Good Morning, Mr. Chairman. My name in Lorraine Leiner, and I am a Medical Records Technician in Hartford, CT. Thank you for inviting me to testify today about my experience with an invention promotion company. In July of 1990, I had an idea for an invention. I had often noticed copier repairmen in my office lugging their tools with them and then having nothing to sit on when repairing the copy machine. After thinking about this problem for awhile, I devised a rolling tool chest which they could sit on while doing their repairs. I saw a television advertisement for a company which claimed they could help inventors get their inventions into production. The ad made it seem that they had stores to sell inventions, and that this company was the most successful invention company out there. I called their toll- free number for more information. They mailed me an "Inventors Questionnaire" to fill out and mail back, which I did, providing a rough drawing of my idea. Soon after, I received a telephone call from a salesperson named Ken Rogers. He told me my invention looked like a very good idea and that there was a real need for this product. He then told me all about his corporation and how successful they were in bringing products to market. He emphasized that the company was international with offices in Geneva, Italy and many other major cities. He was very believable. Next he sent me an agreement to look over and sign. I felt it looked reasonable, so I signed it. On October 19, 1990 I mailed it back with a check in the amount of $595.00 as stated in the agreement, as well as a prepared report of my invention. This was for the "Product Review" which was supposed to be a complete commercial review. I received the report around six weeks thereafter, and I felt it looked promising. It had an engineering review stating that there was a real need, a real demand for my invention. At this point, Mr. Rogers began calling me frequently. He spent a considerable amount of time on the telephone with me. Hindsight serves to show me just how smooth he was. He told me about other inventors and how successful they are and how they are being represented in Geneva and trade shows all over the world. I asked what would happen if someone at a show tried to steal my idea. Mr. Rogers assured me that they knew exactly who to deal with and trust in each country. I asked him how many inventions go into production with help from his company and he said more than any other company- twenty five percent. I told him I thought that percentage was too low. But then, instead of responding to that, he asked me how much I believed in my invention. I told him I believed there was a great need for such a product on the market, and I still do. He was very professional in his sales pitch- I was convinced. Now, every time I see a copy machine or a computer repairman working, I think its a shame because they could really benefit from such an invention. On January 29, 1991, I sent Mr. Rogers a check in the amount of $4,950.00 according to plan C of the agreement. Under that plan, I was to get 35% of the royalties from my invention. The Company would get 65%. This was the least expensive option. He wanted the money right away, apparently, so the company could represent me in Geneva at an upcoming trade show for inventions. I took the bait and have been kicking myself ever since for being so trusting. After they received my money, I never heard from Mr. Rogers again. I left him several messages to call me on his answering machine, but he never returned my calls. All my contacts with this company was now through their "Client Services Team", which I had never heard of before. The person I spoke to had no idea about my invention. I then started receiving packages around once a month. In these packages would be marketing mailings for me to send out to manufacturers inviting them to review my invention for possible production. These went to only ten companies per mailing. I got a total of five mailings through out the two year period. This was to make it appear that the company was doing something. The correspondence became less and less as time went on. The contract expired without a word from them in the last six months. Every time I called, I got transferred all around. I could never get through to Mr. Rogers or to any one who could help. I felt there was nothing I could do but to learn from these con artists and never trust anyone again. These kind of people are a cancer on society and they must be stopped. They prey on people who are trying to make a better life for people around them, and they pretend they will help inventors by offering false hopes. I feel betrayed, stupid, disgusted, cheated and hurt by these people. They would have been more honest if they had used a mask and gun. TESTIMONY OF LORRAINE LEINER before the SUBCOMMITTEE ON REGULATION AND GOVERNMENT INFORMATION on MARKETING PRACTICES OF INVENTION PROMOTION COMPANIES September 2, 1994