Jesse Willms. Media Allegations

Jesse Willms

Jesse Willms is an Alberta Native who has made Online Internet marketing his business. Jesse Willms currently does business under Terra Marketing Group. From all reports I read, Jesse Willms has made a fortune selling “Teeth Whiteners”, “Diet Aids” and "software products." Jesse has even tried the Penny Auction business. However, major media circles appear to paint Jesse Willms and his Internet Business practices with a black brush. So, is Jesse Willms a gifted, upstanding Internet Marketer who devotes his time to helping those less fortunate or something else? This article intends on exploring this further.

Going through Hubpages, I found an article written by “D. Wong” discussing Jesse Willms numerous charity works ranging from supporting the Kiva Foundation to World Vision. Although her claims may indeed be true, she forgot to mention the other issues outlined in various major media circles surrounding Jesse Willms Internet business practices.

To gain a full picture on Jesse Willms, one must do some detective work. This is because many of the articles use Jesse Willms’ company names. I suppose one could call this putting the pieces of the puzzle together. This article intends on doing just that by giving you the various reports available throughout the Internet. Our links will only lead to what most would deem as credible sources like major newspapers, Television syndication networks and the Better Business Bureau. Our intention is NOT to pass judgement here. We are simply pointing you in the direction of the media reports so you can decide whether Jesse Willms is an upstanding Internet Entrepreneur. Thus, this article will NOT make any personal comments whatsoever.

To do this analysis effectively, we need to show you the past and present companies Jesse Willms owns according to the Better Business Bureau. As most of the reports outlined use company names, we need to first establish that Jesse Willms owns these companies or not.

Jesse Willms and the JDW Media connection

The Better Business Bureau claims Jesse Willms owns a company called JDW Media. To confirm simply go to bbb.org and do a business search on JDW Media. This link will take you directly to the Better Business Report on file.

Once you have established that Jesse Willms owns JDW Media through a numbered Alberta company called 1021018 through the Better Business Bureau, you can now research the background of this company. When we did our research, we came up with the following articles:

1. According to the Sydney Morning Herald (to Google on your own, use the key words “Australia Cancer JDW Media”) dated October 2, 2009, they allege:

“AUSTRALIA'S most successful cause-related marketing campaign, the Pink Ribbon, is the victim of an online scam that is using the charity's distinctive logo to wrest money from unwitting consumers.

On the eve of its biggest fundraising event of the year, the National Breast Cancer Foundation is trying to stop a company using its trademark to market its weight loss products.

The charity believes the company behind the scam may be related to a Canadian company, JDW Media LLC, that is being sued by the TV host Oprah Winfrey for similar reasons.”

2. According to the CBC (the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation):

“JDW Media, a company run by Sherwood Park's Jesse Willms, is one of 40 named in the lawsuit filed in August by Harpo Productions.

The lawsuit also alleges he used the endorsements and image of Dr. Mehmet Oz to market his products. Oz is a former Oprah contributor who now has his own television show, which is co-produced by Harpo Productions.

In a statement of defence filed in October, Willms denied all the allegations contained in the lawsuit. None of the allegations has been proven in court... A federal lawsuit launched in Utah in November by two companies named Dazzlesmile llc and Optimal Health Science LLC accuses Willms and his companies of deceptive marketing, trademark and tradename infringement and counterfeiting. Other companies are also named in the suit...”

This CBC article alleges another law suit was filed against one of Willms companies by Microsoft. Apparently, this law suit has been settled for a large sum of money.

Cross referencing "edirectsoftware" through the Better Business Bureau confirms Jesse Willms also owns or owned a company called "E Direct Software." According to this CBC article, they allege:

"Symantec named eight companies, including a Canadian defendant, identified as "eDirect Software."

A March 27 U.S. Federal District Court filing by Symantec lists several individuals and Alberta companies as defendants: EDirectSoftware, Jesse Willms, Michael Callaway, 1016363 Alberta LTD., 1021018 Alberta LTD., DOES 1-10 and Linda Willms."

As was mentioned in this CBC article, Dazzlesmile has also filed a lawsuit against Jesse Willms and his 1021018 Alberta Numbered company. A copy of the court papers are here. These papers filed give you a long list of allegations. It should be noted we have found information that this case has "A Stipulation for Dismissal" here. The rationale for the "Stipulation for Dismissal" is unknown.

Jesse Willms and the Just Think Media connection

Again going to the Better Business Bureau, they claim Jesse Willms owns a company called Just Think Media. To confirm this, go to bbb.org, do a search on Just Think Media or just go here.

If you search “Jesse Willms Just Think Media W5”, you will receive a list of news reports along with a video on Jesse Willms put out by W5. W5 is an Investigative Reporting Television program (similar to 60 minutes or 20/20) produced by the CTV Network. If you want to view it directly from W5, go here. The video has two parts and is around 25 minutes in length. In this video, you will see interviews from consumers, Dr. Oz, RCMP members (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and the Better Business Bureau.

It should be noted that we found over 30 media reports on Jesse Willms and his company Just Think Media. We also found 1000's of angry consumer complaints posted on various forums. Most of the claims we read allege deceptive marketing practices, hidden terms, unauthorized credit card charges, inability to contact the company directly and flawed merchandise.

There is a shorter video on Jesse Willms put out through CTV Edmonton here.

Jesse Willms is also on ABC’s 20/20 regarding his “diet advertisements”. You will need to watch the later part of the 7 minute video to get the full story on him.

Jesse Willms Community

Jesse Willm's local community has allegedly expressed concerns over Willms businesses as well. According to the Sherwood Park News:

"...Consumers are being warned by the Alberta Better Business Bureau about online websites that allegedly increase the costs of items being bid on though superficial means and charge users with unexpected fees.

One accused website, Swipe Bids, owned by a Sherwood Park resident Jesse Willms, has been the target of 59 consumer complaints filed with the Alberta Better Business Bureau surrounding billing issues, refund or exchange issues, advertising issues, and sales practice issues..."

Jesse Willms and the Internet Community

What I find noteworthy is when you do a search on Jesse Willms in Google, many of the key word suggestions come up as “Jesse Willms Scam”, “Jesse Willms Rip off”, “Jesse Willms W5”, “Jesse Willms Scam Artist”, "Company owner Jesse Willms" and the like. If I understand Google key word analysis right, this means these key words have a significant database of results and are being used regularly as a search request. Hence, the degree of negativity or interest in Jesse Willms as a company owner must be high if these key word suggestions show up in Google when you search “Jesse Willms”? This is more of a question than a comment as I am not extremely well versed in Google Key word selections.

Jesse Willms, Swipe Bids/Swipe Auctions, Edelson McGuire LLC and CNN Money

According to this website apparently put out by Edelson McGuire LLC., Willms legal challenges may not be over. This web site states:

"Are you a victim of SwipeBids.com's deceptive and misleading marketing practices? You are not alone! Plaintiff Class Action Lawsuit lawyers at Edelson McGuire LLC filed against SwipeBids August 27, 2010 and want to speak with anyone who feels they are a victim of SwipeBids.com and their deceptive marketing practices..."

Going through the Better Business Bureau, Jesse Willms also owns Swipebids.com and swipeauctions.com. It appears he may be having some concerns about this company as well. If he didn't, there wouldn't be a web site put out by Edelson McGuire LLC. Also, this web site run apparently by "Pigott, Ltd" may be in the beginnings of Class Act Law Suit action.

To swipe auctions credit, an individual named Jennifer (Jennifer@swipeauctions.com) has been trying to contact angry customers and offering them refunds. Some of the reports we have received (although we can't confirm identity or credibility in the posts) claim they have received refunds. At least, in my opinion, an effort to reduce the anger has been under foot.

It is noteworthy to mention that CNN has done a story on Jesse Willms’ Swipe Auctions Penny Auction site. The title of the article is “Beware of the $31.47 iPad.” The author alleges Apple controls its stock and therefore does not have any overstock items. Hence, he can’t understand why Swipe Auctions advertising claims they receive their stock from overstock sales. To read the article, search “Swipe Auctions CNN” or just go here. The article states:

“If the advertisement at right, which popped up in my inbox Tuesday as an e-mail from "Overstock Auction," looks too good to be true, that's because it is. . . We checked with Overstock.com (OSTK), which pioneered the sale of surplus merchandise on the Internet. Their spokesman disavowed any connection with Swipe Auctions' come-on and suggested it might be bait-and-switch spam. . . For more on Swipe Auctions -- A.K.A. Swipe Bids and BidSauce -- check out the long thread devoted to them at the Complaints Board. . . If you feel you've been ripped off by any penny auction site, you can file a complaint here with the FTC or with your state attorney general.”

Swipebids Allegedly fights back!

We recently found a copy of the court papers allegedly filed by Jesse Willms' company against a forum site called "Penny Auction Watch" and "50 John Does." Again, there are a long list of allegations presented. According to the court documents we have read, the papers were filed in the State of Georgia. A copy of the court papers are located here.

As one researches throughout the Internet, they continue to find more and more controversies.

Ongoing Attempts to Balance Issues

If we find retractions, rebuttals and updated court documents, we will update this hub. We will only provide updates from verifiable major media sources.

Summation

The purpose of this article is to give you the research I found on Jesse Willms and not to make claims or pass judgment. We could have added many more articles and actually could have written a book on the topic. We literally had to pick what we thought was the best and most credible sources among the smorgasbord of media and angry consumer reports. Based on the few reports outlined, is Jesse Willms an upstanding Internet marketing guru or something else? You decide ...