The SSAW.io scam
SSAW.io presents itself as a company that helps young brands grow through their network of resellers around the world. It is not so. In reality, it is the young brands that will help SSAW.io, since the company will make money and credibility on their backs, without bringing them any customers.
The approach phase is well put together and the content of their website seems very professional. It talks about the different promotional seasons throughout the year and their ability to sell brands to resellers at the right time. They create a sense of urgency that makes you think that the sooner you commit, the sooner you can get on schedule and get sales into their vast network.
They have salespeople and an online Showroom where the brands are exhibited. Getting involved with them is not cheap, prices start at almost €2000. When you ask them about sales estimates, they remain evasive “we can’t know” but tell you that your brand will sell very well in this or that market. You will have a salesperson assigned and a real collaboration can begin. We are based on the principle of working for the long term.
Make no mistake, this is not about maintaining good long-term business relationships but about putting yourself on hold because the marketing process could be very long, or even infinite. But they don't tell you that.
You sign, you pay. They ask you for some information in order to target your market, then they disappear. The salesperson assigned to you will never contact you again, not an email. They also told you that there was no point in following them up, it is up to them to contact you as soon as a sale is in progress, so you wait.
After almost 4 months still nothing, so you send an email to your sales representative to find out where they stand. And he doesn't answer. It's the CEO who made you sign 6 months ago who comes back to you a few days later for a 20-minute video call where he will tell you that for the moment they have no results, that we need to be patient, etc.
Either, you wait, you trust them.
More than a whole year passes and they still haven't contacted you, not once.
I consider this to be fraud. I reported it to them, requested a refund and still have no response.
To summarize: you pay, they disappear. It's simple.
You gave your time, you paid for skills, a network and results. And you got nothing, absolutely nothing. Not a sale, not an email, no sales reporting. More than a full year later. It is not normal.
If the company was honest, they would refund or not commit to marketing brands without being sure they could do it. We don't pay them to play with our money. We pay them to get contracts with resellers.
It's been more than a week since I communicated my request. I sent numerous emails without getting any response. If I don't get the refund amicably, I will go through legal channels, at least so that the company is reported. Young brands need to know the risk they are taking by signing with SSAW.io. I will return to this space soon to communicate the progress of the file.
Update: following this review, the company SSAW.io finally contacted me to offer me an immediate refund, on the condition that I delete the review as quickly as possible. That's what I did. I wanted to believe in their good faith and I deleted it. 3 days later, I still had not been reimbursed. I contacted the CEO again and he assured me that he would process the refund the next day. The next day, nothing. Once again the commitment was not honored.
The rest of the exchanges consisted of always giving false payment dates; to lower the reimbursement amount; to give a multitude of excuses or reasons, each more bewildering than the other. In short: never respect a deadline; never to be repaid. We are more than 10 days after the commitment to an immediate and full refund and I still have not received anything. I therefore move on to the next phase: republication of the review, reporting and legal complaints.
Updated 04/04/2024
Our lawyer sent a letter of formal notice by registered mail to the company SAW.io for a final amicable appeal. CEO has not deigned to open it, probably to protect himself, because he knows he would lose in any court. But he was legally notified that he received and saw the mail addressed to him, even if he did not open it. We will soon go through the European courts to condemn this “company” which continues to defraud brands with complete impunity.
23 April 2024
Unprompted review