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Warning Crowd Funding PR Scam
Crowd funding campaigner Anthea Palmer tells of the on-line Public Relations scam she suffered and warns other crowd funders to beware.
Palmer is on a mission to tour and promote International Singer Songwriters in China. Having spent twenty months living and working in China, paying for advice, translators, lawyers, applications and other costs involved in obtaining Chinese Government approval, Palmer’s own budget for the project is dwindling. Unable to access conventional funding from her own country, Palmer embarked on a crowd funding campaign with indiegogo to assist with touring costs.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/jimmy-hornet-the-live-music-crusader
Palmer was taken in by the marketing of Top Level PR, an LA based outfit, and paid for their top level PR package which is priced at $1495 USD. The package offered a dedicated PR expert, dedicated social media expert, and guaranteed 100% top placement.
Other than the receipt of generic emails from the “PR Team,” Palmer was only contacted by a specific Top Level PR representative (role and title unknown)
when she communicated her concerns about the campaign activity. Results from the service were dismal, with only two appearances on relevant websites. When Palmer complained and requested her money back, Top Level PR responded by saying that she must “take accountability.”
The result of the PR scam is that the campaign has received little to no relevant exposure, and did not receive a single pledge in response to Top Level PR’s service.
With just four days remaining, Palmer fears that it is too late for her campaign, but wishes to warn other crowd funders of the potential danger in trusting an on-line PR company with precious fund raising projects.
A full report of the Top Level PR activity is available in support of this Press Release, and will be made available to readers on request.
Campaign: Jimmy Hornet the Live Music Crusader