American Standard American Standard Preyed on Innocent Homeseekers Ventura , California
In March of 2010, I was searching for a home to rent in the local newspaper and came across an ad for homes to rent. I contacted the company only to find out that I needed to pay a fee of $199 to use their service. The agent stated that if, at any time, I was not satisfied with the service I would get a refund. I agreed and signed up over the phone since there was a money back guarantee. It was not until after I signed up that I discovered what they were really about.
Even though they advertised in the classified section (for rent) of our local newspaper as a rental agency, the site promised something totally different; to help with the purchase of a home from distressed owners. All we needed to do was send letters to the owners stating that we would like to take over their payments and help alleviate the burden of foreclosure. Because they led me to believe that this was a sure-fire program, I submitted a total of 87 letters to addresses provided by American Standard Online. Nearly all of those letters were sent back to me from the post office with the following status: \"return to sender\" or \"undeliverable\".
Apparently, these homes are no longer occupied or have already been sold. I sent 7 of these returned letters back to the company and sought a refund. I was told that I could not get my refund; that I need to have 5 letters of denial from the owners. I don't see how that is possible since the letters always go unanswered or owners are no longer in the homes. I think what I have sent should be sufficient enough proof that I am not getting the promised results.
At the time that I signed up in March of 2010, I was in desperate need of a place to live. Luckily, I was able to secure something on my own last April 2010. I have been seeking a refund for the past 12 months. The other part of my complaint is that when I call to complain, they either take 15 minutes to answer the line or they put me on hold for 20-45 minutes each time. When I finally reached a representative, he told me I was not giving the program a chance. He then accused me of trying to be slick and said I was a liar.