The Death Of InfomercialScams.com
from the tragic-ending dept
Paul Alan Levy from Public Citizen has a detailed (and somewhat tragic) story of why the site InfomercialScams is no longer in existence, and the domains of the site are now owned by Video Professor, a company notorious for threatening online critics, such as those commenting on sites like InfomercialScams. The full story is rather involved, but the short version is that the original owner of InfomercialScams sold the site. The new owner instituted something it called its "Consumer Protection Program," where it tried to get those critiqued on the site to pay. What was gained by paying is somewhat in dispute, but one can see how it could be seen as extortion. The new owners of InfomercialScams apparently (alleged by Video Professor, but denied by Infomercial Scams) offered to sell companies "immunity" from criticism, and also would drive more traffic to criticism of companies that didn't pay up. If true, this is certainly distasteful and potentially illegal.Video Professor sued, claiming that it also took away any Section 230 protections that had previously protected the site. As Levy notes, that would make for an interesting legal discussion, but could be troubling if it were found to be true. Either way, it's not an issue any more, as the owner of the site eventually settled, and appears to have handed over the site as a part of that settlement. However, what's still troubling is that Video Professor also sued InfomercialScams' original owner, Justin Leonard, despite him having absolutely nothing to do with the new policies on the site (or anything to do with the site at all since selling it). As part of the settlement with the new owners, Video Professor also presented a settlement to Leonard, which would have made him "promise not to disparage Video Professor -- or to host disparaging comments on any web site."
Considering he shouldn't have been a part of the lawsuit in the first place and the troubling implications of such a settlement on Leonard's ability to post what could be a perfectly legal site that could potentially host such comments, Leonard has refused to settle and is fighting his inclusion. This is a sad story all around. The original site, which raised some important questions about Video Professor's infomercial practices, is now gone due, in part, to what appears to be poor decisions by its new owners. But, at the same time, the attack on Leonard, the original owner, and the settlement demands just seem totally out of place. Especially given that Video Professor now has taken control over InformercialScams and all its related websites, it seems that the market is ripe for a new site that fairly discusses what infomercial vendors are pitching.
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Filed Under: criticism, informercials, section 230
Companies: infomercialscams, video professor
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VideoProfessor are also spammers
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Re: VideoProfessor are also spammers
Probably the biggest of all infomercial scams.
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They suck
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Think Video Professor will sue if I...
This whole story is just sad. The "new" owners of infomercialscams.com really screwed themselves, and everyone who might have learned that the Video Professor is a ripoff by reading the site.
Someone will have to replace infomercialscams.com. I'm thinking up domain names... suggestions anyone?
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Re: Think Video Professor will sue if I...
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Re: Re: Think Video Professor will sue if I...
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Re: Think Video Professor will sue if I...
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on another note, the new owner was allegedly quoted saying that certain companies should have to pay "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to have bad reviews removed.
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Re:
You're really scared of stepping out into the world these days, AREN'T you?
Sincerely,
Anonymous Coward.
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Wait a minute
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Re: Wait a minute
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Re: Re: Wait a minute
I got the SlapChop, and I can tell you for certain:
I did NOT slap my troubles away with the SlapChop!
My troubles, troubling as they are, remain.
AC Killa
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Re: Re: Wait a minute
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As with all things internet, something else will pop up somewhere and Video Professor will continue to throw eggs up in the air over it only to run under them and get egged by their own silliness.
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My opinion about products sold through infomercials (real products, not real estate scams and such) is: if you product were really THAT good, the stores would be beating your door down trying to get you to let them sell it. The phrase "not sold in stores" equals "cheap piece of cr@p."
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It's a joke
Well, an ex-US government official really doesn't do much for a Canadian, you could hire your own crew including writer for a lot less, and the hard sell was enough to piss me off totally against them anyway.
Still there are some people who get caught up in this scam, and that's what it is. A scam. A costly scam. I wonder how many companies have gotten roped in?
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Scumbags
Videoprofesor i hope that you get fuked by a donkey ¬¬
lol the next video will be XDD
Video profesor will try to fuck his pc using an usb port XDD
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The biggest scam on TV
get my money back, but it appears that only the most aggressive victims fight hard enough to get their mis-appropriated funds returned. I have truly never seen or heard of any scam artist more successful in taking money and "getting away with it" than this guy. I suppose that the "after-the-fact" small print somehow lets him slide legally, but his ill-gotten gains are no less the results of evil practices. I'm not surprised he purchased
"Infomercial scams", which contained well over 500 valid complaints against him.
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The Video Professor Link on InfomercialScams.com
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332 complaints against Video Professor on Ripoff reports
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322 complaints Ripoff Reports Verified
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Infomercial Scams
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video professor, help me download your "product" on bit torrent
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VIDEO PROFESOR
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ripped off by video professor
can't anyone help us get our money back????
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video professor inc
video professor inc
please contact us at vplawsuit@gmail.com
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Informercial Scam Site
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Free speach!
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Re: Free speach!
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Magic Jack
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Had to ruin it for everyone else
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Wow!
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the good fight continues
you see, i have a pretty popular humor blog that pokes fun at these sorts. like this on professor johnny here and his teachin' ways.
http://fibomercialsandscams.blogspot.com/2009/06/video-professor-john-w-scherer.html
so let it be known, the good fight continues, albeit with some laughs along the way.
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still can see them in the past via the wayback machine
two weeks b4 death
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Infomercial and DRTV Handbook
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Infomercial scam
"You pay.....you get A".
So to me they both suck.....and no I never trust a BBB rating!
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infomercialscams.com was a scam...
Although it would be cool if infomercialscams were a real legitimate site, it turns out that it was not. Maybe one day there will be a site like that, but this one was just a scam.
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