Victim Location 94087
Type of a scam Debt Collections
Initial means of contact Not applicable
Re: Unlawful and Unfair Conduct of Scam Online Placement Website
Expledge.com
Dear Sir,
I am writing to ask you to investigate the scam online job placement company called Expledge, found at www.expledge.com, which is operated by a man named Ryan Au-Yeung. This company engages in unlawful business practices and appears to be aimed at taking advantage of consumers who are seeking job opportunities. The company is a scam, that entices consumers to sign up for the job placement service with the promise of help finding a job, but then provides no service whatsoever – and then demands a large fee from the consumer when the consumer later finds a job on their own.
In my case, I signed up to receive job placement services from Expledge. The Expledge website required me to sign a multipage contract stating that I was required to pay them placement fee if I they helped me find a job. The contract also disclosed that I could pay a small termination fee if it the service did not work out. English is my second language and the lengthy contract, which was full of legalese, was confusing. (I have asked someone to help me write this letter and pursue my legal claims against Expledge.)
After I signed up for the service, the company Expledge did absolutely nothing for me in getting my current job. They provided no guidance and provided me with no assistance whatsoever. Because I was not getting any job in exchange for the service, I decided to terminate the service. (Notably, the company has blocked me out of my account with them and I no longer have access to the termination letter I sent them and other important information_.
Because this scam of a Company provided no service of any kind to, I terminated my contract on June 1, 2018. The company accepted my termination letter and sent me an invoice of $*** as job search fee. Even though I received nothing from this company, I was prepared to pay the termination invoice. However, shortly after I terminated, my agreement, Expledge started demanding even more money from me.
Although they provided no assistance to me of any kind, Expledge claims their contract included language that said that if I were able to find a job on my own –even after I terminated their services because they were of no value – I was still obligated to pay them a large job placement fee based on a percentage of my annual income.
In my case, after I terminated this service, and without any help at all from Expledge, I was in fact able to find a job at a company called Reputation.com. Expledge is now sending me threatening emails and messages demanding that I pay them $2560 as a placement fee. What is more, Expledge has sent the bill to collections after only a few weeks, and is threatening to ruin my credit. See attached letter dated June 20, 2018 from the collections company called Kinum.
I respectfully request that your organization commence an investigation of Expledge and Ryan Au-Yeung. This company is a complete scam. The company entices desperate consumers to sign up for help seeking a job, and then provides no services – and then demands payment when consumers find a job on their own after they terminate their agreement with this company. One indication that they are a scam company is that they sent this debt to collections almost immediately after they sent me a demand for the initial payment. It appears that they are using the collection company Kinum as a way to harass consumers into making payments that are not owed. Kinum’s debt collection practices should also be investigated.
In addition, the company Expledge does not appear to have a physical address, provides no means to get in touch with them on their website (no office address and no phone) and does not appear to be licensed or registered to do business in California. I have searched the California Secretary of State website and they are not incorporated or registered in California. As such, I believe it is illegal for them to operate their business. I am further advised that they do not have the ability to enter into contracts at all. See Cal. Corps. Code §§ 2105, 2203 and Cal. Rev. and Tax. Code § 23304.1; and see Neogard Corp. v. Malott & Peterson-Grundy, 106 Cal.App.3d 213, 219-220 (1980) (corporation transacting business in California without qualifying to do so risks a number of sanctions, both civil and criminal, including the right to maintain lawsuit). Contracts formed while a company’s status is invalid (i.e., unqualified or suspended) are voidable at the option of the other party; this means that the contract remains in effect but the other party may cancel it. White Dragon Prods. v. Performance Guars., 196 Cal. App. 3d 163, 168-169 (1987) (contract entered into when party was not qualified with state is voidable and remains so even after party qualifies in California).
I am happy to provide additional information and assist you in any way in your investigation and, hopefully, prosecution of Mr. Ryan Au-Yeung and his scam company.
Sincerely,
Expledge resolved this issue with the client in August 2018. We initially had a miscommunication but cleared things up and ended on good terms.