One of the rip-off outfits that persistently sends me spam emails is Ascot Media of Houston, Texas. I thought I’d shame this scamster operation by commenting upon and correcting one of their missives. The individual behind the Ascot Media rip-off is called Trish Stevens, and while there are some sites online talking positively about this scam operation, they are probably all run by Trish Stevens under other names – or at the very least people paid to promote her, or with a financial stake in the company! I’d expect a successful PR ‘guru’ to have lots of social media connections, and so I found it rather telling that Trish Stevens only had two contacts on her LinkedIn profile when I checked it just now (note added 13 October – since I posted this blog about 28 hours ago, Stevens appears to have added more than 400 contacts to her LinkIn profile; good to know a bit of criticism has forced her to work harder at her con, but it leaves me wondering how many of her new contacts are profiles she has created herself). Likewise, the Ascot Media profile on the MySpace platform is really abysmal – 71 friends, and some worthless promotional content for schmucks who have presumably paid Stevens thousands of bucks in the belief she’d hype their books into the New York Times bestseller list.
On LinkedIn, Stevens states she received her ‘business education’ at Harlow Technical College in England. For those that don’t know, technical colleges are places British kids used to go roughly between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, mostly for non-academic subjects and often as apprentices. The photo Trish Stevens has chosen of herself to place online really cracked me up too – in it she looks more like one of the women you see working on the check-outs at the British bargain bin chain Poundland than a media savvy public relations ‘guru’. Obviously this last point is on one level extremely superficial but then in PR image is everything, and it would really make me laugh if someone started spamming Trish Stevens with emails about how she desperately needs a personal trainer to whip her into shape.
So let’s make shame more shameful by commenting upon and correcting a spam email sent to me from Trish Steven’s Ascot Media Group. I’ve put my observations and corrections in CAPITALS to differentiate them from the spam.
Dear Mr. Home:
The Holiday Season is just around the corner and this is the best time of the year for PR. JUST AROUND THE CORNER IS A RATHER CLUNKY PHRASE, ‘APPROACHING’ WOULD HAVE SOUNDED MORE PROFESSIONAL, BUT THEN THESE SPAM EMAILS APPEAR DESIGNED TO SEND PEOPLE AROUND THE BEND, SO JUST MAYBE THE PHRASE IS APPROPRIATE BUT STILL VERY CLUMSY. I RATHER DOUBT IT IS THE BEST TIME OF YEAR FOR PR UNLESS YOU ARE AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED NAME. IN THE OVER-DEVELOPED WORLD WHERE A FESTIVAL KNOWN AS CHRISTMAS IS CELEBRATED BY PEOPLE ACTING LIKE TURKEYS, THERE MAY BE HIGHER SALES OF GIFT ITEMS SUCH AS BOOKS, BUT THERE IS ALSO MORE COMPETITION TO GET MEDIA COVERAGE BECAUSE OF THIS, SO OVERALL MOST AUTHORS AND MUSICIANS ETC STAND LESS CHANCE OF DOING WELL IN TERMS OF PRESS RIGHT NOW. People are in the buying mood and the media are still operating in full force during this season. THE MEDIA OPERATE FULL FORCE TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN, WE HAVE ROLLING NEWS COVERAGE ALL YEAR ROUND. THIS CLAIM IS A CLICHÉD TRUISM BECAUSE IT CAN BE APPLIED TO ANY SEASON. LIKEWISE THE PHRASE ‘BUYING MOOD’ IS UGLY AND SILLY, AND ACTUALLY PUTS ME IN THE SORT OF MOOD WHERE IF THE PERSON WHO WROTE IT WAS IN FRONT OF ME THEN I MIGHT TWAT THEM (THAT’S A UK SLANG EXPRESSION MEANING GIVE THEM A REALLY HARD SLAP).
Remember, at Ascot Media Group we do not only guarantee publicity for all of our clients, we monitor all of the incoming media hits each week to make sure you are getting them regularly throughout the campaign. BUT WHAT DO THEY ACTUALLY COUNT AS COVERAGE? SPAM COMMENTS ABOUT YOU ON A COUPLE OF BLOGS THAT NOBODY READS? OR A JPEG OF YOUR BOOK COVER ON ASCOT’S MYSPACE PROFILE WITH ITS SEVENTY-ONE FRIENDS? ALSO THAT SENTENCE NEEDS REWRITING – ‘WE DO NOT ONLY GUARANTEE’ IS A SERIOUSLY UGLY PHRASE. The Select Advantage plan is our most popular because of its low cost and results. I THINK WE CAN SCORE OUT ‘AND RESULTS’ BECAUSE IT ISN’T QUANTIFIED. THE RESULTS MIGHT BE SIMPLY TO LEAVE YOU SCREAMING WITH RAGE. SO ASCOT – PROBABLY FRAUDULENTLY – CLAIM ‘SELECT ADVANTAGE’ IS POPULAR BECAUSE IT IS CHEAP, REGARDLESS OF THE FACT IT IS INEFFECTIVE. Most of our clients receive between 40-80 hits from the media each month, some get over a hundred. DOES THIS MEAN ASCOT SET UP OR HELP YOU SET UP SOME SPAM WEBSITE TO PROMOTE YOUR BOOK OR WHATEVER, AND YOU THEN GET BLACKLISTED BY EVERY JOURNALIST WHO HAS THE MISFORTUNE TO BE DIRECTED THERE UNDER FALSE PRETENCES? Most get national media hits YEAH, RIGHT, ALL THE OTHER CHUMPS PAYING ASCOT BUT NOT YOU! Please see our testimonials (with full contact information) at: LINK DELETED BY MISTER TRIPP – DON’T BOTHER LISTENING TO SHILLS.
The Select-Advantage plan works great for everyone, regardless of talent, book, product, service, genre, whatever it is we publicize for you. ‘REGARDLESS OF TALENT’, SO THIS APPEARS TO BE A SERVICE USED BY THE DESPERATE WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN RIPPED OFF BY VANITY PUBLISHERS OR WHATEVER. There are several reasons it works so well: THE MAIN ONE BEING THAT A FOOL AND THEIR MONEY ARE EASILY PARTED, SO THAT EVEN ASCOT MANAGES TO CON THE ODD SUCKER OUT OF THEIR DOUGH.
- We professionally write an amazing press release for your approval REALLY? BECAUSE THAT SENTENCE FAILS TO BE EITHER PROFESSIONAL OR AMAZING. THE WORD PROFESSIONAL NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OUT, OR ELSE THE PHRASE ‘AN AMAZING’ SHOULD BE REPLACED BY MOVING ‘PROFESSIONAL’ TO THAT POINT IN THE SENTENCE AND PUTTING AN ‘A’ IN FRONT OF IT. A COMPANY THAT USES SUCH ATROCIOUS SENTENCES IN ITS OWN PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL ISN’T CAPABLE OF WRITING A SATISFACTORY PRESS RELEASE FOR ME.
- We distribute your press release over 50,000 media personnel each month, directly, individually addressed to their email boxes, with a personal introduction “requesting” an interview or review. All major outlets are included in the distribution. IN OTHER WORDS JOURNALISTS ARE GOING TO BE SPAMMED WITH MESSAGES ABOUT YOU, AND AS A RESULT THEY DEFINITELY WON’T GIVE YOU COVERAGE EVEN IF THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN INCLINED TO DO SO BEFORE YOU PISSED THEM OFF WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM ASCOT MEDIA. ACHIEVING MEDIA COVERAGE IS ALL ABOUT THE QUALITY OF CONTACTS, NOT THE QUANTITY – THIS IS VERY DEFINITELY A QUESTION OF LESS IS MORE & FIFTY THOUSAND IS A JOKE AT YOUR EXPENSE! & LET’S JUST SKIP GOING INTO THE FACT THAT THE WORD ‘TO’ IS MISSING FROM BETWEEN THE FIFTH AND SIXTH WORD OF THE LAST ASCOT MEDIA SENTENCE QUOTED HERE.
- The media leads come in from every direction across the US and Canada asking to interview our clients. PERSONALLY I DON’T BELIEVE THIS, BUT EVEN IF IT WAS TRUE IT WOULDN’T DO ME MUCH GOOD BECAUSE I’M MOSTLY LOOKING FOR COVERAGE IN EUROPE – & IT IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF ASCOT’S SCATTER-GUN SPAM APPROACH: UNLIKE GENUINELY SUCCESSFUL PUBLICISTS THEY DON’T BOTHER TO CAREFULLY TARGET AND CULTIVATE SPECIFIC PEOPLE. These leads are for television, radio, newspapers, magazines, Internet and bloggers. BUT I THINK WE CAN SAFELY CONCLUDE MOSTLY FOR PLACING SPAM COMMENTS ON BLOGS WITH A READERSHIP THAT SOMETIMES GOES INTO DOUBLE FIGURES, BUT MOSTLY STAYS UNDER TEN.
- Most importantly, we “monitor” the incoming requests you receive from the media to make sure you are getting plenty of hits. “Hits” means that media outlets write back after reading your press release and say… ”Yes, I would like to interview this person.” Or, “Yes, I would like to provide a review,” etc. NOTE THAT ‘HITS’ ARE MONITORED BUT THERE IS NO MENTION OF ANY ACTION BEING TAKEN SHOULD YOU BE GETTING NO HITS AT ALL (AS WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE THE CASE).
- Our reach is so wide that it’s inevitable that you are going to get plenty of media activity. WELL BEING BLACKLISTED BY THE PRESS AFTER PAYING TRISH STEVEN’S TO RUN A SPAM CAMPAIGN IS MEDIA ACTIVITY, IT JUST WON’T LEAD TO ANY COVERAGE. Feel free to call any of our clients to find out for yourself. I READ THIS AS CALL OUR SHILLS, PEOPLE PAID TO SAY THIS COMPANY IS GREAT. DO ASCOT REALLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THEY’D PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH A DISSATISFIED CLIENT (AND THERE ARE BOUND TO BE SOME, POSSIBLY A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THOSE WHO’VE PAID TRISH STEVENS FOR HER ‘SERVICES’)?
It’s really that simple. Best of all, we eliminate the high costs that inhibit many people, who simply cannot pay the high fees of standard PR firms, by cutting out the middle-man (the publicist), allowing you to work directly with the media on all the hits you receive from us. IF YOU’RE GOING TO CUT OUT THE MIDDLE-MAN THEN DON’T WORK WITH TRISH STEVENS OF ASCOT MEDIA EITHER, COZ SHE’S A MIDDLE-WOMAN This approach works for the media and our clients, and has proven successful time and time again. LIKE I SAID, IF CUTTING OUT THE MIDDLE-MAN OR WOMAN IS SO GREAT THEN GO FOR IT AND DON’T WORK WITH ASCOT MEDIA.
It is exciting, it’s a lot of fun, and we love making our clients happy (please see the testimonials above). THERE WAS NO TESTIMONIAL ABOVE. Below my contact information is a new testimonial recently received. I DID SEE ONE BELOW BUT IT WAS SO BORING AND RIDICULOUS I’VE REMOVED IT TO KEEP THIS BLOG SHORTER.
The cost for this package is only $895 per month. THAT’S FOR HAVING SOMEONE INEFFECTIVELY SPAM THE MEDIA ON YOUR BEHALF. IF YOU WANT TO INDULGE IN SUCH RIDICULOUS PURSUITS WHY NOT CUT OUT THE MIDDLE-MAN IN THE FORM OF ASCOT MEDIA, GO DIRECTLY TO A SPAMMER AND SAVE YOURSELF EIGHT HUNDRED BUCKS A MONTH? It is such a low price but has such high results that even other PR firms buy our plans for their clients. YEAH, RIGHT, BUT THAT WOULD ONLY BE THE CASE IF THESE OTHER PR FIRMS AKA ASTROTURFERS DIDN’T HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO DO THIS THEMSELVES, WHICH OF COURSE THEY DO! Here is a link to all of our plans: LINK DELETED BY MISTER TRIPPY.
Please feel free to call me if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them. REALLY, THEN IN THAT CASE WILL YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION? “WHY DON’T YOU FUCK OFF AND DIE – OR AT THE VERY LEAST STOP SPAMMING ME WITH YOUR CRAP?” I look forward to speaking with you. NO YOU DON’T YOU SHAMELESS LIAR – YOU’RE JUST HOPING TO RIP ME OFF FOR A LOAD OF WEDGE. Thank you. AND FUCK YOU TOO!
Kind Regards, Niki Williams
Ascot Media & Aston Publicity
IT SHOULDN’T NEED SAYING, BUT ANYONE WHO IS ANY GOOD AT WHAT THEY DO WON’T NEED TO DRUM UP BUSINESS BY SENDING OUT SPAM….
And before I go I should say that what I find particularly funny about this scam is that it appears the marks paying Ascot Media for their utterly worthless ‘services’ are actually forking out their own dosh for the ‘privilege’ of assisting Trish Stevens with search engine optimisation (SEO). Ascot encourages self-published authors etc. to do their own publicity, and this will include websites and social networking profiles on which they can link back to Ascot Media. Those links will raise Ascot’s Google rankings, and result in those trying to research Ascot Media being more likely to click through to Trish Steven’s propaganda about this rip-off operation, rather than an objective appraisal by someone who realises it is a con.
And while you’re at it don’t forget to check – www.stewarthomesociety.org – you know it makes (no) sense!
Comments
Comment by William Burroughs on 2011-10-12 12:46:36 +0000
I’ve been plagued by the scum at Ascot filling up my inbox with their spam too!
Comment by Kathy Acker on 2011-10-12 13:10:09 +0000
Ascot keep spamming me with this garbage too. It’s hard to believe anyone falls for it.
Comment by Martin Aimless on 2011-10-12 23:25:34 +0000
That’s outrageous, I thought they were especially interested in me!
Comment by Tom Estes on 2011-10-12 23:56:25 +0000
I couldn’t help but check out the picture of Trish… I think Alison Steadman should play her in the made-for-television version of ‘Ascot Media’
Now who could play you Mister Trippy…? Tilda Swinton?
Comment by Michael Roth on 2011-10-13 00:33:38 +0000
I was thinking Connie Mason could play Mister Trippy ….
Comment by Dawn French on 2011-10-13 08:37:50 +0000
Well all I’d have to do is bleach my hair and I’m a dead ringer for Trish Stevens…..
Comment by k on 2011-10-13 08:57:39 +0000
Are you all on drugs or something?
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-10-13 15:19:44 +0000
You sound like a stuck record, you’ve asked that question on a load of recent blogs. Haven’t you got anything better to say?
@ Michael Roth – The former Playboy model Connie Mason would be perfect to play me. Wasn’t it grade Z director Herschell Gordon Lewis who when asked where he found Connie Mason who appeared in some of his films, replied: “under a rock.”
Comment by Tom Estes on 2011-10-13 15:46:09 +0000
Really I was thinking Eddie Izzard would be great as a Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich) meets Meryl Streep (Karen Silkwood)!!!
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-10-13 15:57:15 +0000
Hilarious. And so is Trish Stevens, she had two connections when I checked the other day on LinkedIn- now she has 410, I must have made her work hard on that one!
Comment by Connie Mason Fan Club on 2011-10-13 23:19:27 +0000
Don’t you think you’d do better using Connie Mason to play Home’s pet rock?
Comment by Christopher Nosnibor on 2011-10-14 00:01:52 +0000
Yeah, scams are rife and it seems that there’s a consensus amongst scummers – sorry, scammers – that ‘aspiring’ authors are easy pickings. Fine, although in my experience, most aspiring authors are too busy aspiring and contemplating their egos to actually knuckle down and author something so really, the scam-mongers need to research their targets more thoroughly.
Comment by Michael Roth on 2011-10-14 05:31:41 +0000
I think spam is a new market for all aspiring writers to explore. Get published and reach out to millions, baby!
Comment by l on 2011-10-14 08:26:41 +0000
Why are you saying I sound like a stuck record? Didn’t you say repetition is the basis of all humour? And are you on drugs?
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-10-14 14:44:13 +0000
Bergson said that, and while repetition can be a groove sensation it can also be done badly.
@ Michael Roth. Agreed – but there is no pont writers paying other people to do spam for them.
Comment by m on 2011-10-14 18:00:18 +0000
Well Cheech & Chong have made a whole comedy career out of going on and on about drugs, so why can’t I?
Comment by Michael Roth on 2011-10-14 18:50:15 +0000
@ mistertrippy I agree. It’s the spammers that should be paying the writers!
Also, have you received a response to your email? Have you noticed more spam coming from them since your response?
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-10-14 19:28:36 +0000
I have been getting more spam to my inbox since I posted this – but not Ascot spam of the type above. I’m also getting plenty of link spam comments here, although the amounts fluctuate depending on what I’ve been putting up. This one sent the comment spam rocketing again. There’s nothing like having SEO in your tags to excite the link spammers!
Comment by Sid The Spammer on 2011-10-14 23:13:20 +0000
If you’re not writing spam then you’re just a ham!
Comment by n on 2011-10-15 17:12:58 +0000
You haven’t replied to my Cheech & Chong comment above.
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-10-15 18:35:53 +0000
Cheech & Chong appeal mostly to potheads. Does that answer your question? If it doesn’t tough – because it may just be my last word on the matter….
Comment by Michael Roth on 2011-10-17 00:46:36 +0000
I’m spamming right now!
Comment by JD Krasnaya on 2011-10-21 04:27:40 +0000
I think it is clear you are sore about an individual. Why the hating on Trish Stevens and where did you get your info from?
Comment by Get Off The Grass on 2011-10-21 17:55:22 +0000
The comment from JD Krasnaya looks like astroturf to me. I think it is quite clear where the info comes from, spam emails sent by Steven’s fraudulent company and social networking accounts run by Trish Stevens on LinkedIn and MySpace etc. I don’t think there’s any particularly hating of Trish Stevens. If she wasn’t spamming people in a lame attempt to con them then there wouldn’t be anything about her here! It wouldn’t surprise me if the comment above was left by Trish Steven’s. It looks like a very poor attempt at PR spin by a not very successful con artist.
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-10-26 07:08:59 +0000
Yes I’d agree the JD Krasnaya ‘comment’ looks like astroturf. You cover the points pretty well. If this is the best Trish Stevens and Ascot can do as PR then it seems unlikely they’d be able to promote anyone or anything effectively. Also spammers like Trish Stevens need identifying and shaming for what they do! Here’s to some more of it both here and elsewhere!
Comment by Kimberly McCall on 2011-11-16 19:16:56 +0000
You are an absolute idiot, obviously. Your attack on Ms. Trish Stevens is ugly and childish. How old are you??? 12?
Why didn’t you contact the former clients, via the testimonial page?
Why didn’t you post the link, here, so others could make up their own mind? These are REAL authors, that received REAL results from Ascot Media, and will certainly tell you what Ascot Media has done for them.
You didn’t even bother to check into THIS… yet take the time to spew your hateful & ugly words. If you had taken a few more minutes, maybe to investigate what you actually are writing about, you wouldn’t sound like such an utter ass.
Sincerely,
Kimberly
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-11-16 22:45:54 +0000
This is more astroturf from Ascot Media. According to LinkedIn (consulted 16 November 2011)): “Kimberly McCall is a publicist at ASCOT Media Group, Houston, Texas. Area | Public Relations and Communications…” with all of 44 connections (count ’em). But of course Kimberly McCall doesn’t mention this in her pathetic comment.
Gee Kimberly, if you think I’m 12 years old then you must have been born yesterday if you genuinely believe anyone is gonna fall for your arrant bullshit. It seems like you ought to try a new career – flippin’ burgers would obviously suit you better. You just don’t cut it as a grifter.
It goes without saying you’ll find testimonials on many scam sites. That doesn’t mean one should believe them. I took the trouble to look at sites that Ascot Media didn’t mention in the spam emails you/they sent me – as will be clear to anyone who read through what I wrote. In other words I do proper research rather than relying on what con operations have do say about themselves.
Likewise I’m not gonna help a bunch of scamsters like Ascot Media by providing a link to any of their sites – because I don’t want to push con operations up search engine rankings. However I credit the readers of this blog with the intelligence to do a search and find Ascot Media should they desire to do so – making a link completely unnecessary. Based on what they spew out including the idiotic whinging above about me not linking to Ascot Media ‘testimonials’, these scammers seem to believe most people are morons.
And anyone who knows anything about PR will know that spamming media outlets – which is what Ascot boasts about in its spam emails – is counter-productive. And people who spam me – including Ascot Media who have sent me dozens of spam emails – can expect exactly the type of coverage I give here.
I doubt it’ll put Ascot Media off trying to place more astroturf on this blog but IMHO Kimberley McCall and Trish Stevens can fuck off and die!
Comment by Kimberly McCall on 2011-11-18 23:28:36 +0000
Thank you for all of the publicity Mr. Trippy. Since we are genuine, and we are a member of the BBB, and because we have MANY full contact testimonials at our site, and you are telling people to research us for themselves, then they will truly find that we are legitimate, that there are many, many authors who just love us, and publishing houses too, oh, and other PR firms that work with us, and they will find out that you are just a very sour little person! So, again, thank you for the great publicity. By the way, our private investigator in our legal department will track you down and Ascot will sue you for attempting to ruin their business. Your nastiness and aggression is simply to try to destroy us, and for no apparent reason. Your fowl language is just making a fool out of yourself. You will not hear from anyone else at Ascot except from our private investigator and legal department.
Comment by mistertrippy on 2011-11-19 00:39:51 +0000
I’m sure I don’t need to explain to you or many of those who visit this blog that the BBB clearly states on its site: “BBB accreditation does not mean that the business’ products or services have been evaluated or endorsed by BBB, or that BBB has made a determination as to the business’ product quality or competency in performing services.” So your claim to be a member of the BBB proves nothing.
Likewise, what do full contact testimonials prove? Again nothing – they can be found on many scam sites. They can be faked or people can be paid for giving them. Your claims about those you work with are equally nebulous.
And then there are your legal threats. “By the way, our private investigator in our legal department will track you down and Ascot will sue you for attempting to ruin their business.” If you need a private investigator to track me down then you really are remarkably ignorant. This website is registered in all the regular ways and there is also a contact address for me on it. And if you are stupid enough to take legal action – ever heard of PR disasters such as MacLibel? – I very much doubt any judge or jury would be very sympathetic after you’ve repeatedly spammed me with garbage such as the missive I quote in the post above. And you’d lose anyway because you’re in the wrong and what I say about you is true.
Likewise, I have worked as a journalist for UK national newspapers such as The Independent and The Guardian and for BBC Radio, so I’m the kind of professional media contact you claim to cultivate – and thus my reaction to being repeatedly spammed by you in the above post (and then astroturfed by you in these comments) is illustrative of exactly what your methods will achieve for anyone foolish enough to pay for your services.
You claim: “Your nastiness and aggression is simply to try to destroy us, and for no apparent reason.” This remark is both paranoid and indicative of how little confidence you have in the validity of your obviously counter-productive spamming and astroturfing activities. Because I got fed up with being repeatedly spammed by you, I have posted a single humorous blog about your stupid con – there is a very clear reason for this post. It shouldn’t even need stating that Ascot Media is the aggressor here and not me because I’ve been repeatedly spammed by you and I’m simply responding to you aggressively filling my inbox with your garbage.
Likewise you’re quite happy to call me ‘an absolute idiot’, ‘an utter ass’, etc. and then in your next comment complain about my ‘fowl language’ – I presume you mean ‘foul’ but then since you’re flapping around like a scared chicken errors like this also rather give your silly game away…. You also sound like a stuck record of a chicken going cluck, cluck, cluck. Repeating the same invalid lines about testimonials etc. again and again doesn’t make them true, it just makes you sound stupid. Since Ascot Media claims to be a PR company, you’re cutting a really sorry figure here….