The only time you will hear from this company is when its time to pay up you can cancle your. Phony area directory or yellow pages listings what are they after. A rep from hibu came into mu business and presented me with a presentation to advertise in a new product. Ajs office has been targeted by scammers who claim his company owes them for an online yellow pages listing. I was employeed with yellow book usa hibu for over 8 years. I signed my company to advertise through yellow book. Yellow book and uk yellow pages operator has proposed renaming the company hibu. After many years of advertising with and the name change to hibu i have stayed well clear for good reason. Mar 18, 2017 the yellow pages scam calls sound so innocent. Scambooks investigation team reached out to this company a total of 2 times, scambook investigators last contacted them on apr 04, 20. After referencing the yellow pages, 83% made contact with advertisers by phone, email or in person. But so far, ive had one scam email from somebody overseas who. We specialize in small, medium, and startup businesses, especially in construction and landscaping.
The ftc recommended four ways you can protect your business from the yellow pages scam. The hibu account representative that cried titan web marketing. Court throws the book at yellow page business directory scam. The invoices are usually sent by outofstate companies that publish a directory that contains a limited number of. Hibu yellow book yell hibu is a rip off scam missouri. With hibu, all your digital marketing works in sync your online listings match the information hours, phone, etc. To my surprise, i was looking in the 20142015 hibu book phone number. Sep 01, 2017 the yellow pages will stop printing from january 2019 after more than five decades, its owner yell has announced.
Discussion in seo, ppc and online marketing started by hargreaves56, sep 20. This time they are now called hi bu i took out a ad and the salesman gave me some listing for free. Hibu s website includes a blog with articles many business owners and decision makers will find useful. Yp the real yellow pages sm helps you find the right local businesses to meet your specific needs. Topics include seo versus ppc, website design, social media advertising and more. Laid off and im looking for a new job and despite years of successful industrial sales prior to hibu, recruiters tell me that i wasted 3 years by working for them and new employers do not take me seriously since i sold yellow pages. The hibu account representative that cried gather round, its time for a true story.
They advised that they were formerly known as yellowbook. Disclaimer this site was put up by a former hibu employee. Company is a big scam waiting months on end for any sign of work and get nothing customer service is trash and the employess are borderline children. Hibu, inc complaints better business bureau profile. The reach of the yellow page directory scam was truly international. Im sure ill hear from them on another number but im happy to block them all day long. While this is not a new scam, it is by far one of the most persistent that continues to resurface and plague small business owners. Yellow pages publisher hibu calls in administrators telegraph. At hibu, we pride ourselves on our best in class products and services. One ad is with yp in the tullahoma, tn area and the other is with hibu in murfreesboro, tn. Hibu is the owner of yellow book along with several other print books. In addition, creating a winning culture is a top priority here at hibu. Welcome to the hibu service center, your online resource for small business marketing. Each route includes the listings of all the residents and businesses in that area.
Once delivery is completed and verified by yellowbook s distribution department, payment is mailed to you within two weeks. Yellowbook national yellow pages optout site create a new account. Hibu, the readingbased yellow pages company, has placed six us subsidiaries into chapter 15 bankruptcy protection as the firm attempts to restructure its. The yellow page companies sent nearly identical faxes to businesses in a number of countries. Somebody calls your organization saying they simply need to confirm your contact information for a business directory. Yellow pages to stop printing from january 2019 media. Hibu and yellowbook are notorious for their inability to cancel a clients account after the client requested a cancellation. Directors at collapsed yellow pages owner hibu accused of sales fraud. Once upon a time, in a distant land called murfreesboro, tn, a wellknown local business decided to cancel their contract with hibu the online marketing service associated with yellowbook. Once delivery is completed and verified by yellowbooks distribution department, payment is. Offices, beware the yellow pages online scam consumerist. Educate employees on how the scam works and how to recognize dangerous calls.
Before i continue my story, i should mention that hibu clients are strongly encouraged to purchase a display ad in the phone book in order to receive the online services. Among those making a purchase, 91% purchase at a place seen in the yellow pages. The yellow pages will stop printing from january 2019 after more than five decades, its owner yell has announced. Hibu really stood out to me because i had a actual person who is still my account manager, come out to the office to better understand our marketing needs, then cater a. We had a contract with yellowbook which turned around and sold it to hibu.
Hibu formerly yellowbook is now in a seemingly endless shell game, shuffled between different. Locally owned businesses or contractors what is it. When i provided proof and in my opinion the judge was going to rule in my favor the attorney for hibu ask for a continuance to speak with his. Jul 17, 2014 canadian business phone book strikes again. The ftc is alleging that three telemarketing agencies in canada, which did business under names like your yellow pages and onlineyellowpagestoday, used that very m. In september 2009, yells us arm, yellowbook, acquired texas and louisiana assets of ypone publishing. Hibu smart sites have advanced technology that 80% of websites dont have, helping smart sites perform better than other websites simply put, they communicate. Opt out of yellow pages with us and stop the delivery of printed directories you dont want to receive. Manager former employee rockville centre, ny july 14, 2019. Information from knowledge networksris 2004 yellow pages industry usage study. The majority of websites today simply arent built to give you the best ranking in search or to get you found with voice search but hibu smart sites are. Since then the page has accumulated 81 consumer complaints. The company does not pay well and requires a lot of extra work.
Nov 27, 20 yellow pages publisher hibu calls in administrators companys battle with. Companies like dexypthryv formerly dex media, supermedia and superpages, hibu formerly yellowbook, yext and yodle offer online marketing services such as business listings and directories, payperclick advertising, search engine optimization, and websites. Similar to a fax directory scam, this one typically involves a few phone calls. To my surprise, i was looking in the 20142015 hibu book phone number information when i stumbled on my photography ad, i was so surprised to see an ad since i had made it perfectly clear that the 20 book was to be my last ad again remember the business had been long closed by this point. Yellow pages publisher hibu calls in administrators. Yellowbook is one of the many local marketing solutions available from hibu. The hibu account representative that cried titan web. Prism lets you track and pay all your bills in one single, intuitive app. View customer complaints of hibu, inc, bbb helps resolve disputes with the. Fraudulent yellow page listing scam beware its back. These factors are similar to those you might use to. Operated by the yellow pages, hibu relies on the brand of its parent company.
Hibu yellowbook sales rep lied and set up an account for our business unauthorized cedar. One particular scheme that is growing at a rapid rate involves the nationally renown business directory, yellow book, formerly known as yellow pages. If set up properly, these online marketing methods can work in getting your business noticed. Unfortunately, the business owner was seeing poor results from hibu, decided to end the relationship and orchestrated a meeting with his hibu account representative. Hibu makes it easy to grow your business online with a custom website, social marketing and more all built and managed for you while you run your business. I seen another scam site that listed the same number from a year ago. We have called hibu many times to send us the magazine ad and each time we have spoken with them they had not sent us the magazine with our ad. Search results are sorted by a combination of factors to give you a set of choices in response to your search criteria. This page was opened so the thousands of people around the country who were deceived by yellow book can share their horror stories and perhaps if we all are united enough.
Beware the fake phone book listing scam that targets small businesses. Yell has taken the decision to fully digitise the business, ending the publication. Dec 12, 20 companies like dexypthryv formerly dex media, supermedia and superpages, hibu formerly yellowbook, yext and yodle offer online marketing services such as business listings and directories, payperclick advertising, search engine optimization, and websites. Officials in one county have had to issue an alert concerning a fake business directory after several businesses reported being contacted. Directors at collapsed yellow pages owner hibu accused of sales. Brooks web design, llc designs handcoded, quality websites and mobile sites for all companies in any industry, anywhere in the u. We work hard to make sure that our sales representatives are fairly compensated and are able to perform successfully in their jobs.
I tried to do business when this company was yellow book and they did the same thing with billing and the salesman and mangers agreed. We help hundreds of thousands of local businesses with print and digital marketing. Hibu helps communities thrive by facilitating millions of connections each. Why you should not use 20160710 kristen dyke if youre looking for an internet marketing company to build and design a website for your business, youve likely come across hibu. Court documents allege that directors including former chief. Yellow pages to stop printing from january 2019 media the. Subject to the terms and conditions of this agreement, hibu grants you a limited, revocable, nonexclusive, nontransferrable license to install and use the licensed application on any mobile device that you own or control. We would like to opportunity to discuss your concerns in further detail, please reach out to us at 8554474428. The business directory scam strikes again ftc consumer. Hibu is a digital marketing company that promotes itself as a platform to help people make money online. With hibu, formerly known as yellowbook, i also subscribed to their internet product called web reach. Hibu representitive came to my office and showed me a garanteed lead program. I quit over 2 years ago and have been much more fulfilled by my new ventures. Never miss your hibu business yellowbook 360 bill again.
Hibu hibu yellowbook rip off to small businesses nationwide. Hibu places 6 us subsidiaries in chapter 15 bankruptcy. Nov 21, 2018 in 20 i went to court with hibu yellow book over a 2009 advertisement that i refused to pay for that was not correct. We offer comprehensive, structured training designed to develop successful careers, and encourage our team members to pursue advancement opportunities. I must start off by stating that hibu is not a scam. I advised her that i had turned down my option to renew for advertising in 202014. Yes, the company is sneaky in their contracts and will always try to renew you or say they have a contract when they really do not. This page was opened so the thousands of people around the country who were deceived by yellow book can share their horror stories and. May 08, 20 as a locksmith of over 25 years, i have taken my last two yellow pages ads out. You will be responsible for distributing a yellowbook directory to every listing on your route.
Hibu publisher of yellowbook rauchmilliken international, inc. After that i was never contacted by the service only email corrispondece by my representitive who says he is now embarrised by hibu. Phone books reshape themselves for life after listings. Small businesses all over the nation are receiving solicitations that appear to be invoices from the local yellow page directory. The yellow book hibu and their representation put on a dog and pony show that not only confused the judge but also confused the jury.
We are constantly evaluating our products and services to ensure we are competitive in the market. My monthly contract was set to end in september of 2014. Aug 12, 2008 this number is from the office of hibu. I received one lead over 4 months for a service i dont even provide. Never deal with this company total misrepresentation of the facts. Always check the calling companys reputation out for free on the better business bureaus website. Hibu really stood out to me because i had a actual person who is still my account manager, come out to the office to better understand our marketing needs, then cater a plan specifically to us. Court throws the book at yellow page business directory. I learned a lot during my time at hibu but most of what i learned was what not to do to employees in the future. Hibu styled hibu, formerly yell group plc, is a multinational directories and internet services.
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