By MATT THACKER
Matt.Thacker@newsandtribune.com
>>SOUTHERN INDIANA —
The Better Business Bureau is warning about a talent-search company based in Louisville.
The talent search business operates as The Next Star 2010 and uses the Web site www.thenextstar2010, according to a BBB press release. Telephone numbers listed on the Web site are 502-472-6750 and 502-297-2490, and the address listed is P. O. Box 99704, Louisville, KY, 40269 .
A consumer inquiry received by the BBB on March 10 stated, “My daughter auditioned for (The Next Star 2010). She was accepted for the next round ... providing she bought 10 tickets for $30 each.”
The mother became suspicious because the business only listed a P.O. Box and required the sale of $300 worth of tickets to advance.
“Some talent-search businesses are mostly interested in taking financial advantage of the ambitions of people seeking to become a star, and not-so-much interested in identifying talent or advancing the career of the people who audition or try out,” the BBB press release states.
While The Next Star 2010 has not been described as a scam, there are many “red flags” that warrant caution.
“The request to purchase 10 tickets at $30 each, or $300 up front, to ‘advance to the next round’ is a huge red flag,” according to the BBB. “The company’s position is that this charge is justified in order to cover the cost of the Nashville event April 3 where second-round auditions will be conducted and those who made it past the first round will have an opportunity to perform in front of their family and friends.”
One of the company’s listed phone numbers is a cell phone, while the other is unlisted.
The Web site is a private registration hosted on a server in Pennsylvania, so information about who established the Web site is hidden. Established businesses rarely use private registration, according to the BBB.
The BBB called the company’s information line, and the phone was answered by a man identifying himself as Jay Davis. He said he had been in the promotion business for years with a company called Old School Entertainment in Florida, but he declined to provide an address.
A Web site for that company lists a P.O. box in Framingham, Mass.
*****************************
How do I file a complaint?
• To file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 877-FTC-HELP. Visit complaint.bbb.org to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
