Who Owns the Bubblews Building?

Another hot topic right now is- Who owns the Bubblews building?  Bubblews is currently located in a building that sold for $8.5 million in August of 2014, right around the time when thousands of Bubblews writers failed to receive their redemptions. It has been speculated that the Bubblews staff purchased this building under the name of an LLC. 

If you would like to read my previous post regarding the Bubblews move, you may do so HERE.

After doing a bit of research, I found a copy of the signed deed transfer from the San Francisco Assessor's office. It shows that Pacific Bay Ventures, LLC, Pacific Cove Enterprises Limited of 2721 Pacific Avenue in San Francisco California, 94115 now owns the building. 

You may need to click the photo for a better look. A closeup of the address is also below.

After doing further digging, I found that Pacific Bay Ventures, LLC is indeed a registered business in the state of California. However, I cannot (as of this date and time), find anything regarding Pacific Cove Enterprises. Could they be the same company, with Pacific Bay being the parent/umbrella? It is very possible. Until I find more information, this is only an assumption. 

It was also brought to my attention that LuxSpace Properties has been trademarked by Pacific Bay Ventures, LLC. 

 

When looking for the owner of Pacific Bay Ventures, I keep coming across the name Thesia Saleh, as you can see from the screenshot below. 

Who is Thesia Saleh?  I know that his last recorded address is 2721 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94115. I know he is in his 40's. I also know that he is a Scorpio. Does he know any of the Bubblews staff personally? I don't know.

Arvind Dixit Gives Advice to Entrepreneurs

Everyone has been speaking of the decrease in visitors to Bubblews, as well as its steadily falling Alexa rating and inability to pay its writers. Most individuals noted that a major pay decrease happened around August of 2014. You would imagine that at this time, Dixit would have been focusing on how he could satisfy his writers and keep his website afloat. Ironically, he was busy writing a rather lengthy blog post, instructing others on how they can keep their business growing.

Many times Dixit has made the comment that Bubblews is NOT 'all about the money'. That seems quite contradictory to his blog statement: "Focus on growing a business that makes money from the beginning, not after you’ve built something several years later."

Dixit's article can be viewed on the Innovation Insights website HERE.

Jason Zuccari's Father Funds Bubblews

If you have read the Bubblews Terms of Service, you may have noticed they have a Designated Copyright Agent listed in Fairfax, Virginia. The information is as follows, as taken from the Bubblews website:

Many people have called this number in hopes of reaching someone who can give them information regarding Bubblews staff and/or redemptions. They are met with disappointment, as this number and address belongs to Hamilton Insurance Company, as you can see below.

You may be wondering why Bubblews would direct its users to contact an insurance company with copyright issues. Let us take a deeper look at Hamilton Insurance. This company is owned by Alan Zuccari. The company also employs Jason Zuccari. Surprised? Me either. 

Now, let us take a look at one of the funding sources for Bubblews. Arvind Dixit has made it well known that Bubblews was funded by 2 rather large companies who invested money because they believed in Arvind's vision so much. As you can see, one of these companies is AJZ Capital, LLC, which was founded by none other than Alan Zuccari, owner of Hamilton Insurance and employer of Jason Zuccari. The screenshot below shows when AJZ Capital was founded by Zuccari.

How long will Zuccari's father help Bubblews stay afloat? Has he thrown his hands up at the venture? I suppose only time will tell.

Address and Photo of Bubblews Headquarters

For anyone who would like to know, the address is for the Bubblews office is 527 Howard St, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105. Their building is pictured below. You can see the trademark Bubblews' '&' symbol hanging in the window if you look closely.

Is Bubblews Withholding Redemptions to Pay for Updates?

You may have read a previous post of mine regarding Bubblews and greencards. That post can be viewed HERE.

After doing a bit of research today on Bubblews' H1B status, I found that Bubblews has hired an international Product Developer for a tidy salary of $65,000, effective in September of 2014. As if that wasn't enough, they also set up an Interface Designer with a salary of $44,750.

Click on the photos for a better view.

Notice the start date on both of these promised salaries? Could this be why Bubblews can't pay its writers- they are using all of their money to pay the salaries of international workers to upgrade their site, after they moved to a new building in a zipcode whose cost of living is twice that of where they located in the past?

What do you think?

Bubblews Staff Member Caught Stalking Facebook Groups

I had previously posted about spies on Facebook (read it HERE.) Several members of a Facebook group called 'Bubblers Group' were removed after speaking openly regarding the shady practices of Bubblews, as well as missing redemptions. Somehow, the words being typed in a 'closed' group were being reported back to Bubblews.

When joining a Facebook group, always make sure to check the list of members before posting. You never know who may be repeating your words. For instance, Barret Barnes (Marketing Director for Bubblews and known as &Bear) is a member of the previously mentioned group. These staff members keep quiet in these groups, so you would never know they are there unless you search the member list.

**Update 1/10/2015**

It has come to my attention that Barret Barnes (aka &Bear) is making comments on posts in the above mentioned Facebook group of people who are speaking negatively about Bubblews. Several seconds after Barnes makes his comment, he deletes it. My opinion? He is doing this just to take screenshots to show the other staff that he is 'sticking up' for Bubblews, but doesn't want anyone to take screenshots of what he says. Childish? Yes. Sneaky? Yes. But that is in true Bubblews fashion.

 

Can I Sue Bubblews?

 **I will add more information to this post as I come across it.**

Another popular question floating around out there is- 'can I sue Bubblews?' Well, that is a simple question with a rather complex answer. There is a lot of information to cover here, and I will try my best to keep it organized.

The Arbitration Clause

The Terms of Service on the Bubblews website, which was updated on December 11, 2014, states:

USERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE NOT ALLOWED TO REGISTER TO ACCEPT PAYMENTS WITHOUT THE WRITTEN APPROVAL OF THE USERS’ PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN. USERS UNDER THE AGE OF 13 ARE NOT ALLOWED TO VISIT OR OTHERWISE USE THE SITE, AND WE DO NOT KNOWINGLY COLLECT INFORMATION FROM SUCH PERSONS.

A Supreme Court Judge

THESE TERMS OF SERVICE PROVIDES THAT ALL DISPUTES WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING ARBITRATION AND NOT IN COURT OR BY JURY TRIAL. YOU ALSO AGREE TO RELINQUISH YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE AS A CLASS REPRESENTATIVE OR CLASS MEMBER ON ANY CLASS ACTION CLAIM YOU MAY HAVE AGAINST BUBBLEWS.

What exactly is an arbitration clause? An arbitration clause is used by many websites in an attempt to keep a client/user/customer from suing them in a court setting. This clause requires all disputes to be settled by means of an arbitrator. An arbitrator is an independent person or body officially appointed to settle a dispute. In other words, a business will include this clause in an attempt to keep themselves out of the sight of a Judge.

An arbitration clause will also prevent the public from learning whether any allegations against the company are substantiated, meaning even if a company is guilty of wrongdoings, you will not know.

There are Two Types of Arbitration Clauses
There are two types of arbitration clauses- a clickwrap agreement requires the customer/user/client to click “I Agree” or something similar in order to proceed registering or using the site; a browsewrap agreement is posted elsewhere on the website and doesn't require any affirmative action by the consumer. It is simply listed somewhere on the site, such as in the Terms of Service.

Is an Online Arbitration Clause Enforceable?
Because more and more websites are hiding their shady practices behind an arbitration clause, many courts are overlooking them. There are a growing number of individuals successfully suing website companies, despite the site's arbitration clause.

In Nguyen v. Barnes & Noble Inc., 2014 WL 4056549 (Aug. 18, 2014), the Ninth Circuit concluded that a conspicuous link to the site’s Terms of Use posted throughout the site and in close proximity to a checkout button was insufficient to find an arbitration agreement enforceable in the absence of a user’s express agreement to the online Terms. (This entire article can be viewed HERE.) This is not the only case out there where a claimant won a case against a website that had an arbitration clause.

In short, just because a website features an arbitration clause doesn't make them 100% protected from litigation.

Fraudulent activity can result in arrest and jail time.

Bubblews Fraud 
Many people are crying 'fraud' regarding Arvind Dixit's statement that made it clear that he misrepresented the amount of monies to be paid to his writers. In his 'Perseverence' post on January 2nd, 2015 on the Bubblews website, Dixit stated: "We reported lots of money that we didn't have. The money that you 'earned' never existed."

Now, let us take a look at the definition of fraud. Depending on where you live, the actual definition of fraud can vary. However, the general elements of fraudulent activity include:

1. A misrepresentation of a material fact- Dixit certainly did misrepresent the amount of money his writers were earning. He misrepresented the fact that the company had any money to pay at all. According to his own words, the money being earned never existed.

2. The material facts are being represented by a person who knows they are false. Dixit knew he the money never existed, yet did not disclose this fact to the website's users.

3. The misrepresentation was made to an individual or group who justifiably relies on the misrepresentation. Hundreds of users there relied on this promised money to support their families. This fact was made clear to Dixit on many occasions.

4. The user suffered an actual injury or loss as a result of his or her reliance on the misrepresented information. I have seen many accounts of international individuals that were unable to provide food for their families for a period because of monies being held by Bubblews.

1) a misrepresentation of a material fact; (2) by a person or entity who knows or believes it to be false; (3) to a person or entity who justifiably relies on the misrepresentation; and (4) actual injury or loss resulting from his or her reliance. - See more at: http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/fraud.html#sthash.FYhVlC8q.dpuf

1) a misrepresentation of a material fact; (2) by a person or entity who knows or believes it to be false; (3) to a person or entity who justifiably relies on the misrepresentation; and (4) actual injury or loss resulting from his or her reliance. - See more at: http://criminal.findlaw.com/criminal-charges/fraud.html#sthash.FYhVlC8q.dpuf

Did Dixit commnit fraud? Many people would say 'yes.' Fraudulent business activity can be considered either civil or criminal in nature, depending on where you live.

Back to the Terms of Service
As most members of Bubblews can tell you, the site's Terms of Service are changed whenever a member of the staff takes a notion. Can a website change their Terms of Service as much as they like? Yes. HOWEVER, the website owners MUST notify its users of any and all changes made to the Terms of Service. Simply changing them does not mean the user automatically agrees to them.

Whenever a website changes its Terms of Service, it must notify its users and allow them the opportunity to agree to them. As stated by a group of judges for the Ninth Circuit- "Parties to a contract have no obligation to check the terms on a periodic basis to learn whether they have been changed by the other side. Indeed, a party can't unilaterally change the terms of a contract; it must obtain the other party's consent before doing so... This is because a revised contract is merely an offer and does not bind the parties until accepted." You may read the entire article HERE.

Do not let the staff of Bubblews trick you into thinking that just because you stay with them as a user means you automatically agree to every change in their Terms of Use. 

Can I Sue Bubblews?
I will not say 'yes' or 'no', as I am not an attorney. I will say that according to every legal website I have studied in the past month, Bubblews could possibly be successfully sued or even found guilty of fraudulent activity.

As I dig deeper into this subject, I will update this post. Please check back in the future.

Bubblews Moves to Costly Zipcode, Can't Pay Writers

On Tuesday, February 25th, 2014, Bubblews filed as a foreign entity in the state of California. What does this mean? Bubblews was originally based out of Fairfax, Virginia. When a business transfers to another state, they must file as a foreign entity. That is it. It is just a filing status for tax purposes. It applies to any business that transfers to another state.

Now. Here is the question that many people are asking- Why did Bubblews move if they are having trouble paying their writers? Well, Bubblews filed as a foreign entity on February 25th. It seems that the real issues with paying their writers didn't develop until much later- around August of the same year.

Bubblews is now located at 527 Howard street in San Francisco, CA. According to the Sperling's Best Places website, this particular zipcode is a fairly costly one. The Sperling site ranks the cost of living of various zipcodes in the United States. An average rating is 100. If a zipcode is fairly inexpensive to live in, its ranking will fall below the 100 mark. Anything over 100 is above average.

The zipcode that Bubblews chose, the overall cost of living ranks 253 on the Sperling scale. That is insanely high compared to many of the zipcodes in the United Sates. Do you see the housing cost? It scores a 547.

Screenshot from Sperling's Best Places.

Bubblews originally was located in zipcode 22030 in Fairfax, Virginia. This is a much more inexpensive place to live and conduct business, as you can see in the screenshot below.

Screenshot from Sperling's Best Places

So, the burning question is- why would a fairly new business who is still trying to evaluate their 'income' and how to pay their writers move to an area where the cost of living is incredibly high, instead of staying put and making a more sound plan for the future?

Here are a few ideas that have been floating around in various writer's groups- Could it be they wanted to be closer to family? Are the Bubblews staff trying to impress the media by appearing to have more money? We don't know at this moment.

All we do know for sure, is that Bubblews moved to a much more expensive area of the country to conduct business in early 2014, and in mid/late 2014, announced they did not have enough money to pay their writers. This kicked off thousands of writers being notified that they would not receive their earnings.

Bubblews showed inflated stats in the virtual banks of its writers. Arvind Dixit made this perfectly clear in his 'Perseverence' post on January 2nd, 2015 (which can be viewed HERE)-

"We reported lots of money that we didn't have. The money that you 'earned' never existed."- Arvind Dixit, CEO & Founder of Bubblews

*Assistant researcher: S. Golis. Golis is an assistant for hire that helps busy professionals research any topic. To contact her, visit her on Google+ HERE.

Beware of Bubblews' Spies on Facebook

Many writers from Bubblews belong to Facebook groups filled with members who either currently write for the site, or have deleted their posts and moved on. I would like to share a few words of warning- there ARE members in these groups that report your words to the Bubblews staff.

I am not going to point fingers at specific individuals, but I have become highly suspicious of several Facebook group members of doing just that. After doing a bit of research, it has become clear which members are guilty. I am only pointing this out so that all of you reading this will be on guard and choose your words carefully. These individuals are simply brown nosers hoping to keep their Bubblews accounts in good standing by tattling on others.

Not too very long ago, Bubblews customer support stated they had spies patrolling Facebook groups in order to catch 'like farms'. These little spies would report back to Bubblews, causing staff to delete the accounts of anyone belonging to these Facebook groups, whether they were guilty of 'like' farming or not.

Read the post by Bubblews' staff admitting to this practice HERE.

Bubblews Net Worth

This post will update as new information is found.

The following screenshot was taken today from the Website Worth Check website, which can be found HERE.

Is Bubblews a Scam?

**This is an ongoing post that will update on a consistent basis as new stories are being found.**

Is Bubblews a scam? This is the hot question right now. Individuals such as Paul Pruell have, unfortunately, not received the money they earned from their Bubblews posts. His experiences with Bubblews can be read in his article HERE.

Another informative article revealing the practices of Bubblews was written by Ricardo Gardener, which can be viewed HERE.

Another Bubbler by the name of Israel Romero was cheated out of $987.01. View his YouTube video proof HERE.

I came across this blog today, written by someone who is documenting their entire journey with Bubblews, from the beginning to where it is today. Check it out HERE.

Writers from the Examiner are picking up on Bubblews' wrongdoings, as highlighted in this article by Ryan Gamble. Read it HERE.

Arvind Dixit says Bubblew's Money Never Existed

Is Bubblews a scam? Decide for yourself. In his most recent post, Bubblews founder Arvind Dixit states the money earned by writers there never existed. Below is his Bubblews post, which can also be found HERE.

Quote from Arvind Dixit's post- "Our wording was a little obtuse here. The implications obviously weren't clear, so I'll restate this: We reported lots of money that we didn't have. The money that you "earned" never existed. We didn't "steal" it and go on vacations to Aruba or buy motorcycles. It just didn't exist."
 

Contact Information for Bubblews Staff

The following are screenshots of the business contact information for various Bubblews staff as of this date, which is public information. Of course, phone numbers can be changed, and emails ignored, but this is what is being shown as current information.

Interview with Arvind Dixit of Bubblews

It comes as no surprise that an interview with Bubblew's founder Arvind Dixit sheds no light on the thousands of unpaid redemptions or status of the website's future. Thomas Swan posts his interview with Dixit in this highly amusing HubPages post, which can be viewed HERE.

Bubblews Interim Designation of Agent to Receive Notification of Claimed Infringement

The following is a link to where you can find a copy of the  Interim Designation of Agent to Receive Notification of Claimed Infringement, along with an address and phone number of their copyright agent. Click on the link, then scroll down to find the link for Bubblews: US Copyright

Bubblews Files for Green Card Labor Certifications

After prowling around the internet for a bit, I discovered that Bubblews has a history of filing labor condition applications for H1B visa and labor certifications for green cards from different fiscal years. Here is the link to the Visa Door website where I found this information: Visa Door.

Why hire international help?  There are 3 main reasons. As stated on the Center for Immigration Studies website:

1. All temporary alien workers are indentured by the terms of admission to the United States, and do not have the ability to fend for themselves as do citizen and green card workers. When is the last time you read about temporary foreign workers forming a union?
2. Temporary alien workers are, in addition to their indentured status, recruited from among docile, authority-fearing Third World populations and are thus relatively easy to manage. When is the last time you read of massive admissions of temporary workers from lands with strong histories of worker rights, such as Canada, Sweden, or Germany?
3. Temporary alien workers are often younger than the work force as a whole, and employers can use (and rig) the rules to hire primarily young people via the visa route.

Read the entire article regarding the use of international workers HERE.

There may also be tax breaks for businesses who hire immigrants. A statement from the Small Business Administration website:

There may be tax benefits for your business if you hire individuals who qualify for certain target groups.  The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a federal tax program that offers incentives to employers who hire individuals from twelve target groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment. Refugees or asylees may be included in this group.

The entire article can be viewed HERE.