July 7, 2009
I, Cheryl Stanley, was contacted by the NAPW and told they received my inquiry and application for membership. The women proceeded to interview me, to determine whether or not I would "qualify" for membership into their association, and therefore able to receive all the benefits the membership could offer me.
I provided details about my career, my new on-line business, my education and training, my website, etc. etc. At one point I even became teary eyed, when I explained why I do the job I do, what was most rewarding and what I hoped to do as a Counselor on line with 25 years experience.
At the end of the conversation I was given the "congradulations" and told I was now a member...I was told I would be "featured" on their site and my picture would be on the front page of the website, with a description of my new business. "You will even be able to take our logo and post it to your site, and have it for potential clients to prove your credentials" In other words, they would be "backing who i was."
Our conversation, that day, abruptly ended. "I need to help another member with an issue. they are at a "seminar" and need their membership number to finish the "sign up process." She asked if she could call me back and I provided another number for her to contact me on..She had my cell number, now she had my business partners number. I waited, she never called.
July 8, 2009
The next day she called the cell phone and apologized because she'd transposed the number...Yeah, right. I didn't have time to talk, so we set a time for her to call me in the afternoon. She called, but my business partner took a message, I have yet to return her call..I decided to wait until Monday, July 13, 2009, when I'd planned to call her, so I could have her speak with my web designer about putting their logo on my web site. Getting that component set up.
July 13, 2009
In preparing to phone NAPW, I decided to look up their site for the phone number. My web designer was with me, and we could get to the site on the browser. It came up on google, using "napw", but so did a few sights that were highlighting complaints made about NAPW. one about unauthorized withdrawals for membership fees and another for being "illigimate." THIS CAME AS NO SURPRISE...REASON: During our first conversation, I mentioned that I'd thought I'd heard/read something about the NAPW not being legitimate. That they use people's info. for other purposes, promise things they don't deliver and take money for memberbership they claim is "free."
Needless to say, I was angry and disappointed...I new I should have followed my gut and ended the conversation, before i disclosed my "life story", basically and shared things with a "stranger", who was more of a fake than I assumed originally.
I'm thankful they didn't get any "money" out of me, or that I didn't get more in over my head, in regards to the NAPW scam. I feel they are playing on the emotions of women, who are potential
new business owners, business owners and professional women looking for a way to get ahead in the world...and who are excited when they find out their is actually an "association" that is willing to back them and give them services, they would normally have to pay for, etc.
WATCH OUT FOR PHONE CALLS FROM THE NAPW, AS WELL AS LETTERS IN THE MAIL TELLING YOU THAT YOU'VE BEEN APPROVED FOR MEMBERSHIP, ETC...FROM WHAT I'VE GATHERED, NONE OF WHAT THEY SAY IS TRUE AND THEY ARE ONLY OUT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE, TAKE YOUR IDENTITY, MONEY, ETC.

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