Complaint Review: Ceuticell (AtCost Fulfillment)

I placed an online order at ceuticell.com for a 15-day "risk-free" trial of Ceuticell Anti-Aging Cream on the evening of May 3, 2014. My printed Order Receipt states an order date of May 4, 2014 (even though printed on May 3) and Order Number 25863. I was charged $4.95 for shipping & handling, and according to the terms & conditions to which I agreed when placing the order, I understood that I would have either 14 or 15 days (likely 15 since a contradiction in a company's own legal language generally goes to the benefit of the consumer, not the company stating the terms) of trial before having to cancel my account to avoid being charged $89.97 for the product.  The terms & conditions also state in the immediately preceding sentence that the company allows 3 to 6 days for shipping time for the product; they notably do not state that the consumer should allow 3 to 6 days for receipt of the product.  At no time do the terms & conditions state that the term of the trial begins on the date of the order.  Instead, the implication of what the terms & conditions affirmatively state is that the customer will have a minimum of 17 days (14 of the 15-day trial and 3 of minimum shipping time) from the day the order is placed to cancel without being charged $89.97.  I called to cancel my account on May 20, 2014.  According to the narrowest of my calculations, this should have been the last day within which I could cancel my account without incurring further charges from Ceuticell.  I called customer service at 1-866-461-9877 to cancel my account.  I was connected to a customer service agent whom I told I would like to cancel my trial and would not like to be enrolled in the autoship program.  The agent cancelled my account for me and asked if I needed anything else.  I asked about returning the unused portion of the Ceuticell product, and the agent told me there was no need to do so (contrary to the statement in the terms & conditions which says I would have to return the unused portion of the offer in order to finalize my cancellation).  I thought I had received a lucky break and would be able to save myself the time and expense of return shipping.

Moments later, I checked my bank statement online and saw a charge of $89.97 to my account through my card that posted today, May 20, 2014, from CEUTICREAM (apparently that is what Ceuticell calls itself on credit card charges).  I immediately called the same number at Ceuticell to protest the charge and request that the amount be refunded right away.  According to customer service at Ceuticell, in spite of being unable to read me any part of the terms & conditions that states that the 15-day trial term begins on the date an order is placed (rather than the date an order is delivered, 3 to 6 days after the date of the order), my cancellation was not within the trial period.  Customer service agent "Joseph" (ID number 1111747) went round and round with me for thirty minutes, never conceding that my reading of the terms & conditions was reasonable, but vehemently reiterating that the trial starts on the day your order is placed, and the charge is nonrefundable.  "Joseph" also repeatedly refused to transfer me to his manager, stating both that he was the manager and that his manager was not receiving calls at this time.  When I asked for his job title, he said it was supervisor.  When I asked supervisor of what, he said "supervisor of this company."  Eventually, he offered me a 15% refund.  Naturally, I replied that I wanted a full refund of the improper charge, and we continued to argue in circles.  He then offered me a 35% refund after I stated that I would be filing complaints and possibly charges (the second of those being a bluff due to time and expense).  I continued to restate my beliefs as outlined above and request to speak to his manager.  "Joseph" then attempted to terminate the call at which point I begrudgingly acquiesced to his 35% refund offer since I really had no other recourse at that point.

This is not an honest or honorable company.  I feel that I have been swindled as well as mistreated as a customer with genuine concerns and requests that were repeatedly rebuffed or ignored by this man.  As a final note, toward the end of our conversation, "Joseph" informed me that our conversation was being recorded.  I asked him if he was aware that it was illegal to record conversations without informing the other party prior to conversing.  He did not reply.  The physical address for this company is in the state of Georgia.  The law in Georgie may be that only one party has to be informed of the recording in order to record a telephone conversation legally, so I may or may not have been right about that.  However, the illegality is not in question for anyone calling this company from any of the twelve states that require both parties to the recorded conversation be informed.  I abhor the sloppy and disrespectful way that this man and Ceuticell do business, and I feel that Ceuticell has essentially stolen money from me by improperly charging my card and refusing to refund the full amount charged.