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This is an Antilink report like none other on this page: It's an Antilink I went into with my eyes open. And I should say that so far every warning I found online about this company has proven true. It's also still a work in progress. There's the possibility--albeit slim--that this will still work out. If it does, I'll say so here. If it doesn't, I'll also say so here, and add my voice to the myriad complaint sites. So why would I willingly enter a site that had proven to be a scam? Because at first they seemed inconsistent rather than an outright scam: a lot of people complained about not getting their orders, but some had received them, the owner of the site was apologizing on the Naxpmedia complaint sites (which are many) and claimed she was overwhelmed by the Christmas rush, and finally, I was looking at a particular item as a birthday present for a friend that either wasn't available or cost much more anywhere else. The item I had in mind was itself a fair amount of money, though, so I decided to test Naxpmedia first. I waited until after Christmas was well past and placed a $10 order instead, something that was very nearly the cheapest on the site. If I got the item, great. If not, it wasn't that big of a financial loss. And I'd have another story for my Antilinks page. So here we go. I placed the order on January 5th. Order #4195. Account debited. On January 8th I get a confirmation e-mail that the item has been "billed and shipped", UPS tracking #1Z55V9Y70390699159. My account information on the Naxpmedia page says the same thing. The website claims that the product should take 1-3 weeks to arrive. (Three weeks by UPS? OK. We'll see.) So I wait. And wait. And wait. The date as I write this is Monday, February 4th, 2008. So I figured that the requisite three weeks having passed, I would go ahead and send an e-mail to their customer service. Not that I thought it would do any good--the folks who posted complaints on various sites about Naxpmedia said they got a cookie-cutter automatic response. I got a cookie-cutter acknowledgment. They promise a response within 48 hours. I'll let you know. So here's what the complaints say, and here's how my experience stacks up thus far: They say that in every case where somebody doesn't get their item...and they can actually get through to Naxpmedia, which is extremely rare...they're told that UPS lost the package. They did, ay? Darn useless tracking numbers. (I thought UPS might be interested in hearing about that. More on that shortly.) Like me, all of them got a "Billed and shipped" e-mail response, but the UPS tracker said only "Billing information received", and that according to UPS reps, United Parcel never actually received the package. Most e-mails, as I said, were ignored. The phone number given on the website claims that the office is "closed"--something the message claims at any time of day. (Check.) The phone number on the bank statement comes up with a message that the number's mailbox is "full". (Check.) Apparently replies from a more personalized e-mail address at Naxpmedia are virtually always ignored, but I haven't tried that one yet. I will if I don't here from Naxpmedia from the regular customer service address within 48 hours. Oh--before I contacted Naxpmedia, I contacted UPS. They were very interested to hear this frequent "lost by UPS" excuse. They're also very interested, to say the least, to see how my order turns out. It seems they do not appreciate their name being used to perpetrate fraud--especially when that name is being used as an excuse to cover the fraud. So. One thing I didn't put together until after placing the order, alas, was the fact that the only people who finally received their orders were the ones who...posted frequently on complaint sites. But it gets better. There was another series of complaints I didn't see before placing the order, and if I had I wouldn't have even bothered with the experiment: Those customers who ultimately did receive their orders got, to put it lightly, crap. "Garbage" video. Garbage audio. Incredibly unprofessional-looking package, including hand-written labels and spelling mistakes (some of which were crossed out). Crushed packaging. If I'd known that I'd be getting discs that were practically worthless anyway, I would've skipped it entirely. Anyway, I await the further presence of Naxpmedia in my e-mail box as I write this. As does UPS. I mentioned to Naxpmedia that I did contact UPS about this order; I didn't bother telling them how much interest United Parcel Service has in their company, and that my order--or lack thereof--could be another brick in the wall of a fraud charge against them. Or, for all that, a class action suit. I simply said that I'd appreciate either receiving the item or a refund. More to follow, no doubt. In the meantime, Naxpmedia's webpage is still on Google, so if you've experience fraud at the company's hands you can report it directly to Google itself.
May 16, 2008 Update: That was fast--after mentioning yesterday that Nelson Alvarez had a Myspace page and that his maryandnelson.com site linked to my homepage, he changed both of them. His Myspace now says "Nelly" in "Nowhere, Ohio" or somesuch thing, and his one-time personal page is now redirected to Google. If you want to see what they originally looked like, though, don't worry--I've already found cached copies online. May 15, 2008 Update: Lots of tidbits today! NelsonandMary.com is no more. I'm assuming they've found this page, because if you type in that URL, it will redirect you to my home page! Nelson Alvarez has a MySpace page. He also has a Facebook page you can find by searching "Naxpworld". In other news, someone else who was swindled by Naxpmedia just sent me the information that a Hawaiian realty company called RM Management is trying to find the Alvarezes for past-due payments. (The address I gave in my next-to-last update, maybe?) If anyone knows the Alvarezes' whereabouts you can contact a lady named Kuuipo at the agency, or her supervisor, Robert. You can get in touch with them via e-mail at rmmanagement@hawaiiantel.net, by phone at 808-676-8300, or fax them at 808-677-9911. May 3, 2008 Update: I got an e-mail today saying that I had been issued a refund for my order. I don't have a clue where this refund would have gone, however, since the card I used to place the order was cancelled months ago. I told them, however, that I would be happy for them to send me a check. April 14, 2008 Update: Wow--been awhile. Some folks investigating Naxpmedia.com have been quite helpful. Turns out that this company is part of a larger "organization" called Naxpworld, run out of Hawaii by a couple named Nelson and Mary Alvarez. If you would like to get in touch with them through means that don't involve futilely attempting to use the Naxpmedia contact information, try these:
Ewa Beach, HI 96706
They even have a personal website called maryandnelson.com, though it's a little content short at the moment. Good luck! February 28, 2008 Update: Busy these past two weeks. Among other things, I've cancelled the card used to place the order, had the card's bank file a fraud report against Naxpmedia, and was told that a public records search on the Honolulu number came up with the name Nelson Alvarez. Still waiting to hear back on a search of the Miami information. February 14, 2008 Update: Happy Valentine's Day! According to UPS, the "corporate headquarters" contact address given on Naxpmedia's website is nothing more than a p.o. box purchased online via a company called Earth Class Mail. The brains behind Naxpmedia are actually in Honolulu, I'm told. (Their phone comes back to a Honolulu Sprint Spectrum L.P.) The box and ECM # are shared with a "computer parts and service center" called NYA Direct which does indeed trace back to a Miami number (Florida Cellular Service, Inc.) and (surprise!) also has complaints lodged against it in online forums. More to follow. February 11, 2008 Update: 48 hours has come and gone twice with no reply. (Ask me if I'm surprised.) Further correspondence with UPS has ensued.
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