Angelbeat

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17th of May, 2011 by User454972

Angelbeat advertises free seminars to IT professionals. On their registration page, they claim: "There is no charge to attend for IT professionals who work in the technology/telecom/IT/networking/security/purchasing departments of corporations (private and publicly-held, large and small), universities, school systems, government agencies, hospitals, manufacturers, retailers, banks, financial services firms, insurers, real estate/construction/property management, insurance/brokerage agencies, pharmaceutical companies, law/accounting/consulting firms, trucking/transportation/logistic firms, etc. and use, support, purchase and/or are involved in or influence the purchase of products and services offered by our sponsors." I work in telecom, which is clearly listed above. After filling out the online registration form and provided all of my personal information, I got an immediate reply (automated?) that stated (in part): "Thank you for the inquiry. Unfortunately we cannot approve your request for a free pass by yourself, per guidelines established by our sponsors. However we will be glad to admit you at no charge provided that you can attend with at least one of your end user clients who are enterprise IT professionals..." They claim they want to "eliminate attendance by individuals whose main interest is to get a free meal, hand out resumes, look for a new job, etc." Then the kicker: "Of course you do have the option to register by completing the credit card registration form off the Angelbeat site and faxing it back to us. The charge is $300. Lastly you might also want to consider exhibiting and/or speaking at the event as this is a great way for your firm to market its capabilities and generate new business. The fees are higher than the registration pass but the exposure and post-event lists make it very worthwhile." So, sucker me in with the prospect of a free seminar, then mandate that I either bring a client they can pitch or pay $300. What a joke. I have asked for them to completely remove my personal information, but I wouldn't be surprised if he has already forwarded it to all of his clients. My advice, put fake information in the form if you want to sign up. Or better yet, avoid altogether.

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