A SALESMAN INTRODUCED THE NORVERGENCE SALES PITCH TO ME IN FEB. 2004. HE DECLARED THAT NORVERGENCE COULD SAVE ME FROM 25-60%A MONTH WHILE GIVING ME BETTER SERVICE THAN MY CURRENT PROVIDER. HE WANTED 3 MONTHS BILLING FROM MY CURRENT PROVIDER
NORVERGENCE WOULD ALSO SAVE ME ANY LONG DISTANCE CHARGES ON MY OFFICE PHONES AND ON 2 CELL PHONES THEY WOULD PROVIDE AT NO CHARGE. EACH YEAR I COULD UPGRADE OR GET NEW CELL PHONES AT NO COST.
THE "MATRIX BOX " WAS CRITICAL OR NECESSARY FOR NORVERGENCE TO PROVIDE THIS INNOVATIVE NEW SERVICE. THEY WERE BACKED BY NORTEL, CISCO,LUCENT AND IBM.
I TOLD HIM I WANTED REFERENCES FROM EXISTING NORVERGENCE CUSTOMERS. HE PROVIDED ME A LIST OF CLIENTS THAT SERVICE RANGED FROM 3-8 MONTHS WITH NORVERGENCE. I LATER DISCOVERED THAT NORVERGENCE HAD GIVEN THEM ALL A EXTRA FREE CELL PHONE TO ALLOW PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS TO VERIFY THAT THEY WERE SATISFIED CUSTOMERS.
THE SALESMAN SAID I NEEDED TO SIGN AN APPLICATION AND THE PRELIMINARY EQUIP LEASE FOR THE SO-CALLED REQUIRED MAGIC BOX,SO THAT I WOULD NOT LOSE MY PLACE IN LINE TO GET THIS INNOVATIVE SERVICE SINCE NORVERGENCE WAS NOT ABLE TO COME BACK AND OFFER IT AGAIN DUE TO THE DEMAND FOR THIS UNIQUE PLAN.
ABOUT THE 15TH OF MARCH I WAS TOLD THAT I HAD BEEN APPROVED BY NORVERGENCE, AND I NEEDED TO ALLOW THEM TO INSTALL THE MATRIX BOX AND HAVE THE T-1 LINE PUT IN. THEY SCHEDULED THIS ON APRIL 16, 2004. AN EMPLOYEE BROUGHT THE BOX OUT AND PUT IT IN OUR CLOSET AND INSISTED THAT I HAD TO SIGN THAT THE BOX WAS DELIVERED. THIS WAS DONE ON 4-16-04. I DISCOVER LATER THAT NORVERGENCE IMMEDIATELY SOLD ON 4/19/04 THE EQUIP LEASE CONTRACT TO STERLING NATL. BANK LEASING OF NEW YORK.
AFTER THE DELIVERY OF THE BOX TO MY CLOSET NO FURTHER CONTACT WAS MADE UNTIL I BEGAN TO GET A BILL FROM THE STERLING BANK BEGINNING ON JUNE 21,2004 . I CALLED NORVERGENCE TO INQUIRE WHY I WAS GETTING A BILL FROM THE STERLING BANK WHEN NORVERGENCE HAD NOT CONNECTED MY BOX, NO CELL PHONES, HAD NOT BOUGHT OUT THE CONTRACTS FROM MY EXISTING PROVIDERS ON OFFICE PHONE SERVICE AND CINGULAR CELL SERVICE WHICH WAS PART OF THE NORVERGENCE PACKAGE. ( I CALLED CINGULAR AND LOGIX, MY CURRENT PROVIDERS, AND WAS TOLD THAT NORVERGENCE HAD NOT EVEN CONTACTED THEM ABOUT ANY CHANGE OF SERVICE) I WAS TOLD BY THE EMPLOYEE AT NORVERGENCE THAT NOT TO W0RRY THAT NORVERGENCE WOULD PAY ANY PAYMENTS DUE STERLING BANK UNTIL I WAS FULLY CONNECTED AND NORVERGENCE HAD PROVIDED ALL CONTRACT PROMISES. I WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE ANY FURTHER CONTACTS AT ANY OF THE NORVERGENCE NUMBERS THAAT THEY HAD PROVIDED. WHEN I RECEIVED ANOTHER BILL ON JULY 21, 2004 I CALLED THE STERLING BANK AND SPOKE TO THE MAN IN CHARGE, SR. VICE PRESIDENT MICHAEL EVANS AND ASKED HIM WHY I WAS RECEIVING INVOICES FOR THIS LEASE AS NORVERGENCE HAD NOT DONE ANYTHING THEY HAD AGREED TO DO OR PROVIDED ANY SERVICE AS OF THAT DATE. HE WAS NICE AND TOLD ME HE WOULD FAX ME COPIES OF THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE LEASE. WHEN I RECEIVED THE COPIES I SAW WHERE SOMEONE HAD FILLED OUT THE LEASE LATER AND PUT MY NAME IN THE RENTER SPACE ON THE LEASE WITN NO EQUIP IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS,ETC AND A MR. EDWARD LUCAS, VP FOR NORVERGENCE HAD ASSIGNED THE INCOMPLETE LEASE TO THE STERLING BANK. MR. MICHAEL EVANS TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A BIG PROBLEM NOW AS NORVERGENCE WAS IN BANKRUPTCY.

I BEGAN TO GET OTHER BILLS FROM STERLING BANK AND DEMAND LETTERS FOR PAYMENT, WITH THREATS OF OTHER LEGAL ACTION IF I DID NOT PAY WITHIN 10 DAYS. THEY ARE WELL AWARE THAT I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY SERVICES OR CONNECTIONS FROM NORVERGENCE, NOR THEY KNOW THAT THE VALUE OF THE EQUIP HAS NO RELATIONSHIP TO THE 3 YEAR LEASE AMOUNT OF BETWEEN 18-19 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
I HAVE SINCE JOIN THE WEIR PARTNERS LAWSUIT TO TRY TO SECURE RELEIF FROM THIS FICTIOUS SCAM THAT HAS BEEN PREPETRATED ON MANY SMALL BUSINESSES . I CANNOT MAKE PAYMENTS TO STERLING BANK AND TO MY CURRENT PROVIDER AS THIS WAS THE PURPOSE IN THE FIRST PLACE TO REDUCE MY OFFICE EXPENSE.

JAMES L. BLAKEY
RE/MAX BY THE LAKES
1502 W. KIRBY (FM544)
WYLIE, TEXAS 75098