In January I detailed the saga of my procurement of the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy from Showbiz Promotions. Coming from a family of dog lovers, inhumane treatment of dogs, dog fighting and animal cruelty in general is a subject I don’t take lightly. I had heard about the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy before and loved the idea of it. With the holidays around the corner (back in November) I had thought it would make the perfect gag gift for my sister who had studied at Virginia Tech and owned a dog.
Unfortunately, the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy was not what it was guaranteed to be. After waiting for the toy for nearly a month, the toy was quite different than advertised. Besides looking different, the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy was guaranteed against destruction. That guarantee – along with the toy itself – was tossed into the garbage after 20 minutes. Showbiz Promotions, the company I had ordered the toy from would not issue me a refund of my purchase.
Apparently I was not the only one who had a problem with the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy and Showbiz Promotions. The website www.ripoffreport.com lists almost 60 separate complaints against Showbiz Promotions and President Jamie Salcedo. The Better Business Bureau lists over 175 separate incidents against Showbiz Promotions. (Here is the link for the Better Business Bureau’s report on Showbiz Promotions.) Complaints against Showbiz Promotions range from failure to deliver the chew toy, the quality of the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy, the unresponsive “customer service” and more.
After writing the original article I was contacted by Darren Usher, President of Aim to Beginn, LLC, proprietor of the website www.officialvickdogchewtoy.com, former business partner of Jamie Salcedo and Showbiz Promotions; and yet another who has a problem with the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy. Darren Usher is selling the “Official Vick’s Dog Chew Toy” and says that the original idea for the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy was his.
Having a fulltime job already and therefore not being able to undertake a “great endeavor” Mr. Usher sought partners for his idea. After pitching the idea for the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy, he partnered up with Showbiz Promotions, a company with contacts within the world of internet promotions and marketing. They “slapped together a website to see if there was any interest” in their venture. Indeed there was, the Michael Vick dog fighting scandal was a national story, grabbing headlines on ESPN and CNN alike. Usher says that the interest in the toy was “phenomenal” and his website quickly attracted over one million visitors.
The opportunity was too good to pass up, so Showbiz Promotions, Jamie Salcedo and Darren Usher created a prototype for their toy and began shopping for a manufacturer. The original design for the toy was that of a “hollow cavity toy” which would be safe and sturdy. The only manufacturer the group could find to make such a toy was in China. The group began accepting orders for their product and the money went directly to, “Jamie [Salcedo’s] PayPal account, which was linked to his personal bank account,” according to Usher.
Well some of you may have heard of a little scandal involving manufacturers in China, lead paint and major recalls. The manufacturer of the Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy was shut down. In September of last year, after more than a month of accepting orders without a finished product, the group began requesting and accepting refunds for the failed toy which Mr. Usher says they “gladly processed”.
Darren Usher and the group formed a separate LLC, Aim to Beginn with plans to find a new manufacturer and finish the job they started. The goal was to protect both their investment and the consumers who already ordered the product. With a new manufacturer in hand (T-Mak International) they planned on being able to get the toy out by December. The new manufacturer, “Guaranteed in writing the safety of the product. That the product would be free from lead based paint irritants and not only that but they could produce a product that would meet our quality standards.”
This is where things began to spiral out of control. Jamie Salcedo decided that December was too long to wait and that there was too much money on the table. Money – keep in mind – which he already had in his personal bank account despite not fulfilling any orders.
Showbiz Promotions decided to use the manufacturer American Precision Products, which could deliver the product quicker. The problem was that they could not produce the hollow cavity toy of the original design. Usher says that it was, “At that point that [I] didn’t want any association with that product.
Against the best advice of his partners and legal counsel, [Jamie Salcedo] refused to transfer the funds collected from his personal account to the company account and subsequently disappeared.”
Darren Usher paints Jamie Salcedo as a “rogue individual” who, “Thought he could do it all himself.” He continues, “Unfortunately, he left… and with his departure, all the money. So we sought legal counsel to try to seize the funds and we are still in that process.” Aim to Beginn, “Believe[s] that [Showbiz Promotions] is in direct copyright violation.
“We are actively pursuing Jamie through the legal channels. We want him to stop manufacturing and stop selling the likeness of our product. We own the trademark to the product.” (Aim to Beginn’s trademark application has actually been rejected due to the likeness of an NFL player. While the application is reviewed further, Aim to Beginn can still apply the trademark to their product. You can view their trademark status by visiting www.uspto.gov and searching for number 77300948).
“It has cost us thousands of dollars in attorney fees,” Mr. Usher laments. Even more regrettable is that there are still over 2,000 people that have not received either or a toy or a refund. Aim to Beginn is reaching out to those customers in an attempt to make amends by offering 2-for-1 deals. But without the original funds, of which Showbiz Promotions has apparently absconded with, they cannot simply create the toys without funding. While they are able to take new orders and are working on ways to help the thousands of people who never received a refund or a toy, the money that paid for those original orders is, at the moment, gone.
As Aim to Beginn and the Official Vick’s Dog Chew Toy continue to take orders and contact the original buyers, they are also making efforts to contribute towards charities. Usher states that Aim to Beginn has a goal of 10% of their revenue minus costs being given to dog fighting, animal cruelty and animal care charities. Additionally, they are holding eBay auctions with 25% of the proceeds going to charity.
The Official Vick’s Dog Chew Toy (and the fraudulent Michael Vick Dog Chew Toy) was originally created to gain awareness about dog fighting. After all, Usher classifies himself as an animal and dog lover who was disturbed by “the utter disregard” towards animal life displayed my Michael Vick and his dog fighting ring. A venture meant to be socially responsible towards the wrongful actions of dog fighting and animal cruelty became a disastrous – some would say criminal – enterprise.
Here’s to hoping that Darren Usher and Aim to Beginn make good on their promise and continue to give to charity while finding a way to rectify the situation with the thousands of unsatisfied clientele that placed their orders last August. Here’s to hoping that Jamie Salcedo and Showbiz Promotions are held accountable for their actions, their lies and their unfulfilled promises.
