Locating Services - No such number, no such zone
On June 28th, 2006, the FTC filed a lawsuit against a locating company, which "promised customers they would secure "profitable locations" in "high volume" or "high traffic" areas. One pitch promised locations in "sports bars, night clubs, grocery stores . . . convenience stores . . . gift stores in large hotels . . . restaurants . . . golf courses and country clubs . . ." The companies charged consumers $150-$6000, depending on the number and types of locations they were hired to find. In fact, the companies often did little or nothing for their customers. Many times they failed to find any locations for vending machines and display racks, or did not find as many as they had been hired to find."
Now what makes this just a silly business? Why on its face can no such "location finding" business exist?
Technorati Tags: vending machines, bars night clubs, ftc, convenience stores, gift stores, grocery stores, country clubs, display racks, hotels restaurants, traffic areas, sports bars, payphones, atms, golf courses
If locater A can find "profitable locations" for vending machines, atms, or payphones then why wouldn't the locator purchase second hand or used said devices and make serious money with his or her superior locating skills?
Think carefully about this. I tell you that if you purchase my car, yacht, or plasma television, then I, for a "small fee", will find another purchaser of the item I just sold you. And you can resell the item for a much higher price. You can profit heavily on your resale, while I am content with my "small fee". Replace "car", "yacht", and "plasma television" with "vending machines", "atms", and "payphones". Isn't the example equally absurd?
Nonetheless, thousands of North Americans lose hundreds of million dollars yearly because they fail to identify this absurdity in time to avoid it. Or they fail to pay the right attorney or lawyer to identify if for them.
Technorati Tags: vending machines, bars night clubs, ftc, convenience stores, gift stores, grocery stores, country clubs, display racks, hotels restaurants, traffic areas, sports bars, payphones, atms, golf courses
