A well-trodden poetry scam revisited.

[Jennylc]

I have been publishing poetry on Poets.com for a few years.

1st Complaint: At first I paid to be a member, but then decided I didn't
want to be a member any more and deleted my visa details, as suggested by
them, from my personal profile. They then started up a new site and
transferred all my poems across and took, without my permission, another
years membership from my visa even though I had done what they suggested
(via email communication with them) and deleted my Visa details. I accused
them of theft and they said that I should read the conditions, one of which
was they would automatically deduct from my Visa the yearly membership fee.
They completely ignored my citing of the earlier communication with them in
which THEY suggested I delete my Visa details. Also, through all these
emails, you never get a name. It's always "poets.com staff". No-one there
is accountable. They are faceless, nameless and dishonest. I'm sure what
they have done is illegal.

2nd Complaint: FALSE ADVERTISING. After taking my money without my
permission, they have now frozen my access to MY OWN POEMS!!! I cannot edit them, set them out or, particularly, delete them. I am now a paid member, as a result of their unauthorised thievery of my money, and I am not even able to access the product I unwillingly paid for. I am absolutely convinced it is a deliberate and vindictive sabotage of my so-called 'membership'. I find this absolutely outrageous. Every time I write to them to complain about this, I am met with a wall of silence. In any other business, a complaint would be dealt with. With Poets.com or Poets Workshop (same people), you are ignored.

I am of the opinion that these people have nothing in common with art or poetry (except their love of the money it makes them), and
are violating basic principles of business.

Poetically yours

Jennylc

[JBI]

Thought that was a well known scam. It's been there forever.

[Jennylc]

I knew about the Poetry.com scam - which is run by the same crowd but they disavow being 'connected'. Poetry.com publishes you in an anthology but only distributes that anthology to the poets in it. How they make their money is you buy the anthology.

Poets.com is slightly different. It was a kind of community where poets would review each others work. So many people signed up to it and it was really quite interesting to be involved. The only thing they appeared to be making out of it was the yearly fee (which would have been significant considering their membership). But when they changed over to the new Beta site, many baled out. The site doesn't work properly, and they pay no attention to emails and complaints. Their attitude is one of hard-nosed capitalism, which I think to any artist is an affront. On top of that, of course, is their theft of money I didn't authorize them to take.

It truly is vanity press, but at least real poets were involved and there was an exchange of ideas. Now it has just become a money making machine.

[kilted exile]

I took a look at their terms & conditions for signing up & it would appear that they do reserve the right to block accounts & continue to keep your poetry on the site if/when you decide to terminate your membership. You do however have a valid case for cancellation of membership (if you still have the e-mails saved)

[Logos]

Lots of discussion on the site about this company :)

International Library of Poetry (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174)

ILP, poetry.com, Noble House Publishers (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=833)

[Jennylc]

After harrassing them, they finally allowed me access to my poems which I deleted straight away.