CitySearch, a business review of their practices

[Terry]

Have you ever googled your business to see what pops up?
I noticed that Citysearch had me listed.
A lot of ads for other businesses too.
When I wanted to search for love plumbing bothell, that's where I am, this is what the page looked like.
Notice, my information is in the center, but there are two links above and two links below that have my name, but they are not me!

So Servicemagic thinks they are me?
And who is tis 1-800-contractor and why do they say they are me?
And then they call me on the phone wanting to sell me back "my" business leads.
Pretty slimy if you ask me.
citysearch, city search, 1800contractor, servicemagic, service magic
They are not Terry Love, or Love Plumbing. They are impostors.
So why would you do business with Servicemagic, when you know that they misrepresent themselves?

[Redwood]

Terry,
Do you pay CitySearch to be listed?

If you do I would stop immediately as they are bracketing your listing with paid advertising of competitors.

Service Magic is nothing more than a pimp for contractors and I assume the other listing is very similar.

When someone clicks on Service Magic they go to a screen where they input their zip code and other information. Service Magic then sends a page to the applicable contractors in that area for them to pursuit. The contractors have to pay for each lead sent to them whether they do the work or not. Some tales of riches and some tales of horror come out of it. But it all boils down to Service Magic is nothing more than a Pimp.

If you do not pay for the listing I'm not sure what you can do...
Your lawyer will probably end up saying it is legal...
Best thing I can say is make sure that your advertising is effective and the chances are that the effect of citySearch will be minimal.
Do your best that you come out on top of the search engines results above City Search and their effectiveness will be minimal.
Now if they come out above you in a search then you have work to do.

A look at google says your okay...
http://www.google.com/search?source=...earch&aq=f&oq=
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...&aq=f&oq=&aqi=

CitySearch doesn't even make the 1st page except your mention of them...
They are losers!

[SewerRatz]

There is a lot of this on the net. I seen people listing my company on their site but linking to Roto Rooter. Not to much you can do but e-mail the site admin and tell them to make corrections.

[SewerRatz]

Lol I wrote to these guys a half dozen times, they have my company listed twice the first one has Mr.rooter website in the link. http://yellowpages.wisn.com/Lombard-...ervice.zq.html

[Dunbar Plumbing]

Here's how you beat the score when someone abuses the privilege of internet and its harnessed power:


1. Send a letter of request by certified mail "Cease and Desist" that actions taken by electronic transmission using your business name for financial endeavor, profit or gain to further advancement will be considered a direct violation of business practice and you will be awarded compensation for the misrepresentation of your product, your name, your ability to provide income.

2. The Better Business Bureau can be the lightning strike held across the world as you can take that complaint and broadcast it publicly as it is a true and actual occurrence that will provide the necessary step to make that company/affiliation/organization to stop what they are doing.

It does imply "value" to your company name indirectly when people all of sudden start using your name to further their placement, but it is wrong, plain and simple.

The one who commits to this fraudulent action will win the cost of a plane trip to your state at their cost as a hearing, or numerous hearings if you work the continuance cycle to its full advantage will be the "lets just get this over with" attitude from the person/company/organization. Very costly mistake when this situation grows like a mold spore in a dark wet location.

Then it's the luxury of using your own skills and just blogging about it, talking about the misuse of your name and who did it , when they did it, why they are doing, just like this thread will be doing.

Will it matter to City Search? Well, that's the million dollar question that doesn't need a million dollars to figure out.

IF, I was an interested business owner in obtaining advertising privilege with this company (which I sure in the hell won't knowing they are doing this)...

and this thread topic pops on a search of this outfit? Curious minds will follow the link to this topic of discussion and reconsider the money spent, knowing that big business knows the profits to be earned when they sell branches of the treee that has well known companies and how the name sells sells sells.

There is a painter that I'm aware of through Service Magic that if I type my company name, this painter shows up in the paid column.

Of course, he doesn't want any plumbing work, he just wants the exposure of who is typing my name in.....because if you're looking for a plumber, you have a house and guess what; there is paint on the walls and plumbers do a good job of destroying walls and ceilings to get to plumbing.

I should be getting paid a percentage of the earnings that painter is getting from me, riding my coattails.

This just started about two months ago....I'm a very patient individual and I love watching people consistently make mistakes. I'm going to wait till it really counts, and position my target like IED in Iraq. Play by rules? Why should I; my opponent wasn't. People only stop doing wrong when it costs them money, and I know how to perfect that when I've done not a thing to create the undo harm placed on my livelihood.


RUGGED ~ Taking it to the Master Plan