I Left An Honest WSO Review- Now Being Legally Threatened- Should I Be Concerned?

39 replies
I bought a wso that I was initially excited about, but when I got in was disappointed. I left my honest review of disappointment.

[removed]

Now the "owner" has emailed and threatened to sue me. They are in UK and I am in US. The end of the email says:

"I am now informing you of a formal letter of claim which will go out to you tomorrow demanding payment of related to the above damages, if payment is not received in within he specified time then full legal action will follow."

They claim my honest review kept people from buying. I mentioned their system in a nutshell which was apparently against their TOS, so I removed that part from my review.

Should I be concerned?
#concerned #honest #left #legally #review #threatened #wso
  • Profile picture of the author Tom B
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Dan Ellenwood View Post

    I bought a wso that I was initially excited about, but when I got in was disappointed. I left my honest review of disappointment.

    Here is that wso thread: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...o1-2010-a.html

    Now the "owner" has emailed and threatened to sue me. They are in UK and I am in US. The end of the email says:

    "I am now informing you of a formal letter of claim which will go out to you tomorrow demanding payment of related to the above damages, if payment is not received in within he specified time then full legal action will follow."

    They claim my honest review kept people from buying. I mentioned their system in a nutshell which was apparently against their TOS, so I removed that part from my review.

    Should I be concerned?

    No and you shouldn't have posted this on the forum. Send the post and email to the mods using the help desk.

    It is pretty easy to send threatening emails. A lot harder to back up their statements.

    You did the right thing with the review.
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  • Profile picture of the author H3x
    lol ignore this so called legal threat.
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  • Profile picture of the author timpears
    This is a legal question, so any answers you get here will not be legal advice, so beware of them. I have only run into one lawyer on this forum, and without more details even he could not give you good legal advice.

    That being said, I don't think I would worry too much about it. The chances they will take legal action across the Atlantic, is slim. Besides that, we have freedom of speech here in the USA. So you are free to say what you want, with few exceptions. If you gave an honest opinion, then you should not have anything to worry about.

    On a side note, anyone can sue anyone for anything. And even if you won, you would still have to pay your lawyer. So winning can be very costly.

    Good luck. Hope this works out for you.
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    Tim Pears

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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Rule #1 of the forum. You cannot air your differences with someone else on the forum. This will most likely be deleted, so don't be surprised when it is.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Ellenwood
      You cannot air your differences with someone else on the forum.
      But I don't have anything against them. They are "coming after me" for something that many warriors do, give a wso review...
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      • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
        Ask the help desk to look into this matter. Rebuttals are fine, threats should not be tolorated.

        ~Bill
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        • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
          Dan, notify the help desk of the problem. Forward them any emails or PMs
          that you got from the person who made the threats and let them handle
          it.

          This isn't the place for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gee S
    Dan,

    I suggest you remove the link in your post if you want the thread to stay alive for people to discuss the issue.

    Btw, threats shouldn't be tolerated so report it to the mods.

    Gee
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Ellenwood
      ok, I did as suggested and sent everything to the mods...
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  • Profile picture of the author Marhelper
    No but be careful of the hot coffee at McDonalds ... it is actually hot.
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    • Profile picture of the author FredJones
      I would not worry too much - but I would report the threat to the mods. I would not worry in the legal sense because if someone asks for a fair and honest review of your thoughts about their system and you express the thoughts then you are not doing anything legally wrong. I simply fail to see why this may be wrong though I may be missing something obvious.

      And personally, if praising something is welcome because of its quality, not praising something on the same place again because of its quality should be a healthy one to take.

      All the same, I am not a lawyer and the above is just my personal opinion, so please take it with a grain of salt.
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  • Profile picture of the author kiopa
    Banned
    No, just ignore them, and they'll go away. Trust me. They're just trying to be a "big man", and also trying to extort you.

    It's probably some $27 WSO, and trust me, they're not going to follow-up with $8000 in litigation costs to sue you, when they already know they wouldn't win anyway.
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    • Profile picture of the author Silas Hart
      I would ignore it. The guy probably doesn't have the funds to sue you for your honest review of their product. I hope you got a refund however.
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      • Profile picture of the author jayuk76
        Dan

        As someone in the UK - I would really not worry about it; the cost of doing anything transatlantic is totally a waste of time and costs would be astronomical. For what? loss of few hundred dollars, thats if the WSO had anything worthwhile reading and anyone else found it remotely interesting? LOL

        TBH its pretty poor from the person to even do this

        Loss of earnings? LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL What a joke!! I wont even begin to tear this apart. Maybe he read about the "litigation" culture in the States and probably thought he'd scare you

        People like this make me sick
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        • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
          Yeah complete and utter losers

          Sell crap, then don't be surprised if your exposed

          Originally Posted by jayuk76 View Post

          People like this make me sick
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          • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
            Dan,

            Not suggesting you get into a pissing contest with them but . . .

            1. I thought it was illegal to make GUARANTEED income claims. Maybe you should do a few screenshots/Camtasia video of the WSO. The FTC might be interested.

            2. You might want to PM Moderator Leslie Gibbon (username: lgibbon). He did an interesting bit of detective work which he posted at the end of the thread.

            3. Asked for reviews, the OP posted a link to a page full of promotional videos for the product. I do hope that he has paid a licensing fee for the very famous piece of original music used in the video I watched.

            How much does it cost to license a song for a short movie?

            Not saying two wrongs make a right, but somebody posting an honest review to protect consumers . . .


            Martin
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            • Profile picture of the author reapr
              Originally Posted by Martin Luxton View Post

              Dan,

              Not suggesting you get into a pissing contest with them but . . .

              1. I thought it was illegal to make GUARANTEED income claims. Maybe you should do a few screenshots/Camtasia video of the WSO. The FTC might be interested.

              2. You might want to PM Moderator Leslie Gibbon (username: lgibbon). He did an interesting bit of detective work which he posted at the end of the thread.

              3. Asked for reviews, the OP posted a link to a page full of promotional videos for the product. I do hope that he has paid a licensing fee for the very famous piece of original music used in the video I watched.

              How much does it cost to license a song for a short movie?

              Not saying two wrongs make a right, but somebody posting an honest review to protect consumers . . .


              Martin
              My thoughts exactly ...

              On point one though buyers are protected .... right!

              No scams, proven track record, if you don’t earn receive a 100% refund!
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      • Profile picture of the author x3xsolxdierx3x
        Want good WSO reviews?

        More oftentimes than not fellow Warriors WILL give good reviews if the product you are peddling ISN'T crap and actually benefit them...

        So...don't sell junk, or you'll be exposed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tsnyder
    Dan...

    I wouldn't worry about it. You're entitled to
    give your opinion of a product you bought and
    paid for. I saw nothing in your review that
    was malicious in any way... far worse things
    were said by others in that thread. One can
    only assume they also received an email... lol

    In any case... the seller would have one heck of
    a time proving damages if he were foolish enough
    to actually pursue this.

    Tsnyder
    Signature
    If you knew what I know you'd be doing what I do...
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  • Profile picture of the author Bruce NewMedia
    Dan , not to take sides, but I read the whole thread you're referring to.

    It sounds like they are coming after you for directly quoting from parts of their proprietary wso materials.
    I don;t think it's the review per se, but the disclosing of confidential material, in their opinion, .....at least that's the impression I got.
    _____
    Bruce
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  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
    I couldn't see in that thread at all anything to reassure me they were kosher. Talk about slippery. (Snake oil anyone).

    That's the type of sale IMHO that brings the whole reputation of the WSO forum down.

    They fibbed right from the start, how could they get the $/£ conversion so wrong!!!

    Kim
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  • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
    Looks like he retracted the threat now anyway

    And they've closed the sale, (surprise), dammit I hate it when folks waltz in and trick Warriors out of their hard earned cash

    Kim

    Originally Posted by Dan Ellenwood View Post

    I bought a wso that I was initially excited about, but when I got in was disappointed. I left my honest review of disappointment.

    [removed]

    Now the "owner" has emailed and threatened to sue me. They are in UK and I am in US. The end of the email says:

    "I am now informing you of a formal letter of claim which will go out to you tomorrow demanding payment of related to the above damages, if payment is not received in within he specified time then full legal action will follow."

    They claim my honest review kept people from buying. I mentioned their system in a nutshell which was apparently against their TOS, so I removed that part from my review.

    Should I be concerned?
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Kim Standerline View Post

      Looks like he retracted the threat now anyway

      And they've closed the sale, (surprise), dammit I hate it when folks waltz in and trick Warriors out of their hard earned cash

      Kim
      Yeah, but he still didn't explain how two people who joined the day after he joined, from the same IP as him just happened to leave a good review.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
        Hmm bit tricky to explain lol

        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Yeah, but he still didn't explain how two people who joined the day after he joined, from the same IP as him just happened to leave a good review.
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      • Profile picture of the author mcmahanusa
        The guy should be happy to read an honest review, whether negative or positive. A negative review allows him to determine what is wrong with his product, and thus gives him a chance to fix or improve it. He should be thanking you.

        With the right attitude and response, the creator of the WSO could have made very tasty lemonade out of a sour lemon.

        I would say, "Live and learn", but I doubt he'll learn anything.
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        Visit our beautiful gardens

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      • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Yeah, but he still didn't explain how two people who joined the day after he joined, from the same IP as him just happened to leave a good review.
        What I don't understand is WHY these users are not banned...

        :rolleyes:
        Signature
        People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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        • Profile picture of the author lgibbon
          Banned
          Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso View Post

          What I don't understand is WHY these users are not banned...

          :rolleyes:
          Would that do any good then?
          It's highly unlikely they were using their real names.
          They'll just be somebody else tomorrow.

          This won't stop, until people stop buying from people
          that have only been here a matter of days.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kim Standerline
            Exactly...

            How many times has it been said here on the Warriors about not falling for shady marketing tricks and there lies the problem.

            Folks see something that promises a specific amount of income and they spend their cash on the "Holy Grail" they think it is!

            It aint there folks, IM is hard work and you need to learn your craft from the ground up!

            I wonder how many folks spent money they could ill afford on that particular WSO, cos I doubt someone they will get it back. (Not too many I hope)

            Kim

            Originally Posted by lgibbon View Post

            Would that do any good then?
            It's highly unlikely they were using their real names.
            They'll just be somebody else tomorrow.

            This won't stop, until people stop buying from people
            that have only been here a matter of days.
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          • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
            Originally Posted by lgibbon View Post

            Would that do any good then?
            It's highly unlikely they were using their real names.
            They'll just be somebody else tomorrow.

            This won't stop, until people stop buying from people
            that have only been here a matter of days.
            I know and frankly I understand it BUT this was a public issue. People are reading your post in the other thread, they'll check users and realize they're not banned. This can give away a wrong idea.

            Ahh forget about it. Maybe I'm just paranoid with it.

            Nevermind.

            Fernando
            Signature
            People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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            • Profile picture of the author Daniel F. Lavoie
              - You bought the product.
              - You got genuinely disappointed by your purchase
              - You posted your honest review.
              --> End of the story.

              This is Web2.0 guys.

              People can comment, interact and share on forums, blogs, facebook, twitter, etc at light speed.

              Crappy products get exposed more quickly and it's a wonderful thing for people like us who over deliver.

              He will sue you for how much? 500$ worth of WSO? Come on...
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            • Profile picture of the author lgibbon
              Banned
              Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso View Post

              I know and frankly I understand it BUT this was a public issue. People are reading your post in the other thread, they'll check users and realize they're not banned. This can give away a wrong idea.

              Ahh forget about it. Maybe I'm just paranoid with it.

              Nevermind.

              Fernando
              They were left unbanned long enough to explain the multiple ID's.
              But they chose not to.
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  • Profile picture of the author SeoNumber9
    why don't hand over to admin and let them do the judgement
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  • Profile picture of the author JennSpencerIM
    I don't think they should be blaming you at all...I read the thread and NEVER would have bought just based on some really shady things before I even got to your review! Hopefully it will blow over. I don't see how you can get in trouble for leaving a bad review.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    People should be very cautious of buying WSOs from people with 50 some posts. This guy has only made 6 other posts in one other thread ... all of his post except for those six were in his WSO thread. Now that's a real contribution. Obviously here just to launch the WSO.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Hi Dan,

    Honesty beats all else. You did the right thing. Give a glowing review to what you believe to be a substandard product and the masses who buy it are looking for you. The thing about telling the truth is that someone is going to be angry at you no matter what.

    The threat is just some blockage/fear of selling their product on their behalf. Even thought the threatened you it's all about them, nothing to do with you.

    Ryan Biddulph
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    Ryan Biddulph helps you to be a successful blogger with his courses, manuals and blog at Blogging From Paradise
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  • Profile picture of the author Lance K
    The person who posted that WSO only joined the forum 4 days ago. Before being banned, this poster had 48 posts. Of which 40 or so were in their own WSO thread. Honestly, I'm a little surpirsed people would purchase a WSO from someone like that.

    EDIT: Just realized that Suzanne made the same point.
    Signature
    "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."
    ~ Zig Ziglar
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Ellenwood
      Thanks everyone, especially mod lgibbon!

      It has been a very interesting outcome.

      The product is not bad. It is a solid plan for someone new as it goes step by step. Actually, the domain name picking advice was solid and something most do not talk about, but I know it to be very true for SEO as I've used that strategy myself over the years.

      I was just disappointed that it was not as "promised" and the guy would not clearly explain anything and no one knew what the system was really all about.

      Live and learn...
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