Tag Archives: Robson

Slipped on RestoFinisher furniture restorer

“If you’re not satisfied with our product, simply return it for a full refund!”

“… some fast talk on giving you 65% back

People are complaining that they receive a different product than advertised; “It’s just oil.” Thanks to alert reader Joe Flazhman for sharing this offer.

Suspicious Address: TRUE (-1):

Brand: RestoFinisher
Company: RestoFinisher Inc.
Address: 1771 Robson Street / Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
Email: support@myrestofinisher.com
Phone: 1 (531) 204-2238
Website: RestoFinisher

This is actually Robson Print and Ship, which hosts quite a lot of web merchants, or perhaps just one that uses a lot of names. A mailbox outside the US is not okay. BTW the 531 area code of the phone number maps to Nebraska.

Ridiculous claims: False (+1):

None found.

Onerous terms: Undetermined (0):

guarantee daysguarantee starts when?ok to open the package?ok to try the product?ok to use the product?restocking fee
90?????
See “Bad service” below.

Terms are a svelte 2 pages long, just 734 words. But details about the return policy are missing.

Ads, spam, robocalls: False (+1):

They collect the usual garmongous information about you. But they don’t seem to do anything with it, that they admit anyway.

Lying and deception: False (+1):

None found.

Chicanery: TRUE (-1):

  • “There is limited availability and this 50% OFF REGULAR PRICE OFFER may be taken down at any moment!”
  • Bulletins about other people buying the last bottles
  • Pop-up: “Yes! I want 50% off.”
  • If I point outside the order form, a giant coupon pops up.
  • Links to Terms, etc. are hidden in pale type

Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):

Sites with more than 3 testimonials automatically fail this test. RestoFinisher has 7.

Crummy product: TRUE (-1):

  • From Better Business Bureau: “Apon using this product it was just an oil. Not what they claim on the website.”
  • From NayZayerz: “This product is nothing more than a very poor polish. It does not restore or enhance the finish. It does not mask or hide minor scratches,wear or even smudges. My blunder for thinking this product would perform as described.”
  • From SabiReviews: “Customers testified that the product has nothing to do with restoring furniture. It’s just olive oil poured in a bottle that says ‘Wood Finish Restorer’. The Wood Finish Restorer product you see on their ad is NOT what you get. The product you get just says “Wood Finish Restorer”, no ingredient list, no UPC code, no manufacturer name, no address, no instructions on the bottle, just Made In China.  The site claims the product ships from US, but in reality it comes from China. Absolutely not non-toxic. Restofinisher contains ingredients that may cause eyes irritation and make people feel sick. It is also inflammable.”
  • “A complete SCAM, as previously stated I received a bottle of some kind of oil, no ingredients listed, no “restofinish” on the bottle. I’ll attempt to send back but not holding my breath.”

Overpriced: TRUE (-1):

SelleritemRatedpriceunitunit COST
RestoFinisher Inc.1 12-oz. bottle RestoFinisher*$301 oz.$2.50
Amazon1 24-oz. bottle Rejuvenate Cabinet and Furniture Cleaner****’$61 oz.$0.25
Volume is my best guess after peering at pixelated photos.

Bad service: TRUE (-1):

  • From Better Business Bureau: “price charged to my credit card. $ 36.74 They sent me a different product. When I called the company a woman told me that send it back, but I have to pay for delivery. I did disagree. She issued a credit to my **** for $17.97.’
  • “The product was 59.95 second bottle for 10.67. Apon using this product it was just an oil. Not what they claim on the website. I will only get 33.00 back.( another ****) some fast talk on giving you 65% back and keep it. Their claim was 65% back on 49.95. 15.90 for their shipping and then they deduct the charge for their free gift. So it was not really free?”

Total score: -3

Unauthorized charges: I found one complaint about this.

  • From Better Business Bureau: “They charged my credit card for the amount of the order. My credit card just contacted me. They also tried to add a charge of $49.00 which is completely bogus. After finding this out I then called the credit card company and asked them to decline the original charge.”

Advice: Try the cheaper product from Amazon.


Scoring: There may be nothing illegal or wrong with the above business practices.  But they suggest to me that the seller is not to be trusted. I’m using my Trustworthy scoring system; -1 means true (bad), +1 means false (good), and 0 means undetermined.  The practice scores total to a Trustworthy Score between +10 and -10. I penalize the seller for statements made by shills.

Wiped out by DrClean oven cleaner

“… the best home cleaning product I’ve ever purchased.”

Urine would have worked better.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were magic tablets that you could drop into water to clean your oven with hardly any work? But there aren’t.

November 27, 2021: There may be nothing illegal or wrong with the following business practices.  But they suggest to me that the seller is not to be trusted. I’m using my Trustworthy scoring system; -1 means true (bad), +1 means false (good), and 0 means undetermined.  I penalize the seller for statements made by shills.

Suspicious location: TRUE (-1): Contact information for DrClean seller, DrClean Spray, Inc.:

Address: 1771 Robson Street / Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
Email: support@mydrclean.com
Phone: 1 (818) 650-3657

Another happy customer of Canada’s prolific Robson Print And Ship. But I was looking for a facility in the US dedicated to DrClean, so one point lost.

Ridiculous claims: False (+1):

This cleaner’s fizzing does all the scrubbing work for you? And it’s safe on your skin? No penalty score; but my eyebrows are raised.

Onerous terms: Undetermined (0):

The Terms and Conditions are slim and elegant at 2 pages (745 words). But they fail to mention whether your 90-day guarantee period starts on the day of your order or the day of delivery. Nor whether you can try or routinely use the cleaner before you return it. Nor how you’d have to package it.

Ads, spam, robocalls: Undetermined (0):

Per the Privacy Policy, they don’t hassle you, tho they do suck up all the personal data they possibly can for “some reason.” But in Pissed Consumer I read “Company won’t respond to e-mails and they get your e- mail and keep sending you e mails for other products – if you were dumb enough to buy this then you might buy something else.”

Lying and deception: TRUE (-1):

  • “So far, DrClean has sold over 10 million units directly to consumers.” Further down; “Ever since DrClean was featured on TV, an incredible amount of buzz has been generated and has since sold over 2 million units.”
  • “If you’re not satisfied with our product, simply return it for a full refund!” But in Pissed Consumer I read, “I called their cs service, no help, sent the email requested for return [and] refund, settled for the 65% of $19.95, got back $12.96, better than nothing. I will still report them to the BBB, it’s a must for all of us that have been duped.” “The real scam is when you call in for refund, they offer 60% refund …” “They returned ~1/2 of my money to make me go away.”

Chicanery: TRUE (-1):

  • Bulletins about other people buying the last bottles keep popping up.
  • “There is limited availability and this 50% OFF REGULAR PRICE OFFER may be taken down at any moment!”
  • Pop-up button: “Yes, I want 50% off!”
  • When I try to leave the order form a giant coupon pops up.

Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):

  • Websites with more than 3 testimonials fail this test, regardless of whether they are authentic. DrClean has 13.
  • Websites with both an “advertorial” disclaimer and reviews fail this test, because they already admit that they made up the reviews.

Crummy Product: TRUE (-1):

Pissed Consumer rates DrClean 1.2 stars. Some reviews:

  • I wish I had read the reviews before I ordered this product. I am very very dissatisfied!!! Will ask for a refund, will contact my credit card company and put in a complaint to get my money backDo.”
  • “Tablets will not dissolve. After 4 hours, the tablet was still whole in bottom of bottle. I tried to crush it and got a tiny bit of it to dissolve in a bit of water. Used it on oven door grease. It did not foam up at all as shown in the ad and had no effect at all more than using plain water. I would not even give this product 1 star.”
  • “Does not deliver as advertised. Tablet never dissolves; solution never removes grease or dirt. Total waste of money. DO NOT BUY!! It’s a scam.”
  • “This product is such a ripoff. You might as well be using straight water. Who ever came up with this .com is an *** Don’t waste your money.”
  • “Urine would have worked better.”

Overpriced: TRUE (-1):

SelleritemRatingpriceunitsunit COST
DrClean Spray, Inc.10 DrClean tablets, bottle?$221 cleaning (1 tablet)$2.20
Amazon10 ESHOD tablets, bottle (similar)2.6 stars$141 cleaning (1 tablet)$1.40
Amazon8 28oz bottles Method heavy-duty degreaser spray4.6 stars$321 cleaning (2 tsp)$0.14
If you aren’t married to cleaning tablets, you could save 93% on Method cleaner at Amazon. You’d probably get a better product too.

Bad service: TRUE (0):

  • “Money back quarantee but nothing on site to tell you how or where to return it.”
  • “I called them with the customer number and the company doesn’t recognize my order number nor my name on their ‘so called’ computer.”
  • “I contacted their customer service several times and they keep responding with the exact same email instructing me to contact USPS. I will be disputing the charge with my bank and will give poor reviews wherever I can.”
  • “Company fixed the issue and I have been provided with full refund.”
  • “after a number of weeks nothing was delivered and I cancelled the order and demanded a refund. The ‘support’ team insist that they will only refund me when the product has been returned but I have never received it and this [the package] was obviously incorrectly addressed by the company. More than a month on and still they insist the product hasn’t been returned.”

Total score: -6

Unauthorized charges: I found many complaints about this.

  • From Pissed Consumer: Someone got my debit card number somehow and made two charges through this Dr. Clean. I never even heard of Dr. Clean until the bank told me who the charges were to. This place needs to be investigated. Sounds like more than one scam going on here.”
  • “First of all it said I had an additional $5 discount along with the 50% off. Only you cannot access it. On the way out, you cannot hit a finished prompt. There is none. When you think if you press the green bar, you will get your bill, it prompts another promotion. It’s very deceiving. and the b”
  • “Every time I tried to change my order it added another item and I could not find a way to delete it. So now you can cancel my entire order. This seems like a scam and I will report it as such.”
  • I was charged for extra tablets and expedited shipping. Which I didn’t order. No refund for the shipping costs. Bad customer service. I won’t do business with them anymore.”
  • “i didn’t want but 1 bottle, and not extra delivery. Please cancel my order now. I have already talked to Amex, so it would be to both of our advantage to cancel order now. Thank you!”
  • “They added another purchase I didn’t want but since they gave me no other option to get out and didn’t allow a confirmation of the order, I know I’ve been scammed and will probably never see a product, only the charge on my credit card.”

Advice: Ask your local hardware store to recommend an oven cleaner.


Related: Better Business Bureau gave DrClean an “F” and suspects it’s related to other companies whose address is Robson Print And Ship. It is.

Sucked in by DynoPulse car vacuum

“I felt the anxiety leave me as soon as I plugged the vacuum into my lighter port”

the plug actually melted in my cigarette lighter!

The ideal vacuum for people who drive lots of shedding dogs around and who aren’t afraid of a little electricity.

November 24, 2021; There may be nothing illegal or wrong with the following business practices.  But they suggest to me that the seller is not to be trusted. I’m using my Trustworthy scoring system; -1 means true (bad), +1 means false (good), and 0 means undetermined.  I penalize the seller for statements made by shills.

Suspicious location: TRUE (-1): Contact information for DynoPulse (DP):

Address: 1771 Robson Street / Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
Email: support@mydynopulse.com
Phone: 1 (772) 210-3985

Them again!

You’ll recognize the place if you’ve been following me. Canada’s Robson Print and Ship hosts what’s turning out to be quite a lot of web marketers. Or perhaps one web marketer who likes to form a separate company for every product they sell for “some reason.” They share the same three addresses, advertise together, and cite the governing law of California. Just as with other members of the “Robson Group,” DP’s location is suspicious and costs them a point.

Ridiculous claims: False (+1):

None found.

Onerous terms: Undetermined (0):

DP advertises a 90-day guarantee. But they don’t say whether it starts on the purchase date or delivery date, nor whether you can try out or routinely use the vacuum before you return it, nor how you should package it.

Ads, spam, robocalls: False (+1):

They collect gobs of personal data. But they don’t seem to use it to hassle you.

Lying and deception: TRUE (-1):

“The DynoPulse has been SELLING OUT every time new stock becomes available, it’s become THAT popular.” How like Robson Group sibling EmergenBulb‘s claim that “The EmergenBulb has been SELLING OUT every time new stock becomes available, it’s become THAT popular.”

Chicanery: TRUE (-1):

  • Bulletins about other people snapping up the last vacuums keep popping up.
  • When I try to leave the order form a giant coupon pops up.

Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):

  • Websites with more than 3 testimonials fail this test, regardless of whether they are authentic. DynoPulse has 13.
  • Websites with both an “advertorial” disclaimer and reviews fail this test, because they already admit that they made up the reviews.

Crummy product: TRUE (-1):

  • From Amazon, re identical ThisWorx vacuum: “…do be aware that these devices can and might just blow a fuse in your car.”
  • “EXCELLENT AUTO VACUUM, but check you car’s fuse box and make sure it’s at least 15 amp because this vacuum blew the 10 amp fuse of the cigarette lighter outlet in my 2013 Subaru Outback. HOWEVER, the Outback has a second power source located inside the console and it is rated at 20 amp.”
  • “I used it for a second time in May, again for 10 minutes and the plug actually melted in my cigarette lighter! The cheap plastic at the end is all gone. This looks like a big fire hazard waiting to happen!”
  • “After putting it through its paces and using all the attachments I feel this product worked well. It’s power is most important and it was effective” it’s not meant to have the same power as a home plug in hoover, so don’t expect that, but with engine running when using its more than I needed to clean up the cab.”

Overpriced: False (+1):

Selleritemprice
DynoPulse Inc.Dynopulse car vacuum$40
AmazonThisWorx car vacuum (identical)$36

Bad service: False (+1):

I found no complaints.

Total score: -1

Unauthorized charges: I found no complaints about this.

Advice: Get a better quality vacuum that doesn’t blow fuses or melt.


Bloopers:

Maybe reviewer Lia Rose is a real person? I hope not.

Related:

The Amazon version of this vacuum, ThisWorx, has a fake review by “Sally.” I can see that it’s fake because it uses a photo that also appears in the DynoPulse advertorial by “George Lane.” And I see that Amazon knows, at least at the AI level, that something is wrong:

Screwed by Q-Grips earwax removers

“it easily broke up the buildup of wax.”

Rubbish product that does nothing!

Q-Grips’ corkscrew-like tool probably won’t help you, tho it’s not impossible. But you can count on Q-Grips Inc. to help themselves.

November 18, 2021: There may be nothing illegal or wrong with the following business practices.  But they suggest to me that the seller is not to be trusted. I’m using my Trustworthy scoring system; -1 means true (bad), +1 means false (good), and 0 means undetermined.  I penalize the seller for statements made by shills.

Suspicious location: TRUE (-1): Contact information for Q-Grips:

Address: 1771 Robson Street / Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada
Email: support@myqgripsearwax.com
Phone: 1 (855) 236-8072

Sorry about the tree.

The address is really a mailbox at Robson Print And Ship. It hosts quite a lot of little web marketing companies that seem to have a lot in common. I’m calling them the Robson Group. The addition of Q-Grips doesn’t enhance their reputation.

Ridiculous claims: False (+1): None found.

Onerous terms: False (+1): Advertised terms: “If you are not satisfied with your product, you can return it within 90 days of purchase for a full refund.” But see “Lying and deception” and “Bad service” below.

Ads, spam, robocalls: False (+1): Per the Privacy Policy, this isn’t a problem.

Lying and deception: TRUE (-1):

  • “Ever since the Q-Grips were featured on TV, an incredible amount of buzz has been generated and has since sold over 2 million units.” How like EmergenBulb: ““Ever since EmergenBulb was featured on TV, an incredible amount of buzz has been generated and has since sold over 2 million units.” And what a coincidence that both companies are part of the “Robson Group.”
  • From Pissed Consumer: “The website states ‘We offer a 90-day money back guarantee … If you are not satisfied with your product, you can return it within 90 days of purchase for a full refund.’ We requested a return. Their Customer Service representatives, Samantha L and then Muhammad responded with emails stating that the return must be made within 30 days and the product cannot be opened.”

Chicanery: TRUE (-1):

  • “Since its debut, Q-Grips has been SELLING OUT just about as soon as it gets in stock… it’s become that popular.”
  • Pop-up: “Yes! I want 50% off.”
  • Pop-up: “Nancy S. in Houston purchased a Q-Grip about 40 minutes ago.” And so on every few seconds.
  • “There is limited availability and this 50% off regular price offer may be taken down at any moment!”
  • When I try to leave the order form a giant coupon pops up.
  • Important links to Terms and Conditions, etc. are concealed in pale type.

Phony reviews: TRUE (-1):

  • Websites with more than 3 testimonials fail this test, regardless of whether they are authentic. Q-Grips has 16.
  • “Friendly” reviewers who include prominent links to the seller’s website fail this test because it’s clear they’re getting payola. Shills include Best Reviews Guide, iReviews, ZestBoard.
  • Websites with both an “advertorial” disclaimer and reviews fail this test, because they already admit that they made up the reviews.

Crummy product: TRUE (-1). Trust Pilot rates Q-Grips 1.1 stars.

  • “A useless product that simply doesn’t work for the vast majority of people if indeed it works for anyone at all – other than those paid to place fake reviews!”
  • “Which it did not work. I tried every which way possible. Pulling the ear, straight in screwing it in, you name it. Then the best part. I use a q-tip and I pulled out debris.”
  • “I am only leaving a one star as I can’t give a zero! These are a con. They are so cheap and flimsy, there is no way they can remove wax from your ear. Avoid them at all costs!”
  • “Rubbish product that does nothing!”
  • From Pissed Consumer: “Do not buy this product I just spent the last 2 hour in the ER getting the tip of this product removed.”
  • From Amazon: “I dislike this product. It didn’t remove any wax from my ear, nothing. I would like my money back.”

Overpriced: TRUE (-1):

Selleritempriceunitsunit price
Q-Grips2 Q-Grips tools with “plenty of tips”$401 tool$20
Amazon1 Q-Grips tool with 16 tips$51 tool$5
Amazon would save you 75%.

Bad service: TRUE (-1):

  • From Trust Pilot: “I have asked for a refund and been refused, as I had tried them! I have now handed this over to my credit card company.”
  • “I bought the q-grips since March 1st, 2021 and I still haven’t got them. They are full of excuses and lies saying due to COVID, they haven’t been able to ship them to Mexico!! Their phone number in Canada doesn’t work!”
  • From Pissed Consumer: “I have returned the Qgrips items, waiting for their resolution of the finances. I had a choice of a 60% refund or submit items for a longer process to get a greater refund. I chose the latter method so I am waiting.”

Total score: -4

Unauthorized charges: I found more complaints about this than I have room for.

  • From Trust Pilot: “I never received my order and they won’t issue a refund (until I return the product that I never received). They send a “fake” tracking number indicating a shipment from China, not the USA. They market under variations of the Q-Grip name.”
  • “Do not touch this company. They do not supply the goods and send you a fake link to a Royal Mail tracking Number.”
  • “Avoid the qgrips website/online sales ads, it’s a massive scam. All you get is email after email saying that you need to complete your order, after completing your order. Have contacted my bank and will be undertaking reversal procedures shortly. Such as shame as these seem to be quite awesome otherwise.”
  • “I had ordered an introductory offer from Q=gripps months ago and they seem to work. The only problem I have is [futile struggle to cancel unauthorized order truncated] I told him I wasn’t going to allow him access to my computer and he said “NO< NO” that’s just to be able to cancel my order and get refund. I hung up on him.”
  • “I just received an email saying I purchased $250.00 + Shipping, of products. I purchased a long time ago stolen My credit card info. Problem is, I don’t know what Acct I used so I have to check all of them to report suspicious activity. Also the item sucks.”

Advice: Get an earwax removal kit (peroxide drops and a squirt bulb for use with warm water) at your pharmacy. Works for me.


Related:

The case of the Canadian mailbox

Vancouver BC’s Robson Print And Ship comes up pretty often in this blog. Its mailbox rental and remailing services are the “corporate address” behind a blizzard of little one-product-company web offerings. I’ve stumbled onto a few clues that, unlike the customers of a typical UPS store, the companies hosted by Robson have more than a passing association with each other. This is interesting because I might be able to learn something about a company from information about its cohorts, such as whether it’s a credit card risk.

Contact information for Robson Print and Ship:

Address: 1771 Robson Street, Vancouver B.C., V6G 1C9
Email: info@robsonprintandship.co
Phone: (604) 681-6562

Things I’ve noticed:

  • A: There are a lot of companies at this address.
  • B: These companies also share two other addresses in Australia and the UK.
  • C: Their Terms and Conditions all refer to the governing law of California.
  • D: An advertisement by Your Top Deals Today Inc. (YTDT) features links to 43 individual company offerings. All of these offerings that I checked are by companies that share the three addresses. And YTDT itself shares the three addresses. On the top right corner the page is labeled “Sponsored by SafeSound,” which is one of the companies I’m talking about.

Here are the companies I’m talking about, with links to my posts about them:

company and linkproducttrustworthy scorecredit card risk
NanoSparkleCar scratch removal cloth-1No
SafeSoundPersonal alarm-4Yes
RestoWipeHeadlight scratch removal cloth-1No
PetGentleDog training collar-3No
Cloud1Shoes-1No
NatureFreshActivated charcoal sachets0No
BowlSparkleToilet cleaner-5Yes
FreeLightWireless light1No
EmergenBulbLightbulb with backup battery1No

The second address used by this consortium is in England:

  • 415 High Street, Stratford, London / NWM E15 4QZ, United Kingdom

Here we find Dobbins and Sullivan, “a successful and proud firm of Chartered Surveyors and Commercial Property Advisors.” 2/12/22 update: NayZayerz reports that this address is a virtual office.

The third address is in Australia:

  • 131 Keylana Drive, Keysborough / VIC 3173, Australia

If this is where the kingpin of it all lives, his corporate empire must be rather modest. Now let’s consider some theories about what is going on with the “Robson Group:”

  • 1: They are all owned by Robson.
  • 2: They are all owned by SafeSound.
  • 3: They are all owned by YTDT, or by a company yet to be discovered.
  • 4: They’ve formed a cooperative that nobody owns.
  • 5: They have nothing to do with each other, besides being Robson customers. Robson provides them with English and Australian addresses as a business service.

Let’s consider how each observation applies to each theory, and see if we can pick a winner.

observations->

theories-V
A: Lots of companies, plus ytdt, at Robson’s addressB: they share two other addressesc: governing law is that of californiaD: YTDT advertised them togetherTotals
1: OWNED BY ROBSON+1+1+1+1+4
2: OWNED BY SAFESOUND+1+1+1+1+4
3: OWNED BY YTDT or UNKNOWN+1+1+1+1+4
4: COOPERATIVE+1+1-1+1+2
5: NO ASSOCIATION-1-1-1-1-4
So here I’m giving each theory a point for each observation that supports it, and subtracting a point for each observation that contradicts it. Sorry, I’m an old systems analyst; I just can’t help it.

1: Owned by Robson (+4)

They share three addresses. They’re advertised together. Your Top Deals Today, Inc. might be a pseudonym for Robson Print and Ship. They acknowledge CA governing law.

2: Owned by SafeSound (+4):

They share three addresses. They’re advertised together. And the advertisement is tagged “Sponsored by SafeSound.” They acknowledge CA governing law.

3: Owned by YTDT or unknown (+4):

They share three addresses, as does YTDT. And YTDT advertised them together. They acknowledge CA governing law.

4: Cooperative (+2):

They share three addresses, and they advertise together. But it seems unlikely that a bunch of independent companies with no US addresses would all acknowledge California law in their Terms and Conditions documents.

5: No association (-4):

It seems very unlikely that all these companies with the same addresses, the same governing law, and advertising together would not be related. The buildings at the three addresses argue against their being a business service of Robson’s. I had expected that the London and Keysborough addresses would be post offices or their nations’ equivalent of UPS stores, acting as three regional fulfillment and/or return centers. Instead I see a commercial real estate business (2/12/22 update) virtual office and a private home. Neither of them is well situated to handle a lot of packages. And it makes no sense for Robson to let its customers use the address of a private home.

Conclusion

I think there is an ownership connection of some kind between the companies in the Robson Group. So, in matters like unauthorized charges, I would expect the behavior of Robson Group members to be similar.

What about California? That they all acknowledge CA governing law suggests that the lawyers must be in CA. Which in turn suggests that the shadowy owner of this menagerie is probably there too. If you have any ideas or information to kick in, please let me know.


Robson Print and Ship; web marketing hub

Snug in its unassuming second-story office just over the border in Canada, Robson Print and Ship keeps cropping up as the address of a variety of businesses doing web marketing. (In my reviews I penalize such businesses for not having a US address.)

Are they all in fact the same business? This matters because, if true, we may learn a bit more about an RPS offering by looking at what we know about its siblings.

Here are links to reviews I’ve written about the RPS enterprises.

BrandProductTrustworthy score
Cloud1shoes-1
PetGentledog trainer-3
RestoWipeheadlight cloths-1
SafeSoundpersonal alarm-4
NanoSparklecar scratch cloths-1
NatureFreshdeoderizer0
Web Scammer Jammer reviews of businesses that use Robson Print And Ship. I’ll update this table as I look into more of them.

Providing a businesslike address to enterprises that otherwise might not have one is one of RPS’ services. RPS styles themselves as “the mailroom on Robson.” Business box rates are C$220 to C$319 a year. If you need “personal access” there is an additional charge for a mailbox key. I guess a lot of their customers never look in their boxes; they may just want to appear to have a Canadian address for “some reason.” RPS says “Your address will appear as a business or residential address.  There will be no sign that it is coming from a PO Box or Box rental company.” Of course the disguise is a thin one; anybody who googles the address will penetrate it.

Googling for “1771 Robson Street Vancouver, BC V6G 1C9, Canada” is like turning over a rock. We uncover a scurrying ecology of little enterprises. Some dubious-looking, some just obscure. And then there is the unassuming Pleasant Cleaners & Tailors. I’ll explore some of them in upcoming posts.