TCA Fraud: Get Even not Mad!
I am writing as not only another TCA victim but as the founder of a group that is working constructively to right these wrongs.
I submitted to TCA for 2 Netgear rebates over 4 months ago and recently received a check for (surprise!) only one of them. Speaking to TCA Customer Service got me nowhere (another surprise). I was given the runaround in multiple conversations and was finally hung up on. I have tried contacting Frank directly. Cynically enough franks 'feedback' email is not functioning. (Another shocker!!).
A quick web search confirmed my suspicions about how Frank and TCA does business. This is a game that he's played many times before, with too many people, as most of us know too well, and has gotten away with for too long.
My point is that it is time we stop getting mad and start getting even. I've got some good ideas, and if we join as a group, I think this will be very effective. I have setup an email address (
[email protected]), (soon to be website) to help organize this work. Please join me in implementing as many of these as you can. The key is that as many of us are committed as possible. I've already published these ideas elsewhere and the response, so far, has been overwhelming. This WILL work!!
Heres my plan:
1: The first step is simply: if we cant force them to pay us the money owed, we certainly shouldn't make it easy for them. Call TCA regularly (pref. checkin daily). Speak to the reps. politely (too politely). ask them about their day, how life is working min. wage for frank, and if there has been any progress on your case. Be creative, but call and call often.
2: We need to collect as much information we can about TCA. We need to gather as full a list of franks clients as possible (ie: Netgear, COMPUSA etc.) (this is key), as much TCA contact information as possible (unpublished TCA email addresses, phone numbers etc.), etc. We all have done our own investigation/detective work; pooling this information is key for the next step, but IT IS VITAL THAT WE STAY LEGAL THROUGHOUT. Please forward this information to
[email protected]; I will propogate the information collected, back out to all of you.
3: This is the essential step. We are already in progress of working our way up the organizational chain in NetGear and COMPUSA. They are aware of this situation, but its apparent that this hasn't yet reached critical mass for NetGear and COMPUSA Corporate. Once we have a more comprehensive TCA client list, we, as individuals and as a group, will challenge corporate in every one of these companies as to why they are still associated with a company that is rude, incompetent and unprofessional at best and fruadelent at worst. PCWorld called TCA "one of the worst rebate processing companies". TCA has a long time "unsatisfactory" BBB rating and the BBB says "TCA has exhibited a pattern of not responding to consumers' complaints". The list goes on...
The Franks of this world have proven they have no conscience and are therefore unreachable via any way other than their bottom line. When we demonstrate to these executives that associating with a company with a reputation as tarnished as TCA's, could be harmful to their own reputation, and that their choice of TCA as opposed to any of TCA's better rated competitors is being noticed, it wouldn't be hard for them to imagine looking elsewhere. We have no doubt this will be effective, as this kind of campaign has been extremely effective before.
Our goal is to make Frank and Lynn change the way their business is run and hopefully improve this experience for ourselves and others in the future. Alternatively, if TCA resists, we would be ok with their client base (and therefore their business) going away forever as well.
Please send any information (or ideas)you might have to
[email protected]. Feel free to copy us on all correspondence to them as well. It is time the honest, law abiding among us stopped giving dishonest companies such as TCA a free ride.
