INDIE REPORT – STOCK FOOTAGE SCAM
PUTTING TOGETHER A PITCH VIDEO? DON’T GO HERE
Stock Footage Scam
A Movie Guys once-over by Justin Bowler
A couple of months ago, I was preparing for a pitch meeting, and as part of my research I was searching for a legal download of a specific TV show. I was directed to a site called videoblocks.com. The download required me to try a 7 day free trial with “no further obligation” required. I entered my credit card number and proceeded. Sadly, the show had been removed from their content, so I continued researching. I found my download elsewhere.
Approximately two months later, I was going over my credit card bill for the period when I started my free trial, when I saw that I was charged “49.99” for my 7 day free trial on the very day that my free trial began. I immediately contacted VideoBlocks and asked for a refund. I googled VideoBlocks for contact info and as I typed in VideoBlocks, google offered “videoblocks ripoff” as the 3rd search option. I instantly knew I was in trouble.
After finding this link:
RIPOFFREPORT.COM
and this link
SCAMINFORMER.COM
I realized the extent of how screwed I was.
Furthermore, it had been 69 days since I signed up for the “7 Day Free Trial”, so I had been charged 49.00 three times. I contacted Videoblocks with this email:
“I would like a refund to my CC. I did not realize you would AUTOMATICALLY charge me. I belive your site says “Completely FREE with NO OBLIGATION to pay anything.” Charging me without notification implies obligation to the letter of the law. So, please cancel the subscription I didn’t know I had and refund my money. Thank you.”
They responded with this email:
From: Videoblocks.com
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 12:32 PM
Subject: Cancellation Successful
Justin,
Your VideoBlocks.com account has been successfully cancelled and closed.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact us:
Phone: 866-282-5360
Email: support@videoblocks.com
You will notice that there isn’t any mention of a refund. So, I sent this email.
To: Videoblocks.com
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 1:32 PM
Subject: Cancellation Successful
Thank you for canceling my subscription. When can expect my refund?
Thank you,
Justin Bowler
They sent me a confirmation that 49.99 was going to be refunded along with this email:
From: Nikki Jones
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 5:53 PM
Subject: VideoBlocks
Justin,
A refund has been processed, please allow 2-3 business days for the funds to post back to your account. As stated on our Guarantee page you are only eligible for one month’s refund.
Thanks, and please let me know if you have any additional questions!
- Nikki
Nikki Jones
VideoBlocks.com
11160-C1 South Lakes Dr., Suite 262
Reston, VA 20191
(P) (866) 282-5360
http://www.videoblocks.com
So, I called the number listed and left a message voicing my frustration and the ill things written about them online. One week later I called and left another message. One week after that, I sent this email:
Nikki and Abbey,
Thank you for the refund of 49.99, but, I was charged that amount 3 times. So, when can I expect the other 99.98 to be refunded?
Thank you,
Justin Bowler
They responded with this email (notice the lack of salutation):
From: Nikki Jones
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: VideoBlocks
Justin,
As stated on our Guarantee page you are only eligible for one month’s refund.
I responded with:
Nikki,
Your page says a lot of things, many of which are less than true. So, I’d please like you to refund my full amount. Should you not do so, I’ll have to take other action. The first of which will be an article on my website www.TheMovieGuys.net (5 million hits per month) about the untruths having to do with your website. Yes, I recognize that we are not a huge site, but we just happen to have the exact same target audience as you, so I figure we’ll be able to warn a good amount of people otherwise possibly inclined to use your service. Or, you could just refund my money as I asked you to, and the whole thing will be done with. Let me know.
Thank you,
Justin Bowler
www.TheMovieGuys.net
I received the following (this time, not only did I not get the courtesy of a salutation, but also, I didn’t even get a greeting):
From: Nikki Jones
Sent: Thursday, September 1, 2011 8:04 AM
Subject: Re: VideoBlocks
I can only process a refund for 2 months. The earliest charge will not accept a refund.
So, apparently, I’m to believe it’s not Nikki Jones or Abbey Smith (if that’s her real name) who are keeping me from my refund; rather, it is the “uncontrollable evil refund machine.” Hmmmm.
I further responded with:
Nikki,
I’d be happy to accept a check or money order.
Please mail it to the following address by 9/20/11.
Thank you,
Justin Bowler
They responded with:
From: Nikki Jones
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2011 7:29 AM
Subject: Re: VideoBlocks
Justin,
We do not send checks or money orders for refunds, we can process a refund through paypal.
Apparently, they have checks, they just won’t send one to me. Hmmmmm. I sent them an invoice through PayPal. They didn’t respond. Five days later, I sent them another and they, finally, refunded the money (of course, I was charged the standard fee PayPal requires to send an invoice) (this was one last final FU from VideoBlocks). So, after three months, I finally got back MOST of the money VideoBlocks took from me.
I will say in my research on this article, I did find some users defending them as a stock footage supplier:
DVXUSER.COM.
I certainly would not use them for anything (considering what I’ve been through). Furthermore, there are some fantastic stock footage houses out there that I can recommend. Getty Images Stock Footage, for instance has a great selection and quite an extensive catalog. Find reviews for them HERE.
and
DESKTOPVIDEO.COM.
Also, Artbeats.com is another I would recommend as would THIS REVIEW.
For niche footage, like historic news, variety shows, etc, try Historic Films Stock Footage. Reviews of the site can be found HERE.
Or Pond5.com. Check out a review for them HERE.
Finally, for stock photos, I’d recommend Istockphoto, and if you’d like to know why, then check HERE. So, check any of these out and you’ll find there aren’t any complaints that jump out at the top of their google search, and they don’t have any google search options that offer “ripoff,” or “scam.”
So, basically, there isn’t any reason to do business with videoblocks (and if you are just skimming this article, then let me sum up my story).
I was prompted to their library for research on a show. Not only did they not have what they advertised, but also, I was required to sign up for “7 Day Free Trial” with “No Further Obligation” to find out that information. Then I was Charged 49.99 every month, without my knowledge, until I sent them an email to stop. Then they wouldn’t refund all of the money they took from me. This was because the evil refund machine wouldn’t let them. So, I had to send them an invoice using PayPal (which charged me money), to get them to refund the last of the money they owed me.
Basically, they misled me about having something, misled me about “no further obligation” and made it as difficult as possible for me to get back the money I did get back (which wasn’t the amount that was taken from me). All I can do is get the word out. Apparently, these are the horrendous business practices of Nikki Jones and Abbey Smith (if that’s her real name).
I tried to sign up for their “FREE” trial, but was declined due to “INSUFFICIENT FUNDS”. Funny that…
I have a hybrid card that I use specifically for online purchases. It is identified as a credit card, but will only allow purchases to the value of whatever funds are in the account, much like a debit card. I find it rather useful, precisely for situations like this!
I have the same experience. I signed up for the 7 day free trial. I read that if I failed to cancel, I will be automatically charged. I made a note to cancel on the 7th day, downloaded some clips and on the 7th day, I dutifully went to the “manage my account” page and cancelled my subscription. My screen showed a boxed reply from them about my cancellation. I was surprised therefore to discover that I was billed $79 because apparently, my subscription was still active. I went through the same process of cancelling my account (going to the same page and clicking the same buttons) and this time, I received an email about my cancellation. I did not receive an email the first time I cancelled.
I realize of course that video blocks would have friends all over who will be defending it. I see the same glowing praises for video blocks after every complaint. All I know for sure is that I’m one customer cheated out of my money by video blocks.
I totally get you. these fellas are less than honest. I wanted to license a music track and asked for the composer’s details and their PRO status to fill in my cue sheet and they said to just put in their site’s name. I told them my local station wouldn’t allow that and required a name. They just couldn’t provide me with the information I needed plus they seemed to evade when I asked them about PRO information. I honestly don’t know where they get their stuff from or if it is really ok to use them. I am in serious business and I don’t want my customers to get in trouble. I did a search and yes there were many reported rip off cases. beware.
Well, I have just started using videoblocks.com, I am in the trial period right now, but they only charged me $5.0 from my credit card, and now I can download 20 clips per day for 7 days. In rest nothing bad has happened, and I can say that they appear to offer a very very good deal, I mean consider the fact that for just only one clip another site would charge me something like 300$ or more, and from videoblocks I can take 120 clips in the trial period for nothing (that $5 is going to be returned to me) ! After the trial period I have to pay 80$/month and I can download without limits hundrets of videos that would cost me thousands of dollars if I was to buy them sepparatly. For 80 bucks I can download litteraly hundrets of clips and video soundtracks, and I don’t need more than a few days to download everything I need from the site, I have surfed through all the video pages (300 pages) and made a list of things I need, I ended up with a list of over 500 clips that I need ! The connection is good, I have downloaded 6 clips in paralel at 250-300 KB/s each, so, for 80$ I can download 500+ clips in probably 2 days. Now lets think what kind of sums of money I would need to pay on other stock footage sites…
In the order of tens of thousands of dollars !!! I don’t know how they were in the past, but now they appear to be OK, and the deal is really, really good ! I mean c’mon, for 80 bucks I get contend that has a value of thousands of dollars !
Pond5 is a decent stock media resource, especially for video. Please keep in mind StockFuel as well for your video stock media demands. Cheaper and easier to manage than most. Also, a decent amount of quality video stock files.