This started out as a post to the EFA members’ discussion list, where we’ve recently discussed a couple of scams, but it got a little long so I’m posting it here. I also gave out my URL and was promised it’d be linked to my member profile, so in case that actually does get published anywhere, I want to emphasize here that I am not affiliated with the National Association of Professional Women. Which should also be clear from the rest of the post.
I come with a word of warning about the National Association of Professional Women. They’re advertising heavily on LinkedIn, I hear, and targeting new business owners whose bullshit detectors might not be finely tuned yet. (That would include me, I’m sorry to say.) The organization seems reputable but they’ll use flattery and high-pressure tactics to upsell you on anything they can.
A week or two ago, I got a postcard in the mail offering membership and providing a preapproved membership code. I thought about it, went and checked out the org’s website, and decided it looked legitimate and possibly useful to me. The site said that every woman who applies (should have been red flag #0) gets a complimentary basic membership but that there were many membership levels. I entered the code from the mailing, filled out a form, and figured I’d check it out at the free level.
A few days later, I got a phone call from Savina (at a blocked number; red flag #1) wanting to interview me before my membership was approved and leaving the number 866-540-6279, extension 270. I called back today, and the given extension was Pamela Caldwell’s voice mailbox. I left a message anyway, and Savina called me back an hour or so later. (Red flag #2 — there was no mention of “oops, I gave you the wrong extension” or “Pamela gave me your message” or anything like that.)
Savina seemed friendly, but I could also tell she was reading from a script at points. I answered questions about my work experience, my education, my business, where I see myself in five years, what I hoped to get from the organization, what I was most looking forward to, etc. At the end of the interview she said she was pleased to offer me membership. I thanked her, thinking I’d passed some test or received some honor, and we proceeded with the paperwork process. She said there was the Elite membership level, which cost $900-something, or the Premium level, which cost $700-something but didn’t have quite so many benefits, so which did I want to sign up for?
WHOA THERE. I don’t want to sign up for either! However, we’d now spent about 15 minutes talking about me and what I wanted from the organization, so I didn’t want to feel foolish by saying “no thanks, never mind” at this point. (Red flag #3, in retrospect.) Savina said she could offer me a trial membership at $99. I said, didn’t I see something on the website about a free level? She said that was a listing only and didn’t include all the networking and seminars and other benefits I’d just said I wanted. So would that be American Express, Visa, Mastercard…?
At this point I felt trapped enough to give up my credit card information. I wish I’d come up with some other excuse: I wanted to review the welcome packet she promised to send; I wanted to run it by an accountant or a mentor; I wanted an invoice or an online form instead of giving my card info over the phone. (I later found out that others who’d said things like these were told the offer of membership was a now-or-never thing, or that welcome packets or requested invoices never came.)
So once Savina had my card info and enough information to create my member profile, she then offered to sell me a very nice plaque commemorating my acceptance into membership. She read off what the plaque would say and said that they only reserve two plaques for each member, so did I want to buy one or two for $99 each? That, I managed to turn down. To finish the signup process, Savina told me I’d get an email with my member ID and website login, told me I could download the organization’s logo and put it on my own site and business cards and wherever else, and described what would be in the welcome packet
When we ended the call, I felt swindled. I’d had no intention of spending a dime on membership, but because I’d been enthusiastic about membership for most of the call, I felt pressure not to backtrack. The more I thought about the whole thing, the more red flags started to appear, and I did what I should have done in the first place: researched the organization. My phone even offered “national association of professional women scam” when I started to type in the search box. Uh-oh.
I found blog posts and comments from 2007 through January of this year, all telling pretty much the same story, with some of the same names and phone numbers, though the exact dollar amounts changed from year to year. A post, Women Work Smart: Watch Out for Scams Attacking New Business Owners, and comments that echoed the experience I’d just had. An unfavorable article from 2009 that NAPW wanted taken down in 2012. A speaker who’d been offered a complimentary membership, then asked to pay for memberships and awards. A Ripoff Report article that had a fluffy, glowing “special update” at the top and a name removed from the original, critical report. Even negative Yelp reviews of the organization.
The more I read, the more infuriated I got. I called the number back and pressed 0 for “immediate assistance.” An operator transferred me to the Finance division, where I left a stern message saying I did not want membership, do not charge my card, and call me back to tell me there will be no charges. I read more stories of people getting the runaround and called the number again, this time dialing the extension Savina had given me, which again directed me to Pamela’s voice mailbox — only this time, her last name was something like Jean-Michel, not Caldwell (another red flag!). I left another stern message saying not to charge my card.
I expected I’d have to fight a little harder to avoid charges, since Savina had said that all membership orders were final. But an hour after I left the first message, I got a call from Ben (blocked number) from the Finance division. He asked me to confirm that I’d purchased a membership today. I said instead that I’d done a little more research on the organization and decided not to proceed with membership. He said, “So you looked at the website?” I said that I’d looked at the website and some other recommendations online, and I no longer wanted to be a member of NAPW. Ben offered no other resistance and said that he’d reverse the charges, which could take up to 24 hours. And that was that.
My bank account doesn’t show a pending charge yet, so I can’t say what amount they charged or refunded. If anything does come through, I’ll update the post.
ETA, 3/29/13: I think it’s safe to say now that no charges came through at all. It looks like I changed my mind quickly enough that NAPW really didn’t charge my card, instead of completing the transaction and then reversing the charges.
Update, 2/4/14: There have been so many more comments on this post than I ever expected (almost 200 as of this morning)! If you did purchase a membership at any level in the National Association of Professional Women, I can’t offer specific advice beyond what I’d recommend for any other purchase: contact NAPW for a refund and to cancel your membership. Contact your bank or credit card company and ask to stop the charge if it hasn’t gone through yet, or if it has, ask the customer service rep what your options are. Several readers have mentioned automatic renewals without clear notice — commenter Kim Hales said in December 2013 that text authorizing the renewals is hidden in new/updated terms and conditions that NAPW members must accept in order to login to the members-only area of the website, where you’d need to uncheck a renewal option — so if you’re already on the phone with your bank or credit card issuer, ask if you can prevent that specific renewal charge. NAPW may also have a policy disallowing cancellation within 30 days of the membership’s renewal date.
Many readers have mentioned the misleading ads NAPW has placed on LinkedIn. Yesterday, commenter Karin posted the text of the support ticket she submitted to LinkedIn and the reply she received, in which an Ads Support Specialist promised to “investigate the advertiser in question.” LinkedIn’s advertising guidelines prohibit deception or lying. Since NAPW does have a free membership level, I don’t think advertising a free membership is lying per se, but I do think this tactic is deceptive. If you’re on LinkedIn, you can submit a support ticket here.
Other readers have mentioned NAPW’s Better Business Bureau rating, which seems to have tanked over time. Commenter Glenda said in August 2013 that the LinkedIn ads touted NAPW’s A rating but that, according to the BBB, NAPW was not an accredited business. As of October 2013, NAPW still had a high rating, but commenter Lil W. said in December 2013 that NAPW had an F rating then. Last week, commenter Gabby said that NAPW’s Wikipedia page had a “Controversy” section that mentioned a C rating from the BBB. Here’s the text of that Controversy section as it appears today:
As of January 2014, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) reported 256 customer complaints against NAPW since 2011. Based on these complaints, the Bureau issued the company a C rating (on a scale of A+ to F) for its “failure to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints”, among other factors cited in their review of the company.[10] Dozens of consumer complaints were also filed against NAPW with other complaint bureaus, reporting fraudulent practices. In response to BBB’s inquiry regarding what measures the company was taking to resolve “underlying issues”, NAPW reported that the “trend” of complaints reported to BBB was heavily due to online “negative PR” rather than customer experience.[11]
My post here tends to rank highly in Google searches for the National Association of Professional Women, with or without the word “scam” included. NAPW has not contacted me about my experience (or for any other reason). I don’t think I or my blog really register with them.
The BBB gives NAPW a D rating today, for reasons that match my experience and those of almost all the commenters below: “Many consumers tell BBB that they are misled regarding membership prices, membership levels, and additional fees for processing and set-up. For example, consumers reported seeing an ad for free membership for NAPW on LinkedIn. However, these consumers claim that when they contact NAPW to take advantage of that offer, they find out that joining is not free. Some consumers also allege that they were subjected to high pressure sales tactics by company representatives to join the organization even before they understood the costs or benefits. Other consumers that originally agreed to join the organization but opted afterward to cancel the membership say that they have difficulty reaching any company representatives to seek a refund.”
I’ll continue to update this post with more news as it develops.
Update, 11/13/15: There are more than 550 comments on this post, which is about 500 more than I ever expected! I’m amazed that new people continue to comment that NAPW is doing the same old song and dance. Unfortunately, however, it appears to be working for them. This week, journalist Nikki Gloudemann published Anatomy of a Scam: National Association of Professional Women, a deep dive into the experiences of former members of NAPW, who’s running the organization, what it’s like to work in the call centers, and what the future looks like. (NB: This post is linked in the article and I was contacted for an interview. I wish I’d said yes.)
I received the welcome letter today in the mail and the first thing I did was google the orgianzation name and found your post!! Thank you and all the ladies for the information! I agree with Diana Pederson – we need to create our on legitimate group!
Wow!!! Thank you so much for this post! I just got off the phone with a woman and it played out just as you described and she was talking about all these prices, and my first thought was “What happened to the free trial?” So yeah, needless to say I will NOT be joining this. Thank you again. Also, could you send me an email at mabk0211@gmail.com? I would like to discuss this more with you if possible. Thanks . :D
Diana Pederson, I was just thinking the exact same thing!! We would have a number of members to start with!
I just received the letter in the mail and am doing some research to see if I would be shelling out money later. Looks like I would be. Thanks for the knowledge.
Thanks for the information.it was a great help. Just received the letter to join today. Won’t be joining this company. Thanks again
Did a search when I got my “pleasure to inform you that your 2015 membership has been approved…” letter. Thank you! It’s now been ripped in 1/2, and filed in ‘File #13’.
I just received a mailing from this organization. Thanks so much for the public service offered by your post and saving me time and aggravation!
Thanks, thanks, thanks for detailing your account! Talked to a lady today and it played out EXACTLY as your situation described; except I felt like at some point I switched from talking to a person with sketchy English to a native English speaker as they got closer to closing the sale…strange, I know…and maybe that was just our connection being odd but her voice certainly got better!
Anyways, when she started with the $900, I almost asked if she was drinking. We talked all the way down to the $99 and like you, I felt cornered and like you, for some odd reason I felt bad that I kept telling her no. BUT NO IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I only wish I’d had the forethought to say no, I’ll absolutely not be involved with any organization that doesn’t give me up front pricing. I’ve never done it before, why would I start now????? I’ve joined professional societies and tech associations. Sure they cost. I’ve got no probably with cost…but it’s always been with 100% full disclosure. Why would I associate my name (or get business advice/support) from a group that considers this an acceptable business practice.
Well…I didn’t think to say all that. I thought to say, no way. I’ve got no money today and no you can’t “hold” my card number till tomorrow!!! So, I lost nothing except a good bit of time and the annoyance of getting excited at the prospect of a good network of support. :(
Hi,
I received the welcome letter in the mail today. Went to the website & registered. Have not received a call. Thanks to you, I will make that call short & sweet. It will end with a simple “no thank you”. This post and the fact that majority links on the website give error messages is a clear enough sign for me. We should start a “real” organization for professional women and show them how it’s done!
Thank you. I recieved a letter 2 days ago about NAPW. I filled out the on line free app. Guess what? When and if they call me they aren’t even going to get started with their bull. I am telling I already checked them out and forget about it. My business isn’t new anyway. I have had it for 11 years. Thank you for all of the comments. We really need to start a legitimate organization.
THANK YOU, Rachel!!!
Thank you for this. I almost fell for this and decided to Google and found your post. I agree that a legitimate group should be formed. Count me in!
I just got the letter on Friday and filled out the online form to subscribe. Today, Monday I got a call from Veronica Valencia asking for $900 as an elite member then $789 for a preferred membership. Then after quoting their “no cost or obligation” stated in their letter she said that she can reduce to $99 for 6 months to get started and possibly extend to a total of 12 months. It sounded like a great deal and was almost ready to sign up. Had it not been for my boss waiting on me to hang up, I would have given my cc info. I told her I’d call back at a more convenient time. I don’t know much about this organization and wanted to do a little research before calling them back. I had no idea that I would come across this website and read all this negativity, I’m just glad that I allowed myself time to read up and investigate first. I even liked their page on FB and shared it with some friends!!
Unfortunately, it happened to me what it happened to you, I do not know what I was thinking. I have called them back to cancel my membership and email them. I have also contacted my bank to block and put a stop on the payment since it has not gone through. I hope it will not. :(
I got my letter a couple weeks ago after seeing the advert. on Linkedin and checking out the site. I agree with you when you say, how as a new business owner you seek the connection of other liked minded women. I wanted this to be a real opportunity, after I received my phone call today, all kinds of red flags went up. I too, felt a sense of honor when the caller (Dawn) said she’d like to offer me a membership.
Then that quickly turned into for this price. I felt just as you did, a sense of obligation not turned back, how can I say no? Right? I told the woman as a practice I don’t make financial decision on a whim, and since there had been no indication of a membership fee prior to this conversation I needed time to think.
Of course like you, my price went from $1,000 to $99. After our conversation,, together my husband and I did some research and found the unsettling reviews. When my husband finally landed on your blog, he said that’s it, just forget it, stop researching, it’s clear. I’m adding my experience, because as a professional woman it sickens me to see women being preyed upon. Thank you and please keep updating, hopefully you’ll be more effective in causing awareness than they are in signing people up.
wow, great that i read this. I received a call back for an interview to work for them. I had no idea it was about this, rather I though it was something to do with empowering and helping women.
The above info sounds like they are pressuring selling GYM memberships.
Ditto on all of the above comments! I am a small business owner as well and would love to connect with others. The phone call started out with a brief interview, then offered a premium and elite membership, finally offering a basic for $99. I said I would like information comparing the three levels sent to me (via mail or e-mail), caller stated it could only be purchased today. I declined and found this site as soon as I got off the phone.
Thanks for the informative post and all the comments. I sure wish I’d searched “napw scam” BEFORE I signed up, but it never occurred to me that it was not purely an organization dedicated to helping women succeed.
I got the call after leaving a request for more information on the NAPW site. Nothing they offered (seminars and workshops) sounded useful to me, and I have neither the time nor the money for it, but by the time she had flattered me about my professionalism and my business, I felt obligated to join. I’m embarrassed to say that I only got the price down to $199 before pulling out the VISA. That was 5 days ago and they just dinged my VISA for another $99. When I called to find out what was going on, I was told that was my profile fee. The woman told me I had agreed to it in the previous call but it must have been a pretty brief mention as I didn’t remember it AT ALL. At any rate, I told her I wanted to cancel, go transferred to someone who transferred me to the billing department. Waited on hold a few minutes and was then told that everyone in billing is in a meeting, so they’ll call me back. Wish me luck!
Donna
Thank you so much.. just got off the phone and i did not give her any info. I decided to google and your link is the first thing that caught my eye.
Thanks for the information. Seeing so many stories that sound the same as my own experience (interview sucker) I am glad I did not pull out my wallet.
Now I am even more curious where do all these women, like me, who want to connect with other professional women go? The premise is a good one. I work in a predominantly male field and worked my way into a management promotion. Now I am looking for a way to connect, receive guidance/ support from other women. This is not an opportunity I have access to at by place of business.
UGH!! I just recently signed up for the $99 memebership, which was extended to the full 12 months. I found this too late! Now, I’m going to check my banck account for a second charge. I am positive a second charge for the profile was not mentined during my call. I told Jennfer Borzumato on the phone to repeat things, as I was taking extensive notes. The membership fee would be automatically drafted if I “chose” to continue, to which I replied that it sounded contradictory. She corrected herself and stated it would be automatically drafted if I did not cancel by next year. BUT, at any point, I could call and upgrade the membership. Wanting to network and tap into free professional development tools really sounded appealing. I feel like a chump.
Followup on my previous message: they listened to the recording of the sales call made to me and confirmed that the caller had not mentioned the profile charge. They immediately reversed that. I also told them I wanted to cancel my membership and we went back and forth. They finally agreed to refund half of it. So I am out $100.
They encouraged me to share access to the videos on the site with colleagues, so I may sit down with a junior person here and see if there is value to be found. Like you, Erika, I was disappointed that it does not seem to be a legitimate organization for networking and support. They claim that the value is there, but if that is the case, why do they have to resort to these misleading and foul-smelling sales tactics?
Thank you soooo much fo posting this! I just received a phone call from the extending membership and, like you, felt pressured to join with the $99 membership. I have already contacted customer service, as well as the individual that I spoke with insisting the stop processing immediately and do not charge my card. I don’t wish to be a member of an organization that pressures others to join.
Thank you for the heads up. I rec’d an offer for membership as well, and now I will NOT join this organization. I thought it was FREE as well, but NOT. Thank you so much for your informative blog. Smooches ;)
I just received the call and googled them as I was on the phone. I’m so glad that this article came right up! Not that I would have spent the money, but it is always good to have the info. Thank you!
So glad my bs detector is working. In todays mail I received a letter informing me of my approval of membership for 2015. What caused the red flag and caused me to google them was the statement that read “you were considered for this honor because of your outstanding leadership, commitment within your profession and employment at Amore Dress Boutique”. If I was being honored for my over 15 years as a professional technology project manager I probably would not have googled it…since the statement would have been a true one. :-) However my work in my profession and employment at Amore Dress Boutique to public knowledge consists of setting up an LLC, obtaining a sales tax ID and registering my DBA about two weeks ago. My boutique doesn’t open for another two months, but it will have outstanding leadership and does have my commitment…I think they jumped the gun on this one! They clearly acquired the list of newly registered businesses in my area.
Thank you!
This just happened to me this morning. Currently trying to stop payment on the charge of $789, but my bank said I can’t. That I can only dispute it once the charge has gone through.
I feel embarrassed that I fell for this and at the age of 23 nervous that my bank will make me pay this amount that I can’t afford.
If this has happened to anyone who has Bank of America please reach out to me and let me know how you handled this.
I just got the welcome packet from NAPW. First thing I did was research the organization and found your post. Thank you!
Stephanie, don’t feel bad, I did same thing. Call NAPW right away and tell them you want to cancel and ask for a full refund. It’s your best bet.
Thank you so much for posting this. Got the letter this week, and searched for info on NAPW before joining, and saw your post. You just saved me time and hassle. Thanks again.
Just got off phone with “Sue”… call went exactly how you described. Luckily my bank declined the charge. I called the bank to see why it was declined (the funds were there). I answered a few security questions and my account was reset. “Sue” gave me a different number from the one she called me from (which was not the 866-540-6279 number) to call her back. Thought I would Google the phone numbers and found your post. THANK YOU!!!!
I Googled looking for a place to post about the NAPW and your blog was one of the first Google listings so I am hoping you don’t mind that I post this note here.
I own a business in southern Arizona and a good friend owns a business in Chicago. When I got the flyer from the NAPW, I sent her an email asking if she was a member as she’s been in business a couple years longer than I have. As an added bonus her husband happens to be her business manager/CPA so I thought even if she wasn’t a member she could run it past her husband. She got the flyer earlier this year and had her husband look into it thinking it might be good advertising.
From what he found out this group has been essentially impersonating the legitimate group NAWBO… The National Association of Women Business Owners. Since they call themselves something different and do offer a “free listing” they can’t technically be called frauds but they definitely walk a VERY thin line between shady and flat out fraudulent/illegal. It’s most definitely a scam.
If you’re interested in the “real” group, their national website address is http://nawbo.org/ and they have individual chapters (each with their own website such as http://nawbochicago.org/) in most major cities, including Chicago, IL which is the chapter that was kind enough to provide my friend with the above information. They have been around for over 40 years and are the real deal, complete with an A+ BBB listing as well as members in just about every career path imaginable.
The NAPW has NO AFFILIATION with the legitimate group whatsoever… the best thing to do is throw their “offer” away and post a note to the BBB that they are attempting to appear as a legitimate, and long standing, organization as well as any issues you may have had with them if you have already been in contact with them.
Man! I wish I had seen this post and the other stories of the women suckered into this BEFORE I spent $199 on the membership. There was no information whatsoever on their website about the cost of the membership, and I also thought it was free! I just called to cancel the membership – which they agreed to, but not before putting me through probably 10 minutes of trying to keep me as a member – in the most condescending way possible, I might add… They tried to tell me that they don’t put the cost of the memberships on the website because “you can’t put a price on the things that you’re getting access to, through the organization…” “But you clearly CAN put a price on it – because you did!” I told her. I already have a pending charge on my account; will be keeping a close eye on it to make sure they remove it.
My advice – Stay away from NAPW! I spoke to Cathy from NAPW, who started asking details about my professional experience, career plans, roadmap etc. After about 20 minutes of questions, I was asked to purchase a membership of $900. Absolutely no details offered. When I requested for an online link to register and make the payment, her response was NAPW does this over call only! No brochures, no detailed documentation, nothing in WRITING offered. When I mentioned that I would connect with her later, the membership fee dropped from $900 – 499 – 99! I still chose not to pay instantly and was then given a basic membership. She seemed rushed and wanted to end the conversation with a Visa / Mastercard payment when I started asking details around the higher levels of membership.
I am glad I read this review and other Yelp reviews before making a decision.
Thank you Rachel for your comments and warnings to us business women. I was faced with 3 phone calls, trying to upsell me on plaques, memberships, “Woman of the Year”, etc etc.
The first call I did end up paying for a membership (not the highest quoted one thank goodness) but nevertheless, I began to get suspicious when I continued to get phone calls from them. I declined the second offer, and started to see red flags more and more. I now have no interest in this organization, and have learned a lesson – check things out first before commiting.
Another embarrassed woman who just bought the $199 version thinking of the training and local chapter ‘community’. Found your article afterwards moments later and immediately called the Billing Dept. She tried to sell me the $99 dollar version and I said no thank you. She stated that they would process the refund and send me a confirmation email. I’ll be keeping an eye on my bank statement. Wish I had found this sooner but glad I did. Hopefully that will be the end of that.
Thank you Rachel
I also received the *free* membership offer – but when the calls kept coming in – all during the work day, when I am not suppose to take personal calls. Yesterday, I finally took the call and stepped away from my desk (this was now probably the 14th call for my “interview”) and asked them to please remove my application, that I was no longer interested. She seemed very insulted! but, now after I read this post, I sure am glad. I hope they no longer bother me.
Lucky you, they got me for $99. I felt the same way, a little hussled, and gobsmacked by the “premium” and “elite” memberships. Am trying to reverse this charge and cancel my membership.
I am one of those suckers that paid $900 for the ‘elite membership’ two years ago. I cannot believe after all this time they are still up to their low down rotten dirty tricks. We all need to start a social media campaign on our Twitter, FB, accounts etc. etc. get the word out to all those hard working professional women like me who don’t need these ground scavenging hard to kill ‘snakes in the grass’. Also report this company to your local house representative and BBB and Angie’s List??
My opinion on dealing with this continuing highway robbery!
Sue, Realtor, Denver
I filled out the form on Linkedin and they called today. I just got off the phone but while on the phone I googled and found this.. so talking her back down from $989 to $99 wasnt hard while not indicating I knew the game. I told her i had to check and let her know. It will not be happening to me today or ever! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks to all for sharing your personal experiences with NAPW. I too received a letter from the NAPW’s Membership Services. As a result of my past experiences with memberships, I decided to research the organization prior to visiting their website. The information provided here was very helpful. Thanks, again.
Hello Rachel and everyone else who took the time to post a message.
I, like all of you, saw an ad for NAPW, on Twitter. I was intrigued by the possibility of connecting with other women professionals to network with and get support. I filled out the online application, then got a message yesterday from someone named Stephanie Braylen (sp?), of my local chapter of NAPW.
Then in a moment of clarity (thankfully) I thought to myself, “I have been burned in the past by moving to hastily on things that seem too good to be true”, so I decided to check them out on the web. I am SO grateful for this article and for all of you who shared your experiences. Without these testimonies I am sure I would have had a tough time dealing with my salesperson.
I am still interested in finding an organization or group that I can be a part of. Celanna Martin, thank you for the information on http://nawbo.org/. I will do some research on them to see if that is right for me.
Again, THANK YOU all.
Renee
Chico, CA
I just receiving my invitation in the mail and was so thankful to have found your post. Thanks for keeping it real!
Received a membership invitation in the mail today. So glad I decided to google this organization and ran across your post!
I just received a very flattering letter from NAPW and thank goodness for this webpage/link otherwise I might very well have been sucked into this scam.
Thank you!
I just recieved a membership letter from NAPW and I decided to research this organization before moving foward. Thanks to all of you I will not be moving forward.
For those of you who state that you “felt bad” about turning them down – you need to understand that these people are trained to key in on what you say and how to respond to that to PUSH YOUR BUTTONS. They are professionals…. and not in a good way. They choose verbiage, tone of voice, etc that pressures you into agreeing with them.
I also appreciate Rachel sharing her experience, even though I have a very well-developed BS meter and filed my letter in the shredder less than 30 seconds after it hit my desk – not that many years ago I was more naive :). Have a blessed week, folks!
Got my letter in the mail yesterday – thank goodness for this post. I’d never give out my CC# for something like this, but this post has saved me the annoyance/hassle of having to deal with the phone calls and sales pressure tactics!
I just received a call from someone name Demia from NAPW. I too was extremely excited and honored that they’d accepted me as a member. We discussed my business experience as well as the nature of the different businesses I own. I now hate that I gave her the website information to each. My emotions went from excitement to disappointment as she got to the part where they’d need $900, $700,$400 and finally she could offer the $199 membership if there was a cost concern. I’m thinking REALLY!!! I am so glad I felt uncomfortable enough to tell her that I’d have to pay later tonight once I got home. I then sat at my desk and began doing research at which time I found this site. I tell you the pressure was on….. I am thankful that I found this site and I will not be returning any calls to make any payments.