Attorney General Sues Internet Advancement Again

Washington Attorney Generals Office, Nov 29, 2007

 
McKenna says Redmond-based company violated court order

SEATTLE – The Washington Attorney General’s Office announced that it filed a petition to enforce a court order concerning Internet Advancement, a Redmond-based company that sells search-engine optimization services for thousands of dollars to small businesses.

The petition filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court accuses Internet Advancement, which also does business as 4GreatBuys.com, of misrepresenting its ability to provide top search-engine rankings and increase Web traffic. The company is also accused of making unauthorized charges to consumer credit cards, failing to honor guarantees and refunds, unfairly structuring its cancellation policy terms and making false statements concerning its standing with the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Rob McKenna said Internet Advancement’s actions violated the Consumer Protection Act and a settlement in which the company promised to change its business practices. Today’s petition alleges that the company has continued to engage in essentially the same unlawful acts that gave rise to the original lawsuit filed in August 2004.

“Despite our 2004 lawsuit and Internet Advancement’s promise to provide good customer service, we’ve received more than 60 additional complaints from customers that are small businesses,” McKenna said. “We will not tolerate Internet Advancement doing business in this manner.”
According to the state’s petition, Internet Advancement guarantees that a customer’s Web site will appear within the first 25 hyperlinks on major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and AOL, when consumers search for specific keywords. Customers pay $999-$3,000 in “set-up” fees and a $149 monthly fee.

For this full article please visit www.atg.wa.gov.