So what is this site all about? You enter your vehicle information and all these lovely companies are supposed to "sponsor" you. You pay a $89 to "set up" an online portfolio and all this impressive sounding bullshit. So what do you get? Well, seems like they've lined up some GREAT companies by whom you will get "sponsored." Here's a short list:
- Stoner (car care products)
- Metra (mobile audio installation products)
- Max It Out (DVD videos)
- Streetfx (neon shit)
- Vertical doors (self-explanatory)
- Warlock (car alarms)
- Blox (shitty car parts)
- Xtreme Flame Kitz (F&F gay ass exhaust flame shooters)
- Colorstorm (more neon shit)
- Tsunami (mobile audio stuff)
- NCCA (National Custom Car Association... this shit is a farce... but more on that later)
- Peformance Auto & Sound (a magazine... how is a magazine supposed to "sponsor" you? A free subscription?)
- RevPM (body kits... anyone heard of this company before?)
- Monkey Video (what the fuck is this shit?)
- Gila (window tint film)
- Kyowa (some cheap ass wheel company; their shit is probably made in China yet the name tries to imply some sort of Japanese feel... yeah, right!)
All this shit is useless fuckin shit that only a true Need for Speed player could appreciate. They do have some other sponsors which are "okay":
- Dunlop (I doubt they are giving away Direzza tires, however)
- Blaupunkt (does anyone actually buy their mobile audio products?)
- Fidanza (flywheels & cam gears)
- Wilwood (brakes)
- B+G Suspension (decent)
So out of 20+ "sponsors," only 25% offer anything of value... well, maybe not on that front either. None of the decent "sponsors" had a mention of carsponships.com except for Blaunpunkt. Hmm... that's kinda weird.
A search on the Web returned complaint after complaint from people who had tried to get "sponsored" through this site. They were sent "hundreds of dollars" worth of vinyl stickers and "dealer pricing" on products. Does that sound like "sponsorship" to you? The Better Business Bureau's website doesn't have anything positive to say either:
BBB Reliability Report
The Better Business Bureau®
Serving Florida's West Coast
P.O. Box 7950
Clearwater, FL 33758-7950
(727) 535-5522
Carsponsorships.com
1910 Park Meadows Dr
Fort Myers, FL 33907-3740
Telephone: (239) 274-5552
Fax: (239) 277-7955
www.carsponsorships.com
The BBB reports on members and non-members. If a company is a member of the BBB, it is stated in this report
BBB Definition:report - A summary of activity reflected in a company's BBB file. Includes basic business background, BBB membership information, and Bureau complaint activity over the previous three years. Also reports may include any known government actions, advertising issues or other information that results from activity conducted by the BBB.
Original Business Start Date:
December 2004
Principal: Mr. Robert L. Egizi, President
Customer Contact: Mr. Robert L. Egizi, President
TOB Classification: Internet Shopping Services
BBB Membership: This company is not a member.
Customer Experience
The Bureau processed a total of 90 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total of 90 complaints closed in 36 months, 61 were closed in the last year.
I'm a little confused. Why would a "sponsorship" site classify itself as an "Internet shopping services" entity? Shopping, eh? That would assume that there's a fair value trade between consumer and seller... except in the case of this site, you have no clue what you are getting when you sign up.
Anyways, let's take a look at the lovely advertisement this company splatters all the over the place. They list the following individuals as their "advisory panel" made up of industry "leaders."
- Andy Goodman, President of the NCCA... uh huh... anyone who knows da deal knows that a certain someone really decides who wins the big awards at HIN... and it's not this guy. This guy judges car shows. An expert he must be.
- Tom Reece, Product Specialist / Show Coordinator... okay, product specialist for whom? Show coordinator for whom? Has he designed products? Own a manufacturing company? Written a book? Shot phenomenal photos?
- Marc Wallin, Hot Import Nights... okay, so he works for Vision Entertainment so that automatically qualifies him as an "industry leader"? He's some middle-aged guy who, for all any of us knows, works in accouting.
- Paul Tolson, some car owner... okay, so he's an expert too?
- Tajai Das, owner of Acurabot... okay, another car owner... so he's an expert as well?
Who the fuck are these people? Who the fuck falls for shit like this? It's bad enough that there are shady shops, parts manufacturers and magazines pushing crappy ass parts unto those who don't know any better. And these aspiring "enthusiasts" are getting shafted the first time around, never to come back.
On top of all this, this site is recruiting "scouts" to pull in more paying members. From the mechanics of it, it seems like a pyramid scheme... it's encouraging people to draw their family and friends onto this shit and they get a cut of it. Melaluca anyone? 2by2.net anyone? Herbalife anyone?
Shame on all those who are running this fuckin scam. Shame on you.
