Universal Media Biz

They try to send an invoice and collect on said invoice.

Called saying they were verifying address and then we received a bill. This media would have been of no benefit to our company and we would never have agreed

Call pretending to be verifying mailing address, then send an invoice. "Frank" sent a follow up email, but I could not verify HST number, could not verify the supposed business listing (all links dead), link to actual general website dead.

I am the manager of a Boutique Hotel in Canada. I first had a run in with Universal Media in 2018.

A guy called and said we owed him money for advertising with the media company. He emailed me an invoice and everything. I didn't realize at first his goal but when he wasn't able to even show me the "advertisment" I felt something was wrong. I made sure to notify everyone I knew.

Fast forward to 2019 I get a call from a lady asking to advertise with them. She told me it was a 2019 business guide for all companies in the province im in. Then she told me it was only online.

She couldn't give me a reason why someone would go to there site to find companies in my province. She was very nice until I questioned eveything she was saying.

DO NOT FALL FOR THESE SCAMMERS!!!

Complete scam and wont leave you alone.

I received a call from Rose from Universal Media to confirm our company contact information for the Aboriginal Business Directory. She then quickly stated "great you're now current until October 2020 and you should receive your $549 invoice by email shortly" They've gone niche market! I was quick to interject remembering I used to get these calls for the Canadian Business Directory.

Don't let Frank bully you down and tell you that you're on the hook for some ridiculous invoice. Hit him with these questions: provide me with an HST number?

what is your business number with ontario or Quebec? where is the physical location in which your office is located? Do you have all recordings of my call ? ask for those recordings.

also just don't insert DVD ANYWHERE on anything. Who knows what it has on it. You owe that man nothing. His service is nothing.

He will move onto weaker targets. Don't feel bad for one second.

This man is a slime ball. Universal Media is a joke.

SCAM- do not accept their phone calls

Kelly from Universal Media just placed a call to the business I manage. Fortunately, the staff know that all vendors should be transferred to me, and that they should never agree to anything over the phone.

Kelly wanted to confirm our listing in the Universal Media directory for next year. I told her that I had never heard of Universal Media. She claimed that our business had a free trial in the directory this year, and she was confirming our business the (paid) listing renewal for next year. This is a classic directory scam.

I was quick to inform Kelly that I did not agree to the trial listing, and I did not want to be listed in their directory. I told her to put us on her do not call list. She hung up. I reported the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Several years ago, I was nearly taken in by exactly this sort of scam.

If it escalated to the point of invoices and demanding phone calls, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

They have instructions on their website on how to get rid of these scammers, and also will help over the phone. Don't pay them, report them.

They phone tell the person they are updating address and company info for their directory, then they send a package in the mail with a invoice for a ridiculous amount of money. I am sure most people throw it in the garbage because nobody in their right mind would pay it and nowhere does it say you have signed up it comes across if you want this service this is how much it will cost.

then they harass you on the phone for payment. They make you think you agreed to something you did not.

There are many complaints about this company and I still do not know exactly what they do other than try and rip companies off. When I spoke to them months later he said I agreed to this all I agreed to was to have information sent to me.

We received a call from them 3 months ago, and my newest employee got the call. Of course she did not know what to do and thought we confirmed it (because Frank said the owner confirmed it) so when she received a call saying 'We have sent it out to you' she said okay.

Well after that a guy named Frank and another very rude guy called us in asking for money for advertisement we did not confirm. My employee told me she said 'okay' to Frank who CONFIRMED with myself(the manager) when I never heard one name about this company. So we called them several times to cancel the order or whatever they placed, and never once picked up the phone. I'm not kidding I called more than 3 times a day for the whole week and left couple voice messages.

And then in middle of July another guy calls and goes on about my name and then tells me he called to let me know that the order has been sent out. Yes we did receive a paper invoice from them and it was $1800. So when this guy called I politely asked him to cancel it. After I said that he was extremely rude, didn't want me transferred over to the boss or the manager, and later he changed his words that they don't have a marketing department?

And then he just hung up without a word. There I realized it was a scam so didn't receive any calls from them but this morning they called in again telling me that I owe $1800 so I was like NO I DON'T and tried to hang up but they wanted to file us and call the police and Frank said '_____(employee's name) HAD ORDERED THE PRODUCT SO YOU HAVE TO PAY' - -- Oh, I thought I was the one that ordered? :) Two people saying different things. so I said okay bring the voice recording of my employee ordering the product and he brought the part where she said 'Okay' so I told them to bring the order part and they said it's from 3 months ago so they don't have it.

Well, that confirm 'okay' voice mail is from 3 months ago too you *** TOTAL SCAMMING! DON'T BE FOOLED!

Universal Media operates illegally by calling companies and talking with their staff who are not even aware of their scam!!

They will ask the name of the employee and then the company name and full address. They will lie and tell the person who answered the phone that they do marketing business with there company or have previously done so.

Then couple of weeks later Canada Post will deliver register mail in the employees name who answered the phone. They will then send invoice for$$$ whatever they feel for the package.

BEWARE OF UNIVERSAL MEDIA SCAM: REPORT FOR THEM TO BE ARRESTED AND REPORT TO CREDIT BUREAU WHEN YOU GET THERE CALL

FRADULENT BUSINESS: UNIVERSAL MEDIA

A person named Frank and a person named Sandra have both been calling saying I owe money and I have never agreed to send the money in first place. I first thought it was a legit company that I could count on to advertise my business.

Now I am out almost $3,000 and have no advertising. I was confused and lost and thought that maybe I had agreed to the amount, but now I know that I did not agree to what she is saying.

I had asked to cancel the account, and she said she could not cancel it until the term was up. I did not agree to the term or a contract of any kind. I asked 6 months ago for the account to be cancelled.

It was not cancelled and she says I still owe money. She did not know her last name and said she did not have a boss.