Business ProfileforJava Enterprises, Inc.

On April 28, 2015, BBB Serving Metropolitan New York released an alert to the public concerning reports of a work-at-home envelope stuffing scheme claiming to be based in the Rockland County area.

After receiving several consumer inquiries in January, Metro NY BBB identified a work-at-home company doing businesses as “Java Enterprises” at www.javaindustries.com. This website has an appearance and program offerings that are substantially similar to those in a website at www.masongraceenterprises.com for another work-at-home operation called Mason Grace Enterprises (Mason Grace). Metro NY BBB previously conducted an investigation and found deceptive or misleading advertising practices by Mason Grace, resulting in a press release in August 2014, which can be viewed here: http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/news-events/news-releases/2014/08/complaints-to-bbb-point-to-deceptive-work-at-home-scheme-in-nyc/

Metro NY BBB found notably similar automated voicemail messages recorded for the numbers of Java Enterprises (877-702-0777) and Mason Grace (844-404-2020). Both recordings say that due to a high volume of callers the company can only offer live customer service to paying customers.  “It’s common for work-at-home schemes to revolve around an offer of high earnings for very little work,” said Claire Rosenzweig, President and CEO of the BBB Serving Metro New York. “While these offers may sound enticing, consumers who buy in often find that they actually end up losing money.” Like Mason Grace, Java Enterprises mails solicitations to individuals advertising income opportunities for mailing letters from home. The solicitations sent by Java Enterprises are nearly identical to the ones sent out by Mason Grace. These mailers invite consumers to order their envelope-stuffing materials in various amounts, with the highest income group offering suggesting that it’s possible to earn “$5,000 or more weekly.” Java Enterprises also sends out offers for what appears to be a work-at-home booklet stapling program, and a special mailer program, which appears to solicit recruits for the booklet stapling offering. Both Java Enterprises and Mason Grace provide near-identical terms and conditions for refunds on their websites in a section titled “Business Opportunity Rule,” located in the middle of a roughly 7,000-word document. In this section, on the Java Enterprises website, it is stated that results are not guaranteed, and that “it is possible to achieve no results even if method is implemented correctly.”

Java Enterprises claims an address of 400 Rella Blvd., Suite 165, Montebello, NY  10901, which is the address for a Regus Business Center offering virtual office services, such as mail drop, day offices and meeting rooms. In addition, their website and recorded voicemail message cautions consumers against coming to the reported location without a confirmed appointment with customer service, which cannot be obtained unless one is a paying customer. To date, Java Enterprises is not registered as an active entity with the New York Department of State Division of Corporations. The domain for the www.javaindustries.com website is privately registered with GoDaddy. In January, Metro NY BBB sent Java Enterprises a questionnaire which requested background information about the business. Metro NY BBB did not receive a response to this request or to a follow-up questionnaire sent in February. By April, two complaints about the deceptive advertising practices of Java Enterprises had been filed with Metro NY BBB, and both complaints have closed without a resolution for the consumer. Mason Grace Enterprises continues to generate complaints, with 43 complaints filed with BBB to date; seven of those remain unresolved.

The principal operators of Java Enterprises are believed to be the operators of Mason Grace Enterprises, which was the subject of an investigation for deceptive or misleading advertising practices. BBB has a separate Review on Mason Grace Enterprises, which can be viewed here: http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/business-reviews/work-at-home-companies/mason-grace-enterprises-in-new-york-ny-147782?