings, with days and times she will be in a Adobe Room...and that has to be done by certain date; yet no one is there. When text/email about it on last day to be done by...are asked to reschedule for a diff day...set that up and no show and no response to text/email asking where they are...OMG really and she calls herself a CEO? You are better off becoming your own IBO.

R
R
Raven Dupres
Spring Branch, US
May 19, 2014 2:56 pm EDT

I applied, attended the online Webinar which was confusing but added my name to the list of applicants. Alma said she would wave the fee for those who attended the Webinar but then I was asked for my Direct Deposit information because they said that I owed $50 for the Webinar and another large amount for further training. To make phone calls? Sheesh! I have worked for online companies for 10 years now and the legitimate ones sometimes pay ME for being trained. They definitely pay me for my work. Give AWI and AWI Enterprises and Arise a thumbs down and an Ignore. Unless you want to work for nothing and pay for the privilege.

N
N
Nicole Washington
san Bernardino, US
May 19, 2014 1:31 am EDT

Alma from AWI Enterprises is a fraud and a thief! she pretends to be all friendly by calling you "sis" but the first chance given she will rob you blind.
Please either become an ibo or choose a different one! Also this has nothing To do with Arise!

M
M
moonsister22
San Antonio, US
Jan 07, 2014 10:25 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

What I don't understand is their Direct Deposit authorization. At the bottom you have to sign to agree that they can WITHDRAW money from your account to correct problems with the DD pay they gave you. I contacted my bank - Wells Fargo and they said that authorizing anyone to withdraw money for any reason other than paying a bill (your utility bill, your mortgage etc.) seems to be a fraudulent use of DD forms.

U
U
Unknown777
Spokane, US
Jan 04, 2014 9:29 pm EST

Yeah Alma. Get real.

S
S
scammedbyascammer
nothin, US
Dec 27, 2013 9:34 am EST

alma is a scam artist and she's takin from us hardworking csps ALMA N THIS WHY DON'T U SEND AN INVOICE HUH? WHY DON'T U SEND ME AN INVOICE OF THE HOURS I WORKED THIS ### PAYED ME $56 FOR 2 WEEKS OF OVER 60 HRS OF WORK N IT WAS HOLIDAY TIME SO IT WAS PLENTY OF CALLS...THAT WAS MY CHRISTMAS CHECK $56 ###IN DOLLARS THANK GOD FOR MY PARENTS OR I WOULDNT OF HAD A CHRISTMAS FOR MY BABY GIRL...IM SUIN DA HELL OUTTA DIS COMPANY MAN...ITS SLAVE LABOR N IT'S NOT ARISE'S FAULT ITS AWI ENTERPRISES... N THAT WITCH ALMA CURSE U ### TAKIN VACATIONS ON MY DIME!

J
J
jj walker 3
Orange, US
Dec 05, 2013 10:49 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I called just now and why is your message full especially if you have effecient staff.

N
N
Not An AWI Sucker
, US
May 18, 2013 7:04 pm EDT

to the comment from "Paula"...i just read your post, and boy your writing and everything sure seems like the person, "Alma--the AWI CEO" that's posting on all of the other blogs about this company...the writing, grammatical errors, and every thing is identical...is this what you do? just go from review to review reviewing your company? yea, something stinks!

I think what i have read about this company is true...it's a SCAM!...other companies have received not so great ratings or review as well, but i have yet seen any of them go to this extent to make their company look plausible...now i'm convinced.

P
P
PAULA 143
Miami Springs, US
Apr 08, 2013 11:42 pm EDT

Mine is different I work with AWI ENTERPRISES and they dont take fees bec they are work at home, they pay me well and guys for those who wants to work at home, AWI ENTERPRISES is the name, they are not AWI only they are AWI ENTERPRISES, so its not related to the above comments, I change the topic lol. WANNA WORK AT HOME, Veterans Military MoMs Dads ANyone with Disability this is great AWI ENTERPRISES www.awienterprises.com click APPLY NOW and on the form pls add my name as the one who referred you, its my name PAULA.
AGAIN its a WORK AT HOME COMPANY PAY IS BETWEEN 8-22 per hour depending on the client you wanna service. OVER 40 CLIENTS YOU CAN SELECT, WOW!

K
K
katep73
Chicago, US
Aug 01, 2012 9:00 am EDT

did you give an employment application somewhere in FL?

I
I
Irene Rodriguez
San Pedro, US
Mar 10, 2012 6:43 pm EST

I also had to cancel my card as well. They have all your info. Put a fraud alert on your accounts.

S
S
sjain05
Hicksville, US
Feb 03, 2012 3:42 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

The same thing happened to me twice. I got charged 24.95 on two consecutive days.
I called bank of america and they put me on conference with one of AWI representatives and she told me that she charged my card once when it clearly shows that i was charged twice, which the bank representative confirmed.
AWI agreed to send me 24.95 and not the other charge for which my bank gave me a claim number to.
I hope banks act strong and protect their customers because this is just not right.

J
J
Janet Nickerson
Wevertown, US
Jan 30, 2012 4:45 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I also noticed a charge on my account that I had not entered in my checkbook. When I called my bank they suggested I check AWI online and that's when I saw Amber's post. I am headed to my bank now to cancel my card.

J
J
jh1982
, US
Jan 28, 2012 1:16 am EST

Amber, please call your bank. I just noticed two charges on my debit card and they have to issue a new card for me. Your bank or credit card company will be able to handle this for you.

C
C
Carmen2
Nixa, US
Jan 25, 2012 3:44 pm EST

My bank account was also affected by this company. I contacted Bank of America fraud division and they have set up a fraud claim to get my money back. Be on the watch out for FRC in Seattle WA. The exact same set up as AWI. Contact your bank and make them research your losses.

D
D
Dmsm
Susquehanna, US
Dec 30, 2011 6:39 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

The same thing has happened to me and I have tried reaching the company several times with no success. Guess I'll just have to suck it up.