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As an ex-employee I can say that HIT Web Design, formerly known as Heritage Web Solutions, was once a great company to work for. Unfortunately this is no longer the case.
I had worked there for 2 and a half years and in the past year, HIT (who changed their name to run away from their bad reputation) has seriously gone down hill. It supposedly all started when customers began charging back on their credit cards due to a flurry of bad complaints in a scared economy (which actually never happened, they are just very greedy).
Needless to say the company is ran very unprofessionally. They were once the leaders in custom website design but have now abandoned their business model...
When you treat your employees so poorly they will not give the customers the kind of help they need. That is why there are so many customer and employee complaints.
This all has now come to a head as Utah's ABC4 News will soon be airing an investigative report on how HIT Web Design has lied and cheated their customers. The ABC4 News crew showed up Friday October 16th to interview employees on what has been going on.
The air date has yet to be released so please contact Annie Cutler of ABC4 News to express your disgust with HIT Web Design/ Heritage Web Solutions at [protected]@abc4.com
Let's make sure HIT Web Design will not continue doing this to customers!
i am also an ex-employee this as all true! i believe that the ABC 4 news story will air later this week.
HIT Web Design will do whatever they need to in order to safe face and the company as a whole. No matter what, we all know their business is going down the toilet when all they do is ask for more and more from their customers and employees and give nothing in return.
Dave Aitken, CEO at HIT, is ignorant to think that just because employees make good money (or atleast used to), that it is considered treating them fairly. Is that fair? NO!
Well said. HIT's customers have no idea how bad it really is there and its disgusting how HIT management are such cowards as to deny the truth that has mounted up before them.
They should just "man up", "dial the phone" and admit they are the ### we all know they are!
WOW! Things are worse than I thought...
Someone who knows, it seems you have some great perspective on this. I do not apologize for anything that I've said but I should not have called Dave and Jeremy "uneducated idiots". It is not easy to create a business as successful as HIT once was.
It is disappointing that they have abused their power and have got so greedy over time.
Someone who knows, thank you for your words, integrity and honesty.
What a good way to discredit everything, "grow up please". But it all ties into speech patterns, which, by nature, cannot be manipulated. all the postings have very distinct, and different, speech patterns. you know that "grow up please" is Dave Aitken..
Now Dave, you know you can not speak out of both sides of your mouth, even though we know you try! You would send emails stating that our compensation was so good we couldn't find work anywhere else to make the money we needed to support our families. That was EXTREMLEY intimidating and the money was the only thing that kept us there. THIS IS WHY PEOPLE WERE NOT WALKING OUT!
You would also tell us that there was no where to go and it was a dead job market but we are welcome to leave if we were unhappy. WHAT A MIND GAME! HOW DECEPTIVE!
I was told by a manager that they "only need one more paycheck and im out of here!"
Now Dave, dont do what everyone thinks you are going to do and flip out. I would sit down with your managers, suck up to them and let them know how much you appreciate them.
Or, maybe you could send one of your oh-so-powerful threatening emails. This is your choice...
Just to reitterate, "donebeingbullied" is referring to Dave Aitken's, aka "GrowUpPlease", threat to Bryce Turpin.
Dave was assumptive, as usual, in stating that Bryce is posting while he is at work.
I am paraphrasing as this thread is becoming VERY long...
Ryan, you are a smart guy and have been nothing but helpful to employees who asked you for help at anytime. I am sorry that they stuck you in the middle of this.
By your understanding you know HIT management to be reasonable and sensitive. You have never (for atleast the 2 and a half years i worked there) had close association with the sales team and how it was ran.
Please don't put yourself out there saying that HIT management is reasonable and sensitive. You dont have the capabilities to make a blanket statement like that. You have no idea what hell everyone on the sales team went through to bring in the money to support their families! There was even a sales manager who was constantly humiliated just to "motivate" the sales team. How sad is that?! This same sales manager was very sick one day and was forced to come in. He puked in front of everyone! How embarrassing!
THAT IS NOT SENSITIVE OR FAIR AND THIS ALL HAPPENED ALL THE TIME!
I know you have a nice family to support and need to protect the place you work at but please dont make blanket statements when crap like that is happening.
Also, why would HIT need to be told to be more sensitive or aware of family emergencies? That is basic business ethics.
The mere psychology of your post lets us all know that you are somewhat siding with us subconsciously, most likely due to the lack of training management/supervisors are given.
Every single person at HIT is encouraged to sell.
Just in the past week there has been a major change. There is no sales team!
The sales team has been absolved and lumped in to the account managers department.
Does this sound like a company that may have a problem here or there and may "stub their toe" once in a while? NO!
This all just makes the comments by HIT management all that more laughable.
It just goes to show that HIT is in a state of disrepair.
This is all very sad and I don't think that anything is going to change until we take this a step further...
You can contact Annie at ABC 4 at the email address annie@abc4.com...
The rest of the contact info is on my original complaint.
This is just like Dave... he loves to butter people up and make them feel good so he can use that as leverage at their most crucial moments.
Trust me, Dave is not this altruistic.
Not sure if Greg is unemployed by HIT - or if he's just working from home to save face for the company... Why would a company with this much greed ever actually get rid of someone who can manipulate an old lady with a severance check to use her social security check to line their pockets? ... hmmm... perhaps someone should try calling their sales line and ask for him, you might be surprised at the results.. unless you are familiar with the company. Then you wouldn't be surprised at all when they get him on the phone.
Yes and its a bunch of crap... just disregard it with a laugh and ignore it. There is nothing they can do to you. There is so much evidence that they are horrible, unethical business owners that would be foolish to even think about pursuing "legal action" against you.
Before I left on my own free will, months actually, HIT was hitting $30-40, 000 in revenue daily! This was expected and it was quite dreadful to management when we fell below this norm.
Now the latest from the HIT sales team... 3 days in a row at $12000 in revenue or less!
Having worked there 2 and a half years, 3 horrible days is deffinitley hurting their business. I've even got word from some employees that customers are sending links to reps from specific complaints done right here on complaintsboard.com.
These customers are demanding their accounts be cancelled! Let's hope this trend continues...
Actually they are failing miserably.
Plus, why would anyone take a stand for a company they have no relation to?
Thanks for trying though.
idiotswillalwayscomplain,
im sorry you are stuck at HIT. Obviously you have no where else to go. I'm sorry if we are harming the place you work at and we all would be mad if we were still there too because it would be hurting our paycheck.
The truth is, I have great friends that work there and they are amazing salespeople. Heck, I might even know you! We are not here to destroy your paycheck, in fact HIT is already doing that to you. We do not want you to fail but we do want HIT to change their ways. At HIT we had no voice! This is the only voice we have for the time being. Hopefully all of our collective complaints have been heard through out the state and government agencies we have made them to. There is only one way to fix HIT and hopefully bring it back to the positioning it was once in...
The Aitkens must go. I don't even think that is possible since they own a majority of the company from my understanding, but it is the only way. They once had HIT in a great position and it was the best place to work, now they have ran it in to the ground.
I really wish you the best of luck. There are many options for employment, employment that will pay you and treat well for the effort you put in.
wow "culture of fear" describes HIT perfectly.
By the way, Mark Strong and other HIT management have told their sales reps to say the same things to clients as Mark presented in the interview.
Its all fluff to make people feel good. The customer does not buy it in the end.
It may have worked for Mark because he is a nice, stately man who was speaking face to face with the news anchor. This is also why it hasn't aired.
I QUIT after the let one of the top consistant performers on the sales team go. This guy was awesome. He was always in the top 3 sales people pay period after pay period. Great guy with a nice wife and a few kids.
He was let go as an example that we were all expendable!
How sick is that! I was near tears to see him walk out, knowing he was going to have to go home, tell his wife he was fired and then hunt for a new job when he had kids to feed. I could not work for people that are vendictive as they are.
If you go to HIT management and try to talk about making $600 on a paycheck when you have earned them $20, 000 in a pay period is unfair they will say "So what?! We have kids to feed too!" (direct words from Jeremy Aitken). Keep in mind a pay period that productive would yeild a sales person atleast a check between $[protected] before management got greedy.
HIT sure is GREAT!
Now that is just greed... why would they fire someone and then say "oh you can work from home for us!"
Once again, they have no business sense at all.
awesome-company,
we all know you are not this altruistic.
In this case I think HIT was duped and was embarrassed to tell their employees that it really wasnt "national news".
It was deceitful as all employees thought that it was going to be a big break for HIT.
My_Compaint,
The reason they haven't been able to push our comments away is because they no next to nothing in regards to search engine optimization.
They follow antiquated SEO principles. They still think that meta keywords are KING! HIT tells their sales people to tell the customer that only custom sites can be optimized but templates easily can.
That will soon change as they are switching to template sites starting January 1, 2010.
TO MEDICINE AND ALL OTHERS WHO ARE TRYING TO DEFEND HIT...
It doesn't matter what you say or do at this point. You came in to this thread to late in the ball game!
This thread has been optimized for many phrases that are being searched when family, friends, ex-employees, customer, ex-customers and current employees search for "hit web design abc4". Just Google it.
Now if we do a quick search for "bad business abc4" (as we all know ABC4 is known for their investigative reports and consumer call to action stories) we pull HIT Web Design up in the number 2 spot. Ouch.
And YIKES! When we search for our favorite web design company under their new name "HIT Web Design" we find complaints immediatley under their own site. Bummer.
Sorry guys, try as you might but you are screwed.
Your business is failing and you are watching the ruins crumble.
Try doing something legitimate about it. You guys must be in real bad shape if you need to get on this board and monitor every little thing people are saying about you.
I wonder if the CEO of Wal-Mart does this?
Geez, you are right! What was I thinking?!
They know how huge they are, they don't need to stroke their own egos to prove it.
You know what I think is neat? If someone were to do a google image search for "Design by HWS" a TON of Heritage/HIT's websites come up. There usually is some contact info on the sites.
What could be done with that info?
Ryan, what about the grievances? I know for a fact Turpin's grievance is 100% legit as I was there.
Please address this. Thank you.
Ethicalhit,
If that is the correct link, it looks like he took it down.
What's there to be ashamed of Ryan?
This must be quite a bit for Ryan to take in. Notice he isnt saying anything...
By the way, accoridng to a source who is still at HIT Web Design, at te begginning of the year they had 400 employees and now they have about a tenth of that left!
January first there were 25 sales representative on the "sales team" now there are 7.
What a wonderful company! I'm glad to see they are doing so well.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
They get the business by offering false promises - a price that your business wouldn't be able to touch with features you've probably never even heard of. At the end of the day, HIT isn't able to touch a website for the price they've sold it for and they don't even have designers working for them anymore after letting them all go and switching to a template.
And those $ figures are very outdated. My VERY TRUSTWORTHY source on Friday said they were at $4, 000 around 2pm MDT. Not sure what they ended at, but I guarantee it was not close to 30k, let alone 75-80k by the end of the day.
How can I guarantee that? HIT Management or someone related to them would have surely posted something on here about it.
If heritage is so bad, how come they are selling 75k-80K worth of websites each day. I am surprised they get all this business in spite of their bad reputation. I am a small 1 person company in SLC and I just got a client coming to me after being ripped off by HIT. How do they do it ? do they have like 200 people on phones calling random businesses? I am trying to grow by business and I am just amazed that HIT gets a lot of business while they reputation is bad and their website looks like its been designed by a teenager.
I for one can't tell you enough how nice it is to do a Google search of the company you work and not find one negative thing about it. I must have just been ignorant to the fact that all these customers that were calling into HIT were just being impatient, or they are just being difficult...wrong. So one night I come home from work and get on my laptop, go to Google and type in Heritage Web Solutions. I must have read for 2 hours, complaint after complaint, I was shocked, mad, felt guilty I worked for this company. The next morning I brought it up to my Manager and I got the canned answer of "do a search on Wal-Mart and see how many complaints they have but you continue to shop there...right?". I answered "Yes I do, good point, I bought it hook line and sinker just like everyone else. But then I started to find my sales going down, I actually was feeling guilty now selling products to people. I started focusing more on helping the customer, taking on their problems, I remember trying to go around updates, asking other team members to help me get this done, etc. Giving customers my home number to try to resolve their issues by telling them the secrets to get things done faster. But it only made my job suffer, I was getting asked "why are talking to this customer if the site is live, or you should have them go to updates to get that done". "We hired you as a salesman, so act like one".
I am very thankful for the job I have now and actually get excited to go into work, to actually feel good about the money I am making with them. They appreciate my efforts, no guilt trips or poor advice is ever put on me. I compare it to coming to the United States from a third world country...jk...that is funny though.
"If your position is based around calling out to your customers then make sure you eliminate anything possible that gets in the way of this activity."
As one that was formerly on the sales team, I was working there at the time this email was sent out. It was directed by the convict, er... VP of sales that this explicitly meant no responding to emails, (unless they were sales), returning calls, etc. All we were supposed to do was call people we could offer yet another exciting once in a lifetime deal to and then push it down their throats until they hung up or gave us their credit card.
They have one focus as a business and it is one that any consumer jumping into a creative process should not feel comfortable with.
I this last e-mail that I just posted I really find it extremely insightful that SALES is the only thing mentioned! Never does he talk about building websites or helping customers, Dave Aitken the CEO of HIT WEB DESIGN just talks about taking people's money!
Whew,
We put together a huge rally for the last 15 minutes of the day and with the help of our nightshift made it to within 4k of our goal. The key today is to adjust our focus and shoot for the 75K level to make up for the missed revenue yesterday.
Hitting 75K is well within our reach, we just have to make sure that every single one of us remains focused on the goal and doing the right things to make it happen. Getting out of the gates quickly is going to be key and I need everyone dialing the phones and helping potential and current customers starting right when you get in.
Lets make today great,
David Aitken
P.S. If your position is based around calling out to your customers then make sure you eliminate anything possible that gets in the way of this activity. One thing we are no longer willing to do is ask our staff to do such a basic part of there position as dialing customers or leads. If you don’t like dialing the phone and staying busy all day long with the tasks you are responsible for then it may be time for you to consider moving on. Our supervisor staff has more important things to do than ask/beg people to do the basics and I am sure that those of you who are working hard get tired of hearing it.
Remember proper effort is a part of every ones job requirements, if working as hard as we request is not something you would like to do then please move on so that we can bring in someone that is willing to do it. Its the only right and fair thing I can do for those who are here working diligently all day every day.
whatever happened to this mentality?
#87
“It’s common for a new business owner to find their time eaten up by managing the finances. A significant amount of your time is spent worrying about generating new revenue and the ongoing demands of normal business expenses and the occasional financial surprise. During the startup period money seems to be all you have time to worry about. “If I could go back and start my business over again, I would spend a lot more time focusing on creating extremely strong fulfillment and customer feedback systems. Managing cash flow is critical but it won’t matter much if you lose your customer base in the process.” DAVID AITKEN, founder of Heritage Web Solutions in Provo
http://utahvalleybusinessq.com/features/starting-a-business-101/
Is there anyone on this thread that still works there. I am curious to know if the Account Managers have taken over the designing of the sites now. I was in a meeting there when they announced the AM's were going to be designing the sites and they were going to fire all the outsource designers without telling them. Here is the interesting comment that was made by both Aitken's, this new software they built would allow the AM's to design the entire site in less than a week, even while the customer was on the phone with them they could create the design, and the customer could see it in real time, this new software is a template though, but we were told not to tell the customers that it was a template. If that is the case wouldn't the customer feel ripped off if you designed the site while on the phone in a matter of minutes? I for one would be pissed.
So if they launch this now wouldn't the AM now be the salesman, designer, and content gatherer. Let's put more responsibility on a certain department and still cut the pay by 15%, that doesn't include how they screwed around with the commission structure, making it harder to even get commission.
phone number and addresses listed under wife's name:
http://tinyurl.com/Hoecherl2-a
http://tinyurl.com/Hoecherl2-b
Not sure which one is current.
quick search results w/ his full name and relatives, most likely children and/or wife:
http://tinyurl.com/Hoecherl
I know where he is at, he is sitting under Dave's desk, apparently he filled that position in the company very well
WARNING IF YOU READ THIS YOU WILL BE PISSED!
I found this online at /link removed/ I am in shock right now after reading this. This is to a customer that just wanted his money back, this is cold and heartless.
Heritage Web Solutions, LLC
Dear Mr. Austin:
I have reviewed your most recent e-mail dated August 8, 2006 at 8:13AM.
Although I realize the service of a lawsuit upon you may not be much of a threat since you have a terminal illness; however, there are economic consequences of your conduct that spill over to your estate.
It appears reasonably certain from past communications that it was your desire to setup the Internet business to provide an income stream to your wife and daughter. Your continued lies, defamation and intentional interference with my client's business are claims that can be brought against your estate. If you are leaving behind a Will, any funds that you leave could be subject to the claims of Heritage.
You asked me to inform you in a way that you can understand what I can do to you. It is not what can be done to you, but what can be done to your estate and the funds you leave behind. You have been given every reasonable attempt to resolve this without that happening, but you continue to spew your hatred over a $700 issue. This suggests that you have some type of mental problem as well.
Your rambling e-mail continues to suggest that I cannot stop you from telling the truth. The truth is whatever the judge says at the end of the day regardless of what the parties may feel. The truth in this case is that you got your website designed for free and your money back. Where is the fraud in that? If anything, you stole services for which you should pay, and have paid nothing for the service provided to you - consider it a gift to a dying man. However, your continued ranting and raving cannot be tolerated.
Richard Austin
August 9, 2006
Page 2
Can I hurt you? Probably not. Can I hurt your heirs? Probably. I am giving you the opportunity to do the right thing without being compelled to do that. If you don't see the fairness or goodness in that, that is your problem - not mine. We are prepared to have a judge tell you or your heirs that what you have done is wrong.
Very truly yours,
==========================
James T. Dunn
Encl.
cc:
Heritage Web Solutions
Can anyone share some information about the CFO at Heritage Web Solutions / Hit Web Design his name I believe is Josh Herschel (sp?)
I have heard some very strange things about his qualifications (or lack thereof). Can anyone confirm or speak on behalf of this?
If you are a customer and have been told that The Economic Report video was a news piece you need to call the Utah Attorney General's Office ASAP and inform them of the fraudulent practices that Hit Web Design / Heritage Web Solutions is using to mislead people into doing business with them!
There are FCC and FTC regulations that are being either broken, and skirted, and Hit Web Design should be held accountable.
that's asuming their still in busines in january!
If this company is such a successful internet conglomerate, then why haven't they pushed all these negative comments to the 4Th 5Th or 6Th pages of search standings?
Just a thought that I put into comment.
Very well done research! While the customers across the nation are being misled, lied to and cheated - employees are being hit with a 15% pay cut, HIT takes these excess funds and feeds it into one of it's own - a scheme. Grade A Mr. Aitken. Grade A!
Also the FTC says that trying to pass it off as news is illegal!...
Federal Trade Commission web site:
Does the FTC have any special policies relating to infomercials?
* Infomercial advertisers…should make sure that the infomercial doesn't deceptively mimic the format of news reports, talk shows, or other independent programming. Many FTC cases have required companies to clearly disclose that "THE PROGRAM YOU ARE WATCHING IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT FOR [NAME OF PRODUCT]" at the beginning of an infomercial and before ordering information is given. Since many infomercials feature endorsements from consumers, celebrities, or experts, see the FTC's Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials
*In many instances, the FTC has taken action against both the manufacturer or marketer of a product and the company that produced the infomercial…The bottom line: no one involved in the promotion of a product or the dissemination of an ad -- whether it's an infomercial, print ad, catalogue, or broadcast spot -- should look the other way when the claims seem questionable.
After doing some digging on the Economic Report I stumbled upon this gem of a link
http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/latest-journalism-news-updates-148.php
So looks like it cost $20, 000.00 + to make this little "feature" on CNN.
Here is my favorite excerpt from this little piece of journalism!
"BACKSTORY
Look Mom, I’m on CNN Headline News with Greg Gumbel …Only Cost Me 20K
It was too good to be true. Imagine: you get the call. You have been "selected" by producers, the caller tells you, to appear with the famed broadcaster Greg Gumbel in a "television program" that airs nationwide on CNN Headline News! A Florida TV production company wants to "feature" you and the virtues of your wastewater management company.
Never mind that realistically speaking it would take an axe murderer chopping up ten people in your factory (two wouldn’t be enough) before you or your company would generate even one column inch of national news coverage. You take the bait and the game switches to where you must next agree to pay a 20K to 30K "scheduling fee" for producing your "5-minute segment" which both pretends to be and mimics the style of a news broadcast.
When Gumbel appears after a "legitimate" cable news show on an identical newsroom set and using identical animation graphics, one cannot help but be fooled into believing this infomercial is, in fact, news programming. The illusion is cemented by the well-known CBS News show brand "Eye On America, " which is included in many of the infomercials. Though it is, of course, an advertisement, StinkyJournalism has found no evidence that either the "producers" or the production company (of nearly a dozen different names) or any of its featured customers, ever uses the word "advertisement" in connection to the Gumbel infomercial in any of their sales pitches, web sites or press releases.
Go to TheEconomicReport.com. Click on "Editorial Calendar" in the top navigation bar. Note it does not say "advertising schedule, " but that is exactly what it is. Below are a list of "program topics" and "The Economic Report Airtimes." Why doesn’t the web page tell the truth? These are not editorial programs or airtimes of a news magazine.
A huge list of times, cities, including major markets, and networks show the scope of the deception as well as the numerous locations where these unlabeled 5 minute ads have run as "editorial programming": Chicago, Boston, Indianapolis, St Louis, San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, Sarasota-Venice, Sacramento, Sacramento, New York & Albany, Charlotte, Mobile-Pensacola, Ohio, Philadelphia-Atlantic City, Salt Lake City, New Jersey, Westchester, Phoenix-Flagstaff, Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Madison, Flint-Saginaw-Bay City.
Andy Warhol infomercial sales? Every company, deserving or not, gets 5 minutes of fame
Believe it or not, dozens upon dozens of companies fell for this marketing scheme over the past two years. You name it, Gumbel appears on camera and ends up flogging a mind-numbing and illogical diversity of products, by introducing seemingly endless "stories" about the importance of different companies and organizations: Timeshare sales, barley products, medical gizmos, Internet security software, a yogurt shop franchise, small universities, wastewater management (with airtight containers—thank God), rubber products, an Orthodox Christian seminary and, my personal favorite, a distributor of aluminum trusses. Small public, private and not-for-profit organizations alike, all were willing—or were "duped", depending on who you speak to—into participating in this scheme hatched by the same Florida production company.
The final product when it does air in New York City on HLN (formerly known as CNN Headline News), immediately following news programs hosted by the likes of Lou Dobbs or Nancy Grace, it runs at the end of the hour (e.g., from 7:54 to 7:59 p.m.). This timing creates the illusion that these "innovative educational" segments are editorial content, a cinch since no running label says "infomercial" or "advertisement, " as typically required by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) who regulates truth in advertising practices on networks.
Since the bigger questions, can only be answered partially in this first report, they are stated mostly as "food for thought" under a category of "hopefully, lesson learned." However, StinkyJournalism will update readers as the story develops.
1. What is Gumbel, a CBS talent, doing on HLN hawking everything from real estate sales to dodgy franchise "opportunities" –companies that he could have never properly vetted before lending his name—while at the same time, hosting the CBS college basketball NCAA Tournament? How the heck did Gumbel end up as front man in this scheme?
2. How did CBS allow it's well-known news show brand "Eye on America" get hijacked and aired by HLN?
3. Finally, how did Turner Broadcasting (who owns HLN network) or local cable companies nationwide, like Time Warner Cable, allow these news-style infomercials --that FTC has long required oblivious notification labels (such as a continuous static text citing the word "advertisement") –to air without themselves requiring proper labeling to protect the public?
In addition to the above three questions, perhaps more importantly, StinkyJournalism has asked Gumbel’s agent, Turner, CBS, Time Warner Cable, Doug Scott, owner of Encore TV (the production company with umpteen different names, including Platinum Television, EncoreTV, The Economic Report, New Line Media Solutions, PTG Studios, etc. operating from the same address) and over a dozen of his infomercial customers—what are they going to do NOW to fix this giant mess? The good news is everyone has agreed to take action.
And what does the FTC or the Florida Attorney General’s Office (did I mentioned that Doug Scott in 2007 already paid $175, 000 in settlement penalties, enforcement costs and guarantees for victims for deceptive practices?) say they are going to do about what has happened here and will they hold any or all players cited above accountable?
Responses to the above and more, follows in this report.
An advertising wolf dressed in editorial sheep’s clothing
There has been a blitz of 5-minute infomercials in the New York City market but Doug Scott’s production company web sites list that the ads are running nationwide. The Gumbel hosted "programs" run under the names "Eye On America", "Our Planet, " and "The Economic Report" series. The diversity of "segments" in each is a hodgepodge of every kind of company or organization you can think of—all without hope or prospect of 5 seconds of national network air time, let alone the 5 minutes that they, in fact, purchased to promote their companies.
The problem is, of course, when the format and language of the advertisement mimics news programming but only has a brief flash of "sponsored by" at the beginning and end of the 5 minute commercial, this is hardly adequate disclosure. The fact is all news programming is sponsored. The main difference that must be emphasized here is that experts or individuals featured in news do not pay the news producers to be interviewed nor do they help write, pay for or approve scripts. Such payments occur in advertising.
The importance of maintaining the ethical firewall between news and advertising for journalism to ever remain trusted and credible cannot be over-emphasized. Hence, why the stakes are so high in this case for CBS, Turner, HLN, Time Warner Cable, Greg Gumbel and his agent, IMG World."
Check out that link to read their whole expose... it checks out.
http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/latest-journalism-news-updates-148.php
So Hit Web Design, way to be completely UNETHICAL by stating that your story was on CNN. Sure it aired on the CNN Channel but it aired as PAID PROGRAMMING!
awesome-company,
I would like to sell you a website
@ stupidco,
not everyone that works sales uses that filth. Don't attack the employees - harness your hatred towards the creator of such filth - they whose name we will not mention.
i still work for HIT, but I'm trying very desperately to find something new. what truly pisses me off so much is watching the sales team use this stupid "economic report" video! DONT BE FOOLED! the owners were intentionally vague with the company and said it was for cnn. now the stupid salesman show it to everyone their trying to sell, touting it as proof of a good business. THIS WAS A COMPANY-PRODUCED VIDEO. the whole thing was written.shot.and paid for by teh company and the only relation to cnn was that it was aired as an infomercial during latenight programming. what kind of ethics is that?
As far as I understand it the 1, 000.00 history is a fable. As it has been explained to me that the initial investment was 1, 000.00 but with the backing of the Mortgage Company that preceded Heritage Web Design (what was the name of it? AMI Mortgage, Heritage Mortgage) They used their resources, telemarketing etc to back the scheme.
And scams can last years.
but your spelling and grammatical errors remind me oh so much of the uneducated emails from the Aitken's.
For the record, ponzi schemes can last years before being discovered - just ask Madoff.
from $1000 to $50, 000, 000 (in 7 years) is by any means a great feat in any book. A fraud company will disappear overnight and not achieve something closer to that.
BTW, I am public is enough to thrown your claims and accusations out. Dave or any Aitken has nothing to do with me. Peace off!
family members are the only ones coming to the Aitken defense. the "public" doesn't hold him in such high regards.
thats all you can think about? I though this was a public forum
awesome-company,
which family member are you?
well, that doesn't change the point of fact.
awesome-company
Slander is spoken
Libel is written
Keep up with being a genius.
I am a business owner myself.
I think Dave has an awesome and ethical business model. Hitting 20 Million Biz is in 7 years starting with just $1000 is not easy, when you have 20, 000 customers with low prices, its but natural to have few of those whining jerks out there. If his business was not good, why would 19, 9800+ other customers not complain. Give the guy a break. and stop demanding that he be taken out, he and his brother, founded the company created hundreds of jobs directly and indirectly, who the hell are you guys to ask him to taken off. Somebody like Dave can always restart from scratch. Salute you Dave.
And to those ###s who give out personal information - you are just revenge seeking slanderers, nothing else.
For anyone having a hard time reaching Dave at work...
http://tinyurl.com/davidaitken
I am constantly disgusted by the stories that come out of Hit Web Design. From customers getting swindled to employees being verbally abused, to this new story about a VP who got a DUI, Hit Web Design first tells people that he is on "vacation" in California, use his e-mail address to send stories "from the road" and then everyone on here finds out that NO he was NOT in California he was IN JAIL!
Then they say that they fired this person, and then we come to find out that he is this new invented position of "out sourced" sales!
It would be hilarious if so many lives weren't being hurt by it!
Another victim of HIT Web Design, this is taken from /link removed/ posted 10/29
I signed up with hit web design in June and was told that I was have a website in approximately 4 weeks. It's now the end of October and there is still no running website.
I was suckered into signing up with this company under the assumption that they custom desgin your site and help you along the way. Unfortunately, this is not a fact. In actuality they take your money and then want to up sell on everything else.
When contacting customer service or anyone else within that company one does not get any responses. I emailed the CEO yesterday so see what we can do in order to remedy my concerns and issues, but of course, he did not respond either.
Looking at all of the complaints against this company, I am shocked that a leading business magazine had recommended them.
HIT has no idea what their employees are saying - I just had it confirmed as well that Mr. Woods is indeed still working there. He was offered the outsourced sales job AFTER being terminated.
I personally think that all of the ex and current Heritage Web Solutions employees should share their favorite horror story.
As this website is intended to protect consumers. So let's help warn consumers by telling true and factual stories of people who were effected by Hit Web Design's tactics. (just do not use customer names).
Another laugh,
idiotswillalwayscomplain stated;
you did that for years yourself, if you were so intelligent, compassionate, and chock-full of ethics and integrity. ... why did you take so long to quit?
So idiotswillalwayscomplain your telling us that you don't have and are not intelligent, compassionate, and chock-full of ethics and integrity
WOW no wonder you think it's a great company.
I for one will be willing to go on camera face to face with Mark, strapped up to a lie detector and let's see what truths come out then. I can see now that something like this needs to happen, sign me up I will do whatever it takes.
I'm sorry I just have to laugh because as stated the sales team is hurting because of this board and now all of a sudden here comes
idiotswillalwayscomplain Well hello as he stated;
I just don't like that ex-employees, screwing the careers or job of their ex-colleagues. You choose to leave, We haven't yet. We have to make our living and run our families, we are hurt by the way unethically all details are let out. You have problems with HIT fine, but by all this, understand the fact that it hurts other people, than the Management.
WOW so really in what your saying is you know what we are saying is correct because we are letting the details out and pretty much just because you are still there and needing a paycheck you feel great about coming in every morning and promising things that will never happen! Well then your just as bad as management!
Another thing is I know that you have high numbers to hit just to get your commission but just a word of advice, I'd start looking for a new job because clients are catching on and this complaint board is going to keep going and word of month spreads fast.
I am not familiar with this specific employee's situation. I can tell you, however, that the 15% reduction in wages did not single him out, but that the entire company took a 15% cut during the early part of 2009. We have been fortunate to work through the economic down turn. It has required sacrifice on everyone's part. In April we were able to restore the 15%.
WTF? they restored for what 3 months and then took it back again. He got away with that one, or the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing