Starscapes or Starscape Review/Scam?

[costath]

Starscapes Starscape Starscapes.com review scam Joe Petrashek
http://www.starscapes.com/

They are really Good at Hype Hype and more Hype!

Let the buyer Beware.....

Well, here's what they say on their website,

"We'll send your FREE Introductory Package with your FREE Sample Amazing 3-D Stargazing Portals to you TODAY! The Portal is LARGE. 12 square feet! It's so unbelievably awesome, that it's used for professional demonstrations!"

Well, what you get is some cheap crappy glow in the dark paint you can get at wal-mart for $1.97, a toothpick to apply it, YES, you read that right, a toothpick and the cheapest wrinkled butcher type paper available.

I did exactly what they said to do, put the paint on with the toothpick, hung the posters side by side on the wall and there is absolutely NO 3D effect!

I've shown it to several neighbors and friends.

No Wow! Only a kind of uneasy embarrassment from everyone, like, "Are You serious? are you Kidding?".

One of my less shy neighbors actually said to me, I wouldn't let you put that crap on my ceiling!

It really looks like something your 4 year old would bring home from pre-school.


He uses fancy words to glorify and help justify his $3,995 price tag.

I mean afterall, he includes his cool 'galactification machine' aka a simple Star Projector. Project stars on ceiling and then paint the stars. Easier than paint by numbers. Sells for $70 at discoverychannel (see below for link).

For $3,995 he will also include a 'activation wand'. AKA - a blacklight that you can buy at most Wal-marts for $9.97

Pretty much they are selling you a $3,995 Biz Op that you can put together for about $250 yourself. You figure out where the other $3,745 is going.

For $97 here, http://star-mural.com/ you can get all the info needed to get you started.

For $39, here is the best e-book I've ever bought http://www.cosmicpaint.com/star_business_secrets.htm
PLUS, this guy will also give you permission to use is professional LOGO. He tells you where to buy the paint, how to use it and how to buy the $100 Discovery Channel Star Projector. He also includes sample flyers to be used to generate business.

And for $88 delivered you can get a real good star projector.
http://shopping.discovery.com/produc...D=117359325ADE

Now look, Starscapes really tells you there is nothing to it.
Here's what they say on their own web site,

No experience and absolutely no artistic talent is needed. It's so simple, a nine year old boy can do this. If you can draw a "happy face" on the wall... you're OVERQUALIFIED! You'll be using NO cheesy stencils, templates or childish stickers! You'll be creating a signed & dated Artistic Masterpiece! A skill that others will think that you were born with!

As far as their Business Generating Ideas: I talked with one of their STAR artiist listed on the internet and she told me they have only done four (4) ceilings in 18 months. Nobody seems to be interested she said.

So if you wanna spend $3,995 Be my guest.

I consider myself lucky as I am only out $19.95 for the stupid paint and paper they sent me. Oh and there wasn't even enough paint to finish one of the posters.

Let the buyer beware!!!!!!!!

Here is another un-happy person reporting:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/214/RipOff0214394.htm





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[princess1]

How were you able to find the name and number of the artist? My husband would like to start this as a business.

[costath]

Just searched the internet for starscape.

Talk to Starscape artists, no one I talked with has even made their initial investment back.

I'd really suggest you do a lot of investigation before investing any of your hard earned money.

I've tried the BEST paint available from Glo Nation and glowinc.com and I cannot get my stars to shine at night like they say. We turn off all the lights, wait for our eyes to adjust and can barely make out where they are. It is absolutely NOT a wow factor or even close to Amazing!They just don't seem to charge and shine like all these hucksters say.

Read the data sheets on the paint. http://glowinc.com/detail.aspx?ID=1

According to the data supplied by the distributors of the paint, they lose 93% of their Brightness in the 1st 5 min!!

After One (1) hour they have lost 99.6% of their brightness! This is acording to THEIR data!

Discovery Star Projector: Another losing propossition.

Bought it, studied the directions and turned it on. You will NOT be able to see any constellations on the ceiling.

Besides that, the light stopped working after 15 minutes.

So after all of this, if you want to invest and put your reputation on the line, well

Best of luck..........

As I said before....


LET THE BUYER BEWARE!!

[ohein56]

Originally Posted by costath

Starscapes Starscape Starscapes.com review scam Joe Petrashek
http://www.starscapes.com/

They are really Good at Hype Hype and more Hype!

Let the buyer Beware.....

Well, here's what they say on their website,

"We'll send your FREE Introductory Package with your FREE Sample Amazing 3-D Stargazing Portals to you TODAY! The Portal is LARGE. 12 square feet! It's so unbelievably awesome, that it's used for professional demonstrations!"

Well, what you get is some cheap crappy glow in the dark paint you can get at wal-mart for $1.97, a toothpick to apply it, YES, you read that right, a toothpick and the cheapest wrinkled butcher type paper available.

I did exactly what they said to do, put the paint on with the toothpick, hung the posters side by side on the wall and there is absolutely NO 3D effect!

I've shown it to several neighbors and friends.

No Wow! Only a kind of uneasy embarrassment from everyone, like, "Are You serious? are you Kidding?".

One of my less shy neighbors actually said to me, I wouldn't let you put that crap on my ceiling!

It really looks like something your 4 year old would bring home from pre-school.


He uses fancy words to glorify and help justify his $3,995 price tag.

I mean afterall, he includes his cool 'galactification machine' aka a simple Star Projector. Project stars on ceiling and then paint the stars. Easier than paint by numbers. Sells for $70 at discoverychannel (see below for link).

For $3,995 he will also include a 'activation wand'. AKA - a blacklight that you can buy at most Wal-marts for $9.97

Pretty much they are selling you a $3,995 Biz Op that you can put together for about $250 yourself. You figure out where the other $3,745 is going.

For $97 here, http://star-mural.com/ you can get all the info needed to get you started.

For $39, here is the best e-book I've ever bought http://www.cosmicpaint.com/star_business_secrets.htm
PLUS, this guy will also give you permission to use is professional LOGO. He tells you where to buy the paint, how to use it and how to buy the $100 Discovery Channel Star Projector. He also includes sample flyers to be used to generate business.

And for $88 delivered you can get a real good star projector.
http://shopping.discovery.com/produc...D=117359325ADE

Now look, Starscapes really tells you there is nothing to it.
Here's what they say on their own web site,




As far as their Business Generating Ideas: I talked with one of their STAR artiist listed on the internet and she told me they have only done four (4) ceilings in 18 months. Nobody seems to be interested she said.

So if you wanna spend $3,995 Be my guest.

I consider myself lucky as I am only out $19.95 for the stupid paint and paper they sent me. Oh and there wasn't even enough paint to finish one of the posters.

Let the buyer beware!!!!!!!!

Here is another un-happy person reporting:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/214/RipOff0214394.htm





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That's exactly what I thought it was going to be when I saw the site & the adds!

Cool!

I'll keep that in my file. Thanks!

Kerry

[The Guppy]

Can I just make a coment here, you mention a couple of companies in your complaint, one being 39.99 and the other $97. Have you looked into these companies, are they LINKED?!!!!!, just a thought as the latter on run by a guy call Lee C**** uses GloMania in his marketing. I bought this ebook and THAT WAS A TOTAL WASTE of MONEY more so than Starscapes.... If you could run any type of business from this apart from selling the idea, and let me tell you the idea is out of date...the advertising/marketing advert must have been done by a child and its 1 col Black/white. Also YOU DO NOT get your money back if your NOT HAPPY.... Hes another making a buck on this business.

If you want value for money try http://www.glomania.com.

[leonronnoco]

thank you, you are 100% correct, i have never come across one box of rubbish in my life than the box i got from starscapes, its amazing that more people dont come out and complain about them, all i can say is stay well clear of STARSCAPES, because you will have absolutely no comeback once you have parted with your cash, as soon as you open any of the products they have in the MAGIC BOX your possability of a refund is void, and believe me you will want a refund when you discover the MAGIC BOX of shit you have just purchased

[ohein56]

Originally Posted by leonronnoco

thank you, you are 100% correct, i have never come across one box of rubbish in my life than the box i got from starscapes, its amazing that more people dont come out and complain about them, all i can say is stay well clear of STARSCAPES, because you will have absolutely no comeback once you have parted with your cash, as soon as you open any of the products they have in the MAGIC BOX your possability of a refund is void, and believe me you will want a refund when you discover the MAGIC BOX of shit you have just purchased

Leon,

Thanks for posting and confirming my suspicions about this offering.

It's sad, but they've been grabbing a fullpage add in Home Business Connections for quite a while. Many others are sadly falling for this "marginal" business that's very likely putting money in the designers pockets, and noone elses!

Thanks again

And Welcome to scam.com!

Your voice counts!

Kerry Hein

[leonronnoco]

hi kerry,

GLAD that i saved you a lot of money, im from ireland and i have instigated complaints with the BETTER BUSINESS BEUREU and the FBI, and i have full intentions to contact all the media in the usa i feel so strongly about being ripped off, THE TOTAL VALUE ( after research ) OF THE GOODS I RECIEVED FROM STARSCAPES WAS ABOUT $200 MAX AND I WAS PAID FOR $4500 NOW THAT HURTS

THINKING I WAS GETTING SPECIAL EQUIPMENT ALL I WAS GETTING WAS ;

A BOX OF PAINT, 3 TINY BRUSHES, A DOME, FLASH LIFHT, TRIPOD, PLASTIC STENSILS, AMATURE HOME MADE VIDEO, LOADS OF LITERATURE ON HOW TO BECOME RICH, ALL TYPES OF LITERATURE ABOUT FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS, A BAG FOR EQUIPMENT,

OVERALL A BAD LUCKY BAG, BUT $4000 IN JOES POCKET, THE OTHER $500 WAS POSTAGE TO IRELAND


ALL OF THE GOODS IN THERE BOX ARE SEALED AND IT STATES ON A LABEL THAT IF YOU OPEN YOU CANNOT RECIEVE A REFUND IF NOT SATISFIED. WHY? BECAUSE YOU OPEND IT.

now how in gods name can you determine if you are satisfied or not if you cannot open the product and see what you have recieved wither you want a refund or not.

AND BELIEVE ME I WANTED A REFUND. AND AS YOY CAN IMAGINE THERE WAS 2 CHANCES OF THAT, NONE AND ABSOLUTELY NONE

SORRY JOE PETRASHEK
YOUR NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THAT ONE.


im in the process of setting up a website outlining what was in the box and offering it to people who intend getting in to this business
FREE OF CHARGE

from my new website ;

starsscapes.com

which will be up and running shortly,

i will think again about doing business with a company from THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

[ohein56]

Originally Posted by leonronnoco

hi kerry glad that i saved you a lot of money, im from ireland and i have instigated complaints with the better business beureu and the fbi, and i have full intentions to contact all the media in the usa i feel so strongly about being ripped off THE TOTAL VALUE ( after research ) OF THE GOODS I RECIEVED WAS ABOUT $200 MAX AND I WAS CAUGHT FOR $4500 NOW THAT HURTS i will think again about doing business with a company from THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Ooooh! That hurts!

Soo sorry to hear that you got so badly stung!

That's terrible!

Please do "think again" next time, and use the internet well before using your wallet!

Not only in the US, but anywhere!

As long as you learned something, there's a plus, always.

Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit. ~ Anon.

In your corner, I feel your pain. Next time will be different!

Welcome to scam.com! Your voice counts!

Kerry Hein

[cotech6767]

go to the glo inc web site. you can join the forum and get a lot of advice for free. There is one guy that set up a web site i think it is called cosmiccreations (maybe spelled with k's not C's) He is offering info on making stars. You can buy his book for 9.95 or get more info for 19.95. Most of his info is posted on the forum for gloinc for free.
Do not buy from starscapes. Save your money and try it in your room and your kid's room. They will love it and tell their friends and so on. You can make money at this but like everything it takes time and I don't care what anyone will tell you, it takes practice too. Good luck

[Bob White]

Hello To All That Are Viewing The Starscapes Biz Op..I Too Have Reviewed The Biz Op..I Found The Web Site To Be Most Informative And I Learned A Lot About The Very Unique Opportunity. I Went Surfing..Did My "Due Diligence" And
Came Across www.stars-so-bright.com
$89.95..This Man Promotes His Site As A "Teaching" Tool..NOT A Biz Op..Don't Know Why A Person Can't Do The Same Thing With This BUDGET Kit, Net RESULTS
Are The Same!! Why Pay More? I'm A 68
Year Old Retiree Looking For Some Extra Money, A Way To Stay Busy & Help Some People At The Same Time..Just My Two Cents Worth! Good Luck!

[Skylighter]

You can do nice star ceilings that will glow decently thoughout the night. A wealth of information on technique is provided free on the Internet. You should not pay for it.

By far, the largest Internet resource on this subject can be found here.

http://www.glowforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

[NYjunkie718]

Hi Costath,
Where do I start? It is America's best kept secret! You're not going to find any MLM, Realestate, Network Marketing, Investments, Franchinsing, Info Products or any kind of selling over here. I'm personally inviting you to visit my site, opt-in, take the tour, and I am sure you will be surprised! You can even talk to one my personal representatives. This is not another get rich scheme or pyramid structured business, but a linear structure. After all you do deserve to take ten minutes of your time and....If you are ready to make a CHANGE in your life, visit: www.myonlinehustle.net

To Your Success,

-Ahmed Surty

[westend]

Hi all,

I'm not sure where one of the posters got their facts about the paint from Glowinc and GloNation. I personally use both and the first time I used the Ultra Blue from Glow Inc it practically blew my mind. I remember that crap glow in the dark paint that you can buy in Walmart and I can assure you that the V10 Green and Ultra Blue from GlowInc are amazing.

I'm not vouching for StarScapes, I refer to them as the unmentionable company on the GlowForum website. The way I explain StarScapes to people who email me asking about them is that: If you were considering starting a mural company to paint day time murals or other painting business would you go pay someone $4 to tell you how? Well the answer is a resounding no. And I tell you what painting a day mural is a art form many times harder than painting a star mural.

You can find all the information you want about painting your own murals on the web. Start by swinging by my thread on Glowforum. Westend's Toolbox. It's going to hit 10,000 hits this week!! While it will not make you a Picasso it will disspell a lot of the myths and probably give you the confidence to paint your own star mural.

So can a Star Mural live up to expectations?

I'd say this is definitely a "Yes". However, it really depends on who you get to paint it. The guy I saw in Phoenix, which got me started on this quest created the most amazing murals. The first time I saw it my jaw hit the floor. These guys, like regular painters are a premium find. If you ever consider getting someone to paint your room then have he/she give you an address of a customer where you can view the goods.

I don't profess to be the best star muralist. I can paint a pretty good star mural but nothing like the one I first saw. Hopefully I'll get there one day.

You can view the pictures on my web site. These are all 100% guaranteed unretouched photos. They document the first five room's I painted last year.

I do sell a guide. I don't intend to get rich doing it. Most of what is in my guide is also in my thread. My guide is just better organized and available in PDF format. I actually spend most of my spare time time making oversized constellation stencils.

So go take a look at the GlowForum and swing by my site: kosmic kreations. We are not all out there to rip you off. Helping people avoid getting ripped off in this business is my main drive for working in it.

I've attached one of the photos I took. I'm not sure how it's going to look after this site compresses the image. If the colors look washed out you can see the image in its full glory on my website.

Best regards,
Pete.
KosmicKreations

[GloMania]

This is just some of what can be created if you really understand this business and the products. check out http://www.glomania.com there are lots more images there. For GloMania ProFx Artists it’s not just about placing stars on a ceiling, it’s about creating Fantasy art as well, and the ability to make peoples dreams come true. We are based in the UK but get flown around the world to create images like these.



Some of these images were painted on a ceiling in California USA. These are all "daytime invisible" glow in the dark images painted using our paints. It has taken us years of hard work, techniques, developing paints that WORK with our systems and formats. I must disagree with you, but painting star ceilings is just as complicated as painting day murals and you can learn how to do both. Practice, patience good mentors and the ability to keep trying to better your self is all it takes. Everyone has it in them some just take longer than others. Forums are good places to start and you can learn a lot but there comes a time when you need that extra and you can not dismiss that. I am not saying what you suggest is wrong, nor am I saying that the "unmentionable" is wrong either but even I would be hard pushed to fork out $4k without the proper dudiligence, you need to find a company that YOU would be comfortable with and what exactly you want from this type of business, if you think its a fast buck, then you will not succeed. You would have to work hard to build your employers business, but you have to work 10 times harder to build your own. A lot of people fail in this business, because of the lack of support. I don’t mean physical, tangible support, but emotional, mentoring someone to help you up when you feel down support. When you start your own business you are on your own, you cannot turn to the painter down the road and say how do I do this. Support is very important.
I agree that not all companies out there want to rip you off. We all have to make a living, knowledge is a valuable commodity and so is hindsight and it all comes from practice.
If a lawyer gave you the answers to get off a wrap and you did not pay them for their Knowledge and Time, why would they want to study and spend all that time struggling to get through Collage. This business is the same in some cases, I agree that there is information out there for FREE but not everything. From a marketing point of view, companies give things away for a reason so people come to their stores or websites, the real reason is so they can PURCHASE something associated with that FREE PRODUCT ( information = Paints or Stencils) . You mention you give this knowledge away yet you sell and manufacture Star Stencils, people need the knowledge so they can use your stencils. It’s the same with some of the forums out there. You make what YOU want from this business, some sell paint others sell kits some sell business's. and yet we ALL want to paint ceilings. Just being able to see the smile on someone’s face when they see YOUR original creation for the first time makes all the hard work worthwhile.


There is room for reputable Star Ceiling Business’s and I am sure you cannot disagree with this, even we get upset when we see companies ripping people off because what they offer isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. We are no saints at GloMania either, we have had disgruntled customers, we have tried to resolve their issues but sometimes you just can’t. We have even had companies try and get our information through the back door. Artists have used different names etc from other star ceiling companies “ including the ones you mentioned”. We must be offering something worthwhile for them to go to such extremes.
I hope you understand this is not an attack on any individuals or companies but in defence of the reputable side of the Star Ceiling business Industry.

[Irish Star]

Hi All,

Just joined and have read all the posts re starscapes and others. On Starscapes and Joe P I agree absolutely - a total ripoff scam. I'm not going to waste time or type on this other than to say DON'T GO THERE!!
I've been in the Glow in the Dark business for just over a year now but I don't sell "business kits" or anything like than. I simply paint Star Murals for my clients. I'm under no illusion about my talent - I know there are probably better artists than me out there but I do a very nice job - if I do say so myself and I get referrals from all my clients.
As an experienced Star Muralist I have tried all the glow product out there and I can tell you this as absolute fact. The best glow in the dark paint I have ever found is produced by a company called Glow Inc in the USA. I live in Ireland and when I order product they ship it and it arrives within a week and there's no bull attached. No secrecy, no franchise agreements, and if there's a problem they will fix it right away - no argument. (one order arrived damaged in transit and it was replaced right away with no hasstle at all)
I use Glow Inc's V10 Grade 0 paint. I have it on my bedroom ceiling and it GLOWS all night long. From the minute I turn out the light the night sky is there for me to enjoy. I painted it and I know its not really the night sky I'm looking at but I still find it fascinating. Dut to my "normal" daytime job I'm up before dawn at this time of year (January) and when I wake in the morning my stars are still glowing - 8 hours after I went to sleep.
The only treatment my star ceiling gets is a daily dose of normal daylight when the curtains are opened. Even after a dull rainy day my stars glow at night.
Before I do a ceiling for a client, if they haven't already seen my work in someone elses home, I give them a 3ft by 2ft poster so they can see what my work looks like in daylight and in the dark. I've never had anyone come back and change their mind after seeing my posters.
I tell you all this to illustrate that while there are certainly scam artists out there in this business there are also some very genuine people.
The company I buy from are 18 carat gems and there are some others to I'm sure. Like anything else there's good, there's bad and there's the downright indefencible.
Any company trying to sell this product as a full time, money machine business that you should invest your hard earned cash in by buying their kit is simply telling lies!
My entire kit (excluding paint) cost me about 150 Euros (approx $200) and I consider my kit to be quite advanced. I picked up the various bits and pieces of my kit from local hardware stores. There are no big secrets and if anyone wants tips or advice feel free to email me and I'll do what I can for you.
Best advice I can offer here is to visit www.glowforum.com and judge for yourself. You'll find all the info you need there FREE!!

Best Regards

Irish Star

[abbeytoo]

Another happy customer of Glow Inc. chiming in here. I, too, can attest to the quality of their paint. I did a star ceiling in my bedroom and it glows all night long! It is still plainly visible when I wake up in the morning. The V-10 paint they sell is the best.

As far as Joe whatshisname, if you couldn't tell by his stupid website that it was BS, then, you shouldn't be surfing the web looking for a get rich quick gig. You just aren't smart enough and will get taken to the cleaners over and over again.

One can make a living painting ceiling murals but it isn't going to happen by paying someone 4500 for a 'kit'. He makes his money marketing, NOT doing star ceilings. If he was as successful paining star murals as he wants you to believe, he wouldnt have time to fuss with that dumb website. That is his bread and butter.

No one forced anyone to click that 'buy' button. It was the idea of doing something 'so simple' and making 'so much money' that made you buy. Greed.

Painting star ceilings is a business. It isn't magic. You must spend time learn how to do it, then practice. Then practice some more. It isn't hard, but it does have a learning curve. When you get to the point that you are happy with what you have created, that is when the real work starts. To be successful at it requires a lot of work to get the word out to people about your service. Time must be spent doing some type of advertising, whether it be taking posters you have created to the market you are trying to capture or doing in home demonstrations, or any other way, it has to be done to get business. People have to see the end product before they will commit to something like this. Just telling someone about how cool it looks, isn't going to cut it. YOU have to do the legwork. After you have done a few, if the people are satisfied with your work, word of mouth advertising will begin to bring business to you. But that is quite a ways down the road from starting out new. It's work. Thats why it is called a job. How much money you make at it is directly related to how much work you spend promoting it. Its all up to you.

Those marketing pigs like Joe Whatshis name, continue to thrive because people are foolish enough to think it is a fast way to earn big bucks. He, obviously, is smarter than the fools that bought his shit. He's laughing all the way to the bank where he stashes your hard earned money. Wake up.

If anyone is seriously interested in creating a star ceiling, either for your own room or as a business, the very best place to start is here: http://www.glowforum.com/

Everything you need or want to know about glow ceilings (or anything glow related, for that matter) can be found there. Cost : Nothing, only your time. The people that have contributed to the forum were all beginners at one time. They came together and shared ideas, techniques, successes and failures, so they could learn from each other. And they continue to share information. It is without a doubt, the best source of information available anywhere, on the subject. Did I mention, it is FREE? Go there and spend some time, if you are serious about this. Pay particular attention to Westends Toolbox. Read about what works and what doesn't.

And for heavens sake, stop badmouthing or lumping together all GITD companies. They are NOT all scammers!


PS my 2 cents on that 'mania' company....they are all yack and no shack. Their product is on the low end as far as quality goes. Their paint is weak and does not glow as brightly or as long as the paint that Glow Inc. sells.

For the record, I am not an employee of Glow Inc, nor do I have any financial interest in the company. I am simply a satisfied customer and want to defend them. So back off.






If you're gonna run with the big dogs, you can't piss like a puppy.

[abbeytoo]

Another happy customer of Glow Inc. chiming in here. I, too, can attest to the quality of their paint. I did a star ceiling in my bedroom and it glows all night long! It is still plainly visible when I wake up in the morning. The V-10 paint they sell is the best.

As far as Joe whatshisname, if you couldn't tell by his stupid website that it was BS, then, you shouldn't be surfing the web looking for a get rich quick gig. You just aren't smart enough and will get taken to the cleaners over and over again.

One can make a living painting ceiling murals but it isn't going to happen by paying someone 4500 for a 'kit'. He makes his money marketing this crap, NOT doing star ceilings. If he was as successful paining star murals as he wants you to believe, he wouldnt have time to fuss with that dumb website. That is his bread and butter.

No one forced anyone to click that 'buy' button. It was the idea of doing something 'so simple' and making 'so much money' that made you buy. Greed.

Painting star ceilings is a business. It isn't magic. You must spend time learn how to do it, then practice. Then practice some more. It isn't hard, but it does have a learning curve. When you get to the point that you are happy with what you have created, that is when the real work starts. To be successful at it requires a lot of work to get the word out to people about your service. Time must be spent doing some type of advertising, whether it be taking posters you have created to the market you are trying to capture or doing in home demonstrations, or any other way, it has to be done to get business. People have to see the end product before they will commit to something like this. Just telling someone about how cool it looks, isn't going to cut it. YOU have to do the legwork. After you have done a few, if the people are satisfied with your work, word of mouth advertising will begin to bring business to you. But that is quite a ways down the road from starting out new. It's work. That's why it is called a job. How much money you make at it is directly related to how much work you spend promoting it. Its all up to you.

Those marketing pigs like Joe Whatshis name, continue to thrive because people are foolish enough to think it is a fast way to earn big bucks. He, obviously, is smarter than the fools that bought his shit. He's laughing all the way to the bank where he stashes your hard earned money. Wake up.

If anyone is seriously interested in creating a star ceiling, either for your own room or as a business, the very best place to start is here: http://www.glowforum.com/

Everything you need or want to know about glow ceilings (or anything glow related, for that matter) can be found there. Cost : Nothing, only your time. The people that have contributed to the forum were all beginners at one time. They came together and shared ideas, techniques, successes and failures, so they could learn from each other. And they continue to share information. It is without a doubt, the best source of information available anywhere, on the subject. Did I mention, it is FREE? Go there and spend some time, if you are serious about this. Pay particular attention to Westends Toolbox. Read about what works and what doesn't.

And for heavens sake, stop badmouthing or lumping together all GITD companies. They are NOT all scammers!


PS my 2 cents on that 'mania' company....they are all yack and no shack. Their product is on the low end as far as quality goes. Their paint is weak and does not glow as brightly or as long as the paint that Glow Inc. sells.

For the record, I am not an employee of Glow Inc, nor do I have any financial interest in the company. I am simply a satisfied customer and want to defend them. So back off.

If you're gonna run with the big dogs, you can't piss like a puppy.

[abbeytoo]

Originally Posted by leonronnoco

hi kerry,

GLAD that i saved you a lot of money, im from ireland and i have instigated complaints with the BETTER BUSINESS BEUREU and the FBI, and i have full intentions to contact all the media in the usa i feel so strongly about being ripped off, THE TOTAL VALUE ( after research ) OF THE GOODS I RECIEVED FROM STARSCAPES WAS ABOUT $200 MAX AND I WAS PAID FOR $4500 NOW THAT HURTS

You obviously did not do much 'research' or you would not be here screaming about being ripped off!
secondly, spell check is your friend. If you want to be taken seriously, it is to your advantage to use it.

THINKING I WAS GETTING SPECIAL EQUIPMENT ALL I WAS GETTING WAS ;

A BOX OF PAINT, 3 TINY BRUSHES, A DOME, FLASH LIFHT, TRIPOD, PLASTIC STENSILS, AMATURE HOME MADE VIDEO, LOADS OF LITERATURE ON HOW TO BECOME RICH, ALL TYPES OF LITERATURE ABOUT FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS, A BAG FOR EQUIPMENT,

OVERALL A BAD LUCKY BAG, BUT $4000 IN JOES POCKET, THE OTHER $500 WAS POSTAGE TO IRELAND


ALL OF THE GOODS IN THERE BOX ARE SEALED AND IT STATES ON A LABEL THAT IF YOU OPEN YOU CANNOT RECIEVE A REFUND IF NOT SATISFIED. WHY? BECAUSE YOU OPEND IT.

now how in gods name can you determine if you are satisfied or not if you cannot open the product and see what you have recieved wither you want a refund or not.

AND BELIEVE ME I WANTED A REFUND. AND AS YOY CAN IMAGINE THERE WAS 2 CHANCES OF THAT, NONE AND ABSOLUTELY NONE

SORRY JOE PETRASHEK
YOUR NOT GETTING AWAY WITH THAT ONE

It appears that he did! You sent him money. You didn't have a gun to your head, did you? You weren't terrorized into sending him that money, were you? No, you sent it voluntarily. You didn't think this one through, dude.

im in the process of setting up a website outlining what was in the box and offering it to people who intend getting in to this business
FREE OF CHARGE

from my new website ;

starsscapes.com

which will be up and running shortly,

i will think again about doing business with a company from THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Now that's an intelligent attitude. There are many reasons one would not want to do business with the US, but getting taken by a con artist because you were looking for a get rich quick gig and had your head up your ass, is not a valid one. It isn't the United States fault you did something stupid.

[ambient light]

I see a lot of Glow Inc. people including the administrator have posted. Glow Inc may sell glow powder and paint but they are, by far, not the best people to ask what to do with the stuff. Anybody that knows a dimes worth of information would know not to recommend what they did here:

http://www.glowforum.com/showthread.php?t=609

As for a rip off or scam think of this...They sell you a gallon of their V10 green glow paint for $495.98. They say they put in 2 pounds of glow powder in each gallon which would cost you $160.78 on their website if you just buy the powder, and you can get the oil based paint without pigment at any local paint distributor for $55 (higher end).

You're paying $495.98 for $215.78 worth of product and they already made a huge profit (about $80) on the powder alone, then they make another $225.20 from the sale for one gallon of V10 green glow paint just for the hell of it. A grand profit of about $305.20 per gallon.....and this is not a scam?

Just as a side note I own a business that has been dealing with commercial glow for over 20 years. I import the best glow powders (the brightest green glow powder only costs $48 per 2.2 pounds/1 kilo to import) and have pioneered applications for its uses.

[westend]

Hi Ambient Light,

So the OP talks about StarScapes and the scam that is buying the kit. It is also mentioned that GlowInc's paint is not worth the container that it's placed in.

No one from the GlowInc user community ever claimed to be an expert is all fields related to using phosphorescent materials. The post you refer to is about as far off topic as one could be: Using glow in the dark paint with soil. You certainly did not offer any advice on the post so you obviously have no better advice than the single reply. You also did not comment on anything else on the site and 99% of the site is based on other applications of the paint.

GlowInc is also a business and can charge whatever they want for the paint. So what if the powder costs x and they sell the finished product for 10x. The powder has to be held in a medium that can support the weight of the glow powder. Any regular paint medium oil, latex or ***** based will not keep largest powders in good suspension. Anyone who has done any serious work with powders in paint suspensions will know that letting the powder material sink to the bottom will, if not regularly agitated, like to congeal into an unusable glob. Paint pigments are many times smaller than glow powders and maintain good suspension in many commercially avalable mediums. The medium that GlowInc uses for both solvent and *****based paints, is specially made for glow powders, requires no stirring and holds the glow powder in good suspension. When you buy pre mixed paint you buy the complete product, which would consist of the powder, medium, container, time and research and a healthy profit margin. GlowIncs paints are not much more expensive than any other Glow compaines. However, GlowInc's support is second to none where other companies are purely sell and forget.

Those of use that use a lot of the paint actually buy the powder and use commercially available mediums. This does save money but has other benefits. We only mixup what we need for a job. However, a DIY, painting a single room or performing the odd job will be better served by using premixed paints.

Just as a side note. Telling everyone here that you have a business that deals with glow in the dark applications but offers zero beneficial advice or verifiable information just makes you look like a troll. Everyone is free to comment but if you're going to be negative about anything then you need to backup your claims with valid comparissons. No one wants to be ripped off and I for one do not consider GlowInc to be ripping off their customers.

Best regards,

[ambient light]

Westend,

Never said "GlowInc's paint is not worth the container that it's placed in" but I am saying it is not a "secret formula" where it justifies close to a 400-600% profit...clear gel paints are no secret and will suspend the particles just as easily.

As for the GlowInc user community ever claimed to be an expert is all fields related to using phosphorescent materials, never said that about the community, just the company. When GlowInc tells someone to use the encapsulated powder to spread all over the soil and it won't be absorbed is ignorant.

As for the troll comment, that shows your immaturity. When Skylighter shows up on a thread and tries to direct people to GlowInc website but forgets to disclose he is Glowinc...that is a troll. I know who I am; I know what my company does. My company manufactures a product that is bio-degradable and is placed on trees and shrubs by hunters, hikers and rescue where a 1/2" circle can be seen clearly over 350 yards away 6 hours after dark.

Anybody who wants to have some good glow paint do this...go to your local boating store and pick up some clear gel paint or a resin clear coat...you can use regular ***** or oil based and you will have to keep stirring it, order glow powder from pretty much anywhere on the web (all glow powder is the same stuff no matter what anyone says, it's just the sized particles they carry. There are over 56 options between colors and sizes, UV active and encapsulated. Ask GlowInc for their complete list and see if it is higher than 56) use particle size 20-40um... the larger particles glow brighter but do not last, the 20-40 glow bright and hold a pretty consistent glow after the first hour for the duration of the night. Green is brighter but blue will last just as long. The best ratio to mix is 35-40% glow powder by weight, you can go as high as 2 pounds per gallon like GlowInc but the paint will wear faster due to the amount of powder.

Places try to charge an arm and a leg for the paint but it is quite reasonable to do yourself. My company does not offer direct customer sales but a reasonably priced place to get good powder to start off with is www.readysetglo.com, one pound will cost about $55. A good place to get clear gel coat on line would be http://www.fibreglast.com/showproduc...10.html...gues ... total cost is $190 for a complete gallon of glow paint and this is at retail price, a wholesaler like myself or GlowInc pay less than half. The real trick to brightness besides a white backing is having a thicker layer of whatever the medium with the glow powder is in. ***** base is poor because it is a thin layer when applied, but a resin is thicker.

Another hint, most honest retailers do not make more than a 100% profit on an item depending on the merchandise. The average profit is 35-50% not 600%.

So to answer your statement Westend, no it is not fine for GlowInc to charge over $450 per gallon. It's to GlowInc's benefit if people are that wasteful of the money they have. Sorry if you are uncomfortable with the fact that I deal with commercial applications involving glow powders and not novelty items like drumsticks and stars. I'll stick with high-rise escape routes and safety applications where the states and federal government dictate the quality and duration of the glow, something I highly doubt GlowInc could even begin to finance or figure out.

[ambient light]

Westend,

Never said "GlowInc's paint is not worth the container that it's placed in" but I am saying it is not a "secret formula" where it justifies close to a 400-600% profit...clear gel paints are no secret and will suspend the particles just as easily.

As for the GlowInc user community ever claimed to be an expert is all fields related to using phosphorescent materials, never said that about the community, just the company. When GlowInc tells someone to use the encapsulated powder to spread all over the soil and it won't be absorbed is ignorant.

As for the troll comment, that shows your immaturity. When Skylighter shows up on a thread and tries to direct people to GlowInc website but forgets to disclose he is Glowinc...that is a troll. I know who I am; I know what my company does. My company manufactures a product that is bio-degradable and is placed on trees and shrubs by hunters, hikers and rescue where a 1/2" circle can be seen clearly over 350 yards away 6 hours after dark.

Anybody who wants to have some good glow paint do this...go to your local boating store and pick up some clear gel paint or a resin clear coat...you can use regular ***** or oil based and you will have to keep stirring it, order glow powder from pretty much anywhere on the web (all glow powder is the same stuff no matter what anyone says, it's just the sized particles they carry. There are over 56 options between colors and sizes, UV active and encapsulated. Ask GlowInc for their complete list and see if it is higher than 56) use particle size 20-40um... the larger particles glow brighter but do not last, the 20-40 glow bright and hold a pretty consistent glow after the first hour for the duration of the night. Green is brighter but blue will last just as long. The best ratio to mix is 35-40% glow powder by weight, you can go as high as 2 pounds per gallon like GlowInc but the paint will wear faster due to the amount of powder.

Places try to charge an arm and a leg for the paint but it is quite reasonable to do yourself. My company does not offer direct customer sales but a reasonably priced place to get good powder to start off with is www.readysetglo.com, one pound will cost about $55. A good place to get clear gel coat on line would be http://www.fibreglast.com/showproduc...10.html...gues ... total cost is $190 for a complete gallon of glow paint and this is at retail price, a wholesaler like myself or GlowInc pay less than half. The real trick to brightness besides a white backing is having a thicker layer of whatever the medium with the glow powder is in. ***** base is poor because it is a thin layer when applied, but a resin is thicker.

Another hint, most honest retailers do not make more than a 100% profit on an item depending on the merchandise. The average profit is 35-50% not 600%.

So to answer your statement Westend, no it is not fine for GlowInc to charge over $450 per gallon. It's to GlowInc's benefit if people are that wasteful of the money they have. Sorry if you are uncomfortable with the fact that I deal with commercial applications involving glow powders and not novelty items like drumsticks and stars. I'll stick with high-rise escape routes and safety applications where the states and federal government dictate the quality and duration of the glow, something I highly doubt GlowInc could even begin to finance or figure out.

[ambient light]

I forgot to mention Westend, you can buy v-10 green glow paint "the brightest known glow paint" at http://www.4physics.com/catalog/prod...roducts_id/396 for only $357 a gallon.

[ambient light]

As a warning to anyone wanting to buy from Glow Inc. they are being sued in Federal court for patent infringement as we speak for copying a patented glow powder. Case 1:208cv03379 in Maryland Federal court. Is it a scam to use someone else’s patented idea????? Damn those trolls!!!

[westend]

Hi Ambient Light,

I apologize for using the "troll" label with you. I was merely pointing out that it's not beneficial to the thread to post no constructive comments.

Thank you for adding more information.

Without reading the full court record I would assume that the case is with regards to Nemoto's LumiNova. If this is the case then they would probably be going after every manufacturer of SA based glow pigments. From what I understand GlowInc sources their pigments from another company but I don't know what level of engineering GlowInc does itself. This would not make selling paint a scam but more of an unfortunate mess.

Also take a closer look at 4Physics. The text on a lot of their pages is identical to that of GlowInc. Also the images they use are the same as GlowInc. They also claim to obtain the product from a company in MD. GlowInc is in MD. They charge the same price for powders as Glowinc. Yes the V10 solvent paint is a lot cheaper. However, it's not advisable to use the solvent paint indoors due to fumes. Even with the windows open the room is left unusable for several hours after application. The painter must also wear a NIOSH rated mask. What would not surprise me is if 4Physics is actually buying the "***** based" paint from GlowInc by the gallon and reselling it. And they probably buy their powder and make up their own solvent based paint.

Actually a lot of retailers make more than 100% over cost. Jewelers make a stupendous profit. Clothing retailers using offshore manufacturing, such as China, mark up items costing a few dollars make to many times that at the retail end. Case in point. When my wife and I got married we went to Robin Brothers to look for a ring. We found a nice ring, but it was only white gold and $2000. We bought the ring and had a international jeweler merchant friend of ours ship the ring to Hong-Kong to be copied by her artists. We had the ring back in one week with the new ring, identical and now in Platinum. We returned the store bought ring and only paid $600 for the better copy. And I'm sure there was still a nice profit there too.

Best regards,

[Skylighter]

I do not think it is a secret that I am an engineer for Glow Inc. My posts are all over the Internet trying to help people with "glow" solutions. Note that I did not advertise Glow Inc in my earlier post. My intention was just to point out that free information is available.

Ambient Light, your technical statements about our products are simply incorrect.

We do mix our paints at 2 pounds to the gallon.

v10 is considerably different than the glow powder from the companies you mentioned. It is also considerably more expensive to manufacture than you state.

Our medium is custom developed for glow pigments and can maintain shelf life. The specs far exceed anything you can buy off the shelf.

4physics is a legit reseller of our products.

[ambient light]

Westend apology accepted about the name calling. The issues with Glow Inc that I have, Skylighter, are several. As a major player in the commercial end we come up with products that we deem fit to patent so we must do an exhaustive patent search and your website is included in that search. While scanning your site for anything that might prohibit a patent from being issued, I (and others) couldn't help but notice the very bad advice that you yourself were giving in some posts. To humor myself I started looking at parts of the website I normally would not look at in a patent search and saw the ridiculous prices you were charging. Now I am not saying other novelty sites do not charge on the higher end also...but let's be realistic. You are being sued by Nemoto & Co., Ltd. and United Mineral & Chemical Corporation because they hold the patent on the powder you are selling and you have it mentioned in several publications and websites that you "went to a small village in China and brought the powder here." It does not matter if you have someone in China make the product and you import it to sell it...it's against the law! We buy from Nemoto and I know the cost of the powder and it does not justify $498 a gallon. How is it we can buy the powder, mix it in our medium and have large commercial sales with it (and make a profit) at a cost of $235 per gallon to our customers? We even do military contracts and OEM.

v10 only has an advantage for the first 1/2 hour for brightness and after that it is equal to every other long glow powder and in some cases worse and is not fit for application. 4physics is a legit reseller of your products and under selling you by $150 per gallon. They are selling 30% less than you and still making a nice profit. You sell to them and make a good profit my guess is close to 60-100% depending on the volume. Joe public should only be paying 30-40% above what 4physics pays, that is normal.

Westend I also said most honest retailers do not make more than a 100% profit on an item depending on the merchandise. Jewelry is an exception just like others. Glow powder is a 100% mark-up and they both come from over seas so guess what...shipping cost and customs.

Sell your powder for $160 per pound but stop the BS argument that making the paint has a justification of an added $338, "Special super secret mix" or not unless it is so good you have a patent on it (which I cannot find nor do you state as you would by law). Thickining agents for paint are not expensive.

You have been in the glow business for eight years (since 2001) by your own admission on the web and publications. Stop guessing when you give advise, like spreading powder on the soil, and bring your prices into reality (your lower amounts are better to swallow than your gallon). The way you do business is really tempting me to offer our products to the general public in smaller amounts and half your cost AND include our 10 year money back guarantee.

I'm all for small business but not when it gouges.

[Skylighter]

And your company name is?

[ambient light]

A company that makes damn sure it does not infringe on other's patents.

I'll give some hints...you do the research
1) One of the owners pioneered powder coating with glow powder
2) One of the owners used to own the largest fishing tackle company in the 1980's grossing over $45,000 a week, every week for 12 years
3) I am one of the owners
4) One of the owner's fathers was the first person to start importing and using glow powder for reasons other than novelty stars in the 1950's
5) There are four owners

I must get back down to serious work now. Hope you do well with the Federal lawsuit and I really do mean that. These types of lawsuits can utterly destroy a company financially.

[Jumpin]

All these people say Starscapes is a rip off - if so, show what the package contains. Take a picture and post it where others can see what it really is.

Also, what is the recommended meduim for the glow powder? A clear base?

[Jumpin]

Leonronoco . . .

What happened to the site?????

[Majikmike]

I just want to thank all of you fine people for the good information about the business! Any more info anyone can think of would be greatly appreciated!

[PamminAlong]

Have you had time to work on the website yet? The address appears to be parked.

[hfrinkle]

Personally I like them. My kids really love the way their room looks at night. Sometimes they even want to play aliens with the lights off.