Passages Malibu sent a baseless trademark infringement claim

I always get upset when I see this company's stupid, untruthful commercials on TV.  I have a cousin who lost a raging, lifelong battle with drug use.  The spokesguy/owner on these TV commercials says, "I once was an addict; now I'm not..."     There is no such thing.  An addict is always an addict.  The addictive personality, the underlying psychological and emotional reasons for self medicating and you have to go to meetings, therapy and/or take medication for the rest of your life.  You don't just "get over it" and are cure as these POS imply, and acupuncture and making crepe paper flowers isn't going to do it.   Just the fact they'd get so upset because people complained that they don't want random, unsolicited phone calls from them shows this arrogance and a need to make sure nothing bad is said about them, but you can find tons of posts on the internet from people who were there, know someone who was there, and it didn't work or go well.  They're upset about a phone call?  Gawd,.

Diane, 'The spokesguy/owner on these TV commercials says, "I once was an addict; now I'm not..."  '   "There is no such thing.  An addict is always an addict."  Enough said....

As an Adult Child Of Alcoholics, I was destined to be one or marry one and as an overachiever - I did both. I want to smack that guy so bad. I wish there was a VR Bluetooth glove so I could smash that smirk off his mouth. In a non-violent loving and caring way of course.

See, I should read the side bar more often, too!
That was a good one.  And if they Really want to give themselves fits, they should read their Yelp reviews.  The three I read got a grand total of 3 stars for all three of them!  As in all 1 stars.  We all know how someone earns 1 start.  There's no designation for Zero!
One other thing that stood out in an ad for Passages Malibu is the statement that one doesn't have to follow a 12 step program.  Aha!  Like the owners, "guests" in the rehab program won't have to face accountability and consequenses either!
And Resident 47, if this is your site, Thank You!!!  You've helped my block a Whole bunch of calls, as in just got a 3rd land line to handle the next 250!  (Running out of phone jacks.)

That's been part of my point. Why throw fits at one website hosting, at the time, a single remark, unless Pass-gassages thought 800Notes would be low hanging fruit? They evidently have missed how previous dirtslingers like "Adam Wins" and Primerica got their tails handed to them in knots after their own "Streisand Effect" storms.

As to site ownership, it's uncertain to me since its founder retired and vanished three years ago. Admin would doubtless enjoy the kind words. I'm afraid I can't explain the applause spiking here in my direction. My role is simply as contributor like countless others. In one sense the site belongs to you and I and all users, and in that sense we assume partial stewardship in trade for the privilege of tapping out comments.

Geez, I remember "Adam Whines," the Bothersome Bookie.  Not as thick or as amusing as Defective Ronnie, but his meltdowns were something to behold.

Quote:

"I once was an addict; now I'm not..."

- Is not only a lie, it is damaging and misleading.  False hope, deliberately disseminated propagates false beliefs.  The cold damp fact is that rehab corporations prosper by the failure of their "programs"; they depend on repeat customers.  Better still, the failure is easily caulked up as being the addict's responsibility - the company is immunized and blameless.  Rehab joints call that a business plan.  I call that a Racket.

I am also a ACOA and I have seen addicts make amazing changes. Sometimes sudden, unexpected and against all odds. Sometimes that change comes with pain, out of sorrow.  Others make it look easy.  But in 40 years, I have never once heard anyone of those people claim they are not an addict any longer.  Put the old furniture in the basement, but you still need to keep your house clean.

MILLION DOLLAR IDEA - A VR BlueTooth Glove, I need a PAIR!
FIgure it out and KickStart/CrowdFund that one... Hurry before you get SchenZended* (A Booming Tech City In China that is currently as law abiding as the Wild West was.I did not make that word up, it means your intellectual Property gets Hijacked, mass produced and sold worldwide at both an impossibly low uncompetitive price and typically reduced quality - think "THe Torq Bar, AKA: Fidget Spinners" )

Truth in advertising, I am not sure whether it is Pa$$age$ or another place but the last testimonial on the commercial the BOY says something to the fact "If my parents had good insurance, maybe I too could have gotten help." I was like "BOINK - I Could Have Had A V8" to wash down my non-existent need for rehab.,
Hey, We got really expensive *top tier insurance, can we sponsor that "Unfortunately Diseased Boy?"

*(It is the only choice our Employer offered us last enrollment - Thanks ObamaCare - except of course we always have the right to decline, and/or either pay the IRS penalty for not having the mandatory Minimum OR 2nd Mortgage (for a third time) the House to afford the UHC 'Private Rates' - which are more expensive for less coverage for us in the DC/MD/VA area AND provides for between Zero and Super-SubPar Benefits.

PS.  Final words: Thanks "Not Evil" Resident47 and all the other contributors!

Great post!

[N.B. What follows below is solely an exposition of personal opinion]

Happened to visit the site for the first time in quite a while when I noticed this thread.  Passages' m.o. had a familiar ring to it so I did a little searching on "Passages Malibu" and "Scientology".  It would appear that my "spider sense" was picking up on old patterns.  See: https://tonyortega.org/2013/03/11/leaked-scri ... -rehab-network/

Those of you with access to A&E should watch Leah Remini's series on Scientology.  The Rubenesque Brooklynite went up several notches in my approval list when she broke with this cult.  Little Ronnie Hubbard may have been a cheezy-sleazy third rate sci-fi author, but he was a first class creep.  To those in their thrall, directly or indirectly (i.e. friend or family in their clutches), my sympathy.  Over one billion dollars allegedly in their coffers - some non-profit.

To our beloved site owner, take care.  These folks have very deep pockets, and a nasty reputation.  They may seem harmless and ineffectual in the light of the complaint they filed, but they are not.  They apparently managed to beat the government of Angela Merkel into submission and get taken off the government's watchlist.  Former members allege all sorts of "beyond the pale" actions.

If you aren't fully up to speed, you really need to watch all of Remini's shows - particularly those where they are being followed around by "security", and those where people tell what Scientology did to them (allegedly abductions, imprisonment, curious deaths).

Apologies for the lack of login.

-??-

P.S. Hello to all old timers.

"I once was an addict; now I'm not..."

That claim is part of the standard Scientology/Narconon line of BS.

Here is another link of interest: http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/narcanon-scientology

Please keep in mind that whoever I may be, I am not logged in, even if some of you think you know who I am.  Links from an unknown source should be treated with care.  Any time there is reason to be concerned about a link I suggest that you go to startpage.com and enter the link in the search field.  Hit enter and when you see the page in the search results click the small link (near top of the result, but underneath search term) that says: "proxy".  That will let you safely visit the page while hiding behind Startpage's servers.

I strongly suspect that this is a thread which may eventually be at risk for malicious posts.

One, your fear was realized before your arrival, and two, your input joins my own reasons for caution. Thank you and stay dry.

Looked up those two sites-the first one (tonyortega) is out of Malaysia, Japan and Panama. The fact this person brings up religion? I fail to see the basis of what they're linking.

I take it to mean that Passages and the Hubbard groupies are conceptually if not actually related. I think they're both quite defensive of territory, mental and financial, which they obtain unfairly. I haven't found a stronger link thus far. I did see in the reporting on Narconon that their own telemarketer talkoff scripts refer to Passages, among others, as inferior competitors. However, I've reason to know that our "wanderer" doesn't float a theory without cause, therefore I've not dismissed it.

Thank you for explaining. I still question the validity of the one link however

This is the kind of tactic the Church of Scientology has often employed. Oh by the Passages Malibu my be a front for that organization.