Local businesses burned by ad agency?

BEAVERCREEK, Ohio (WDTN) - Chris Caswell is beside himself because he thought he could recognize a con from a mile away.

"That was the first time someone has ever worked me over like that."

He and his wife Tisha were looking forward to serving up more sandwiches when they signed on to advertise through the National Advertising Center. According to their invoice, the NAC is located in California.

"And we were suppose to advertise in their book and I was going to be on the front page and I had the first half of the bottom lower page and it was going to be in the Meijer, in the racks at Meijers."

The Meijer store, located on Colonel Glenn Highway, was a perfect place to let shoppers know where their Beavercreek Submarine House was located because its practically across the street. However, Chris said he never saw one booklet in the shopping center racks and investigated where his ads were showing up.

"Just from me confronting them over the phone so many times, finally they told me that it was in the Krogers."

Chris says the NAC placed a few booklets more than 4 miles away, outside of his delivery zone, at A Kroger store on Dayton-Xenia road near Xenia. Caswell called the distribution company to see why the Meijer store never saw the ads he bought.

"The dominion distribution which owns the red shelving in Meijers has never been in contact with the NAC before."

The Caswells figure they were tricked out of their hard earned money.

"I've given as a down payment I gave them 719-dollars and I still owe them 15-hundred and 60 dollars."

Chris and Tisha say they're not alone. Other Beavercreek companies like Jones Landscaping, Greek Isle Deli, and Kings Table are in the same boat signed on to the same or similar deal the Caswells signed up for.

"Being a small business like this you know 700 dollars is almost a third of what we make in a month you know, we have two children so its important to try to get that money back."

Now, the Caswells are working on a new strategy, along with other business owners, because they say there's power in numbers.

"I'm hoping that we can all gang together and beat them."

I spoke to the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce, they're warning all businesses against the National Advertising Company. The Better Business Bureau has logged more than 170 complaints against the NAC in the past year.

More information to an inportant update: 7-13-09