Yet Another Scammed Speaker

I heard from Annabelle (not her real name) with the following...

Thanks for taking the time to let me know that others have been scammed by ISN and Brenda. I was scammed by both. It is a shame that they are allowed to stay in business. I have been a professional speaker for 21 years and wanted to spread my wings into another category since I just completed my next book. Very clear about what I wanted, they gave me all kinds of assurances for bookings. Without going into detail, they made commitments and did not follow through. Their bad business practices cost me time, money and disappointment.

In the meantime, they must be busy with their emails because the numbers of visits to this site LEAPED in the past month... hopefully we saved some folks grief and money.

Has this blog stopped you from signing up to lose your money, too? Please let us know: burnedbyISN (at) hotmail.com

Willow Mist and ISN - Duking it Out

A busy several days? I've received three new comments on this blog, meaning there must be plenty of those bogus emails going out from Willow Mist and ISN these days.

Sometimes the comments are thank-yous -- because the person found this blog and realized they could be scammed.

Other times the comments are confirmations -- other people who were scammed, too.

Wish I could save everyone the trouble! It's a lesson for all of us to research well and hard before we give anyone our hard-earned money. Here's how to research these kinds of things:

In a search engine, use the name of the company, then the word "blog" If that doesn't yield good information for you, then use those terms, plus the word "problem" or "scam." Like this

ISN, International Speakers Network, blog, scam

or

Willow Mist, blog, scam

You can do that for any solicitation you get from any company for any purpose. You may have to click on 3-4 pages worth of search results, but you'll be able to get an impression of how much you'll really get for your money.

Good luck! I hope this has saved you some trouble.

This Time It's Brenda Keefer and Willow Mist

Heard today from Eileen, who sent me this email (reprinted with her permission, by the way....)

First off I want to thank you for blogging…… ………I have never used it before but I was following my gut instinct about Brenda Keefer after they took me for $1000.00 bucks of very hard earned monies…………so after hunting the internet I found your pages……Though I am glad that I did it also pissed me off even more that I fell into her web of lies……..

I get this personal phone call from her and it was good…………and struggling to keep speaking and laughing I agreed to her services….but after month one my tummy said something was not right…….but then hey there are no guarantees in this business so I continue on the journey with her into month 2……. again my gut is aching so I call her to explain to her that I am not liking her way of communications and ask for changes……….. you know the answer…….. ”No problem” …. And of course still no communications during the month……

Now I get this phone call from another company called Innovators Group but strangely enough they are in the same small town that Brenda lives in… strange for a little country town I thought since I live in Tennessee...When I mentioned this on the phone to them they get nervous and cut the call short saying they will call me back to speak to me about writing a chapter in a book with others…and of course I have never heard from them again.…..now I really have a belly ache and then I find your blog………….. NOW I want my monies back and I want these people to join Bernie Maddoff ........

There has to be a way to shut them down…………… and I can tell you I am on a mission now…… And yes I am pissed off……….. but I’ll laugh my way through this one…………… Eileen

Zebras don't change their stripes. Brenda, a convicted felon and owner of Willow Mist Professional Services, cut her teeth for years at the International Speakers Network (Innovators Group). They taught her the ropes -- how to take YOUR money.

I hope this post convinces you to hang on to it.

ISN at the Complaint Board, Too

It's been awhile since posting..... because I finished writing my book and it is now in the publishing process. A very exciting time!

But I didn't want to forget one of my missions, and that is, to make sure that as few people as possible are being burned by the International Speaker's Network. Because yes, ISN is still out there, scamming people left and right.

A new tool for those of you who have already lost your money to them. It's called the Complaint Board. I've just added my complaint, and I would encourage you to do the same.

The Complaint Board

If you write to them, please let me know! I'll highlight your notations. Write to me at burnedbyisn (at) hotmail.com.

Deb is Truly Ticked at the International Speaker's Network

... and I don't blame her.

She posted a comment to last week's blog post here, and on another speaker's website, too (See A Few Simple, Smart Online Shopping Rules)... Here's the comment she posted here:

These people made empty promises to me and ripped me off $1000. They lied to my credit card company, to the Division of Consumer Affairs and the BBB. They said that they were waiting for me to sign off on my one sheet. I chased them for months to put it together and left way to many messages that were never returned until the final message stating I WANT MY MONEY BACK. They found all my misplaced material (the sales lady told me it was in production- how ever production did not have it), then they threw it on a page the last day of their contract and expected me to continue working with them. A big bad scam. I told them to give me all my money back or I would post the mistreatment and their unacceptable business practice on the internet and they threatened me with a law suit. My lawyer said I have every right to post as long as I can back every thing up and I can. these peole are sweet talkers speaking with forked tongues, they even claim to be Christians. Do not let them rip you off!

Deb is mad.

Have you been ripped off? Are you angry, too?

ISN Email to You - Beware! Read Between the Lines

I can always tell when ISN has done one of its mailings.

No -- I don't get them. I'm persona non-grata. Believe me, I've been removed from all their email lists!

Instead, I find my numbers of blog visitors go up. You can see the numbers to the right of this post. Since yesterday, about 20 people have visited.

Did you get an email that looks or sounds something like this one? Please take a moment to read how I've broken it down. You'll see that it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Yesterday I heard from someone who had been contacted by Brenda, too. Brenda used to work for the International Speaker's Network. She was working there back in the day when I was trying to get them to follow through on their promises. But then, about the same time the word came out that Brenda was, in fact, a felon -- she left and started her own gig, called Willow Mist.

I'm just sayin'

Got Lawsuits?

I heard from another burned ISN customer this morning. A gentleman who was likewise burned by ISN -- only this time it was part of the publication of his book. It seems that the book, promised to him within a few months, was delivered just days before the one-year deadline. Even then, the cover was wrong.

Sadly, of course, this is not the first time I've heard this story. But this time there was a twist -- the question of whether I knew of anyone already pursuing a lawsuit?

I'll be putting him in touch with the others who have asked me that question.... but I'll ask it here, too:

If you have filed or considered a lawsuit against ISN, Bookaspeaker, Insight Publishing, the Innovators Group (or any of their other DBAs), or would like to be put in touch with others who have or are considering one.... will you send me an email? I'll put you all in touch with each other.....

email me at: burnedbyisn (at) hotmail.com

Anonymous? I think not. David Wright Responds

Two "comments" made yesterday to this blog , both of which you'll be interested in.

"Anonymous" wrote the following:

I will be happy to send you many many books we have published lately. Just let me know and I will drop them in the mail. No problem. As a matter of fact, research through Amazon.com by publisher and you will see several bodies of work we have completed lately. You have way too much time on your hands. . .you must be really empty on the inside. I will keep you in my prayers.

Apparently, Mr. Wright didn't read the post carefully (see below). I didn't question whether his books were being published. I stated that he takes money from people who expect to be included in his books, then doesn't include them.

What I didn't mention, though true, is the fact that I hear from them when they try to get their money back, and don't. Which, of course, was my own experience. Even the Better Business Bureau reflects their poor track record.

As for too much time on my hands? Well, no.... in fact, I feel as if I am helping others by these posts. I am saving them grief and money. There is no greater satisfaction in life than helping others, so my time on this blog is very well spent, even if I have much to do in the rest of my work.

Comment #2 came from Mitch, and you can read it here. Thanks for your note, Mitch! So very happy to prove the point that yes, I am helping others.

A New Year, More Speakers and Authors Will Pay

I use "International Speakers Network" as a google news alert, and noticed right about the first of the year that ISN popped up more and more in the news. Seems David Wright has published another one of his books where he promises people he will include them along with some of the chicken soup book people, and others, in those books.

I hear sometimes from people who paid for inclusion, and woops! the publisher forgot to include them! They are told their information will be included the next time around...

Except that it doesn't get included.

Don't get caught. Read more on this blog about the International Speakers Network, book a speaker, and all the other company names these people work under.

Then save your money.