Complaint Review: Castle Credit Corporation

This happened around June of 2000. A small 3x5" card was left wedged in my screen door on Eglin AFB. I read it and had the feeling it was another bullcrap promotion to get me to buy something else. Well, after talking with my wife at the time, I proceeded to call the number and they said that I had won a steak dinner at the local steakhouse(Golden Corral, I think)if I would only come down to listen to their presentation on a "revolutionary way to shop." Heck, I was hungry and too broke to buy one myself, so I hadn't planned on signing for anything.

Well, we sit for their presentation, and just for listening to the quasi-seminar you get a free satellite system. Well, you also have to pay $80/month to use its bare-minimum package. During this seminar the guy proceeds to tell me how members can send in for $60 in coupons every month, and that they "legally" print out whatever product you want or for an equal brand; thus saving you $60 in groceries a month. Then, they tell you that you can look up a product, such as a cd player, call in and request they send you one for wholesale prices in two weeks. This saves you more. They have a dirt-cheap photo processing lab, so you can get all your film developed, with some of it free.

So, we fall for their scam and my ex-wife and I sign the papers. We get our satellite system, and $650 credit to our account to use in their catalog(all really cheap crap you pretty much know will be broken in a couple of months...and it did). After a couple of weeks we receive the coupon books to request items(three $20 books). We send in for them. The cheap gifts eventually arrive and they're expended in a matter of days. The coupons arrive, and this is the kicker: someone in New York(postmark)had cut out coupons from the local paper for brands not even sold here and sent them out in a personal envelope. It was postmarked Aug 11. The coupons EXPIRED IN AUGUST!!! Needless to say, I was UPSET. I ended up calling in and saying that I wanted to cancel my membership. Well, you have 3 days from signing the paper to renig. The kicker is that my wife wasn't 18 yet and was signing the papers. They even let us out of there without signing the paper that stated that(so we wouldn't see it, I guess). Now, I owe them $1900+ with %18 in interest which totals to around $2300. Nice.

I would've taken them to small claims court, but I didn't have the money, nor have I had it since to even file(right at $100 to start the process). I was also trying to buy a car, and the suggestion of just stop paying them was out of the window so I could keep my non-credit history instead of starting out with bad credit. I have filed a complaint with the Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services. I would file with the BBB, but I've given up. I lost the paperwork on it during a scrambled move, so now I'm stuck. My advise, DO NOT TRUST THEM. Also, they have an alias of sorts as American Development Association. Extremely aggrivated...

Steve
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
U.S.A.

STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!