It looks like one of Philadelphia Church of God's elite is practicing true Christian ethics in a business that is drawing in negative reviews. Like any good Church of God member, it has a name that immediately will draw up a reaction from church members. Because who else is always the first easy target for some wild business adventure than fellow church members! It is called The Petra Group.
A reader here on Banned wrote:
Jeremy Cocomise is Co-Founder and Director of Operations for "The Petra Group," along with Bret Smythe. (Jeremy Cocomise's Linked in page doesn't come right out and say he works for "The Petra Group"; however, if you enlarge his picture, you will see the words "The Petra Group" embossed on a yellow background.) In my opinion, it looks to me like this company is a cash cow for the PCG (zoominfo gives $5-10 million in revenue). It appears to be a closed company to PCG employees as all the PCG names I searched, such as Privratsky, etc., come up working for this company and are tied in with PCG and HWA College (AC). The Petra Group is not BBB accredited and BBB has received several complaints alleging customer service issues. I also discovered a "Notice of Federal Tax Lien" in November 2012 with an unpaid balance of $2944.55.
You remember Jeremy Cocomise...
This company, as it sets the Biblical Standard of the HIGHEST ETHICS due to the fact it claims to employ several PCG folk, whom we all know to be the most ethical Christians EVER, is not fairing so well with consumers that have paid big bucks for their assistance. One person even claims they are being investigated by the Department of Justice and Consumer Affairs Department for fraud.
The Oregonian reports:THE PETRA GROUP LLC Ripoff Reports, Complaints, Reviews, Scams, Lawsuits and Frauds Reported
1, Report #935334Aug 31 2012
10:34 AMThe Petra Group The Petra Group SCAM!! Gresham, Oregon
Petra Group guaranteed first page Google placement after 60-90 days. I requested two specific key phrases on the premium package and then Petra Group charged my $275 monthly. My rep said my monthly fee would be discounted to $275 per month instead of $375. They guaranteed first page placement. After 90 days, my business was not listed on the first page on my requested key phrases. I cancelled my account yet Petra Group still charged my card $275. They are refusing to refund any money back. I am now going through my bank to recuperate my money. Petra Group stated that I was never on the premium package. They discount $100 in the beginning so that they delude you to think you are on the premium package even though in reality you are on the basic package. I received monthly invoices from Petra Group that never stated anything with regards to being on what type of package I was on. TOTAL SCAM!!! I also receive harassing random anonymous phone calls from Petra Group trying to solicit business! VERY ANNOYING!!!Entity: Gresham, Oregon2, Report #1146250May 13 2014
10:24 AMThe Petra Group LLC http://petragroup.com/services/39 NW 3rd St.GreshamOR97030 fake google partner, acting like google - not even certified i checked Gresham Oregon
called me acting like google and tried selling me marketing - scam alert - buyerbewareEntity: Gresham, Oregon
3, Report #987446Dec 26 2012
11:34 PMThe Petra Group Unauthorized Debiting Theft , Internet
This company gained access to my bank account and began dinging me $275 per month. I did not authorize their debit of my account. I did not agree to do any business with these people. When contacted, they claimed to have telephone messages from me authorizing the deductions and refused to stop or refund any of the money already taken from my account. No services were performed. I am attempting to get funds credited back to my bank account, but Chase Bank is little help in stopping the debits or diligently putting the clamps on these scammers. This company markets over the phone to law offices, like mine, and other professionals claiming to get top billing on internet advertising. They claim to have 10,000 clients (how do all those folks get to the top of the list?), but provide no service...and in my case, deducted funds from my account without any authority from my office. Do not do business with these guys and hope they cannot access your account information to start deducting cash right out of your account...internet theft.Entity: Internet, Internet
5, Report #1067906
Jul 17 2013
06:25 PM
The Petra Group Beware Media Mouth is The Petra Group!!! Don't be fooled!! gresham Oregon The Petra Group is MEDIA MOUTH! Don't be fooled!! It's the same low life owners, Bret and Jeremy, and they are still up to no good. They are under investigation from the Dept of Justice and Consumer Affairs for fraudulent business practices. In particular, for charging customer credit cards AFTER you have clearly cancelled your service. They hope you don't notice. If you do, they wait for you to file a complaint with your credit card company and have your charges reversed. In the meantime they have held onto your money for a couple of months. They are cons! DO not do business with them or give them your credit card information. You will be sorry, they are con's! BEWARE!
The Petra Group
Entity: gresham, Oregon
Jun 27 2012
11:55 AMThe Petra Group in Gresham Oregon Tel: 877-296-8618 The Petra Group...... Scam Artist Frauds BEWARE!!! gresham, Oregon
These guys are nothing but frauds... Scam artist. They should be locked up and sent to prison. Mr Bret Smythe and Jeremy Cocomise the owners are slimy low lifes. They sign your business up for Google Places which takes anyone two minutes to set up and they charge you 275.00 per month for five minutes worth of work and call it a business model. Once I figured out what they were doing I canceled and I'm still trying to get my money back from my credit card BUYER BEWARE!Entity: gresham, Oregon
This company gained access to my bank account and began dinging me $275 per month. I did not authorize their debit of my account. I did not agree to do any business with these people. When contacted, they claimed to have telephone messages from me authorizing the deductions and refused to stop or refund any of the money already taken from my account. No services were performed. I am...
Petra Group guaranteed first page Google placement after 60-90 days. I requested two specific key phrases on the premium package and then Petra Group charged my $275 monthly. My rep said my monthly fee would be discounted to $275 per month instead of $375. They guaranteed first page placement. After 90 days, my business was not listed on the first page on my requested key phrases. I...
I had something similar happen to me while in the WCG. I had purchased life insurance through a locally ordained man who was my agent. Payment for the insurance was through a automatic bank withdrawal through my bank. The problem happened when I attempted to cancel the life insurance due to my then wife divorcing me. I notified my agent of my desire to cancel ten days before the next scheduled day for withdrawal and he said it would be canceled immediately. Ten days later my account was withdrawn. I called my my agent to complain and he just told that it was canceled. Thirty days later another automatic bank withdrawal happened. I immediately called the life insurance company who gave a very weak excuse about it taking a month to get out of the system. Again, thirty days later another automatic bank withdrawal happened. This time it took a visit to the bank and a payment to the bank to stop the theft.
ReplyDeleteIt looks as if the Petra group is taking full advantage of this same scheme although to a higher degree. These members of the PCG are participants of fraud and theft if guilty and should use use the biblical example of reimbursement five times over to their claimants.
You're giving ideas to Dave Packman,
ReplyDeleteThese churches and their financial demands are actually making criminals out of their members. Lay members may not realize it, but in most states it is fraudulent to deliberately write checks that are going to bounce. The business owners in PCG should be more financially savy, and should know better than to use kiting schemes, and bogus billings. I was quite shocked to learn several decades ago that brethren were using their credit cards to pay their tithes, and ministers were telling members to borrow money they’d never have to pay back because “the end” was so close. There are church people who, if presented with an either or situation, will pay their tithes rather than their income taxes, because the IRS can’t prevent their salvation.
ReplyDeleteBut, you’re not allowed to be ambivalent about your ACOG, even in current times when there are hundreds of splinters teaching nearly identical doctrines. Each has got their members’ ‘nads in a spiritual vice, because each teaches they are the one and only. Apparently, most COGlodytes are oblivious to the basic laws of probability.
BB
I called their number in Gresham which is close to me. It's a non working number now
ReplyDeleteThis guy has got a guaranteed Job working for Dave Pack should he ever want it. Perfect, just have your bank account auto debited each month leaving a "penny" balance to live on! It is "common" after all!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIn the PCG, Gerald Flurry had once said that if a minister is being abusive, his door is always open. The problem is that Gerald Flurry would simply forward the member's complaint about the abusive minister directly to the abusive minister for him to deal with however he wanted to.
The corrupt and immoral PCG tyrants are used to dishing out satanic abuse with no way for the defenceless members to protect themselves or get any justice whatsoever. This arrogant and malicious behavior of the PCG goons can show up outside of the church too. The difference is that when Flurry's corrupt leaders do their dirty deeds outside of the church, the outsiders that they try to scam can report their bad behavior to the proper authorities to be investigated honestly.
As I recall, there was a Adam Sandler movie where he is overcharged thousands of dollars by a porn site that he had given his credit card details to. It was just a movie, but still a warning about trusting people with your finances.
ReplyDeleteBefore Herbie died, my church area was filled with members selling Amway, Shaklee, air purifiers, knife sets, pots and pan sets, and whatever else people. They found a fertile field of church members to sell to and to recruit for their pyramid schemes. Church members were always the first suckers to buy into these schemes
ReplyDelete1:48 -
ReplyDeleteYou mean those "Home Air Ionizers"? Yup, knew someone who was into that too who was in WCG.
Speaking of selling and recruiting -
I do recall one individual once (No, not telling where or whom) who took up an entire service trying to hype up some homeopathic remedy - And NO, I am not making this up - some type of vitamin - while the pastor didn't have the balls to stop the person from speaking! Totally took over the person's time! (No, this wasn't during the Armstrong or the Tkach, Sr, Era, it was just barely after the fact - such a thing would NEVER have happened in the Armstrong or Tkach Sr Era). Everyone in the dang congregation was wondering what in the heck was going on! When was the guy with the cane going to come out like at the Apollo and pull the person out?! It went on and on and on and on, and since the pastor didn't do anything, the pastor simply gave up his preaching time. When the person stopped, there was no time for anything else. So a final hymn and prayer and we all got up as dazed and confused as ever. :p
Dennis, based on the NTBMO glamor post, Jeremy Cocomise hosted the event in St. Petersburg, FL. The Petra Group complaints are dated from several years ago. I take it that Jeremy skipped town and has now set up similar business out east: https://www.corporationwiki.com/p/2k384k/jeremy-cocomise.
ReplyDeleteJeremy, if you come across this post (I suspect you routinely read around to see what people are saying about you and your den of vipers), it seems Gator Marketing is quite a popular name for a business: https://www.corporationwiki.com/search/results?term=Gator%20Marketing I bet it was a challenge to make Gator Marketing LLC appear among the top hits on Google, eh? Or is that why you ditched it and went with Skyway Media Solutions Inc (https://www.corporationwiki.com/p/2mizvx/skyway-media-solutions-inc)... which (as is typical with COG'ers) was not your original idea: original registration expired:https://www.corporationwiki.com/Florida/Brandon/skyway-media-solutions-inc/134582095.aspx