Not a good first impression....

I almost hate to write about this as there may be some truth to the old "no such thing as bad press" adage but I am too annoyed to just let this pass.

I get a call this morning from a company called Merchant Circle. It is a message telling me that a customer who found me on google has entered a review of my business on their web site and I should come visit and join to see what they said.

While I tend to be skeptical, I do recognize the importance of branding and reputation and am naturally interested in what someone may have had to say.

Before I pay a visit though - I do some searching around. Seems that this phone spam message is common for them, and usually there are no comments or reviews. Not a good sign.

I am still curious though. I head over and pull up my business. Sure enough - no reviews. There is basic information about my business, a link to my website, etc.. but no other activity.

So now I am annoyed. Deceitful practices to get me to this site in hopes of having me register and subscribe to their service is not the best way to start a business relationship with me. Even if I had been interested in this service, there is no way I would be affiliated with them now.

What is odd though is that the site is actually pretty well done. I can see it being a good service for small business, a place to advertise, announce specials, even basic blogging is available.

A well written invitation to me describing the service and the benefits may have prompted me to at least complete a profile and see if it generated any business.

Instead, I request they pull my listing and I rattle off an email to their customer service team advising them of my displeasure, confident it will elicit no response.

Do you really want to place your trust in someone who relies on deceptive practices and unethical behavior to get you as a business partner?

Bottom Line - Avoid Merchant Circle