this company should be removed from non-profit status. They use their non profit to fish phone numbers "Legally" to for profit companies. Absolutely unacceptable. They are abusing the system.
I could not believe that you call people to list in your company and get the money and do hold it for more than 5 month and refuse to refund the money. your company is a scam company. If you lie to 10 people per day here is $2900.00 and by 30 days you have 8700.00 per month interest for 5 month and over. if you lie to 10 people I am sure you are lying more than 10 who know. Stop cheating people in this hard time taking advantage of them..
This company is completely not-legit. The ONE review stating someone sold their car is a fake review posted by Adventis to try and curb the damage. Do a Google search for "who calls me from" and choose Adventis or Longwood - all 700 or so negative reviews says enough. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. They will not sell your car, you will not get a refund and you will have no recourse.
I received a phone call about a vehicle for sale. I chose to try out the service with some apprehension, but was pleasantly surprised when a gentleman emailed about my vehicle. It took about two weeks of being listed. I would recommend this service, especially after reviewing their website and seeing the service they provide for the handicapped and disabled.
Received suspicious, unsolicited phone call - after listing a car for sale.
When you call the non-profi directly you get a vmail and a prompt for car sale inquiries. Read www.ripoffreports for other negative interactions.
Same happened to me--I listed my car on cars.com and a day later got a call from "Matt Carter" at Longwood Inc, saying he had a client who was looking for a car like mine. Therapeutic Training of Needy Individuals? I don't think so.
Review from Guidestar
Today my kids received an unsolicited call from this place wanting to help her sell their car that was listed on www.craigslist.com as they had a match from a buyer. (Originally identified as Jacob Reed Longwood Co. to my daughter, and later identified as Auto Marketing as a business name when I called back) They "guaranteed" their service and service fee of $100. REDFLAG! They told my daughter that if she paid them via bank card or credit card this fee that the information on the buyer would be released to them. My daughter advised me of the call and I got very upset and explained to her it is a SCAM. No reputable company will charge you a fee in advance to make a sale. My daughters hopes were high as she was advise the company had a buyer willing to pay $6000 for their 91 Chevy Blazer on www.craigslist.com that was only listed for $2700. Which was another REDFLAG. So seeing right through it I called them back at 1-866-326-0950 and started my personal inquiry of the Auto Marketing Company based in Roanoke, Virginia. When I listened to the message as I waited to talk to the person who had called, it became very apparent that this place preyed on desperate and people who aren't familiar with SCAMS. The person I spoke with attempted to tell me and justify the call by stating she was a trustworthy person because she was a notary public and a politician vouched for her.(think about that one as a source of trustworthiness.) Then I inquired about the how the business was set up, I was told the same information as the other review, that they were a 501(c)(3), a non profit organization (organizations like churches, homeless shelters etc)...ANOTHER REDFLAG. As I asked so how many complaints will I find filed when I get online and check with the Better Business Bureau and or the Attorney General? A quick response of we have been in business for 32 years and only have 127 complaints from people who weren't happy with their service and that had asked for a refund of their $100 minus a $29 processing fee. However, their “refund” would take them 2 or more weeks to process and or the people were mad because the time and/or service had expired and they were not eligible for a refund. Keep in mind, they gave my daughter a 100% guarantee on the 1st call and my daughter was told a buyer was ready with $6000 and they just needed the $100 to get her the person’s information that is interested in buying the vehicle. I asked if there was an umbrella corporation and was told there wasn’t one which was obviously a flat out lie. A quick talker she may have been but she was debunked and the deception was revealed. Now look at the BBB page and you decide, my mind is made up!!! OK There was a bit of truth in this if you look at the information I found at the BBB but there was a larger amount of decption than truth. for Longwood Industries, 1617 Longwood Ave. , Bedford, VA 24523 aka Adventis, Inc. d/b/a The Big Lot, Longwood Industries Upon review at the National BBB on 5/12/09 this is what I found: "BBB processed a total of 127 complaint(s) about this business in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period. Of the total 127 complaint(s) closed in the last 36 months, 57 were closed in the last 12 months." According to the BBB National Site they are an Internet marketing service. In comparison to others of which there is only 1 nationally this company is rated is the highest (meaning worst) possible rating from the BBB. FACT ARE FACTS, THEY ARE USING EXTREME AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE REFUND POLICIES so you if you fall into their consumer category result may be very upsetting. Want more info here is the BBB page I found all the info at: http://www.bbb.org/western-virginia/business-reviews/internet-marketing-services/longwood-industries-inc-in-bedford-va-9004961/#cmpl One other thing they are also listed as having business with the Embroidery Industry and the Screen Printing Industry. I am a mother on a mission to ensure no one has to endure this. FTC will be notified, along with BBB, Attorney General, craigslist and the owner listed on the BBB site. I am going to blog about it as much as I can so all will know what I have uncovered.
I received an unsolicted call from a Jacob Reed of Longwood today, wanting to sell me a service for "matching" the PT Cruiser I am sellng with a buyer, for which he wanted to charge a sizable fee. Apparently, these folks do a lot of this, getting telephone numbers of folks who have listed their cars on Craigslist.com and similar sites, and try to sell their matching service. They make a big point out of the fact that they are a 501(c)(3) operation. A quick internet search determined that the public widely regards this company's operations as a scam. Also, they have had a very large number of complaints filed against them with the Roanoke, VA, Better Business Bureau. Speaking purely from a personal point of view, I'd avoid this firm.