Utah
From StoresOnlineExposed
On May 25, 2007 the Utah Division of Consumer Protection ("Division") issued an Order of Adjudication in the matter of iMergent, Inc. and StoresOnline, Inc ("Respondents"). The Order states that the Respondents violated the Utah state code by not filing the proper information with the Division before commencing business as sellers of assisted marketing plans. The Respondents were assessed and ordered to pay an administrative fine of $2,500.00. The Respondents were further ordered to cease and desist from doing business in Utah until they have filed with the Division and have received proof of such filing from the Division. Pursuant to the terms of the agreement between the parties, the Division's Order of Adjudication is stayed pending the Respondents' exhaustion of administrative remedies and judicial review of the Division's Order.
Update (10-25-07): State withdraws petition against iMergent--The Utah Division of Consumer Protection dropped its petition requesting iMergent Inc. to register as a business opportunity.
As part of the settlement, the Orem-based provider of eCommerce software for small businesses agreed to disclosures aimed at clarifying its business model. The state agency required iMergent to make public information such as the number of sites hosted by StoresOnline, all states where the assisted marketing plans were sold, and the amount of money customers make from their online sites.
Earlier, the state agency had threatened to shut down a small Orem company if it refused to comply with the division's business registration requirements. iMergent and its unit StoresOnline Inc. were found to have violated the Utah Business Opportunity Disclosure Act when they sold "assisted marketing plans, and commenced business in (Utah) without having first filed the required information with the Division." The state division also fined iMergent $2,500.
"While we have had a protracted disagreement about the applicability of regulations, we were able to sit down and have an open and honest discussion," said Jeffrey Korn, general counsel for iMergent. "The company will continue to work to make its business transparent to both regulators and, most importantly, our customers."
From http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/241483/
[edit] External Links and Original Sources
Office of the Attorney General
Mark Shurtleff State Capitol, Rm. 236 Salt Lake City, UT 84114 Phone: (801) 538-9600 http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/
Some Comments from Dissatisfied Utah StoresOnline Customers
- Las Vegas: They have never done anything I asked in a timely matter, most things I need help with I have to email three or four times before I recieve help. They seem very unethical with their practices and the prices they charge. [more]
- Salt Lake City: We purchased six websites from Storesonline and the first two my business partner had to redo and we asked for our money back and Storesonline told us no. We are very dissatisfied with Storesonline. We cannot even add to our website without going on Storesonline to do it. [more]
- Salt Lake City: I drank the Kool-Aide and now am in the hole $20, 000+ to Stores On Line and have NOTHING to show for it except a miserable trip to Salt Lake City last year. The hype sounds so good and the reality is so startling that I'm imbarrased to admit just how deeply I fell for the whole thing. This has been an extremely costly lesson and one that just tends to make me ill thinking about it. They are very good at selling a bill of goods, and it seems that if I want more help, it will ony cost me more money. [more]
- Salt Lake City: They made it sound easy... with testamonials from women who couldn't operate a computer... and instant success stories.. big money. Of course, they covered their ass by saying this is not necessarily typical. The investment was excessive. For that money they could have flown out a teacher who could sit down beside me and actually show me how to do all this stuff. This long distance tutoring doesn't work, especially if a person is not a computer expert. [more]
