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UPDATE # 3 - Aug. 17th.
After I read this goodg guys latest reply I realized how Comical this whole thing is. It's gotten so over-blown with extraneous garbage I thought maybe I should just delete all but the original review, but instead decided to leave it for your entertainment. ( ͡^ ͜ʖ ^)
I applaud Mr Goodg for his apparent desire to continue (on & on) spin-doctoring the real truth..camouflage for his desire to continue swindling people..but it's a doomed effort. The truth is here for people to see, and all this spin-doctoring only makes the falsehoods more apparent.
In his latest effort (below) the goodg claims, "I have no control over the ads that appear (on His site)," and then proceeds to blame Google! Is that a joke? Because there the thing IS! One of the most prominent features on his first page.. the Bank ad for his admitted #1 sponsor, with the big 5 Star TrustPiolet logo on it. It's so prominent in fact the entire page design is arranged to deceive people into thinking that it's His five star rating; while here he is trying to tell us He didn't accept that ad, He didn't put it there, Google did! Then makes a liar out of himself by saying he has no knowledge of it, and can't find it! He even asks for directions to it..an obvious ploy..when I have already, very plainly, given that in my review so you readers can see this for yourselves....Because TrustPiolet is a sorry excuse for a review site that SELLS their customers the ability to alter their apparent review status. See my review here for the rest of the bad news on them.
So we get all these bogus disclaimers and transparent lies; then for his "proof" he offers Apples & Oranges! First a url to google's newest Ads feature, with a title that ends in, "Placement-and-Monetization-Choices." There, that means Choices Google's customers make, i.e. His, the goodg's choices. Then he follows this with a (one More) disclaimer that YOU should use caution, when he's talking about His Own Site! Well I would certainly take That advice.
This is followed by one of the biggest laughs in this whole thing. Referring back to the Bank ad (above), he states, This does "NOT" constitute an endorsement, of the bank..his admitted #1 Sponsor. Is that Back Peddling or what! The guy's squirming like an eel here. Now, because of this review, he begins to disclaim even his association with this bank (With their ad the most prominent thing on his front page), which anyone can understand now that they've been exposed.
Not to lose sight of the original intention of this review, I remind readers that this is a bank this site, "get out of debt dot com," sends people to (to buy consolidation loans) with his "Free Consultations" for the kick-back money. Notice that even tho he claims to have no association with this bank whatsoever, a patient lie, he never once denies he sends them customers, or that he makes money for doing so. (and where do You think he makes his money?) Instead his entire first paragraph..like all of it..boils down to apples and oranges comparisons, and a disclaimer..both designed to be obfuscation.
Comically (as well) his next statement is that he, "followed the advice from Sitejabber" (misspelling it in the process), when in truth he did the exact opposite. They warn (here) "Responding to bad reviews may open a can of worms better left alone," ( ʖ̯ ) But, obvious glutton for punishment that he is, he hard charges ahead anyway, and with nothing more than repeats (over and over!) of how he wants people, "to be presented with a different point of view," which is of course his own.
Well there you have it!
All in all then this leaves the original review as the only meaningful piece in this, but do enjoy the comedy as well.
- Helpful? Yes 8
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UPDATE - This Site Has Been Lowered to Zero Stars!
June 20th.
Oh man...This guy should Never have challenged me!
He's the "Goodg"...the GetOutOfDebtGuy, but I'm the "ARE!G"...the Always Read Everything! Guy, and boy did I dig up some DIRT on this goodg guy and his site.
I gave him the benefit of the doubt with 3 stars, figuring he wasn't much different than the other mass of sites like this that infest the internet..but I was wrong. This Guy Is A Menace To Society!
Sitejabber warns against challenging a bad review, but apparently this goodg doesn't read well enough to understand that. So let's take what he claims in his Reply (see it below) in order:
His first challenge is that my review, "seems to be in error," that his site, "does not have anything on it about TrustPiolet or managing any sort of rating. I wonder if the reviewer got us (there's no "us," only him, unless you want to include his partner "Consolidated Credit") confused with a different site."
Confused? Nice wording for a cozen, (credit where credit is due) but the goodg is the one who is confused. Look for yourselves. Go to the site. Or search: http://getoutofdebt.org/112518/401k-loans-borrowing-your-money.
There's more than one way to find this..Right there on his front page... there's his #1 "Sponsor".. "Consolidated Credit" (a Bank, but there's "no loans made from this site") with a big ad, the entire corner of which says, "TrustPiolet" and has 5 large golden Stars under it.
Now read my review, here, on this criminal outfit and you'll see why I wrote this into my review. Need any more proof? Search: getoutofdebt.org complaints & review for the one from TrustPiolet, and There it is. But don't tell the goodg, he doesn't know anything about it.
And did I say his Answers, Counseling, and Advice are canned? You bet I did. I asked a few questions onsite, looked at some of his "advice"... Click a few buttons and here's what you'll find:
"Save$Now"
"Budget Your Money"
ADs! "Sponsored" ads, All of them..12 in a row, each and every one nothing but sets (dozens) of search links to his sponsors.
"Making Money" button...same exact thing, except These Go To Scam Sites!
example:
"Work From Home. Start Now-Earn An Extra 3K Per Week" Ya, Right. Click my profile and take a look at a few of my reviews on sites that tout making Fast Money.
He mentions his too cool association with "Myvesta.org" .
Oh really? Go there. Read this article:
"Myvesta.org Beware Steve Rhode (the goodg) And getoutofdebt.org June 13, 2010...This company is a fraud Internet.
Here it is, check it out:
https://getoutofdebt.org/19733/steve-rhode-getoutofdebt-org-myvesta-org-beware-steve-rhode-and-getoutofdebt-org-this-company-is-a-fraud-internet .
Then while you're there, just below that is:
The GetOutOfDebt.org & Steve Rhode FAQ
"Steve Rhode and getoutofdebt.org had a previous Scam....
But to stay in order I've got to go to the loans:
"The site does not make loans...and I give away books...sells no consultations or counseling."
So let's look into this. He does not deny the affiliated Bank sells consolidation loans..his #1 "Sponsor" ..only that he does not. And what does my review say..that I doubt this site gives loans themselves.... but almost comically the goodg goes on to post a button that rats him off on this; the "terms," the Fine Print he expects no one will actually read, where it states unequivocally that he gets money from his sponsors, his "Sponsored" ad affiliates. And now look at his front page!
"Best Loans," "Consolidate Your Debt," "Get Your Free Consultation Today!" in the ad bar at the bottom.
Well of Course the consultation is free; that's how they talk people into taking out the loan..and where do they get this consultation? Take a guess. There's nothing But loan ads.. "Credit Repair" "Student Loans" "Debt Settlement" plastered all over the page.
This Goodg is a Shill for them, and he wants us to think he doesn't get Paid??
Read on. Scroll down past the phone #... "FHA LOAN" "Tax Appeal" "Money Loans" (another site to..)"Help You".
Go down some more..past the "Ask the Goodg" button (which is 3 old questions, with button/preinstalled answers) and you'll see:
"Top 3 Consolidation Firms" "Top 10 Debt Consolidation" another "Free Consultation" + more. Every segment of any title has another set of these ads - all the same - all selling Loans. This guy is a liar! Loans Do originate from this site, and there's no way he's going to make me believe he's not profiting from it.
But don't take my word for it; after his statement, "The biggest issue is if someone objects to the free advice..." trying to make it sound as if there are No Issues with this site left, after he's dismissed the ones above...but let's just look online to see about That. Search:
getoutofdebt.org+ complaints :
Right under the Goodg's many ads and cozens.. that are there to try and spin doctor the following.. (and please excuse the contraction, "good.org" as writing all that out is tedious):
"Ripoff Report | Steve Rhode - good.org Complaint..."
from: "Ripoff Report > Scottsdale-Arizona-8..."
"Steve Rhode-G O O D.org @ goodguy Sells Private Information To..."
"Ripoff Report | (ditto above)--Washington...
good.org goodg Steve Rhode Bait and a Switch, B.S. Fraud Washington DC..."
"G O O D.org - Beware, Review 392611 | Complaints Board
from: complaintsboard.com
Nov 13, 2015 · Consumer Complaints and reviews about good.org · Beware · Products..."
"Pissed Consumer
Aug 23, 2011...Steve Rhode G O O D.org is a liar journalist. I live near...."
"Scam Alert:
Aug 8, 2016
GOODG Steve Rhode's Using Cookies to Trap You For Life, by Paul J Paquin - CEO at Golden Financial - states: ...3rd party advertising and tracking firms such as on Steve Rhode's website...."
"Public Citizen > documents:
Apr 14, 2017
verified complaint for Declaratory Judgment..."
On and On...I quit on the third page of these. There are at least ten more... So this goodg guy wants to cross swords with me, I'm ready!
Zero Stars For the Goodg and his Ripoff site!
- Helpful? Yes 8
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In responding to the initial review from Robert I followed the advice from SiteJabber. In their FAQ they said, "Should I write a public response to a review? Definitely! Public comments are a way for website owners to add a helpful comment to a customer’s review. Perhaps more importantly, responding publicly also shows other potential customers that you value their feedback and that you’re always striving to improve."
I attempted to be as helpful as possible and present a different side of the concerns raised to allow any reader to be presented with a different point of view.
Robert is right, I'm not aware of a Trustpilot complaint and if someone could provide the link to it I'd be happy to respond to it as I have with all the other issues people have posted. You can go to those complaints and read my response to them.
If there is no response, at least one of those sites have posted information and will not approve my comments to respond and provide my side of the story.
As I say on the GetOutOfDebt.org website, "This Site is Better When You Participate." I welcome all people to come and provide helpful information if you felt my advice was missing something or you want to add something to a reader question. The comment section is open.
I also welcome Robert or anyone else to go to https://getoutofdebt.org/confidential-tip-form and follow the link to contact me directly with any concerns they may have so we can talk directly.
Finally, if any post is in error or the advice is incorrect, I welcome the addition of any error correction you care to submit by going to https://getoutofdebt.org/report-an-error so I can post your concern on a specific article so we can give the best advice possible information to readers. I always try to get the advice spot-on.
When a complaint is posted on the GetOutofDebt.org site about a company or someplace else about the site, there is a response to concerns and only by ingesting both the complaint and response can a consumer make a more educated decision. This is want any any company I may write about on the GetOutOfDebt.org site to reply. See https://getoutofdebt.org/32199/how-to-handle-a-consumer-complaint-like-a-pro-and-come-out-smelling-like-a-rose
By the way, I have no way to reply to the link for the Declaratory Judgment, on https://www.citizen.org/sites/default/files/hassellpubliccitizenamicusbrief.pdf . Please feel free to read that document which is actually Hassell v. Ava Bird and Yelp. If you read the entire document people can learn more about the issues and getting a better understanding of the full issue. Here is a Washington Post article that describes the Public Citizen defense of the GetOutOfDebt.org website. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/05/17/more-apparently-fake-defendant-libel-lawsuits-aimed-at-vanishing-material-from-google/
Steve Rhode
Get Out of Debt Guy
Please! Use Only in Absolute Need!
Review on getoutofdebt.com .
The very first thing I found against them when I went to this site, is they are flaunting a 5 star "TrustPiolet" review, (see my review here on Them) who do a lot of other things bordering on criminal, but they SELL the ability to "Manage" reviews to fake a 5 star rating. They should be put out of business, but that aside, I also found this sites URL dot of ".org" is a ploy designed to make ppl think they have to be reputable..but are actually private and the government is not involved at all.
Two strikes toward Scam, but the real skinny on this is that there are likely many thousands of these places, and they don't Have to scam there's so much money in it.
It works like this:
They basically loan the money to pay off all the debt(s), make the payments (to Them now) lower, which adds to the amount owed (Their interest), and takes longer to pay off (so They get that interest percentage for a longer time). These are called "Consolidation" loans. Self explanatory.
But, In fact, l doubt this site makes any loans themselves. I didn't sign up for any to find out, but its easy enough to see those are most likely farmed out, because this "Get Out of Debt Guy," Steve, doesn't need it. He's too busy selling pre-prepared advice, Consultations, and Counseling, (by his computer) articles, books, et al, and taking his cut of the money from the customers he lines up for... (the onsite ad) "Consolidated Credit." Consolidated? As in, Consolidation loan? Go figure.
My advice of this review's title stands...Use only in absolute and immediate need, because these places cost you a Lot of money..the loan..and this site can only add more to that.
I'm still rating it 3 stars for mediocre, (and not less) simply because this site is not doing anything (at all, really) worse than the other thousands of them.
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Another issue raised is that the site uses the .org domain extension. It does. Since the site sells no products or services and it is entirely permissible to use the .org as many companies do, including eBay, there is nothing nefarious about this. It's just a domain name that has been in the Myvesta family for years and years. You can see this article from 2011 for more information on this. https://getoutofdebt.org/32749/is-getoutofdebt-org-non-profit-john
The site does not make loans and I give away all my books for free. https://getoutofdebt.org/17737/my-free-books-you-can-download-to-help-you-with-money-troubles I also don't sell any consultations or counseling.
And the site does have ads on it which I talk about extensively in https://getoutofdebt.org/terms
The biggest issue is If anyone objects to any of the free advice I have provided for readers, I welcome the feedback on the specific reader question in the comments section. Everyone does better when different factual points of view can be presented to readers so they can hear different sides of an issue.
Steve
Customer Questions & Answers
Get Out of Debt Guy?
As Google says: <https://support.google.com/ads/answer/1634057?hl=en>
"Reasons you might see an ad
Your info:
Info in your Google Account, like your age range and gender
Your general location
Your activity:
Your current search query
Previous search activity
Your activity while you were signed in to Google
Your previous interactions with ads
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Your activity on another device
Other info:
The time of day
Info you gave to an advertiser, like if you signed up for a newsletter with your email address"
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The reviewer mentioned I misspelled SiteJabber in my response. If I did, apologies. My quote from Sitejabber was from https://biz.sitejabber.com/faq which is the same page the reviewer response quote is from. That page has FAQs for responding to reviews. See "Should I write a public response to a review." On the same page Sitejabber says "How should I respond to a negative review? Admittedly, this is much harder than responding to a positive review but if you can respond directly to the customer’s experience and any changes you may have made as a result, this could go far in earning trust and a second chance.
It’s painful to get a negative review, especially if you run a small business. It can even feel like a personal attack. On the positive side, by engaging your reviewer and establishing a real human connection, you can often help the situation and perhaps even change the customer’s mind. We’ve seen time and again positive outcomes from positive, proactive businesses owners engaging grumpy customers. You’d be surprised how often a polite response to a bad review can result in the reviewer giving your business a second chance.
A note of caution: if a reviewer perceives your response to be condescending, rude or insincere, it’s possible they will get angry and further spread their review all over the internet."
If the reviewer, or anyone, has interpreted my response as condescending, rude, or insincere; that is certainly not my intention and was not written in anger. My responses are directed to responding to the criticism from my point of view. I certainly understand the reviewer may have both an alternative point of view and only people reading this page can ultimately reach their own opinion.
Steve Rhode
https://GetOutOfDebt.org