Speak Asia issues clarification over wrongly claiming clients

Mumbai, May 16 (PTI) Survey group Speak Asia Online (SAOL) today said it has worked for companies such as Bata, Nestle, Airtel, ICICI and ING Vysya but has not provided commissioned services to them amidst media reports that the company had falsely claimed them as their clients. "We have interacted and worked with these companies. But we have not provided any commissioned services to them," Speak Asia India's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar, told reporters here. SAOL is a company where consumers pay around Rs 11,000 for a membership which will allow them to conduct some surveys online for the firm. The members also get paid for filling those surveys. It is believed that the Rs 11,000 investment could be recovered within 3 months. There were reports that during a trade fair in Goa, SAOL marketing team had claimed that ICICI, ING Vysya, Bata, Airtel and Nestle were its clients. However, it was later reported in some sections of the media that the companies denied having any business connections with SAOL. "There has been some miscommunication in the media about our relationship with the companies. Our marketing team had during a trade fair in Goa said that the companies were our clients. There has been some factual errors on our part. I apologise to the companies on behalf of my team. We have only worked with them," he said. When asked if the company was allegedly violating the regulations of RBI, Kumar said, "the regulations of the RBI are regarding foreign exchange transactions. We have followed all the guidelines in regard to the forex money transfer.ICICI and ING Vysya are involved in forex remittances for us.We have no banking business with these banks." On the Goa government conducting an inquiry against the company, he said, SAOL has not received any official communication on it. "We will provide all the details to the authorities if there is any investigation. We have all the necessary documents. We have not done anything wrong. But if we are found guilty, we are ready to face the consequences," he said.PTI PSK JJ VKV