Frank Rogala

An Open Letter To PRweb.com

Please refund the money I paid for my current press release immediately. Even though I am a long time, multi year customer - I am weary of struggling with PR Web and am doing so for the last time. Earlier today, I could not get the PR Web interface to send an email to me so that I could verify it. I contacted you through the chat interface and the rep was able to verify it manually and get it done. Then within minutes, after I had left the office, I was contacted by an email saying the name of my new music single, "Bitches Like Me," was "explicit." I'm not sure what ancient guidelines you are using, but even for broadcast TV that word ("Bitches") is commonly used (especially if it isn't in an abusive context). In this context the female performer is using the word "bitches" to describe herself, to make a sociological statement about being objectified. Even though the word "Bitches" is an important keyword and NOT used in a abusive, obscene or inflammatory way, I removed it and did what was suggested and changed it throughout the release to B*****s. Just to check, I did a Google "news" search for the word "Bitches" and there were 172,000 results, with many citing titles of episodes of broadcast network TV shows, NPR, BBC News, the Houston Press among many, many others. Unfortunately, none of the antiquated PRWeb interfaces would allow me to use either an ipad or an iphone to update it so it took two hours before I was back at a computer where I could resubmit it. But, again, I had to contact support again when revising the release as it would not resubmit. This seemed to be due to the fact that there was a field for a URL which I had not completed. When I filled it in (with Smashmobmusic.com), the release would not verify, again, without an email from that URL. This would be the same URL that I had to contact support about earlier to get manually approved because the PRWeb system would not properly deliver and email to it. With the help of support on chat we were able to get past this and get it resubmitted. Then, when I checked my email, I AGAIN got a notice that I had to again change my release. When I looked at it again - all the revisions I had made were gone and the release still said "Bitches" throughout. Also the URL, I had added with the help of support earlier was missing. I again updated the release, removed the word "Bitches" and resubmitted." I got another editorial bounce back (again citing "explicit or abusive language), and when I checked this time, the word "bitches" and my revisions had saved and the word did not appear in the release. I am weary of struggling with the cumbersome administration, outdated and limited accessibility of the PRWeb interface. If you cannot now approve my release as it is now (the word "Bitches," has against my better judgement been removed AGAIN), it seriously is not worth the money, and struggle again contact support to put out a release through PRWeb without a main keyword (in a song title I am announcing) that in 2016 is not used in an explicit or abusive way. I want a refund for this release and be advised you have lost a long time customer.

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