631-870-2182

Hi,

I am a small business owner in Burbank. I got a call from Augeo / Perkscard too. I made the mistake of signing up with them for $945 because it sounded so great. I fell for every shady marketing tactic in the book. After finding out that they scammed me out of a $1000 I called my credit card company trying to stop payment and they did nothing. They said that I willingly sign up for the services Augeo sold and it was my responsibility to check their credibility before agreeing to do business with them. All true.

Now I am stuck with having to pay $1000 and the services that I actually signed up for with Augeo / Perkscard, are actually useless.
AUGEO PERKSCARDS are a HUGE scam. Please save your money.

hahaha, exactly, look at all those amazing things they are doing with their perks card. stupid.

David, you hit the nail on the head with your post.  Its is really just an expensive click-through campaign, with plenty of uncertainty as to the delivery of the campaign.  I am not saying that it does not work in theory, but in practice I would expect a negative return on investment.

Go on your credit card website and file a chargeback saying that you did not authorize this charge.  If the CC company contact you tell them that you did not authorize this charge, and that you dont know how they got your information.  You may or may not win in the end, but you should fight for your money.

I am a massage therapist who signed on as a provider with Perks Card yesterday.  There was no mention of a 995 dollar up front fee.  Only the monthly fee of $39.95 was mentioned.  Is there a $995 hidden fee somewhere?
Thanks for your help.
rondee0375@gmail.com

No, you will only pay for the $39.95 a month.  There are different programs.  Good Luck!!

Approached by "PerksCard"  


Have any of you been approached by the business called *PerksCard* to become the "exclusive [fill-in-the-blank] business partner to [fill-in-the-blank] institution"? For fair disclosure, it does appear that they are used by a number of large education, corporate, and government institutions, including the Univ. of South Carolina, AOL, and the FBI.

Let me explain.

I fielded a call this afternoon that began as if it were a solicitation for me to cover a pool of folks various needs over the coming weeks - from portraits to wedding to special event coverage. About halfway through the phone call, our discussion became "an interview" to see if a fairly prominent DC hospital would consider selecting me as the sponsored "go to" photographer for the needs of its personnel. Suspicious of the proposition of being cold called to qualify for on the call list of 2200 people - from orderlies to doctors - I wanted to see where the discussion would go.

A company called PerksCard (PC) essentially offers a service that institutions pay them for to vet local businesses that are inclined to discount their services for the promise of "huge" customer bases. For example, the representative made reference to attorneys, planners, consultants, etc. Apparently this year, this hospital wants to add "photographer" to the trusted business associates' list.

Of course, it costs $995 to become a part of the service.

With competition in the DC area very tight, a legitimate service such as this (not saying that *this one* is legitimate) could certainly help on the marketing front (something akin to this, in fact, my wife and I have recently discussed). I have shot a number of jobs on my own, and love the prospect of adding a larger clientèle, but I must say that this smacks of a scheme wherein PC would charge the up front fee, and then not play any further role, effectively moving on until renewal time (12 months). After all, one cannot make someone use a photographer - or select me even if they wanted one. So, if I ended up with 0 customers as a result, they're not accountable for anything.

I've made a list of pros and cons, but - in the light of how poorly companies such as Bella are regarded in the photography industry, and especially in this forum - I was hoping to learn if any of you have been approached by, or have signed up to use, the services of PerksCard.

General Pros:
-If legitimate, the fee could easily be paid for in a session or two.
-If legitimate, the customer base could certainly increase from its present size.
-If legitimate, it would be nice to further enhance the customer base beyond just hospital staff, to their friends and family, etc.

General Cons:
-The slightly manipulative call, along with blanket lauding of my work was without conviction.
-The fee, without much to show for it (no trial period, no stats backing up their "increased customer base", etc) is troubling.
-Just like the car dealer says, the deal "won't last long", as the CSR suggested that I get on board by tomorrow morning or others in the area would likely snap up the position.

In short, I'm inclined to run for the hills. But then, what of the list of companies who *do* use their services? (Maybe it's not much of a risk for them, considering their budgets!) Any comments?


Reply !

Approached by "PerksCard"  


Have any of you been approached by the business called *PerksCard* to become the "exclusive [fill-in-the-blank] business partner to [fill-in-the-blank] institution"? For fair disclosure, it does appear that they are used by a number of large education, corporate, and government institutions, including the Univ. of South Carolina, AOL, and the FBI.

Let me explain.

I fielded a call this afternoon that began as if it were a solicitation for me to cover a pool of folks various needs over the coming weeks - from portraits to wedding to special event coverage. About halfway through the phone call, our discussion became "an interview" to see if a fairly prominent DC hospital would consider selecting me as the sponsored "go to" photographer for the needs of its personnel. Suspicious of the proposition of being cold called to qualify for on the call list of 2200 people - from orderlies to doctors - I wanted to see where the discussion would go.

A company called PerksCard (PC) essentially offers a service that institutions pay them for to vet local businesses that are inclined to discount their services for the promise of "huge" customer bases. For example, the representative made reference to attorneys, planners, consultants, etc. Apparently this year, this hospital wants to add "photographer" to the trusted business associates' list.

Of course, it costs $995 to become a part of the service.

With competition in the DC area very tight, a legitimate service such as this (not saying that *this one* is legitimate) could certainly help on the marketing front (something akin to this, in fact, my wife and I have recently discussed). I have shot a number of jobs on my own, and love the prospect of adding a larger clientèle, but I must say that this smacks of a scheme wherein PC would charge the up front fee, and then not play any further role, effectively moving on until renewal time (12 months). After all, one cannot make someone use a photographer - or select me even if they wanted one. So, if I ended up with 0 customers as a result, they're not accountable for anything.

I've made a list of pros and cons, but - in the light of how poorly companies such as Bella are regarded in the photography industry, and especially in this forum - I was hoping to learn if any of you have been approached by, or have signed up to use, the services of PerksCard.

General Pros:
-If legitimate, the fee could easily be paid for in a session or two.
-If legitimate, the customer base could certainly increase from its present size.
-If legitimate, it would be nice to further enhance the customer base beyond just hospital staff, to their friends and family, etc.

General Cons:
-The slightly manipulative call, along with blanket lauding of my work was without conviction.
-The fee, without much to show for it (no trial period, no stats backing up their "increased customer base", etc) is troubling.
-Just like the car dealer says, the deal "won't last long", as the CSR suggested that I get on board by tomorrow morning or others in the area would likely snap up the position.

In short, I'm inclined to run for the hills. But then, what of the list of companies who *do* use their services? (Maybe it's not much of a risk for them, considering their budgets!) Any comments?


Reply !

I worked at perkscard for over a year, it was an absolute scam, They have a whole pitch set up where they name competition in the beginning which is never true , they just pull up random names from the business pages or yellow pages. they try to build rapore with the business owner to make them feel special and how the employees would love their business. They go on and say you will be mentioned in newsletters and emails. The whole conversation takes about 30 minutes or so and they hit you at the end for $995 and then they say they spoke to the other competition in your area to make you feel stupid and would you want these employees using them. They have a list of categories to choose from, each person chooses a categorie to call, they even make some up! The newsletters are very tiny and goes to hr eventually, to be on the front of the card thats 3k, which is insane! The emoployees will never see these cards. None of you will ever see these employees.. They have a whole list of objections, going back and forth. You can negotiate with them , they say they have to talk to a manager first. Do not waste your money, because you will never make it back!! After they get your credit card info, your screwed they charge it right away!  Bob dowd the owner is a prick! he only cares about buying another low end mercedes for him and his wife. In this economy businesses are struggling and its not right to take their money. When you get a call from augeo or perkscard!! hang up !! send this to everyone!! It may sound good , but its not.  They train people how to sweet talk the owners and gain rapore wih the customer. They only want your money at the end and thats it , and they ask for referrals which even cracks me up more!  They sound nice and excited on the phone because they are being recorded on the other end. They actually have a  person coaching them on what to say, everybody is brainwashed and told what to do step by step. I felt bad taking money from these people, it was wrong! especially start up companies.

I worked for perkscard too. Do not fall for this scam! There are no pros or "perks" to this program. It is an awful, brainwashing, money stealing company. They'd take money from your 90 year old grandma if they could.  I had to get out of that unethical god forsaken company. Even the interview process is a brainwashed approach. These people are scum!! Don't fall for it! It's a call center that will do anything for a buck. And whenever there's a sale someone rings a bell and they all clap because some poor business owner out there fell for their pathetic scam. I don't know how these people sleep at night.

The call is misleading. No legitimate business pressures you to make decision on the spot. That' s usually a sign that there is something wrong.
Don't do anything with these people.

Perkscard total SCAM you will see no customers and they will rip you off for as much money as they can squeeze out of you.

Honestly , If you give your credit card over the phone you must feel Comfortable and Confident enough to do it ( I personally never do it or I use a Check that takes a long time to clear and gives me time to read the fine print).

If you prefer to do you research that's great , That's what the internet is for! great good for you, here's a cookie!
But for all you people that got a phone call or an email , you can't go around calling other companies a scam because you don't understand how they work or even did any intensive research on them; then alone not even spoke to anyone at that company.


I was Contacted by Abe Delgado , Nice guy, great pitch. I did not feel Comfortable , it was just not for me he asked for 1495.00 and I told he right away and that's the conversation was over. But I am not going to go online and bad mouth a company I knew nothing about until I fully researched them .
All I am saying is  Something's work for some people other things do not, Just remember Someone could be online posting negative things about  your company and calling it a Scam for something that was lost in translation or just a person that was uninformed and had a bad attitude.


There are so many Businesses who are Victims of Ignorant people who just post crap online.
Now as business owners we now that not 100% of our Clients are going to be 100% happy with the services. And for perkscard to only have 8 complaints with 22 years in the industry and over 1500 Major nationwide know Clients  and I don't know, about  a Million Perkscard users ? Come on .

Do your homework , don't get fooled and don't believe everything you hear online. Common sense

Lasik Expert has detailed _exactly_ my experience, too.

The only difference was Fred replaced Valerie and evidently has his own extension.
Fred, or his handlers, have done their homework, as the VA Hospital system has added massive solar electric to some of its hospitals across the nation.

I would not be quite so gentle as Lasik Expert, as if one part is a scam, then scam qualifyies for the entire operation. It was truly an artful presention, deceptive but artful.

Unfortunately, i am embarrassed to admit that i worked for perks for a short period of time. what a load of crap this place is. i never wanted to wake up in the mornings because i HATED going into work and taking money from small businesses. i wasn't very good at my job there because i wished with every call that no one would pick up. they base your job on your sales and phone times so the sales person will keep you on the phone for as long as you will let them. they are taught to not be pushy, so don't mistake they're sweet woes for legitimacy. and there is a long script plastered all over their cubical with a rebuttal to every objection that you may have. the owner is a typical new york grease ball and all the telemarketers are ex-brokers and ex-stock salesmen. my heart is too sweet for this field and i couldn't bare it any longer. my apologies go out to the few businesses that i sucked into this program. if you are a small business considering joining perks card, you're doing the right thing by researching, it's your decision but take my advise: it's a waste of time, money, and effort.

Hi,

I am a small business owner in Burbank. I got a call from Augeo / Perkscard too. I made the mistake of signing up with them for $945 because it sounded so great. I fell for every shady marketing tactic in the book. After finding out that they scammed me out of a $1000 I called my credit card company trying to stop payment and they did nothing. They said that I willingly sign up for the services Augeo sold and it was my responsibility to check their credibility before agreeing to do business with them. All true.

Now I am stuck with having to pay $1000 and the services that I actually signed up for with Augeo / Perkscard, are actually useless.
AUGEO PERKSCARDS are a HUGE scam. Please save your money.

Hey, folks,

I did give up on this, as I feared the possible negatives (or even neutrals) outweighed the positives. Yearly rollover (paid) renewals, and "exclusivity" for a shooting employees of a hospital - even a 2200-strong one - doesn't guarantee anything.

In any case, I was to have called them back if I were interested (which I didn't, and wasn't) - but that didn't stop them from calling me.

They weren't able to produce the stats I requested (only for members) regarding advertising, growth, and membership, and said that there were no exceptions.

So, "buh bye" to them.

Thanks for your responses, all.

I received an email and a phone call from a Katarina Montgomery from Perks Card stating that Bloomberg Inc. in San Francisco, CA. was looking for an exclusive Home Staging company to provide discounted services for their employees. My interest peaked when she said I would acquire numerous new clients. However, I couldn’t comprehend what the benefit(s) would be for my company if I were paying PERKS a fee for Staging at a discounted rate? Further into the conversation I gave her my e-mail address to send me documentation for review because I thought it might be a scam. I was shocked when I read they wanted $800.00 up front. Wow!!, $800.00 is a lot of money to put up front to someone who just cold called me out of the blue, and I knew nothing about them?!?!?! When I pushed for names at Bloomberg, Inc. with whom I could verify the data included in the documentation, I was put on hold, and eventually disconnected..hmmmm???
I suspected this was a scam and I started to do some research on this company, and have come to the conclusion that this is definitely a scam!!!! My suspicions have only been heightened after reading the comments posted by many others.
BEWARE OF PERKS CARD!!!

Caller ID: 631-870-4339
Caller: Katarina Montgomery

Hi- I just signed up but then decided that I didnt want to move forward.  I asked to cancel and I was told by Catarina montgomery that I would have to speak to customer service who could only be contacted on monday.  Can I cancel? I am trying to get my credit card to not accept charges?

As a last resort, call your credit card company and report it as lost or stolen. They will cancel your card Immediately... You will have to wait for a replacement card, but so what.? You avoided the SCAM.. I too got the call. They left a message and before I took another call I googled em.. It brought me here in addition to MANY other sites where people were scammed..