The Tutorial School, where I work, received an automated call from a website called MerchantCircle.com (notice I didn’t bother making this a link -That was intentional). This message claimed that someone had reviewed the site, and all you had to do was enter your phone number to see the review. I am not naive enough to actually give a telemarketer a phone number, even one they already have, although I have to give them credit for the chutzpah. I was curious to see what was happening, though.
After visiting the site and reading a few comments and reviews, I’ve come to hold a very dim view of Merchant Circle. Although it’s not entirely a scam, it’s extremely misleading in what it claims to offer. The site itself is poorly laid-out and contains very little actual value beyond what could be found at easier, more informative sites such as Google Maps or Yahoo! Local (see? I know how to link when it’s worth it).
Fortunately, there is no review of the school -I say fortunately because Merchant Circle has been accused of creating false negative reviews to prod businesses into creating accounts. The review was, in all likelihood, a lie for marketing purposes, or (if we’re being generous) extremely sloppy record keeping. Why would I want to promote my business through a group that operates this way?
A funny and vitriolic blog entry on this business, which compares them to the Mafia, can be read here.
