Copy and paste this Open Complaint and Report Form into your word processor and send it to the Louisville Better Business Bureau if you have been approached by Active Male Models, LLC, or are a current "model." Be as specific as possible. NOTE: This form was written by this blogger. It was not written by the BBB and has not been approved by the BBB.
You can e-mail it to:
cmattingly@louisville.bbb.org
DATE_________________________________
NAME
_________________________________
YOUR
ADDRESS_________________________________
YOUR
E-MAIL_________________________________
YOUR
PHONE_________________________________
BBB
of Louisville
Attn:
Mr. Charles Mattingly cmattingly@louisville.bbb.org
844
South 4th Street
Louisville,
KY 40203
SCAM: Active Male
Models, LLC
Dear
BBB of Louisville,
Dear
Mr. Mattingly,
I
am a model with / I have been approached for modeling by (delete
one) Active Male Models, LLC.
It
has come to my attention that Active Male Models, LLC, of Louisville,
is owned and operated by the same person who operated the now-defunct
Models Today, LLC. Due to the background of Models Today, LLC, and
the criminal and civil litigation history of its owner, Russell
Claxon, I am deeply concerned that my rights as a consumer might have
been violated.
The
owner of this company, Russell Claxon, deliberately attempted to
conceal this from me, and he deliberately attempted to conceal
his real name when attempting to transact with me, despite acting in
the official capacity of the self-styled "master agent."
He has used pseudonyms to prevent me, as a consumer, from being able
to make an informed decision before conducting business with him. He
does not provide his name or contact information on his website,
activemalemodels.com, which makes it impossible for consumers to
investigate his lofty claims of professional acumen. This also makes
it impossible to lodge a formal complaint with his company, as he
does not list a physical address for the certified delivery of
documents.
On
his website, he claims to be a "master agent" who "manages
every aspect of [his models'] promotion." This simply cannot be
further from the truth. He charges $180 to post photographs of me on
his website. But he does nothing to find me work, and he does not
explain to me how he plans to promote my career. As I am not a
professional model and therefore do not possess the industry
knowledge to inform my decision as a consumer, I find this to be a
deliberate abuse of my trust. As many of the "master agent's"
potential and current targets are still teenagers, and therefore not
likely to have made many such transactions in the past, his targeting
of them is particularly unconscionable.
Additionally,
Russell Claxon, the "master agent," does not meet his
models. It is therefore impossible that he can manage my career, as
he cannot possibly assess my suitability for modeling jobs. It is
also concerning that he approaches young men online without full
knowledge that they are of the age of majority and
therefore eligible to enter into contracts as his clients and/or send
suggestive images of themselves to him.
Finally,
despite what the contract with Active Male Models, LLC, states, I
feel that the company has entered into a further contractual
agreement with me, through its unsubstantiated claims on its
public website, which is its public contractual agreement with
anyone who chooses to do business with this company. This agreement
is not being honored, and I therefore would like for this scam to be
reported to the Attorney General of my state.
Please
keep my information confidential unless required by law.
Sincerely _________________________________________________
(Your signature)
DETAILS
OF MY CONSUMER EXPERIENCE WITH ACTIVE MALE MODELS, LLC
You do not need to be a current
or former model to respond to the following.
Do you wish for this report to
remain CONFIDENTIAL? YES / NO
1. Name: __________________________________________
2. Date
of Birth: __________________________________________
3. State
of residence: __________________________________________
4. Approached
by: __________________________________________
(alleged
name of the person who contacted you, and/or the name they gave you)
5. Where
approached: __________________________________________
(name
of social network or physical location)
6. When
approached: __________________________________________
7. Amount
paid: __________________________________________
8. Method
of payment: __________________________________________
9. Receipt
enclosed: YES / NO / NOT APPLICABLE
10. Contract
enclosed: YES / NO / NOT APPLICABLE
11. Have
you received any job offers? YES / NO / NOT APPLICABLE
12. If
YES to 11 above, what kinds? Note any sexual or explicit content.
Be very specific.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
13. If
NO to 12 above, were you told you would receive job offers? YES /
NO
14. If
YES to 13 above, what kinds? Note any sexual or explicit content.
Be very specific.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
15. Has
the "master agent" kept regular contact with you or given
you advice on your modeling career?
YES
/ NO / NOT APPLICABLE
16. What
kind of advice has the "master agent" given you? Be very
specific. You do not need to be a current or former model to
respond. Note any strange or explicit/sexual content.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
17. What
kinds of photographs did you send to the "master agent,"
and what kinds of photos did he request?
Be
very specific. Were the photos erotic/sexual in nature? Etc.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
18. Did
the "master agent" request verification of your age and
identity before
asking for photographs?
YES
/ NO
19. If
YES to 19 above, did you provide it before
sending him photographs? YES / NO
20. Where
did you send the photographs? Be as specific as possible.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
21. Have
you met the "master agent" in person? YES / NO
22. If
YES to 21 above, what was the nature of the interaction? Be as
specific as possible. Was it professional? Courteous? Sexual in
nature? Did it make you feel uncomfortable? Add anything you think
is worth mentioning.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
23. What
were your overall impressions of the "master agent" in your
communications with him? Be as
specific
as possible, and note any references to sex.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
24. Copies
of e-mails and other communications with the "master agent"
attached? YES / NO
25. Do
you feel you have been harassed by the "master agent"?
YES / NO
26. If
yes to 25 above, why? Be very specific.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
27. Do
you want a refund of any money you have paid to Active Male Models,
LLC? YES / NO
28. If
YES to 27 above, provide details on the amount and where and how to
send it.
Note:
This will require the release of your name and contact details to
Active Male Models.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
29. How
would you like any of your complaints with Active Male Models, LLC,
or its "master agent"
to
be resolved? Be very specific.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
30. Please
provide any and all additional information which you think might be
important. Be very specific. If you suspect criminal activity,
please record it here and report it to your local law enforcement.
If you suspect you have a case for civil damages (small claims,
etc.), contact an attorney or approach your local Better Business
Bureau.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Your
physical address: _________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
Your
e-mail address: _________________________________________________
Telephone/When
to call: _________________________________________________
Do
you wish to be contacted by the media? YES / NO
Would
you like this report to be released to the media CONFIDENTIALLY? YES
/ NO
_________________________________________________________________________________
Signature Printed
Name Location/Date
