GRAB THE BUTTON CODE on the the sidebar

Welcome to Friday Frustrations, a weekly blog carnival dedicated to getting things off your chests whether big or small. If you would like to participate, grab the button and enter your Friday Frustrations link on Conversations with Moms Friday Frustrations Blog Hop.. You can write about several frustrations or just one. It’s up to you.

You don’t need to pick the same topic as I do. If you are participating, be sure to copy the Blog Hop code on your blog for participants to be able to easily share their links.

How do I summarize this story in such a way that I don’t scare readers away by it’s length of post?  There is so much to say but I will try to keep it short.

For those of you who have been following my blog regularly, you know that I’ve had a hard time losing the last 30 pounds of the total 67 pounds I gained during my pregnancy.  If not, you can read about my postpartum weight loss frustrations.

Well, I came across a website that offered a FREE trial of their Green Tea Purity.  I had heard about the many benefits of green tea when it came to weight loss and I figured well, what do I have to lose, it’s a free trial.  I quickly (mistake 1) read their terms and conditions and saw that I had a 14 day free trial.  I only had to pay $5.95 for shipping and handling.  If not satisfied, I can cancel anytime…blah…blah….blah.

So I ordered on June 16th.  I noticed a charge on my card on July 8th for a total of $93.34 from the company.  I called and informed them that I never received the product so how could I be charged for something I not only didn’t receive but never benefited from the 14 free trial.  The customer service agent responded that I did receive my 14 day free trial.  The free trial was only in case I changed my mind.  Huh!  that’s not my definition of free trial.  You decide, here is their Terms and Conditions.

When you order the risk-free trial of Green Tea Purity your credit card will be charged only $5.95 shipping and handling. You will have a full 14 day free trial period from your original order date to decide if Green Tea Purity is right for you. If you are enjoying Green Tea Purity, then do nothing, and at the end of your 14 day trial period you will be charged seventy-nine dollars and ninety five cents for the trial bottle you received.

O.k so this is where it’s important to read carefully.  It says that I have a full 14 day free trial period from the original order date. They forget to mention that it takes about 1 month before you even get your product delivered and will be charged the full amount before you receive it.

I canceled by phone on July 8th and asked for a refund since I had not yet received the product. I was on hold for 45 minutes but the customer service rep. confirmed that my membership was canceled and that I would receive a refund.  She told me to expect a confirmation email withing 48 hours.  Never received it.

I also emailed them the next day in order to get some written documentation.  I don’t get a response until July 13th, informing me that they have confirmation that I received the product (I had received it that very day) so I would not be getting the refund.  I followed the tracking number and saw that the product was shipped the day after I had called for a refund and cancellation of membership.  Coincidence, maybe, but I doubt it.

In order to get the refund, I had to get an RMA number, ship it to China, (although it came from Canada), follow a whole bunch of procedures and wait.  The other option was to get a $40 rebate.  I opted for option B because it would have cost me in time and money to ship it back.

Oh boy, the post is getting long.  O.K fast forward…. please bear with me.

** I never got my $40 refund.  Not only did I not get the refund but I was charged another $113 two weeks later for another shipment.

**I have over 10 pages of back and forth emails where I keep getting confirmation that my membership will be canceled but yet I’ve been charged over $220 for something that I’ve canceled over 2 months ago.

** My last email to the customer service representative I had been dealing with resulted in a “failure notice, message undeliverable”.

**I called my credit card company and disputed the last charge, plus I had to block my account so I wouldn’t get charged again.  My only credit card has been blocked for over 1 month.  Maybe that’s the only good part because I cannot spend any money on it. 

Moral:  If I would have done a quick Google search before buying, I would have quickly seen that I wasn’t the only one having difficulty in canceling their membership.  Several people got charged hundreds of dollars before it finally stopped.  I wasn’t the only customer who had to resort to blocking their account.

If I would have done further research, I would have seen that the amount of Green Tea that comes in the supplements, could have been bought at a local Health Food Store for about $15-30.

I am not calling this a scam because I did receive a product.  What I am calling this is terrible customer service management and maybe a little abuse in their refund system.

Take a lesson from my errors.  For me, Lesson Learned……I hope.