Note: see the latest on Boomertowne’s closure here.
Update, 4:45pm: After being forwarded a copy of an email sent by BoomerTowne.com founder Herschel Peddicord to chat moderator CherBear67, I decided to email him myself with some of the questions I have been hearing from upset BT members on forums and in BT’s own chat (still live at this link). He replied within the hour. My email and his response are below:
Dear Mr. Peddicord,
I run CompareRewards.com, a website that provides reviews and news of points programs like BoomerTowne. I’ve been following the developments with your site and am getting a tremendous amount of traffic from your members, all of whom are disappointed and hoping for some answers.
Is the site down permanently? Is it possible that the site could be sold and return at some point? Are there any plans to honor the cashouts that have been made up to this point, even at half or some fraction of their value?
At what point did you decide to take BoomerTowne down? Is this a decision that has been in the works for a while now? Have you been trying to find potential investors or to develop an alternate business model that might be more profitable?
Isn’t it difficult to abandon the site just months after PC Magazine named it the #1 Website for Boomers? You have a reputation for being a shrewd entrepreneur; there’s no way to make the site financially feasible?
I know these are a lot of questions and at no doubt a time when you’re already upset about having to make some tough decisions. Any insight you could give me that I could pass along to your faithful members would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time, and I wish you the best.
Sincerely,
Becky Ford
CompareRewards.com
His response:
RE: Saddened by the news about BT — a response if you could, please?
Sunday, September 21, 2008 4:37 PM
From: “buzz peddicord” <hommed_1@[deleted]>
To: comparerewards@yahoo.com
Unfortunately illness, economic downturn, and mass cheating drove the company bankrupt. Several millions were lost by investors and even though we tried to sell and raise capitol, the lousy economy made that impossible. The investors including me lost millions of dollars trying to build a real community. When the economy went south companies quit advertising and income dropped to 10 percent of what it had reached. That combined with mass point cheating made it impossible to go on. No site that offers rewards will succeed as long as people devote so much time trying to beat the system. It tells you something about our society.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
My response to this: While most of the points-based rewards programs have gone the way of the dinosaur, there ARE points programs that have survived for years despite economic downturns and people trying to game the point systems. Gather.com has paid members for generating content for a few years now. Freeride has been up and down with different owners but is still at it (it’s the first rewards program I joined, way back in 1997). MyPoints, the granddaddy of them all, is still very much alive and well. Even Memolink is still up after years of financial troubles. The difference between these programs and BoomerTowne? Sufficient staffing for moderating content and site usage to thwart cheaters. Limitations on memberships per household or per IP address, or proof of individual ID requirements. Point valuations that are sustainable over the long run, taking into account all overhead — including referral incentives, with allowances built in for cyclical lulls in advertising revenue. Enough management staff in place to delegate projects when one person gets sick. (I’m sorry if that sounds cruel; I’m sympathetic to Mr. Peddicord’s health issues but this was a *business* and he owed it to his members, partners, and investors to find alternate leadership in his absence.)
I spent a while in chat last night and again this afternoon, and while many of the BT members coming through chat expressed frustration and anger at being told by BT Help that no gift cards would be forthcoming, there were still a large proportion who said they were just sad at losing the community they had helped build. Several voiced an interest in continuing on as contributing members of BT if the points system was eliminated altogether. Alternate chat rooms and alternate forums were being discussed so that friends would be able to stay in touch.
It sounds to me like BoomerTowne met a need in many people that was more than just free gift cards. Perhaps with some retooling of the points structure, or reintroducing the site without points altogether (after a cooling-off period), the site could become financially successful. It seems an absolute shame that the top rated website on the internet for Boomers would have to go bust.|
Click Continue Reading to read CherBear67′s email to BT owner Peddicord, as well as his reply.
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:21:11 -0400
From: cherbear67@[deleted]
To: hommed_1@[deleted]
Subject: Hello Buzz
Hi Herschel,
I just thought I would write you this letter and hopefully you read it and will reply. I know that you are getting alot of email’s and phone calls out there. Alot of people are angry that BT has close and they won’t be getting paid. Hell I am not angry just a little hurt. I was really hoping for this money as it would have heated the house for the winter. I am unable to work right now so there isn’t money coming in the house. Oh well, I guess another lesson has been learned. This is my last time I join a site like this.
I know a friend of mine emailed you and you replied that with your sickness and the economy that bt is gone. I hope the illness isn’t to serious. Is there no chance at all of keeping it up without the points? I know alot of people loved that chat room and we really are going to miss it.
All I wish you would have done is at least let us know months ago that we wouldn’t be getting paid. I think alot of people would have understood that. I know I would have. I put alot of blood, sweat and yes tears into trying to make a go of this site. I am sure going to miss it.
I do want to thank you for a great site while it lasted. I made alot of wonderful friends here at Boomertowne and wish I could have kept in touch with all of them.
I really don’t know what else to say. I am at a loss for words right now as my heart is heavy with this news.
Take Care,
[Cherbear67]
Peddicord’s response:
From: buzz peddicord <hommed_1@[deleted]>
Date: Sun, Sep 21, 2008 at 4:10 PM
Subject: RE: Hello Buzz
To: cherbear67@[deleted]
Bt gave me alot of joy, and ultimately cost me and my partners millions of dollars. I got sick and investors were afraid to put money into it. The economy went to hell and companies stopped advertising. The cheaters were a constant problem but ultimately there was more money going out than coming in. It ruined me financially and physically. I’ll miss the good people.
{ 87 comments }
Well, BTHelp just banned me from their chat a little while ago, can’t for the life of me figure out why…
It’s been real.
TBD would welcome any Boomertowne members who want a real community, one led by people who’ve worked at Internet companies since the mid-90s and know how to build lasting value.
what is tbd
you’re gonna believe ALL this from (probably) one of the biggest cheaters on the site, aka. BThelp#3 or maybe #1 ??? whines ALL the time about being harrassed by ‘regular’ members and posts up the ‘infamous’ ‘gc’s are going out in working order’ ??? not to mention the whining about HOW much she NEEDs the money/rewards (then posts up a pic on the photo-contest of her carribean vacation, on Nature theme no lesss) ROFL ah well, yes lots of sheep, too bad she was given SOOoooo much POWER AND CONTROL … did i mention that they are clueless when it comes to systems and NO can’t give credit where credit is due, of course ‘buzz’ had to close the doors, can’t trust his ‘inside help’ ROFL
PS> did i forget to mention ALL the bonus pts they rcv’d from referrals OR ALL the reward prizes (incash) ???
Mr Bill got gift cards in late August/early September I believe.
This isn’t right
it’s because of one of your posts on the disc-boards woman, but most of us luved it …. how is it that ONLY cher has ‘buzz’s’ email addy, anyone can make up an email addy compare !!! … i haven’t been able to ‘retrieve’ email from BT as of yet, but, i’m sure i still have the ‘original’ ‘BT-todo list’ (authored by cher and perhaps gilly) in another file/folder LOL) it was originally called the ‘cheat sheet’ and informed ‘citizens’ of how to ‘earn’ over 1500pts/day by doing ‘chat’ lastly … of course, as soon as ‘some came into power’ we were ALL referred to as cheaters for doing so ROFL … you ALL may ALSO find it interesting (a couple pts here) that ONE, they joined after me, but w/in a month and a half they were ‘platinum’ !!! (took me 6mos) (big cheater i am) LOL AND something i think is interesting … Winster implemented ‘ads’ and there was a group advocating these ads (even tho we are paying members), Cher was very active there then (they are still having trouble w/these ads) … BT implements a HUGE ad campaign, AND no more new news ??? coincident? i doubt it ROFL
One of my posts? At the BT boards? Which one was that?
WindyO,on slickdeals, Herschel’s email addys are posted.
sorry about the ‘double post’ … the one w/all the ‘clapping’ woman
anyway, that doesn’t even SOUND like BTvoice LOL (sorry cher/BThelp)
seems someone has ‘found a way into my system’ even w/firewall(s) etc LOL
time to change ALL our passwords EVERYone
First, my apologies for the double posts. Sometimes that happens when my server gets overloaded. I’ll delete the doubles.
Second, I need to make a clarification thanks to some information Robin Wolaner gave me: Although BTVoice claimed that BoomerTowne was named the #1 website for boomers by PC Magazine, it was actually one of ten equally weighted websites in that category (they just happened to be the first slide on the slideshow).
Robin’s website, http://www.TeeBeeDee.com (as in TBD, or “To Be Determined”) was one of the other nine. I registered for it tonight and it seems like a very nice website for boomer-aged social networking. If you enjoyed that aspect of BT, I think you’ll also enjoy TeeBeeDee.
Give it a rest Nrthwind you stupid jerk. I took that trip when money wasn’t tight. I had to quit my job due to illness so why don’t you just shut your piehole unless you know exactly what is going on. Me a cheater?
Me a cheater> You are a joke. As for the email I had I got if from Gilly last night. And the one I had was confirmed by BThelp.
Did I receive money from BT> You have got to be flippen joking. I lost out on alot. Did I get referral points You damn right I did. I worked hard for those points. I was on facebook and got many from there, as well as netwinner and my own freebie forum. Did I get paid for any of them? No I didn’t. I even have a screen shot showing exactly how much was pending.
Me active on Winster? Sorry but I am not a member there.
As for the cheat sheet I got that from Gilly.
So Windy, wendy or whatever the hell your name is.. Keep your damn mouth shut unless you know the real fact’s..
Becky if you read this.. Is there a way to show that I haven’t been paid? How do I post an image here.
Interesting. I was reading the BT discussion boards the day before it went down and I seem to remember reading a post by Cherbear that she HAD received a check (or as she spelled it..cheque) from BT. Now she claims she did NOT receive any money? Interesting.
Yes I received a cheque for a contest I won. Just like everyone else did for that month as well. I did not receive a cheque for points..
Ok, second attempt…
First, I’ll address the reason as to why his private email has been posted. Several months ago, Buzz and I started chatting- first in page messages, then in BT emails, then in private emails.
We did not talk about BT, or address concerns of the site. We were two friends chatting back and forth. Because of that, I had his personal email address.
I regret sharing it last night- I had no idea it would spread online so fast, nor did I have any idea he was still using it, since I haven’t heard from him in months despite the occasional email asking how he was.
That, and that alone, is how others got his private email address.
Next- I’ll address the so called “cheat sheet” email. I was the originator of an email sent to my referrals that explained how to earn points on the side, and just what all has to be done to get the points.
This was not cheating- in fact, several staff members knew about it, and had no problem with it. It led them to fix what they later termed a bug, even though at the time, it was not considered cheating (logging into chat last, to go over 1500 pts per day).
When they fixed it, I changed the email. However, I was never asked to stop sending it, nor was I told by staff that it was not acceptable. I certainly was not sharing how to find the scavenger hunt clues, I wasn’t telling people to sign up for 12 or 15 accounts each, I was not telling people how to use computer programs to cheat the system- however, there ARE other websites elsewhere that DO share that info.
The only thing my sheet did was break down how the point system works, and tell them how to get through it and earn 1500 points per day legally according to TOS.
As for the site itself, I am sad it’s gone. I enjoyed the site a lot more before I was a mod, and quite a bit for a while when I was a mod, but after a while, it was just too stressful to continue going there, so I stopped spending much time there.
While I was a mod, I was accused of a lot of things- getting paid to mod (we were, after a long time, offered a deal to earn extra points for modding, but at the time, I was no longer enjoying the site, so I never once took them up on the offer for the points), lying to people, banning people (mods never had that ability- we could boot someone from a room, the code base would ban them for 30 minutes- that’s it), harassing people, ganging up on people, telling people to cheat the system, and even being told that me getting referrals for the site is what sunk the ship.
I liked the site. But to be frank, it isn’t worth my anger towards them. For starters, after the debacle that was Netwinner, I knew any time invested might end up lost with nothing to show for it. But, it was my time to invest, and my time to waste, and it was ultimatly my decision.
My thoughts are- if I didn’t have the time to lose, I shouldn’t have been there to begin with. I may not have gotten all that I was expecting, but I did make new friends, and enjoy some of my time there.
Investing more anger into it, though, doesn’t hurt Boomertowne- it only hurts me, so why bother? I’ve got a life outside of BT, and that’s how I’ll spend my time, outside of BT.
Well that’s just great, I had $150 in VISA cards!
I was also owed over $75 in giftcards and am quite angry at again being cheated and lied to. We were never treated with any honesty or respect as a community when closure rumors ran rampant. The silence was deafening. I m tired of this and am just about turned off by all points on line social networking websites. To the CEO of BT, I have no sympathy for you or your chronies. You sow what you reap. I hope you rot in purgatory for your treatment of decent people.
why is it that herschel could reply to cher and becky but he couldn’t be bothered to make an announcement to the thousands of people who asked questions repeatedly for the last several months?
even now that bt help has told us that ‘bt is no more’ he still won’t issue a statement explaining why he led us on for so long
i hope he gets treated just like he treated us in every business venture he has from here on
he should really be ashamed of himself, and never have another good night’s sleep as long as he lives for treating so many good people so badly
i wish i didn’t have a conscience or morals or any humanity whatsoever, then i’d start myself a site like bt and nw and scam the shit out of thousands and make myself a fortune then sit back on my yacht or in my mansion and laugh about all the suckers that bought it for me
Sue Herschel Peddicord!
Also, make a complaint to the internet crime center about Herschel Peddicord’s criminal activities. He robbed everyone at his site!
Buzz said advertisements dropped to 10%. I was on BT up until Sunday afternoon, and the ads were still running. There were lots of ads every time I clicked something, including the Netflix pop-up. Were they running for free? I doubt it. What is he doing with that money? Paying his investors? Maybe some of the advertisers need to file charges, such as Netflix, the Mormon church, the dating sites for various ethnic groups, etc. I am sorry he is ill, but business goes on elsewhere when one person is ill, or even dies. I wonder if he lost his yacht????
Well another site bites our ass – I give up on them now – someone in BT chat last night said something about Gather being good but so was Netwinner and BT and when the membership grew so fast they couldn’t afford us. So worried about cheaters but easily solved – fax ID with a home phone number that they could verify and would have eliminated alot of the cheaters – they would have got caught eventually. I will never trust a site and invest any more of my time on these GET RICH schemes (well not rich but few extra $$). So for anyone thinking of heading to Gather – be sure you are going there with open eyes and more time to waste.
Wow – another place where people will post and not use the same name – if nothing/nobody to hide from why not use the user name people would know you by???
good posts gilly, mia, knothead pierce … i too had pop-ups up until this last server shut-down today (sigh, and only less than 800 pts from my next 100$ gc) LOL if i lacked morals knot, i couldn’t even imagine, sooo sad, yes, i too thought i was a friend of ‘Herschel’s', alas, had sent several emails to BTv about ‘the going ons’ in chat … apparently ‘birds of a feather flock together’ … of course BThelp HAD promised ‘extra’ pts for moderating chat rooms and promised me 1000 pts in July, one time he/she ‘popped in’ and found me on-line LOL i had ‘given my word’ to put in at least 2hrs/day or nite so did so while ‘earning’ pts … OH, for some that did/do not know, there were 4-BThelp(s) (one female, 3 male)
therefore, i think they owe me the 6th 100$ gc and will be ‘jumping on the band wagon’ shortly … feel like there has been a ‘death in the family’ VERY much sooo thx again becky 
knot et al 
I guess now that chat is gone, it doesn’t matter that bthelp banned me from the chat, just because i said hersal doesn’t know the right thing to do. There is one person i won’t miss. Btw, if any of you are in Wellness 360.. the same thing will happen there. Be prepared.
Wow, this sucks! I will miss you guys and hope to see you on other sites!! I am depressed about the gift cards owed to me but not too much, I figured out in July that they must be closing down the site when I had not received anything yet and I quit getting on except to chat. And I was a moderator and no, I was never paid to do so. I was also offered extra points but that never actually happened. It is sad to see all this fighting and arguing because of bt being big fat liars! Who cares, it is done and over with. We can not do anything about it now. Move on and remember the good times with good friends.
I have a question: I know everyone likes to use the “poor me, I needed those GCs. I mean I REALLY NEEDED THEM” excuse.
But provide heat for the winter? Really? I’ve never heard of using gift cards to pay utility bills.
p.s. It’s A LOT, as in two words.
i have never done it but i think my electric company takes payments by credit card on the phone or online
i really needed my cards too
i probably would have used mine for groceries and gas and other household expenses, nothing frivolous like heat, lol ( i live in florida, we never use heat, if it gets cold we just put on long pants and sleeves)
So what Big Deal that I was going to use my Visa cards for heat. They can be used any place that takes Visa. I pay my heat every winter with a Credit Card. I call them up. Say I need so much money for my Oil Furnace and they charge my credit card and the next day or so they come fill my oil tank up.
EXCUSE ME FOR SPELLING ERRORS!!
Becky, I won’t be reading this crap anymore. I took alot of crap.. And yes I spelled it wrong again. lol. Anyway, I took crap over at BT. I won’t be taking it here either. So, Becky you know how to reach me as a few others do.
Too funny. Cher claims she needed the money to heat her home..then in chat she tells everyone she spent her check (cheque) THAT SHE RECEIVED FROM BT on a new sofa! Wow…she must plan on burning that sofa for heat. LOL
Bt was fun while it lasted. As everyone knows, this site was no different than the previous losers. When they stop paying, it’s time to forget about it and move on. Whining and crying about it due to your poor choices won’t get you anywhere–except maybe the looney bin.
It’s really sad to think that “boomer-aged” people would possibly treat owners, mods, and friends the way many have. Why not be THANKFUL and APPRECIATIVE for the many things you did get from the site and take your anger and depression elsewhere?
Frankly, it has gotten old fast. And I am glad the chat is gone so that it is no longer a place for degradation, false accusations, slander, personal attacks, lies and “sue-happy” people.
I did not frequent chat in Boomertown much. However, the few times I did go in, I was appalled by the way I (and others) were treated. Some small-minded people who had decided that in their position of “mod” in some way gave them a right to treat others rudely and attack them when another person had the audacity to disgree with them. So let me get this straight. I should be appreciative for all the time I spent (wasted) on that site and be thankful for the way I was treated? Sour grapes and all of that…I think I have every right to feel the way I do. I am neither whining or crying, but, yes, I am angry with the way it turned out. And I doubt seriously I am alone. I feel I have every right to voice my opinion.
what difference does it make how cher spent her money from bt? it was her money, and her right to spend it any way she wanted to
she was just one of the lucky ones that happened to get something out of bt before they stiffed the rest of us and none of the lucky ones should be criticized for the way bt acted
bt is the bad guy here, don’t lose sight of that please
i didn’t always agree with cher’s posts in chat or discussion boards but they were her opinions and she had every right to express them, as we all did
also,i don’t think any of us should be criticized for any action we wish to pursue to try to get what they owed us or at least make as many people as possible aware of the way herschel peddicord and his company treated thousands of people who believed him when he said that bt was not like nw and would honor their obligations to us
if you choose to forgive and forget and move on then you probably shouldn’t be wasting your valuable time reading all of these posts from disgruntled ex-bt’ers anyway
all of the above is just my opinion
I thought the issue here at CompareRewards was whether or not Boomertowne could be salvaged, not simply transferring the ill-will toward moderators from there to here. There’s plenty of places to argue amongst yourselves about that without sullying up this site, I would think.
Anyway, thank you Becky for sending such a beautifully worded email to Mr. Peddicord on our behalf. Thanks also for keeping everyone updated and providing a sort of impromptu meeting place for us to assemble and discuss further arrangements.
For the WickedWitch person who admonished folks for seeking resolution, it isn’t about being “sue-happy” or anything of the sort. It would likely cost a member much more than they earned to go through the processes involved with small claims, not to mention that they’d still have the hassle of collecting even if they managed to obtain a judgement. The focus is and should be on accountability. It’s really a very simple concept. People want internet businesses to be just as accountable for their management as brick and mortor businesses are. And people have a right to use whatever legal methods are available to them when victimized.
The head of the North Carolina BBB said it all when he cited that Netwinner should have discontinued the games as soon as they realized they did not and could not honor thier financial obligations. The same holds true for most, if not all, business. You should not continue to operate when you’re on the verge of bankrupcy. This is where accountability comes in.
Also, I can’t believe cheaters are being blamed when it was the site owners responsibility to prevent cheating in the first place. I can’t believe not a single explanation was forthcoming until Becky wrote and I initiated contact with him or his family from his local police department. Have we really become a civilization that has no conception of the meaning of the words personal responsibility? No wonder our economy is always in so much trouble.
One more thing, I find it incredibly hard to believe anyone “lost millions” on the Boomertowne community. Running a website doesn’t require contractors and building products. Land does not need to be purchased. Building permits and inspections are not required. Realtors are not involved. I mean, come on. I may have been born at night but not last night.
Actually, Nancy- I was the one who used my Scavenger Hunt winnings on a new sofa.
And hey- what does it really matter WHY people need the money? Or what they do with it? Is it really anyone’s business what people had the money slated for?
Personally, I don’t care if the person has a family earning of 3,000 a year, or 300,000 a year. The money people have aside from what they earned, and the money they earned at the site, and what they do with it, is their own business.
Maybe Cher doesn’t NEED the money, maybe she does. The same goes for each and every person who earned points on that site. They could be using it for gas in the car, or to wipe their bottoms with it, for all I care.
I would have loved to have gotten the cards I was owed. I would have put them to good use. My family isn’t rich, but we get by on our one income, so the cards were “mad money” to me- for spending on extras, or to use when we’re broke.
i think ‘salvaging’ bt is out of the question since the site is completely gone now
and i too find it very hard to believe that herschel and his partners lost ‘millions of dollars’ on bt, he might have lost millions of dollars, but it surely was not on or because of bt, even if he had paid all the people that he promised to (and stiffed after months of completely ignoring our questions and pleas for answers and/or explanations) it still wouldn’t have amounted to millions
herschel peddicord is NOT an honorable man, he is a scammer just like the people that run nw, and seemingly even more of a coward since he never did own up to anything to the loyal members of his site
oh, and that ‘i was sick’ just doesn’t cut it, are we to believe that he just disappeared from all of his other businesses for months on end also without any word of explanation?
like tlnblue said, i was born at night, but not last night
maybe we should all be writing to our congressmen and state legislators to try to get them to pass some sort of laws against this internet fraud and require some accountability, like getting bonded for the amount of money your site is projected to pay out in the first x number of years and putting limits on number of members and payouts to fall within those limits, and getting rebonded for an additional amount when that runs out
These are the idiots right here that im posting a link to who are responsible for cheating and BT down fall.
http://cheatingnetwork.net/forums/boomertowne/
These are the idiots right here that im posting a link to who are responsible for cheating and BT down fall.
http://cheatingnetwork.net/forums/boomertowne/
good to see ya garcia
NEED EVERYone to file 
i hope EVERYone has filed w/the Wisconsin BBB ( link here https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/GetStarted.aspx )
Just remember ‘power in #’s, i have already filed for the 600$ they owe me
PS> i ‘had’ evidence of their ‘using’ their member ID’s (passwords, etc) to make ‘fraudulent’ posts, asked a friend at SetiUSA.net if that was ‘wrong/illegal’ … simply put, “of course” (?anyone ever log-on the following day to find ‘chat pts’ had posted up? i did, seems BThelp was busy logging in on other users ID’s and making posts ‘in guise’!!!)
‘The Nite the lites went out in Wisconsin’ (by Baggy)
http://www.flickr.com/gp/10785604@N04/xVU5Cw
Sue Herschel Peddicord. It doesn’t matter about the money or how much a lawsuit costs – it is the principle. It is a crime what he did. Internet crimes are just as bad as other crimes. Herschel Peddicord is a criminal to do this.
There one was a website called Boomertowne
That was set up by a man from a Wisconsin town
He said if you got points you would get a prize
That he stopped the gifts was no suprise
He saw it was done by another website
That he copied the scheme was not right
If you see this man named Peddicord
Tell him his actions are going to be abhorred.
Sorry Jason (BThelp#?), i offered my help several times, several times ‘others’ came into rm3 and asked me ?’s, which i gladly gave any advice icould. Often i offered my own references (at SetiUSA.net) saying ‘hey, go ask tank (etc) tell them i sent you’ … those cheaters could have been easily ‘nipped in the butt’ … more often than not, i would see info i had contributed (from my friends at SetiUSA) the next day (w/NO credit given as to source) (not nice) We had also drawn up a list of folks willing to help (tech, whatever), no response nothing (ALL for free i should add here) … let’s not forget that ‘those’ cheaters were/are easily tracked and identified AND when it comes time for filing that ’1099′ (so frequently posted on ‘auto-post’ on chat) that any ‘multiple claims’ would come out on SS# ROFL (as stated simply by another ‘ex’-member) …. AND, let’s not forget about the ISP addy’s they’re easy to check/verify (as are ALL the bogus multi-accounts setup and alot got ‘right in your face’ and then you get accused of cheating) ROFL (and the other ‘bogus’ ID’s that logged in to chat rooms, supposedly to ‘test our honesty’ ???) would you like me to continue … i’m sure there’s more … So make ALL the excuses you like, i for one DO NOT APPRECIATE EVER being called a ‘cheater’ lier etc (it’s just not in my character) … if you believe everything done was ‘above board’, well i have some beautiful marshland for sale
(not really) or, just ‘ask MrBill’ there’s another story …
yee-ah well, (just ‘who’ is MrBill BTv?) enough for now, nw
when i post here and then go back to this page it usually doesn’t show up immediately, i have to refresh page at least once or twice before i see it, but it always shows up after a minute or two
what about mr bill? i thought it was kinda fishy that he got his $350 in visa cards from cashouts on different dates (obviously paid out of turn) when that announcement was still running in chat about the cards being sent out in ‘working order’ (gilly posted that he said they were from different dates so they were not all from may 8)
i also thought it was pretty brash and/or stupid of him to post about it when everyone was so upset about not getting their cards
knot, i think what happened with Mr bill was he had been away and when he came home he found the cards in his mail and was all excited to tell everyone he got them. it appeared to me that he thought they had started sending out cards while he was gone. as soon as he realized that wasn’t the case, he disappeared [realized he had opened a can of worms] again for a while and never answered questions about redeem dates.
i could be wrong… but i’m pretty observant and that was my take on it at the time.
i remember seeing the picture he included with his announcement and he showed 4 cards (3 for $100 each and one for $50) but only one envelope so i assumed that he got them all at once, and several of us asked about the cashout dates and he never posted a response but gilly did a few days later saying that they were from different dates so he must have told her in private
yes, it appeared they all came in the same envelope, and common says says they were paid out of turn. it was that and the fact that some mods won and were paid scavanger hunt prizes that confirmed the end for me.
take care, knot!
lol… type faster than i think- common sense is what i meant.
gilly won the scavenger hunt drawing before she became a mod, and cher won the gold/platinum drawing, but those are the only 2 mods i know of that won anything
it still seems kinda of fishy (read favoritism) on bt’s part to me that they and mr bill got something out of the site when so many others got stiffed, but i do not think it is their fault that bt was a corrupt scam site, i think they were just lucky that bt did things the way they did and i don’t hold it against any of them (the mods or contributors to the site)
it would have been interesting to see a complete winners list for drawings (to see if any of the other mods and contributors got anything), the fact that they never posted such a list should have clued me in to them being like nw but i wanted so badly to believe that this site was going to be different and pay us like they promised…..
i blame herschel for everything
i think i saw that Cher won the scavanger hunt recently as well, but i don’t blame them either. the fact that they broadcasted their cards/money proves they did not have any insight into what was going on. if they had, they would not have talked about it.
i don’t blame cheaters either. not because i have any love for people who cheat, but come on- if you’re in business you have to protect yourself. i could speculate here on why they didn’t care about the cheaters, but why bother?
i blame herschel for everything too… and as someone who once co-owned an internet development company, i agree with tlnblue- the loss of millions of dollars is highly unlikely.
Maybe if enough people write to these folks, something can be done. Internet fraud is a big no no….
Class Action Litigation
Class actions involve groups of people suffering similar harm or losses. Many of our cases involve litigation as a class action. In a class action, one or more class representatives bring a lawsuit on behalf of a class of persons who are similarly situated. Many times, the members of a class could not afford to bring individual lawsuits, and the class action allows them to be compensated without incurring the costs of a single suit. Our lawyers have successfully handled high-profile class action lawsuits in state and federal courts throughout Wisconsin, and are ready to answer questions you may have about a variety of existing class actions, or about the formation of new class action to address injuries and damages involving:
Corporate misconduct
Consumer fraud
Defective products
Defective motor vehicles
Employment discrimination
Pharmaceutical drug litigation
Civil rights
Insurance
Lender liability
Multi-district litigation
When facing a great opportunity or a major crisis, you need the advantage of a legal team with experience in, knowledge of and familiarity with complex and class action litigation. At Hale & Wagner, S.C., we are skilled, seasoned attorneys who appreciate the risks and rewards of complex class action litigation. We apply notions of legal and common sense to every problem, and our work has been essential to the success realized by clients across the country.
Hale & Wagner, S.C. has significant experience representing plaintiffs in shareholders’ and class action litigation in Wisconsin courts. The firm was appointed as liaison counsel to represent investors in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in White v. Heartland High-Yield Municipal Bond Fund, et al., Consolidated Case No. 00-C-1388; and In Re Cumulus Inc. Securities Litigation, Master File No. 00-C-391. Hale & Wagner, S.C. also served as special counsel in the class to assist with issues regarding allocation of proceeds in Paper Systems Inc. v. Mitsubishi Corp., et al., Case No. 96-C-0959; Graphic Controls Corp. v. Mitsubishi Corp., et al., Consolidated Case No. 96-C-0412; and Victor Paper Roll Products, Inc. v. Mitsubishi Corp., et al., Consolidated Case No. 96-C-0508.
Hale & Wagner, S.C. has been appointed as local counsel in shareholder litigation including In Re Wisconsin Energy Corporation Shareholder Litigation, Master File No. 00-CV-006889 (Milwaukee County Circuit Court); Harbor Finance Partners, et al. v. Martin, et al., Case No. 00-CV-000907 (Milwaukee County Circuit Court); and Allen v. ProVantage Health Services, Inc., et al., Case No. 00-CV-938 (Waukesha County Circuit Court). Hale & Wagner, S.C. has also been appointed to serve on the Executive Committee in In Re Shopko Stores, Inc. Shareholder Litigation, Case No. 05-CV-677 (Brown County Circuit Court).
Hale & Wagner, S.C. has served as lead class counsel in Champine, et al. v. Milwaukee County, Case No. 02-CV-2841 (Milwaukee County Circuit Court); and as co-lead counsel in Noonan, et al. v. Northwestern Mut. Life, Case No. 01-CV-012349 (Milwaukee County Circuit Court) (motion for class certification pending).
In addition to class action and derivative experience described above, Hale & Wagner, S.C. has extensive experience in commercial litigation throughout state and federal courts of Wisconsin.
To schedule an appointment to discuss your case and the legal options available, contact litigation lawyers at Hale & Wagner today. Hale & Wagner, S.C.
205 East Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 300
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202
Telephone: (414) 278-7000
Fax: (414) 278-7590
E-mail: ksw@halewagner.com
Maybe they’d be interested in hearing from people…..
Cher never won the Scavenger hunt- she won the last Gold/Platinum member drawing, which is for $500. I won the Scavenger Hunt back in March, long before the site was doing poorly. In fact, the last payment of any type I received from the site was back in mid-May for a card redeemed in early April. I didn’t get any of my redemptions past that point.
i keep getting a request to add someone named jeanine to my msn messenger contacts but i cannot see their profile
i sent an email to them asking them to reply and tell me who they are or i will not accept, but i never got a response
the request keeps coming back over and over again and i keep clicking on cancel
if it is one of you please let me know and i will accept it
I filed a complaint with the BBB. I don’t expect anything but felt we should say something
I got a T-shirt and a booklight from the trivia contest, so I can’t say I never got anything from BT.
I felt they put too much power in the hands of so-called “citizens”, who abused their power, esp Refund with her stupid tips. Why be so stingy when people submitted legitimate tips? And then to be such a baby about it when I complained and nominated her for “jail”! When they give you your own feature and pormote you on the home page, I think that makes you at least a minor “celebrity”. You can dish it out but you can’t take it, Refund. But she and Cher had a good time being all Nazis on me, as if my one post was the cause of the site’s downfall. Makes me kind of glad they got stiffed. ISn’t it also funny how everyone is “sick”? I’m sure I have enough medical issues to surpass you all, but I still go to work every day. And if you can play games on the computer all day long, then you can work out of the home.
this was just an internet game, just playing on the computer, and the “community” and the “friends” weren’t real. Did you ever meet any of them in person? Or on the telephone? Have lunch? Go to the park or a movie? No, not like your real friends, the ones who are there for you through life’s ups and downs, like when your stupid web site fails.
Let’s face it, folks, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is. No one is really giving away iPods, laptops and plasma TVs.
After reading GFD’s comment I felt I needed to respond.
I’m not glad any of us got stiffed. As far as refunds tips, did you ever stop to consider maybe someone else had submitted the same tip, or maybe it was just to dumb of a tip to publish. And the Nazi comment was way over the top. Do you know what the Nazi’s stand for? I do my family is Jewish. I hardly think not having your tip published can be equated to Nazi like behavior.
Now the part about the friends I made not being real friends. I started corresponding with a pen-pal when I was in 5th grade. We have never met in person and yet I consider her a very dear friend. I’ve also never met God in person but consider him/her a good friend as well. I’m sorry you didn’t come out of this with any frienships, but you have to be a friend to have a friend. I never got anything promised by bt, but I did go home with a gaggle of new friends. So I guess that makes me far richer today then I was before bt.
There really is only one person who deserves our anger and frustration. The bt entity itself. Hershel Buzz Peddicord Peace, hippi…….I know, I know, but what did you expect from a liberal. lol
Actually, there are truths to GFD’s comments. Ones which many of us don’t care to contemplate or admit. First, online friends seem to be sort of alittle more dispensible as opposed to real life ones. That doesn’t mean we don’t care about our chat buddies, it’s just the nature of the internet.
Second, and this is the part that’s hard to stomach…we all have a responsibility to ourselves and others when entering into referral-based MLM type agreements. If we don’t practice due diligence, and that includes making sure we have ample legal recourse before joining anything, then we have no one but ourselves to blame when agreements are breached.
I’ve personally been grappling with some of the complex issues regarding these unsigned, written agreements between site owners and members for years and no matter how I hold it up to the light, the fact always remains that we cannot control anyone else but ourselves. The government is not going to waste precious resources trying protect people from their own stupidity. Eventually, the real con-artists, crooks and scammers will be caught and it may not have anything to do with us….it may be tax-related or embezzlement or something else… but for now we have to rely on our own experience, informational sites like CompareRewards and common sense to keep us out of these precarious situations to begin with.
I think GFD is absolutely right. No one gives away valuable prizes unless it’s being paid for by fellow members who get the shaft. And if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Having said that, it still doesn’t negate my own personal beliefs that law enforcement could do a better job at internet governance but I have to face reality, too. There will always be lowlifes trying to swindle us, both online and off, we just have to be more prudent and savvy in our business dealings.
for anyone, wishing to keep connected, you could go to the Dr. Phil message boards (on his site) under current events, a BT page could be started. There’s also lots of other topics to comment on. I loved the BT boards.
Well, well, well…..some of the “inside” men (or women in this case) have come out of the closet in this post. Anyone with half a brain can see who had been paid under the table to keep up morale, run errands and basically be a “yes boy/girl” for the company. Too bad these fools didn’t realize they were doing what they did not just for pennies on the dollar but at the risk of their reputations and conscience. Their style of writing not to mention the knowledge that many of us had of their true ID’s will not go unnoticed.
and YES, I was a long time user of BT, YES, I have been owed a substantial amount which I have taken action to retrieve (one which is legal in nature) and YES, I do know what it means to run a website as well as a B&M business as I’ve had experience in those area more times than I wish to count. And another FYI, I was asked to “come aboard” BT on more than occasion as a paid employee and I declined. Even then, something was not “right” and I did not wish to align myself in a paying position with a company which was less than honest with it’s members. I have more scruples than that. I used my ID to warn members both onsite and off but for some reason, whenever I commented in discussion threads, my comments were deleted. Go figure!
As to whether MrB received cards or not…that is his business and not that of anyone else. I personally don’t know when he cashed out and what they were for, therefore I cannot suppose to know WHY he was paid and neither can anyone else. And if that isn’t enough, think about it. If he did in fact get paid, then surely you can put 2 & 2 together and come to the conclusion that someone else received payment as well.
Think about it…who would support and defend BT the most at this time? Those who were cheated or those who had BEEN paid under the table to play cheerleader to BT all this time? Something stinks folks and it isn’t anything in the room with me. Perhaps you need to look at those who were most supportive of BT in chats. That would be the logical place to start looking. Just a thought…..let the sniping begin!
hey poorerbutwiser, i noticed you did not say what your username was at bt, so why are you putting down other people who hide their identities?
a lot of people said a lot of negative things about bt on bt discussion boards, but yours were the only comments deleted every time you said something? come on now (see tlnblue’s comment about being born at night)
mr bill getting paid was his business and nobody else’s until he volunteered the information and posted screenshots of his cards on discussion boards, he is the one that made it public knowledge, and after several people asked him when he cashed out i guess he told gilly in private, because she posted that he had told her they were cashouts from different dates and not all from may 8
i don’t think any of us are looking for someone to ‘snipe’ at, i think most of us blame herschel peddicord
are you just trying to stir up trouble or what?
Poorer- who exactly here is cheerleading the site? We’re all disappointed and upset. Some of us are more vocal than others, but I don’t see anyone here who is defending the site outright.
If your comments are in reference to people who helped the site out- well, I can’t speak for anyone else, because I don’t personally know them. But I know I wasn’t being paid. There were offers for more points for modding, but since I was mostly disenchanted with the site by that point, I never did what was required of me to get those points.
My last received gift card was in May (received date, NOT redeemed date), so I was hardly accepting “under the table” payments to cheer lead the site. At that point, i was still positive, yes, because that was before payments stopped. 99% of the users at that point were still positive.
Personally — and this is just me, now, but — I don’t understand the indignant shock of those questioning the payments of mods and/or friends of Peddicord/BTVoice. The guy tossed out GCs indiscriminately in chat. I’ve read that he went ahead and paid some people who contacted him at his home number before the site went down. So he paid his friends and others just at random or on a whim… anybody shocked that he was unprofessional? I mean, duh! His business went under — there was obviously more than one lapse in business judgment.
I don’t envy the situation of the former BT mods (and by this I include not just Gilly and Cherbear but also Refund, Monkey, etc.). They’re the only PRESENT “representatives” of BoomerTowne. When they signed up to help BT, everybody loved the site. They worked hard to make it, to KEEP it, an enjoyable website for all. BT skipped out and left these folks to take the wrath of the unpaid members. Is that fair? They don’t have our money. They’re not defending BT’s actions. They lost money, too. They’re taking a lot of heat that they don’t deserve, and they’re doing it with class, IMHO.
Let’s not lose sight of the true culprit here: the one who stiffed us was Concierge Web, LLC (and its founder, Herschel Peddicord). If you’re mad about being stiffed — who isn’t? — go file a complaint with the BBB. It probably won’t get us paid, but at least it will give you the satisfaction of knowing that those behind BT have been reported.
I’m sorry for all who lost money on BT. I filed my BBB complaint for $750 last week. But ya know, I enjoyed my time on the site, so I don’t consider it a total loss. And I think that’s the only healthy way to look at it. Don’t spend more time on any website than you mind going unpaid. In fact, ASSUME you won’t be paid, but be pleasantly surprised if you are.
Can you earn or win cash, GCs, and merchandise on the internet without spending a dime? Sure! But not on a long-term basis ***at the rate that BT was paying***. If your actions generate revenue for a website, they can choose to kick back part of that money to its members. Search and win sites do that — they earn when someone does a search and clicks through a sponsored result. So, every so often, they can afford to give out a prize. I’ve gotten dozens of $5 Amazon GCs from LuckySearch and Swagbucks. Same concept with sites like QuickRewards.net and CreationsRewards.com — for example, you may complete an offer (sign up for a newsletter, etc.), they get paid 50c, they give the member 30c.
The problem with BT was, they were giving out more value in points than the members’ site activities generated in revenue. And to a point you can do that and write it off as marketing expense, but when your marketing budget zeroes out, you have to hope you have enough members doing enough revenue-generating activities to sustain the rate the points are given out, or you have to scale back on the points (or up the cost of the prizes). BT did that way too late, and they didn’t factor in referral earnings.
Sometimes I think I ought to put up a rewards program. It’s frustrating to see these sites go up and make the same dumb mistakes over and over again.
Go file with the BBB, folks…and then let it go. The site’s been taken down and there’s nothing else we can really do about this.
“hey poorerbutwiser, i noticed you did not say what your username was at bt, so why are you putting down other people who hide their identities?” (knothead)
I see no where that I “put anyone down”. And how do you know that my user name WASN’T poorer but wiser? You made an “assumption” here and you know assumptions can be dangerous!
Interesting though, isn’t it how everyone here told their true ID’s. (Insert sarcasm here) I don’t see anyone listing his or her real names here. Only onscreen names and is there proof that the gilly who is posting here is the same person or someone using that ID in order to comment?
And as for my comments being the only ones deleted. No, I don’t suppose mine were the only ones taken from discussion board, but I did notice that when I commented favorably (defending the “cards will be sent out in due time”) they were left as is onsite but if I came back immediately afterwards and left anything that was a bit negative it was deleted. (and yes, I did experiment to see if this was a reoccurring action. It was.) A friend and BT member left a comment with a link in a discussion board to a site with info stating the site was going downhill (it might have been this one, I didn’t see the link before it was deleted) and that comment was deleted. Again it was posted WITHOUT the link (to make sure the link was not the reason for the previous deletion) but with the same “Here is some information, we will NEVER be paid” tone and it was deleted as well. Coincidence? I hardly think so.
“are you just trying to stir up trouble or what?” (knothead) no trouble here knothead, unless I’m hitting a little too close to the truth for some folks comfort. I suspect that is the case with more than one individual reading this. Only trying to polish some of those rose colored glasses some folks are still wearing!
GILLY…It seems to me that most of the cheerleading was ONSITE and not off although I have read (much to my chagrin) some still sticking up for the site and saying “they might just be regrouping to pay us when they get financing” Oh wait! That was said IN chats by some of the most vocal of members right up to the day they closed.
When it came to being vocal on the negative side, I observed many times where “volunteer” mods would threaten to toss someone off chat if they didn’t play nice and quit asking about the cards due members. Tell me, WHY would anyone deny a member the right to make honest, genuine comments in chat when other members were allowed to support and defend BT NOT sending cards? Somehow that smacks of HS cheerleaders defending a losing football team right up to the final whistle…pretty embarrassing really for those individuals who were naive enough to think BT cared about them.
BECKY: I also feel that the owner was all colors of unprofessional and a poor businessman to boot. That goes with out saying. We are on the same page with that thought and with filing with the BBB. Those who don’t need to quit complaining. Chances are that the complaints won’t do a speck of good but should there be any funds left in the US, by filing, they are frozen until all complaints can be verified and rectified to the satisfaction of all concerned.
What I find interesting is that the “volunteer mods” were so proud of their “volunteer” status that they defended BT till the bitter end. Good grief! I know many including you (Becky) want to support your friends but VOLUNTEER is just another word for patsy in this case.
Ask yourself, WHY would Herschel Peddicord hire someone to do what the mods did for free? And WHY would you do such a thing? It seems to me that reasonable individuals would expect some sort of payment whether it is cash or reward cards for their effort. Nothing in life is free these days but mods gave time and effort to HP. And to his gain. Was it for the site or was it as some have commented, “Because the mods got a thrill out of the ‘power’ they had as mods? Answers will come hard on this one and I doubt the mods will ever be honest with anyone regarding WHY they worked for nothing (perhaps not even to themselves). It’s their business of course, just as it’s MrB’s about his cards but it must be embarrassing for some to realize they were used for H.P’s gain as much as members who were owed hundreds of dollars.
Perhaps had H.P. been more honest and above board over the day-to-day workings of the site, he would have been able to employee some decent employees and he would have held onto the ones he did have going into the project (and yes, I do know of what I speak here). Interesting isn’t it when someone comes into a thread and posts anything that ruffles feathers, all jump onboard to defend themselves but none are honest enough to comment (even behind the facade of a screen name) how they were used by the site and taken advantage of.
BECKY: I have no idea who you are and respect your comments none the less. Again I want to stress as you yourself have done, those who were cheated out of hard earned monies by BT should have onfile a screen shot of their funds due and should contact the BBB in Wisconsin and file a complaint. It may come to naught but at least you will have done something to try to find closure in this situation. And above all, don’t shoot the messenger kids when all he brings to the door is truth on a silver platter.
Interesting points of view, Poorer, and I appreciate your sharing them. I think I agree with much of what you’re saying, but my response is pretty much (and don’t take this the wrong way): so what? So the mods did their job of moderating, which they felt was to stop negative talk about BT on BT. So the mods were patsies. Maybe the mods did get off on the power (who knows). Maybe they do feel embarrassed. Does it benefit anyone to point this out? It doesn’t get us paid.
Unfortunately, filing with the BBB doesn’t freeze this company’s assets, and the BBB doesn’t have to rectify the situation to the satisfaction of everyone concerned. The BBB has to make an effort to contact the company, who may or may not respond. The BBB then relays their response, if any, to the consumer, who can either accept or reject the company’s response. Filing with the BBB is simply the process required to leave a bad mark on this company’s permanent record…which doesn’t do a helluvalot of good if the company is dissolved. Even if they didn’t officially dissolve the LLC, because of the change in the TOS, which BTHelp said in chat was done for the sole purpose of making it easier for the website to not pay people, the rewards were based on availability… and they didn’t have to pay if the rewards weren’t available. Game over; we lose.
Who am I? I’m the person behind this website, which in a few days will have been up and analyzing points and rewards programs for 7 years. I’m not saying my viewpoint is right and yours is wrong, but even assuming that you’re 100% right about everything you say… it still doesn’t get us paid. The mods don’t have our money and they’re no longer defending the company. Attacking them is unproductive, and if you’re just here to do that, I’d have to politely ask you to move along.
First off, please accept my apologies Becky for not realizing you were in fact the voice of this site. I have many Becky’s as connections, some of which were members of BT and because of that, my mind was trying to figure out which of them was the “Becky” here. It did not occur to me that “Becky” would in fact be yourself. My bad.
As for the mods and power plays….aka, my comment. That statement alone is one which has been whispered behind the scenes for many months now and which I felt needed to come out into the sunlight. It is whisperings, inside friendships and secrets such as those H.P had with the site that hurt it. As many on other sites have bruised and broken members due to power trips it seemed a good time to get that concern out into the open and allow those mods to state their case as it were.
As for the BBB, I should have also mentioned that I was informed Wisconsin (?) law enforcement also is aware of the dealings of BT. My source stated they are “looking into” the situation. For you see Becky, if H.P. did in fact leave the state (and possibly the country) with forethought of bilking advertisers and members he has committed a crime and will be dealt with accordingly. Cyber crimes are becoming of utmost importance with many and law enforcement takes them quite seriously. There really is no where he can hide if he did in fact cheat as many as are claimed. It may take time but he will be dealt with. It’s just too bad he fell back on cheap excuses and walked without warning.
As for H.P. making the statement onsite “rewards will be awarded according to availability” there also is a legal understanding that rewards accepted and which are “pending” will and must be paid (again I refer to advisement from legal sources here) If all sites were allowed to drop rewards and not pay out when cards were scarce, then sites such as MYPOINTS would have dropped from circulation long ago and we all know they are still in business.
So my comment about filing with the BBB and stating ones case, is simply one of urging members to get it in writing SOMEWHERE official that can be referred to in court should a case come into play.
And in regards to your last statement “Attacking them is unproductive, and if you’re just here to do that, I’d have to politely ask you to move along.”….
I can assure you that was not my intention what so ever. I have friends who were mods onsite, as well as others who worked for BT in one capacity or another and as I stated, I too was approached to work for the company. I do not have an axe to grind with anyone. Justice will be served given time.
As someone who is irritated over the way mods, members and paid employees were treated, I felt that too many things had been whispered behind the scenes about a LOT of individuals and because of that they needed to be and brought out into the open for honest comment. Nothing more, nothing less.
If the mods were not in it for the power trip, that is fine and well and if some individuals in fact DID get paid and others did not that is fine too. We will never really know who was paid, for what and how much. I don’t think that information will be forthcoming without a court order.
It all comes down to the same thing if you think about it. There are more sites than just BT which in all honesty “use” the members to achieve their own goals and do not “care” as much as they claim. BT is but one of those sites. Some make promises they cannot keep in terms of membership but while their site is flashy and somewhat updated the members either do not care (or choose to ignore) the treatment they are receiving for pennies on the dollar. Some of course don’t care, they are there for the “companionship” or so they claim and that is fine and well too.
Perhaps in another thread you could ask the question (and receive, I’m sure some interesting answers) promising complete anonymity, “HOW and WHERE did a reward site prove to be less than honorable to you as a loyal member? How did they hurt/cheat/bilk/embarrass you?”
I’m pretty darn sure that the answers and sites listed as well would be eye opening to some but perhaps open another can of worms for others. Think about it and good luck with your site. It’s a keeper for sure and one that I refer to often as it generally has interesting discussion on articles.
Should you wish, I will cease commenting here but if that is in fact your wish I have to be honest when I say I am disappointed. I thought you invited open, unvarnished discourse. To silence one who is simply trying to get all the sniping, commenting and facts out into the open is distressing but understandable as well. It seems to me that you have the perfect area here for members to come, check in on progress and air beefs. If that is not the case, then I apologize for clogging the airwaves.
After all, it’s your site and should you choose to run it in that way, while I may not agree, I can applaud your honesty in doing so. Thanks for your comments and good luck in finding out the truth. Something tell me, you’re going to need it!
quote – I see no where that I “put anyone down”. And how do you know that my user name WASN’T poorer but wiser? You made an “assumption” here and you know assumptions can be dangerous!(poorerbutwiser)
i guess the way you used ‘inside’ just read like a negative thing, and if it wasn’t meant that way then surely the ‘yes boy/girl’ had a negative connotation, and if that wasn’t meant that way then at least calling them ‘fools’ was putting them down
as for stirring up trouble, i think the ‘let the sniping begin’ comment said that you were encouraging confrontation between former bt members when all of our negative feelings should be directed at herschel and his company, not at each other
only the mods know what their agreement was with bt and how and IF they got compensated for their ‘cheerleading’ is their business only, i don’t have to worry about whether and how well they sleep at night
you made some valid points but i have pretty good reading comprehension and you are not as slick as you seem to think you are
as for usernames, if poorerbutwiser was indeed your username at bt, why did you even bother joining if that was your attitude from the start unless it was just to stir up trouble? (you claimed to be a ‘long time’ user of bt so i take it you joined when payouts were still being made)
all of the above is just my opinion, and while i do not use my ‘real’ name, i use the name i am known by at any of the game/reward sites/forums that i belong to unless it was already taken when i joined, and even then when i make contact with people i know from other places i make it clear who i am, my opinions are not always (maybe seldom) popular, but they are mine and i stand behind them, if i put my foot in my mouth i chew on it
Excuse me for jumping in here and I apologize in advance for my redundancy but I had to comment on something. I don’t know who your source is or what title he/she holds, nor do I know what kind of experience they have with this particular kind of internet fraud, but the figures I’ve spoken with in the past have included FBI agents, BBB representatives, attorneys, police officers and private investigators. All agree that while it’s unfortunate for these things occur, law enforcement isn’t going to spend time, resources and money to investigate this kind of thing unless there are serious violations concerning stolen money, identities and/or credit card fraud.
It’s still a good idea to file reports with the ICCC and the BBB because it also helps to alert others about the unscrupoulous business dealings of the perpetrator. So while WE may not have practiced due diligence, hopefully someone else out there does and if so, they’ll find the informaiton needed to make better and more appropriate choices.
I also agree that site owners like Mr. Peddicord don’t operate in a vacuum. They need help and it’s often those on the payroll and volunteers who willingly assist in perpetuating the deception. While I applaud those who had enough wherewithal to step down when things started falling apart, I don’t see what possible good it can do to provoke those who chose to stay.
I agree with poorerbutwiser, what Herschel Peddicord did was a crime and he will be held accountable.
maybe she means ‘when the roll is called up yonder’
i don’t think herschel will be there
Yes, of course he will be held accountable in the after-life if there is one but it is on Earth that he will be held accountable.
held accountable by who? the guys in his yacht club?
Surely Knothead you aren’t living up to your moniker are you?!?
Did you not notice that law enforcement has become involved in this debacle? When THAT happens my dear knothead, something will come of all of the treachery. Law enforcement has begun to crack down on cyber crime and treachery and something tells me that H.P. may just be made a fine example of as people/members/citizens not to mention those in law enforcement are losing patience with business’ online who bilk the consumer/member. When you think about it logically, what he did to members is no different that a B&M business closing and not paying it’s employees. And from what I gather, the situation is being dealt with accordingly. Don’t forget to file your complaint with the Wisconsin BBB. You don’t have a snowballs chance in …. if you don’t get your case out there SOMEWHERE!
i really hope you are right, but i am just going by what we learned from the slime at netwinner, they didn’t even get a slap on the wrist for scamming thousands of loyal members after promising us for over 6 months that we would get paid for pending redemptions
and yes, everyone from bt should file a complaint with the wisconsin bbb and the wisconsin attorney general’s office also and post anywhere and everywhere you can to tell everyone that herschel peddicord is a sad excuse for a man
Not sure why I was ignored when I asked for clarification but I’ll try again. Poorerbutwiser, you’ve alleged that law enforcment is now “involved” with this. Are they investigating the closing of Boomertowne? Could you please clarify who, what, when, where and why? The reason I ask is because from what I understand, it’s of little interest since members were not required to pay fees or the owner did not habitually solicit private information such as SS numbers, checking account numbers, credit card numbers, etc. In other words, they’re not interested unless it falls within the realm of a traditional scam. You keep hinting about some mysterious connection you seem to have, but you don’t seem to be forthcoming with the facts….and yet you want the BT moderators to be honest and upfront? If you have credible information regarding an investigation and possible prosecution, please inform us as it may encompass far more than Boomertowne. Thank you in advance for your explanation.
thx for the update poorer, i for one remember seeing the ID on boards
i have at this time filed w/3 separate agencies and hope they do catch up w/him (and his yacht) LOL i am sure the scam did include bilking agencies (other than just ‘citizens’) and if it did and he has ‘packed up and run’ then, indeed, he will be a ‘hunted’ man 
(Sorry about the diabetes ‘Buzz’ but it is manageable) …
Therefore, how did/were the cards rcv’d together when 1) Bt had run out of cards and they were on backorder (supposedly) 2) BT was awaiting a logo print and were on backorder at the printers ROFL (and for that matter how is it if they were on back-order, did the card i rcv actually have the new logo on it!!!) ah the tangled web they weaved …
i had a rather hard time of trying to setup an account back in August (on Gather) using my netzero addy and my usual ID (seems i was being ‘black-listed’) (?fear), so another member sent me an invite and i was able to get over there. Am also over on PlatinumLounge (w/the same ID), anyone wishing to find the links for filing are welcome to email me or visit me at either site (still finding my way around at gather, so ping me) 
…
As for ‘using members ID’s’ and posts, i had several occassions to experience fraudulent use of ‘citizen’ ID’s, unfortunately ‘hard’ evidence is now gone w/the btowne-email … was the post by MrBill of the cards ‘MrBill’ ??? One, if you all recall, two or 3 of the cards posted were of the ‘old visa card’ and the other(s) had the ‘new BTlogo’ on it … the card i rcv’d in early June had the new logo on it (this i still have along w/envelope and paperwork)
Oh yes, i am windyO, my name is WendyO and my internet handle has been NrthWind since 1998
back to ‘the use of citizen/member ID’s and posts’, on several occassions ‘MrBill’ pm’d me in chat, often ‘warning me of BThelp’, so whenever i had a note to send off to BThelp i included a BCC to MrBill (i thought we were friends and he should be aware of ‘what was up’). There were a certain few that seemed to LUV to pm other folks (even tho the chat forum is an open venue). Was it MrBill, i do not think i will ever know. Then MrBill is gone for a period of two wks, upon his return the receipt of gc’s is posted and finally a new ‘QuikiQuiz’, mysteriously ‘pack up little doggies’; and i rcv an email accusing me of ‘harrasing’ emails and that i had been warned 3-x’s (not so) … as i have pondered these incidents i am still contemplating the writing style, was/were these posts/emails MrBill? Did he in actuality return, or did they just use his log-on and ID to make it appear so? (one this would be a definite no-no, and, yes, is illegal).
Around the time Petsounds posted that he had rcv’d a gc (from May8th), CapeMay posted on my msg-board that she too rcv’d one … this she repeatedly and EMPHatically denied in chat when i saw her (and i asked her 3 times as i was sooo excited) … and then Gran67 posted about rcv’g a card from May9th (did that stir up the pot, as several still hadn’t rcv’d May8th cards/redemptions) … alas
Also, BThelp repeadetly bragged about having many user/member ID’s, and i was recently emailed by one of them, tho i did post my email addy on my msg board and in chat before the final ‘shut down’ of the chat-server.
Thank you WendyO for verifying my ID. I appreciate someone being honest enough to admit they remembered me on BT. As for the honesty onsite. It was sadly lacking by not just BT Hershel but others who claimed to have “BT’s ear” as well. I too had communication with MrBill and had no problems what so ever. I do know there is a contingent who have been anti-MrBill for ages and this self same group have passed over to BT from another site with their venom. What causes it I have no idea but I suspect (as do many others I am in contact with on several sites) jealously of one variety or another most likely is the cause. IF MrBill happened to be one of the lucky ones paid, then that is all to his good. I have no problem with anyone being paid but I DO have problems not just with the bilking of the general population but comments made (not here but on other sites) about “dishonesty and breaking the rules on BT which hurt us all) by the same people who did exactly that. Some individuals I know personally had up to 8 seperate ID’s and up until May were cashing out these ID’s on a regular basis…Yet, when searching for commentary about BT’s demise, I find many of those who are screaming the loudest of “foul play” are actually those who cheated the system.
About the emails you received accusing you of “harrassment”. Were they supposedly from MrBill? If so, I find that hard to believe. He has enough business savvy to know NOT to harrass anyone online or off and certainly not for a site he wasn’t making that much from. Even if he were on a regular payroll with BT, I know enough about him to know he is not the sort of person who would threaten another over pennies. So, your supposition as to whether someone hacked into his account could very well be on the money. It apparently isn’t hard to do and in fact I was told the site was so messed up one day that though someone logged in THEIR ID information, it opened someone elses page…interesting how that happened and we both know if it happened once it most likely happened again.
As for BT. I think they really stepped in a big one this time. I don’t know who you talked to tinblue and I mean this in all respect but I have been in contact with agencies on local, state and federal levels as have many others and they assure me that this is a clear cut case of CYBER CRIME and most likely will set the prescidence for dealing with persons who bilk the public. Remember, it only takes one case to make an impact and from what I’ve been told, this very well could be that case.
Have fun folks and snipe away (at me) I have thick skin and have no problem at all being the whipping boy for the drama that is unfolding. JUST keep it honest. What I have posted thus far is nothing but the truth as I know it and I suspect Becky would appreciate it if all future posts did the same.
BTW…when I said (just a clarification)
” About the emails you received accusing you of “harrassment”. Were they supposedly from MrBill? If so, I find that hard to believe”
my meaning was simply that I have a hard time believing he would do that NOT that you received such notes. I believe you when you say you did but I do wonder (as I suspect others do as well) who actually was the author of said notes. It does not seem to me to be a MrBill sort of action but rather that of one of those who readily “snipe” at him for this or that action.
Considering the fact that members were not required to pay a fee for goods or services and that members were not required to sign a legally biuding agreement or contract, and considering the fact that the Terms of Service lacked crucial details and elements which guaranteed member’s earnings would be paid within a reasonable amount of time, we can be assured that this is far from a “clear cut” case of cyber crime. There’s nothing clear cut about it. These practices are shady and deceptive and they’re meant to be so to protect the owners from legal ramifications. These kinds of Terms are not drawn up in someone’s basement on a whim. Attorneys and financial advisors are paid well to exploit weaknesses on the internet and loopholes in the system.
Your sources, Poorerbutwiser, may be asserting an opinion based on an overall perspective which includes ponzi and pyramid schemes as well as other forms of easily identifiable internet crimes, but an in-depth study of what an average member’s real recourse would be in a situation like this would reveal that there’s next to nothing protecting them from this kind of thing once they become involved.
Some of the reasons include jurisdictional problems regarding singular small claims, virtually no legal support in the class action or joinder suit arena and a severe lack of internet governance pertaining to advertising and marketing. Also, as I’ve mentioned time and again, even if the authorities were inclined to act, they would be resticted by limitations on manpower and financial resources. Keep in mind too, that federal authorities do not represent individuals. If a federal agency were to initiate an investigation and/or audit, they would be acting on behalf of the public…and then there would be distinctions made between civil and criminal issues.
I’m sorry, but it’s better to let the people know the truth rather than to give them a sense of false hope…and the truth is, until existing laws are enforced and new regulations put in place, we will continue to see these kinds of websites crop up that utilize the same old self-serving Terms of Service.
Tinblue, it was a legally binding agreement and the Terms of Service required them to pay out rewards to non-cheaters.
Those are common misconceptions, Heather.
Clicking an “I Agree” box is different from submitting an eletronic signature. In 2000, former president Clinton signed the E-Signature bill into law. This enabled banks, insurance, mortgage and investment companies to enter into legitimate contracts with their customers, which greatly reduced the use of paper transactions.
In addition, a TOS written by one party is simply a list of terms, explanations, definitions and conditions that visitors must abide by in order to use the website. It does not constitute a legal document or any legal “requirements” unless and until the agreement is upheld in a court of law. For all we know, the courts could decide that there was no contract, therefore members have no recourse. One court could decide that there was a verbal agreement between the two parties while another determines that the type of agreement members entered into with the website owner isn’t sufficient enough to recover losses. The court could also decide that since members were not required to submit a fee then there simply were no losses.
The issues are not clear-cut or black and white. Most are various shades of gray. This is why members are urged to file complaints so that the authorities will hopefully recognize that consumers need more effective protection against these kinds of deceptive and exploitative practices that are so prevelant on the internet.
If you still don’t understand, ask yourself this; Why would our governments strive to educate us about practicing due diligence if we were fully protected to begin with?
Well,Tinblue I can tell you this. Law enforcement had mentioned the fact that while cybercrimes are a fairly new crime, they STILL are a crime. And while members did not sign any contract with BT there was a written and unwritten “understanding” between the site and members. Because of this understanding, the fact that members were promised rewards “would be rewarded in a reasonable amount of time” (and YES, I do have copies of emails which state exactly that)combined with the fact that HP closed up the site and left without warning while continuing to assure people (through mods and through emails) that BT would pay it’s debts, this is a case of cyber crime.
Unless you are a lawyer, which you have not mentioned, please do not try to usurp those who actually know of what they are speaking.
HP is currently being sought in order to get his side of the story. This has been verified on other sites with more than one individual stating he/she has spoken to local police regarding MP. Heis being sought for clarification of the situation. HP has the right to explain WHY he left with no warning while paying some individuals and not others, promising rewards for months and not following through. IF and WHEN it is proven that he had malice aforethought and had no intention of paying out then the charges pending could potentially become case making. There is always one case which paves the way for future justice and I have been told that BT could well be that case. NetWinner had a lot of holes in it’s makeup but BT was much more definite as to promises of payment. Because of the assurances members received and actions taken (and not taken) I have no doubt in my mind this will be an interesting case.
Surely Tinblue you aren’t so naive to think that there would be IMMEDIATE ramifications? Cases that pave ways for justice are often months and years in the making and in fact most states have a 3 year statute of limitations which allow law enforcement up to 36 months to file a case. That in no way means said case will be through the courts in 3 years but does mean that law enforcement has that time to build a VERY Good case.
Take a deep breath and please do not be such a negative poster. MY posts are honest, genuine and to the point. My posts are to state facts, give information and possibly give hope to those who have been cheated and want to know what to do (begin with contacting the Wisconsin BBB and/or police department) Yours are telling folks to back off and forget it all. For some reason your comments are not ringing true.
I’m sorry but I don’t recall much personal/BT information being posted by yourself. Have you mentioned TinBlue how much YOU were owed? WHEN you were last paid out OR your onscreen name? I don’t recall any of those facts being shared. Surely you can’t blame myself and others who have privately emailed me as well to suspect that perhaps like Shakespeare said so very well….”me thinks you doth protest too much!”
Becky is doing a great job offering this area for folks to check out the latest. I for one appreciate her offering this arena. I will not defend myself further to you TinBlue. Rather I will post only updates when I receive them and offer hope. Thank you for your opinion but I am on the side of the law on this one.
it might interest those ‘who know of what they are speaking’ to know that precedence is not spelled prescidence
tlnblue is most definitely on the side of those who oppose bt, nw and any other scam sites out there
she did more than most people did to protest and try to bring nw to justice but the authorities in nc wouldn’t do anything
hopefully you are right and the wisconsin authorities will follow through on this and file charges against herschel and show the world what he did to all of his loyal bt members
poorer, i am very confused by your posts.
if you really are on the side of justice you couldn’t find a better friend and ally than tlnblue…
please tell her and all of us what you are talking about. who is interested in chasing bt? is it the local police, or who- please post contact information so we may all apply pressure.
thank you and btw- it is t l nblue, not t i n.
Well, I’m not here to debate my credentials, Poorerbutwiser. I simply asked for more clarification regarding your statements. Anyone is welcome to do the legwork I’ve done over the past decade educating themselves and researching potential recourse for consumers who find themselves in these kinds of predicaments. In fact, I really wish more people would! It would certainly make it easier to have some help getting the same points and conclusions across that I’ve reached after years of doing this. Your vague responses, personal attacks and hostility implies that you really don’t have all that much credible information.
Funny you should mention that the police are hunting for Mr. Peddicord. The officer I spoke with from Mr. Peddicord’s local precinct confirmed what other police officers have in the past and what some of us already knew, that this was a civil not a criminal matter, and therefore it would not require their involvement. However, if you or someone you know has further information, please feel free to publicize it so that others can be made aware of the reasons the police are involved and what, if any charges will ensue once they’ve located him. Saying that someone’s friend at another site “confirmed” something isn’t valid or credible. Please provide specific details.
Now, my aim and purpose is to seek recourse and to educate others. Although I rarely back down when provoked by scammers and defenders of scams, I have no desire to enter the ring with other victims of false advertising and shoddy business practices. A quick review of this site will reveal that Miss Becky regularly submits ample evidence to back her opinions and reviews. It’s a wonderful habit to get into, one that I admire and try to emulate when possible. That was all I hoped to garner from you when I initially asked for clarification, yet you’ve failed to provide anything at all to support your claims. I sincerely hope your promised updates will include more beneficial information to the hungry masses.
First of all I was owed $50 in giftcards that I cashed out in June. Anybody who received a gift card AFTER that time did not deserve to get it, as the rewards were SUPPOSED to go out in the order requested. That is LAME. Secondly, why are there only a privelaged FEW here who had an email to contact Peddicord? I see you chose to delete it so that other people could not also complain. The guy cheated and lied and closed down a site without following through on promises. If the company was in such bad shape, he should have ceased OFFERING rewards but yet HONORED the ones already cashed in.
I am reading this post above mine and I do so hope that the police ARE involved and this turns into a civil case where people who are owed can get what is due us. I would GLADLY join in on a suit where what I have earned will be recovered and sent to me, even if it takes a couple years. The information is in my account at boomertowne.com and easily accessible by the people who were employed there for proof.
Note to readers: I had to close this post to new comments thanks to a barrage of comment spam. If you have new information regarding Boomertowne, please contact me by email — thanks!
Comments on this entry are closed.