I should probably have clarified what I was saying. I agree with you.

I have no problem when anyone is charging reasonably expenses for whatever they’re providing, on either side of this.

For example:

If someone wants me to investigate a site that’s over 100 miles away, I want them to cover my travel expenses. (That said, my current work rarely involves investigating private homes or businesses at the owners’ requests.)

If a site has to pay staff or even extra heat, a/c, and/or electric bills, I think it’s reasonable for them to charge if they’re opening the site at the request of the investigating team. (If the site is requesting an investigation to clarify a possible haunt at the site, that’s a different matter.)

I understand a site requiring a damage deposit, as well.

But, if it’s an event — something open to the public — and significant profits are involved, I think everyone who’s part of the event should have their expenses covered, at the very least. (However, when it’s a fundraiser for an historical site or other non-profit, I generally waive any fee and return most or all they’ve paid to cover my travel expenses.)

Where I have a big problem is when a site is charging $1000+ for an overnight investigation that simply involves unlocking the building, and there are no other expenses (real or potential) for the site.

My concerns are compounded if the site isn’t especially active and/or if groups are trooping through there weekly. In my opinion, there’s a good chance that the visits will dilute the energy and make serious investigations less productive. (By contrast, if people are just there for a “good scare,” the residual energy of successive, frightened individuals can actually increase the activity.)

As I said, I’m nodding in agreement with everything you’re saying, and I appreciate the opportunity to clarify my earlier statement. Sometimes I post in haste, and don’t realize how general my comments may sound, especially to people who don’t know me in real life.

Cheerfully,
Fiona

Aside from the places that charge exorbitant amounts, I would not consider this to be a scam, though.

I’ve worked in a few haunted places and I’ve found that while they may be interested in having research done, it is in no way a priority for them that they would ever consider paying anyone to do it. They generally already know the place is haunted and getting proof is a matter of mild curiosity.

On the flip side, all of the haunted places I have worked at get a LOT of requests to do investigations there. What investigators don’t generally realize is that it takes staff time to deal with that. I work in a small historical house museum that has 3 regular staff members, none of whom work for full time pay despite often putting in full time hours just to make sure that the basic work gets done. Allowing someone in to do an investigation would require having at least one staff member be on site during the investigation for security purposes. For insurance purposes, this would have to be a paid staff member, not just a volunteer. The museum could not afford to pay them for the overtime, nor could it count as part of their regular work hours. So, they would have to be willing to do it on a unpaid basis. We get at least 2 requests a week from groups wanting to do investigations there. Even just the time it takes to handle the inquiries adds up. If they did allow the investigations, you also have to factor in the amount of staff time it takes to interview the investigators to make sure that they aren’t just thrill seekers, do a reference check, and to set up the investigations. Most places just don’t have the staffing to handle that. Even the large historic theater I used to work at dreaded getting inquiries about doing paranormal investigations there because they simply did not have the manpower to cover the extra work it would cause them. They did break down and compromise this past year by offering a ghost tour and classic horror movie package on Halloween for $20.

My experience is with the non-profit sector, but with the economy the way it is, it’s probably the same case in the for-profit sector.

If anyone wants more insight into why museums have the policies they do regarding paranormal research and how to work more effectively with them, I have a blog about that up at http://hauntedhistorycolumbus.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-to-work-with-museums.html

Your username — which may or may not reference Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti (the former Russian Committee for State Security) — was enough to set off my alarms.

Don’t use HollowHill.com for your arguments with a third party.

You said, “BY the way website monitor the posting by ‘scamwatch’ is slanderous AND erroneous.”

That sentence makes no sense. In addition, your use of the word “slanderous” is erroneous. Slander is a malicious, false, and defamatory spoken statement or report. If you use legal phrases like “cease and desist,” at least be consistent; you lose credibility by using the word “slander” when you mean “libel.”

You also said, “If the post is not taken down legal action will be pursued . This is a fact.”

That’s redundant; most people assume that a statement is a fact.

However, I will not take down my post. It names no one and never has. It simply explains how to conduct research to identify possible scams and con artists. There is nothing illegal about that, and threatening me with a “cease and desist” order makes me wonder what you’re hiding.

If, in your comments, you were actually referring to the reader’s comment, that’s another matter. I have deleted most of that comment because I will not allow Hollow Hill to be used for juvenile bickering and accusations of any kind.

Ms. Gilbert, all future comments by you and your family will be deleted. In addition, all comments containing the Gilbert name are now sent directly to this site’s spam folder for deletion, unread. Relevant emails are being flagged.

If this harassment continues, I will contact the Hayward, Oakland and Capitola, California, police and district attorneys. Your IP addresses have already been logged from this site and from Gilbert-related emails sent to me.

Ordinarily, I’d delete the entire thread containing your comments. However, I’m leaving it online to make my point clear and expose your personal attacks: I do not tolerate this kind of childishness. Legal action will be taken as necessary.

Sincerely,
Fiona Broome
Portsmouth, NH

Generally, I avoid naming anyone in particular, and I don’t know anything about Ms. Gilbert-Soto or Gilbert Enterprises.

I encourage people to conduct their own research, ignoring bias or what others say, and verify the individual’s actual claims. That’s where any lies are, and — ultimately — the basis on which to decide if the person is trustworthy.

Sincerely,
Fiona

[Remainder of comment removed. See my comment after the "KGB" comments.]