Money Back Haunt LLC. (BS scheme or good marketing?)

[Haunted Prints (EOM)]

What's are your thoughts on the "Money Back Haunt" company and what they offer?

For those passionate hard working haunters, do you see this as a disgrace or promising marketing scheme?

[Deathwing]

Personally I got the scam vibe, and those silky lime green shirts made them seem fake. I mean, eating weird stuff? It's not a true haunted house but rather a gross challenge. This concept could be pitched in a number of conventions but it's not exactly haunted attraction related.

Jake

[UnDeRTaKer313]

No smart haunt would pay $5,500 minimum when they don't know what they are getting.
If he truly has the patent and trademark, which it seems like he does, there is absolutely no reason they have to be so secretive about it.
He would have sold everyone in there if he would have just stated exactly what the system is.

i can tell you that without knowing any information at all i think it is safe to say it has something to do with Bugs, Creepy Crawlies, or snakes.

Kinda ticks me off he trademarked all variations of the name "money back haunt" lol

[HauntedPaws]

Why would anyone wanna offer money back? Why go through that trouble? If the movie stinks you don't get a refund you just go to the next one.

[Drjkyll]

While I was in costume Saturday, I asked one of the 'smarmy' salesmen, "How much for the entire Eastern Seaboard?" he told me they only do territories of 100 mile radius. I insisted I wanted the whole Eastern seaboard, explaining that my plan was to lay waste to it and create 1 big haunted attraction. He referred me to his boss. Made a handshake deal for 13 dollars.

Don't think they quite got the fact I was making fun of them...

On the serious side... Total scam.

[MorgueofDoom]

After reviewing their site it appears to me to be the same as a get rich quick scheme. If I'm understood the whole concept rely's on doing a second attraction to their specifications in which you can advertise a money back show. You can advertise to get your money back but must complete their attraction after going thru your own show. So you spend your money building a second show only to make them money advertising a money back show. I can't help but think since they have the name trademarked that you will also be making them money without knowing it, and you will have to pay over $5,000 for an untested theory. I work in advertising. I do TV and Radio commercials for a living and have been doing so for over 8 yrs. This smells like a scam. I would never employ a client who couldn't explain to me in detail what him/her was selling. I stopped by the booth and asked what exactly can they can do to help promote my show and was promptly told to talk to someone else. I never once got a straight answer. I'm not getting a good feeling about it and I fear in a year we may see a thread of negative feedback about this business.

[RobfromErie]

Heres the scam...

Q. Will I get in trouble if I use the “Money Back®” Name in any way (or variation) with my Haunt without an official License?

A. Yes, we have a legal retainer who specializes in Trademark and Patent Infringement Prosecution. We will absolutely sue YOU personally and Your Event. We will aggressively advertise the entire process to the Haunt Industry and Media. DO NOT steal our Intellectual Property or attempt to copy this Idea. We take it very serious, we will make you regret it, and you will be discovered if you do – guaranteed. Buy the License legally, and then enjoy the fruits of YOUR highly-successful Haunted Event.


Sounds to me like if you mention getting any money back in any way, you get sued.

I went to a haunt (a good one) a few years back, and on opening night if you made it all the way through, you got $5 back. Sounds like they would get in trouble.

[JamBam]

This will only hurt those that get into this and then the rest of us sometime later. I said it as soon as I heard they were in the show on Thursday before I even got on the floor.

Maybe we should sue the green guys for attempting to sell something that appears to be similar to a haunted house but is actually a fear factor show (who should also sue them ).


These guys claimed they were not part of the Haunted Castle in Kentucky, but it sounds identical to what they are selling. So it seems to me that they are taking someone else's idea and trying to sell it. The Haunted Castle is in Hustonville, Kentucky and it is these guys who have done this for a few years that should be suing the green guys.

Check out their challenge web page http://www.hustonville.com/panicroom.html for yourself. I called and talke to the guys in Kentucky and he said the three challenges were 1. lay in a casket that has snakes released into it for a few minutes, 2. lay in another casket that has rats released into it, 3. eat something that was brought in from the stockyard that was edible but not very palatable. Now anyone that feels the need to spend money on this idea owes me a beer for finders fee !

A few years ago I learned about trademarks and patents when a guy called me from another similar named haunt and discussed his claim to the name of each of our haunts. It was a trademark in "logo only", or "service mark" as the words were too common just like these green guys. The following comes directly from the United States Trademark website.

Notice the words in the disclaimer below about "no claim is made ..."

Registration Number	4076575
Registration Date	December 27, 2011
Owner	(REGISTRANT) Tennessee Community Enrichment, Inc. CORPORATION TENNESSEE 360 Willow Bough Lane Old Hickory TENNESSEE 37138
Disclaimer	NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE "MONEY BACK" APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark	SERVICE MARK
Register	PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator	LIVE AND here is the other one Filing Date June 21, 2011 Current Filing Basis 1A Original Filing Basis 1A Published for Opposition October 4, 2011 Registration Number 4074303 Registration Date December 20, 2011 Owner (REGISTRANT) Tennessee Community Enrichment, Inc. CORPORATION TENNESSEE 360 Willow Bough Lane Old Hickory TENNESSEE 37138 Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE "MONEY BACK" APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN Type of Mark SERVICE MARK Register PRINCIPAL Live/Dead Indicator LIVE

[UnDeRTaKer313]

THESE GUYS LIED THROUGH THEIR TEETH!
a service mark means nothing, it means you can't use their "logo" or anything really really close.

[Dark Attraction]

Somebody at Transworld recommended that I visit www.HauntScam.com for more information on this awesome money-making opportunity