Rainmaker Media / Rhonda Kelley review: Work paid for not completed 4

Please heed these words closely: do not give a single cent to Rhonda Kelley (a.k.a. "Brilliant") or Rainmaker Media. Save yourself a lot of anger and frustration.

This is a business that has no problem with "dropping" a paid client without ANY compensation of funds paid (she still owes us $600 roughly for work not done and has literally blocked every email address that we send communication from).

What good does posting here do, you ask? Well, we have investigated (a) filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which cannot be done since Rainmaker does not have a physical business address but only a PO Box. (BIG RED FLAG) and (b) looking into legal action in small claims court to pursuit justice with this thief, which cannot be done because we are located in California and she is located in Massachussetts. Since there is no legal recourse available that would not cost more than what she owes us back, we are moving on to more constructive and positive pursuits.

Other major red flags: a personal-looking aol.com address for your PR communications (yes, I'm serious) circa 1996, a website that is barely passable for any serious business, and rude & abrupt communications via email when normal, business-oriented questions are asked to someone you paid money to (she acts like she is doing you a favor...)

A loosely worded email and spoken agreements via phone do not equate a contract. Don't enter any PR relationship without clear terms and a contract, since what we were told would be 6-months of PR outreach suddenly became "rougly 50 hours" once we requested specific services or outreach that Rhonda did not consider "her job". If you break down what we paid to an hourly rate, I don't know what this ill-connected and mentally unstable woman was doing with this time but it wasn't working with her client to ensure that publicity and PR needs were met.

I won't get into logistical details in this comment thread, but have email trails to prove everything that has been raised here. When we (after paying, unfortunately!) confronted Rhonda about the negative comments on this very site, she attributed it to "a crazy person". It's plainly evident now that she is the crazy person after her explosive, unprofessional, and malicious mass email after we requested to cease services due to dissatisfaction with the progress/terms and politely requested a refund of the remaining funds. Yes, she mass emailed (via BCC) who knows how many outlets and attempted to "blacklist" us. Something no sane, professional, or respectable PR person would *ever* do. Essentially, she not only stole the remainder of what we paid her without completing the work, but also tried to directly undermine the work we DID pay her for.

A professional, experienced, and transparent PR specialist may be worth the money you spend to promote your band (I say "may" because other factors come into play and if your band sucks you will have trouble getting reviews anywhere - not a PR persons fault). However, be warned that Rhonda Kelley and Rainkmaker Media ARE NOT A CREDIBLE OR LEGIT PR COMPANY. We had other options for our campaign and now look back at our decision with a heavy heart and much lighter wallet.

Please do not make the same mistake. Stay away from Rhonda Kelley and Rainmaker Media at all costs. I hope that karma acts itself out on some level and she finds herself out of work or in jail for the people and bands she has screwed over.

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