MyGallons.com; July 1 hands-free cell phone law; EveryScape
Driving news | Don’t forget that today is July 1, the day California needs to go hands-free while driving. That means you better rush to your local phone retail outlet to buy an earpiece—and no more talking on the cell phone (with your hand pressed to your ear) whie driving. Don’t buy into the 30-day grace period you might have heard about; warnings and tickets will be issued on a case by case basis for now. Read: California’s hands-free cellphone law for drivers takes effect Tuesday and the Bottleneck Blog’s Hands-Free L.A. Guide about what this new law means and how it will affect you. Some think that even with a hands-free device, using a cell phone while driving is unsafe. Read: Hands-free cellphone use while driving won’t make the roads safer, studies show. Why? Brain overload
Gas relief | Check out MyGallons.com, a website that can help you save money at the pump. Sign up for a MyGallons Card, with a $29.95 or $39.95 annual fee, pre-purchase gas on your MyGallons Card and lock in a price before going to the pump. Then, just use the card when you get your gas. There are many major filling stations, including Chevron, 76, Shell, Texaco, Exxon and more. To get the cheaper annual fee, you must agree that MyGallons will automatically replenish your account when you drop below 15 gallons. Note: It takes one to six weeks to get your card.
[Update: The L.A. Times Business section wrote a story about concerns raised over online gasoline seller MyGallons.com]
Travel tech | Have you heard about EveryScape? It’s a Web-mapping tool that not only lets you see the outside of a shop and the street when you punch in an address, but also shows you inside the shop. Read: EveryScape maps local businesses from the inside out.
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal blogger
[Photo: Justin Guariglia / Corbis]
24 Comments on “MyGallons.com; July 1 hands-free cell phone law; EveryScape”
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July 1st, 2008 at 8:46 am
This gas crisis is so out of hand, that I’ve resorted to drastic measures. Recently I converted my 04 Cadillac to utilize water as fuel from an easy to install kit, I obtained online from a company called Water4fuel,info
July 1st, 2008 at 9:22 am
For anyone who has to work and drive at the same time, Vello is a lifesaver. Instead of punching in a 10 digit dial in and long passcode to join a conference call, Vello dials OUT to call participants. While I do work for the company, I am a true convert. I refuse to dial into things anymore! :) http://www.myvello.com
July 1st, 2008 at 9:49 am
i don’t think the gas prices are a “crisis.” in europe people are paying 9 dollars a gallon so 5 bucks a gallon really isn’t that bad. buy a hybrid.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Does anyone do homework anymore before writing or publishing a story? Looks like the answer is NO.
Here are the problems I see with mygallons.com site.
They state:
2000 members
Soft Launch in January
Problems:
Registered Domain in March
Registered company in April
Got SSL Certificate 2 weeks ago (Not possible to run credit cards without it)
Have testimonials on their site (Not possible since no site, no members and it takes 1-6 weeks to get card)
Site went live last week
Conclusion:
Not too good. They are not being honest and truthful. Make your own conclusion. Do I feel safe sending them my hard earned dollars, absolutely NOT
July 1st, 2008 at 4:37 pm
To clarify a few points that the reporter may have misunderstood. MyGallons ran a pilot program starting in April of 2008. The soft launch was June 23, 2008. The official launch was June 30th. Ironman’s comments and conclusion are based on a these inaccuracies. The pilot program transactions were not conducted through the http://mygallons.com site, this takes care of the first three problems. The testimonials are accurate as the pilot program has been running since April. We are being honest and truthful, unfortunately we are not provided with the opportunity to fact check nor edit reporters before they are published.
MyGallons Support
July 1st, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I find it also unusual that the feature to search for gas stations accepting the MyGallons card has now been deactivated on the website. Originally (only 6 hours ago) it showed that the card was accepted everywhere that Voyager cards are accepted and has a nice logo of Voyager (ala the Chrysler/Pricelock program) with a map ported from the Voyager website. But why was it deactivated? Perhaps the program is not authorized by Voyager afterall. Very suspicious indeed. I agree with you Ironman.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:56 am
Ok it’s confirmed, MyGallons is a SCAM. He has NO agreement with Voyager whatsoever. Yet he claims he will send you a Voyager card to redeem. In the meantime, he will keep your money and give it back if ihe does not work out an agreement. very dodgy indeed. From NBC 4:
“Representatives with the Web site tell NBC 4 you can use their card at a majority of stations because they use the Voyager Fleet Payment System offered by US Bank. But, when NBC 4 called US Bank, representatives told us they had no affiliation with the site. According to a company statement, “U.S. Bank Voyager Fleet Systems does not have a contract with to do business with MyGallons.com. We did not authorize the use of our name in association with this venture and we are not affiliated with this company.” The CEO of MyGallons.com, Steven Verona, says they had worked out an agreement with a partner of us bank, and are now negotiating directly with US Bank. He says if they cannot come to an agreement and turn to another payment method like Visa or Mastercard, they will give people the opportunity to cancel their membership and a receive refund.”
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:57 am
If its to good to be true. Well you know the answer. Buyer Beware! Example look what happened to all those loans the mortgage brokers told customers. Yes, you can refinance once your mortgage rate adjusts. Ya right.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:26 pm
HI, it’s me again.
So let me get this straight, hang on a second while I wipe off the monitor that I just spat beer on while laughing too hard, reading this string. You now say you launched was June 23, roughly 7 days before your press release and you have 2000 customers? Some of whom already made multiple purchases and re-purchased larger amounts? Correct me if I am wrong but your site now says, up to 8 weeks to get your card. When the site went live it said 1-6 weeks. How did your so-called pilot program work. Did they sign up using 2 tin cans and a piece of string? Come on Steve, do you really expect the American public to swallow this BS hook, line and sinker?
Nice ploy though, blame it on the reporter, they never get it right, or do they. Nah, there all a bunch of dimwitted morons who don’t write things down and misquote the CEO’s of companies all day long. Steven Verona, sorry, I mean “MyGallons Support”, I’d suggest you go back and read your own press release. You also said you were backed and processing would be by Voyager, who knows nothing about you and claims they have no affiliation with your company or any type of deal. Are you just trying to steal the $40 people are paying for the signup fee? You can’t possibly be sending them a debit card if you have no one processing it for you. OH, and by the way, if Voyager was never in place, how do you explain your so called pilot program? Did your 2000 pilot members go in to the gas station with a piece of paper saying, “MyGallons said it would be OK for you to give me 20 gallons of gas, signed Steven Verona”? This is the most retarded and bogus attempt to save face I have ever seen. Your caught in your own lie, just admit it. Tell us all you lied and jumped the gun and this is just a big scam and we will forgive you. Can anyone who signed up say “Charge Back”? Steven, I suggest you put down the shovel because the whole you are digging is getting too deep and you won’t be able to climb out by morning.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Here’s a picture of Steven Verona..would you trust this man?
http://www.pursuepeaceclothing.com/Founders/founders.html
He’s also the inventor of an illuminated purse light. Steve, you should sell your jeans and purse lights on Mygallons.com as well. Good biz plan dude. So do you trade commodities and currencies in between purse knitting sessions?
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:10 am
OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I hope he has the patent to this thing. I envisage lawsuits. Does anyone know the tax consequences? And, I have to wonder how the card people are getting does the conversion process. The tax burden may be the most interesting here. Is it a Capital Gains (Short-Term) or consumption tax? When this guy hedges, who gets stuck with the differential on the taxes? How much of a margin gouge is going to pull to break up the big contracts on Wall Street? If he blows himself up on the hedging side, will he honor any of the pre-purchases? This has CONSUMER RISK written all over it. BUYER BEWARE!
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
I suggest you read the terms of Subscription and Services agreementat http://www.mygallons.com/sub_agmt.html
Some interesting stuff.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Just wondering if there is someone who can link to anything that would validate this as anything other than a scam. Anyone?
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I see that the LA Times actually reads their own blog comments and followed up with a proper response here, http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mygallons4-2008jul04,0,5410778.story
It’s good to see quality reporting even while attempting to be duped.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Just found out that BBB has rated MyGallons an “F” for omitting material information. Check it our for yourself:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mygallons4-2008jul04,0,5410778.story
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
Peter and Ironman:
The pursuepeaceclothing.com ( sic ) website has been removed.
You two should be investigative reporters, ie, Woodward and Bernstein
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I’ve been digging up info on this Steven Verona guy, and he seems to be quite the huckster - moving from state to state. First Ohio to Pennsylvania, to New Jersey and now Florida.
Among the domains he owns that I’ve discovered so far (and has yanked offline as of this morning) include securasurf.com, pursuepeaceclothing.com, zenacon.com, advicefromalawyer.com and jewishjeans.com. If anyone has a hundred bucks to spare, you can find out what domains he owns exactly by searching for his email address at domaintools.com
The patents he holds are quite interesting too - and they have nothing to do with selling gas
July 4th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
The bankruptcy and previous corporations of the owner who wants you to buy prepaid gas cards at mygallons.com. Escrow accounts are not protected from
bankruptcy proceedings as mentioned in article.
http://www.webofdeception
July 4th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Yes funny, that site that had his pic has shut down indeed. He also shut down http://www.jewishjeans.com as well. He really should have kept it going as he would probably sell more jeans that gas (anything>0) with all the dubious press he’s getting now. Good luck with your patent trolling as well Steve. To remind you, I’ve listed all your patents below:
BEHAVIOR CARD GAME METHOD AND APPARATUS - 20080026349
MEDIA POPULARITY CONTEST METHOD - 20080021774
THIRD PARTY DATABASE SECURITY - 20070294403
Portable multiple bar and other code display - 20070205286
Receptacle illuminating device - 7246915
Rollers for aerodynamic impact - 20070046067
Personal data storage and retrieval device - 20060294270
Self-leveling spoon - 20060288589
Nail clipper retainer - 20060288580
Data sharing among multiple web sites - 20060179111
Countdown pricing process - 20060167767
Receptacle illuminating device - 20050281019
Removable billiard cue tip - 6890264
Removable billiard cue tip - 20040082397
Pool stick tip - D489104
July 5th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Upon further investigation, the office of MyGallons is indeed a temporaty ‘virtual’ office lease from Regus. Below is the link to Regus office location with the exact same address as MyGallons (from their sub agreement/BBB). dodgy, very dodgy.
http://www.regus.com/locations/US/FL/Miami/FloridaMiami1221BrickellCenter.htm
July 7th, 2008 at 2:24 am
One of Verona’s past business ventures according to some data I dug up on the Ohio state governmental site is Columbia Gas, Windows & Siding.
Further digging has uncovered at least one small claims case against this company, a couple unresolved BBB complaints and a few comments online hinting at sub-standard construction practices that were handled by turning off the phone lines, canceling the PO box and ignoring the complainant.
July 7th, 2008 at 11:38 am
Even if this wasn’t a scam and the site / owner was 100% legit, there’s still a MAJOR problem that everyone seems to be overlooking! Here’s what I have found and what anyone can see by reading their service agreement:
From the Service Agreement:
—2.5.3 MYGALLONS maintains the right to make and will make price adjustments to your Personal Account any time you redeem the MYGALLONS Services for a price at the pump that is at least 10 cents per gallon higher or lower than your MYGALLONS Price at the time of the redemption (not at the time you pre-purchased the fuel). For example if your available MYGALLONS Price at the time you make a redemption is $3.50 per gallon you will receive an adjustment credit to your Personal Account if the price you redeem for at the pump is $3.40 per gallon (or less) or an adjustment debit against your Personal Account if the price you redeem for at the pump is $3.60 per gallon (or more) at the time of redemption.
This means that the most they will allow you to save is 9 cents per gallon. Anything over that and they “adjust” your account. So add that to the $40 annual fee for manual renewal (it’s only $30 for auto-renewal)and that means that you would have to go through 444 gallons in a year just to break even in the best possible scenario.
Now when I factor in my Geo Tracker, I get 27 MPG. That means that I’d have to save the max allowed and drive 11,988 miles just to break even!
Working with that number, if I drive 12,000 miles in a year then that means I’d start saving money on my last 1/2 gallon for the year. Factor in the 9 cents and that means that in the best case scenario I’d save $0.05 a year using this service. That’s it. I’d save a nickel driving 12,000 miles in a year if I get the maximum allowable savings at each and every fill-up for 12 months. Thanks but no thanks. Especially if you factor in overdraft fees, etc. And what are the chances of getting the full 9 cent savings every time?
THAT is how the “scam” works. It has nothing to do with the company or the owner not having a deal with banks or gas stations. People seem to think that they can buy gas at $4 and then cash in the card when it reached $5. That’s simply not the case, and the company isn’t doing anything to curb that misinformation.
July 8th, 2008 at 5:55 am
An open post to the owner (Steve Verona) of My Gallons from one of the American’s you tried to scam.
I think my opinion speaks for most people who were almost scammed by you and your company, mygallons.com.
Steve Verona, you f*’d up. You launched early without having all of your ducks in a row. You had no deal with Voyager and you had no backend to process the gallons. You lied and said you did to try and scam people out of a membership fee. From what I see, you jumped the gun and put out a press release before you were ready. From all of your follow up posts (with different names to hide yourself), you’re trying to save face but at this moment in time, it would appear that you and mygallons are done. You lied to the public and the public never forgets a scammer. You’re on a sinking ship in the middle of the Pacific with no life rafts and the nearest rescue vessel is 300 miles away. Make it quick and simple for all of us. Take a big gulp of the water and it will be over in just a few seconds. This is the basic and simple truth. You assumed that most Americans were stupid and would fall for your BS. Guess again, most American’s are smart and can smell a ponzi scheme from a mile away.
Here is my suggestion to you. Close up shop, move to another state and give everyone a refund before the AG (Attorney General) comes after you on a fraud count. Your done buddy, pack it in. From this point forward you are too buried to ever see the light of day with the American buying public ever again.