Lavora Marketing

[grantglendinnin]

You guessed it, another bunch of scam artists.

Just received a telephone call from somebody from 'Lavora Marketing', they did the usual "I'm ripping you off" talk where they talk so fast you've got no chance of hearing every word they say. Y'all know what I mean.

£136+VAT +£20 activation fee to get my site "to the top of Google search" within 48 hours - guaranteed to be at the top for the next month, into the second month, for only £136+VAT + £20.

What keyword was this for? "Hot tubs kirkcaldy" (pronounced terribly)

A) We're not in Kirkcaldy.
B) Kirkcaldy isn't exactly famed for its wealth imo. (Your Prime Minister, need I say more?)
C) Credit crunch? Fat chance of selling one of those imo.

Apparently this keyword got 700 searches last week. Bollocks to that.

I decided to butt-in and stop this idiot rambling a load of crap. At this stage Adwords was never mentioned. I explained I'm with the 'time=money' philosophy, so why would I pay £160 to sit at the top of Google for a month when I could sit for a couple of days doing SEO work and get that ranking on a much more permanent basis, rather than spend £160 on Adwords. And why would I pay him £20 for literally a maximum of 5 minutes of his time when I could do it myself. "Uh, em, hmm, erm, well, hmm. Are you really not interested sir?" "No, not at all, I don't agree with any of your company ethics" "Uhh"...and then the phone went dead Withheld number too. Ideal for prank phone calls if you're that way inclined: 0161 924 2190.

This lot could keep me amused all day, no rest for the wicked

[Golf Tee Warehouse]

Many unhappy customers discussing them here: http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/01619242190

[grantglendinnin]

LOL - Nice one Darren. Funny how the guy first introduced himself as an employee of Google. One of the girls answered the phone and said "there's a guy from Google on the phone" - when I picked it up, after his ramble I asked what his company were called. He then said Lavora Advertising.

Sooner they go bust the better.

[CymraegKev]

Yep, complete bunch of cowboys (mind you, there are a lot of them about in that market!). I've just (well, about two weeks ago), spoke to a client of mine who was nearly reeled in by these guys.

[grantglendinnin]

Yep and unfortunately it's those that own websites but know nothing of SEO that are duped by these idiots. IMO Adwords is nothing but a vicious cycle and I wouldn't dare spend a penny on it.

[bamboo]

Don't be so quick to dismiss Adwords. There is no faster more accurate way of proving if a market exists for what you are intending to sell, if you run the right tests of course.

Also you have to work out the true cost of customer acquisition through Adwords. Say it costs you £1 in Adwords costs for every converting customer that lands on your site from your ad. A lot of people will not convert for a whole variety of reasons but over time you should be able to identify why the majority are not buying & increase the conversion rate by removing the obstacles you discover.
Sorry I digressed.
So each converting customer costs you £1 to get and you make 10p net profit from each converting customer then all you have to do is ratchet up the numbers of customers who convert.

This of course requires a "strict testing with constant improvement" business system to be in place and fully understood by the people actually doing the work but it can be done and indeed is done by many, many successful etailers whether they are selling goods, service or information.

The fact so many people are so bad at it is a damn good thing. You do not have to get very good at Adwords to knock these competitors out of the contest.

Most people think that an Adwords ad is meant to sell but that is the wrong approach. The sole purpose of an Adwords ad or even an organic listing is to get the visitor to click through to the right page within the website (NOT THE HOMEPAGE) which is where the selling should take place.

EDIT: The landing page is where most Adwords advertisers lose their customers but of course they blame Adwords because it is much easier to blame a third party than oneself

As for Lavora. What a shower of brown stuff. The muppets offer website design and yet their own website is designed by another company.
However kudos to the OP for dealing with them in a such a courteous and educational manner.

[Coach4Confidenc]

Dont waste your money!

I was sold a months trial by LAVORA MARKETING for my small business to be on the first page of google, which seemed an outrageous claim but they promised that by defining my type of business to the area where they had noticed a huge increase in public interest they would guarantee my place on a first page. Despite being hand-picked to register for 4 areas of London and Milton Keynes, my website was NEVER visible using the keywords they suggested. I spoke with them on the phone whilst doing the searches they suggested and could not find my website. They told me I had too many cookies on my computer and they would reset it for me!....still nothing. I want my money back!!

[CymraegKev]

They told me I had too many cookies on my computer

Sounds like they have had one too many cookies themselves.

Get your money back.

[Golf Tee Warehouse]

An unhappy customer on another forum got a promise of a refund after contacting Trading Standard, etc, but I suspect getting a refund is not going to be easy without persistence.http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/fo...t=85472&page=5

[VWP]

Lavora Marketing

Avoid this company!! Do not give them any credit details.

I was lured in by their claim to "save up to 70% off Google Adverising" and signed up for a trial period. I never recieved a contract but I did give them my debit card details. After a month or so, although my ad was posted, I requested that they substantiate their claims of saving me money but no data was forthcoming. In the meantime they had debited my card for further money. When I asked to cancel I was told to put my request in writing which I duely did. The following two months more money was taken out. I then cancelled my card to prevent this action and received some nasty letters threatening action.......

This seems a common complaint with this company - if only I read the forums...

[gabrielcrowe]

open invitation to lavora:

call me, i need adwords.

[PHD-Media]

Ripping The Small Guys Off

Hi All, I have had a few crossings with this company over the past year or so.

They tried to sell me Pay Per Click to boost my website traffic ( I don't think they researched my company before hand )

After spending a good 20 minutes telling them I specialise in SEO and Marketing they finally gave in.

It drives me mad 'Marketing Companies' ripping the small people off!

We all have been there, desperate to find new clients and gain more interest, you sometime believe they can do this for you.

Scam isn't the word!

If you want 'FREE' advice on SEO/Marketing please contact me, I will help you out the best I can.

Take Care.

[foyle3]

Put down the phone - I too fell for these scambags. Lavora was never mentioned during the call - Google google google - thay must be proud of Lavora. Cancelled card but too late - "A direct debit may have been set up". By post an "agreement" to which I had not agreed mentioned direct debit ad much else for the first time. Tried to cancel whole thing - "you have no cooling off period as this is a business to business transaction" ( we got your money ha ha ha). Trading Standards confirmed this. They then put the wrong search terms on the wrong country search engine!!!! Surprisingly no business has been generated. To claim back money you have to prove they did not provide the service promised. In writing they promise almost nothing - getting your ad on the search for five seconds a day would fulfil their undertaking. n Don't just ignore Lavora Marketing tell everybody you know about Lavora Marketing - put the scambags out of their miserable thieving business.

[Mike Hughes]

I guess the concensus view is fairly damning then. If anyone has something good to say about Lavora then this might be the place to say it.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who might be thinking about using Lavora marketing who'd be interested in this thread. I wonder what kind of phrases they might use to try and find it?

- Lavora Marketing sucks?
- Should I use Lavora Marketing?
- Are Lavora Marketing any good?
- Are Lavora Marketing worth the money?

Mike

[gabrielcrowe]

we smell of cabbage

^ This is better. I'd love them to come high in google for this.