Prayers for a Price? Online Christian Prayer Center Gets Criticized for Business Model
A self-proclaimed Christian church in Seattle is offering prayers for a price, and consumers are crying foul.
Better Business Bureau is warning buyers about the Christian Prayer Center, an online church that offers "thousands of prayers" in exchange for a credit card payment starting at $9.
Using the model of prayer circles and congregation-wide invocations, the center seeks to utilize the infinite accessibility of the internet to answer members' requests.
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"Our mission is to provide the strongest network of group prayer to Christians around the world. The Bible tells us that through agreement in prayer, the Lord shall grant us all that we desire," the center states on its website.
"Local churches and small group prayer lists have been a wonderful way to share the blessings of prayer, but these methods are limited in their ability to rally the true power of thousands of voices all praying in agreement. The Internet has enabled us to build a massive congregation to lift your prayer requests to a whole new level," the center adds.
Consumers have taken to social media to speak out against the Christian Prayer Center, describing it as a "scam," with some users accusing it as being runned by a person who has no religious affiliation, but rather seeks to make a profit off of those in need.
The "Christian Prayer Center Scam" Facebook page encourages Christians to avoid the website, stating: "The owner of the website is not a Christian, they are not ministers, they ask for your credit card and will continue to charge it and NO ONE WILL PRAY FOR YOU. They are a scam website that says 'Thousands Will Pray for You' – NOT TRUE. Dont give anyone your credit card number and don't pay for prayer!"
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) for western Washington, Oregon and Alaska states on its website that the Christian Prayer Center is not accredited.
The majority of consumer complaints for the center on the BBB website relate to billing and collection issues, with buyers arguing that they were duped into paying for a monthly subscription for prayer when they had made only a one-time request.
One consumer argues that once they realized they were going to be charged on a monthly basis for their prayer request, they asked for a refund, which was not granted, although the business did ultimately agree to cancel the subscription.
"I feel like the web site was deceptive in automatically enrolling me into a monthly contract without stating that up front. So I don't believe it is a legit prayer site," the consumer wrote. "If this was a real prayer center they would not have a problem with a refund just to show their sincerity of their mission. But I believe this guy's mission is to rip people off."
The Christian Post reached out to the Christian Prayer Center for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Although the Christian Prayer Center has received negative reviews on the BBB website, its company website features alleged praise from a host of subscribers.
The prayer center offers prayers on a variety of issues, including relationships, finances, health and healing, faith, wellbeing, and general requests.
In its policy section, the website also promises a full refund of charges if a request is made within 30 days of the purchase, as well as immediate cancellation of services upon notification.
Those wishing to not be automatically billed on a monthly cycle must click the "no thank you" button at the end of their transcation to avoid a recurring fee.
As KOMO News reports, state records show that the Christian Prayer Center is licensed under businessman Benjamin Rogovy, who previously made headlines in the Seattle area for paying homeless people to wear advertisements for his gaming company.
Washington Assistant Attorney General Shannon Smith told the media outlet that in reference to the Christian Prayer Center, it is important that consumers remain aware and educated before inputting their credit card information.
"What I would recommend people do, is spend some extra time, and look at the terms and conditions," she said.
