Menu
Login
On 10/25/15 met and signed a contract with Steve Barenfeld, North East VP Managing Editor of Choice Media [protected] providing 5 promotional ways of advertising. (1) Print ad in the Our Towns Finest Magazine to be distributed in local Shoprite grocery store, (2) Win a cruise for 2 promotion (3) Provide us with county resident's email addresses for email blast (4) QR code for when someone scans barcode on their phone from the print ad he takes them to our website (5) two local cable commercial spots
We did not get any of the above except a copy of the fake publication, which was suppose to go to print in 8-10 weeks it took 14 weeks. During those extra 4-6 weeks I called and emailed the sales rep Steve Barenfeld 6 times, never heard from him. When I didn't get a response from Steve I starting emailing the only other names I had off of the invoices I received Brandon [protected]@otfmagazine.com and Isabel [protected]@otfmagazine.com in customer service on a weekly basis from October 2015 to March 2016. Neither one ever replied. Finally in February 2016 received an email from Pat White
Communication Coordinator [protected]@otfmagazine.com regarding the commercial spots. Checked the day and times she said and never ever saw the 13 second ad run. Once again no replies to my excessive phone calls and emails.
Then in April 2016 receive an email from Pat White this time her title is Customer Service Supervisor
at [protected] and she tells me Shoprite will no longer be having a free publication rack! Their solution to that was to distribute the publication as a direct mail piece. That was all malarkey, Shoprite never had one to begin with, I shop there on a weekly basis and never, ever saw one! Plus we have several of our customers that live within that Shoprite area where the direct mail was suppose to go out to the community and none of them received the mailing!
From April 2016 to July 2016 I have emailed Pat White and Steve Barenfeld countless times requesting a full refund of $1825.00 for breach of contract but like all other emails they go unanswered!
This guy steve baren (caller id:steve barenfield [protected]) called us telling us he was offering a free article about our company. he told us to call back at [protected] and we did but luckily we googled his number and found this about him. report him to the ftc.gov, fcc and your state's attorney general including both names and numbers.
This "gentleman" (Steve Barenfeld [protected]) called us today claiming that he was coming into town as a representative of "Today In" magazine group, that they were getting ready to start distributing "Today in Las Vegas" and are working with Whole Foods where the magazines will be distributed, plus email blasts, sending magazines to businesses. He mentioned the cruise promotion (and that when my clients would win so would I) and a bonus of 50 free TV commercials... a 5 Part Media Program. He said that the magazine is already in 18 states but couldn't answer what cities - fell all over himself when I started asking very direct questions. He told me my cost was only $40 per week for 30 weeks. I told him I was on google and couldn't' find his magazine - he said he didn't know about the internet and that's why they wanted to visit me in person to "show" me the high quality magazine, etc. Anyway, obviously a scam. I'm sure some people will bit though. We all need to report him to the FBI and hopefully get him shut down (and any organization he might be working with). Our company actually fell victim to this type of scam before and we did report the fellow as did others - when they arrested him he got jail time and was ordered to pay restitution to those he had taken money from under false pretenses. That may be the only way you get your money back.