Internet Marketing Services Firm Sued for False Claims
Forget about the endless rain, there is actually something different happening in Washington state. The State Attorney General’s office is suing Visible.net and Captures.com for false claims of results and poor customer service, among many other things.
Now you might think it odd, but I’m not surprised to see this sort of suit. The SEM industry is tainted by companies not delivering on the claims they make. If a company promises something it can’t deliver, the appropriate steps should be taken. In this particular situation the legal system will decide if that has occurred.
Some of the charges include:
- Misrepresentation - extremely tricky for SEMs since we are not the search engines, and accurately setting expectations about performance upfront with clients is difficult but critical
- Failure to deliver
- Unauthorized charges
- Poor customer service
- Various telephone solicitation charges
Visible.net, who also operates under the name WebMarketingSource.com, provides a variety of online marketing services, including a platform for eCommerce sites, SEO and website design. In just 3 years, the Better Business Bureau has received over 90 complaints about this company alone.
There are quite a few references to consumer protection throughout the lawsuit itself, and even more information about consumer protection on the WA state legislature site.
Visible has posted a response to the lawsuit on their blog, which counteracts the allegations. They claim to have many satisfied customers ready to discuss the situation with the AG office.
The state is seeking civil penalties and consumer restitution in addition to a court order halting the deceptive practices.
