Magazine owner accused of taking payments, not delivering on promises: ex-clients
FOX 2 St. Louis
[{'start': '2.735', 'end': '7.406', 'text': "EDUCATION CAN HELP MAKE   STREETS SAFER.   >> WELL, LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS   THOUGHT THEY WERE GETTING A   SPECIAL CHANCE TO MARKET   THEMSELVES TO THE PERFECT   AUDIENCE AND A HEALTH AND   WELLNESS MAGAZINE.   >> NOW THEY TELL CONTACT TWO'S   MIKE COLOMBO. THEY FEEL MISLED   BY THE PUBLICATION'S FOUNDER   AND CEO.   >> ST. LOUIS INS, AMELIA AND   APRIL BERCOVICI OWN VERY   DIFFERENT BUSINESSES BUT CAME   TO US WITH STRANGELY SIMILAR   STORIES ABOUT A HEALTH AND   WELLNESS MAGAZINE. YOU MAY   HAVE SEEN AROUND ST. LOUIS.   I'VE HEARD OF IT. I'D SEEN IT   ON THE SHELF. IT'S BEEN AROUND   FOR A LONG TIME. I HAVE SEEN   THIS MAGAZINE AROUND FOR MANY   YEARS. THEY SAY WHEN THE   MAGAZINE'S FOUNDER APPROACHED   THEM ABOUT MARKETING   THEMSELVES AND THEIR   BUSINESSES IN THE PUBLICATION   JUST KIND OF MADE SENSE,   SEEMED LIKE IT MADE SENSE. BUT   MONTHS AFTER BOTH WOMEN SAY   THEY SIGN CONTRACTS AND PAID   THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO BE   PROMINENTLY FEATURED IN THE   MAGAZINE.   >> I FEEL KIND OF, YOU KNOW,   TAKING ADVANTAGE OF WOULD LOVE   TO MY MONEY BACK. WE'RE NOT   YET NAMING THE MAGAZINE OR ITS   OWNER, BUT AMELIA AND APRIL.   TELL US THE MAGAZINES THEY   PAID TO BE AN WERE NEVER   PUBLISHED. THEY SAY THEIR   CONTRACTS WERE ALSO SUPPOSED   TO INCLUDE INVOLVEMENT AT THE   LIVE YOUR POWER EXPO AND   SPEAKER SUMMIT PLANNED FOR   JANUARY AT PLAZA FRONTENAC IN   ST. LOUIS. THE EVENT DIDN'T   HAPPEN. ALL SPOKESPERSON TELLS   US THE EVENT WAS NEVER EVEN   SCHEDULED.   >> WE KEPT THINKING EVENT IS   HAPPENING AND THEN OH, NOW   IT'S IN APRIL AND THAT'S WHEN   THE NEXT ONE'S GOING FINALLY   COME OUT WITH THE EVENT. SO   EVERYTHING JUST KEPT MEANTIME,   HAS A QUESTION. IT WAS JUST   PUSHED AND PUSHED AND PUSHED   AND PUSHED IT TO FINALLY. THAT   SHE VANISHED. THAT WAS IT.   >> EMILIA AND APRIL ARE AMONG   A GROUP OF NEARLY A DOZEN   WOMEN AROUND THE COUNTRY WHO   ALLEGED THE MAGAZINE'S FOUNDER   OWES THEM HUNDREDS OF   THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. SOME   TELL US THEY BOUGHT MARKETING   AND MEDIA PACKAGES THAT   INCLUDED MAGAZINE APPEARANCES   THAT WERE NEVER PUBLISHED.   OTHERS SAY THEY'RE OWED MONEY   FOR WORK THEY DID WITH THE   MAGAZINE, AMELIA AND APRIL SAY   THEY'VE REPEATEDLY ASKED THE   WOMAN FOR THEIR MONEY BACK.   >> TEXTS, EMAILS CALLS   NOTHING. THERE WERE NO REPLY.   SO THAT E-MAIL.    >> BUT THAT RECENTLY CHANGED   APRIL, SHARED THIS E-MAIL   RESPONSE FROM THE FOUNDER IN   IT. SHE WROTE, YES, I AM   TRYING TO STAY IN BUSINESS AND    KEEP MOVING FORWARD AND GET   YOUR REFUND.   >> I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING   TO HAPPEN.   >> AND AFTER WE CONTACTED THE   FOUNDER, AMELIA SAYS SHE GOT   AN EMAIL BACK FROM HER ASKING   IF AMELIA WAS ABLE TO GET A    REFUND BACK WITH HER CREDIT   CARD. I'M REALLY FRUSTRATED   BECAUSE I THINK CONTINUING TO   DO WHAT I'VE BEEN CONTACTED BY   OTHER WOMEN IN ST. LOUIS, WHO   THEN SHE SOLD, YOU KNOW, LIKE   THE JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH. SO   SHE KEEPS FINDING NEW PEOPLE.   I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT ANY    OTHER FEMALE BUSINESS OWNERS   TOO.   >> FALL FOR THIS. LIKE I DID.   >> WE'VE TRIED REPEATEDLY TO   CONTACT HER WITH QUESTIONS FOR   THIS STORY. SHE HAS YET TO   RESPOND. APRIL IS ALREADY   FILED A COMPLAINT AGAINST OR   WITH THE MISSOURI ATTORNEY   GENERAL. AMELIA SAYS SHE PLANS   TO AS WELL. OTHER ALLEGED   VICTIMS SAY THEY'LL DO THE   SAME IN THEIR STATES. WE WILL   CONTINUE TO FOLL"}]