Columbia HouseAvi Klammer Unilateral (Unauthorized & Unannounced) charges to my card; Terms of Contract not Kept; LOUSY customer service (Lack of EASY access to communication with company) Terre Haute Indiana
Below is a copy of my recent e-mail to Columbia House:
Att: Your LEGAL Department!!!
***REPLY REQUESTED***
RE: My Membership Termination
Due to your company's practices, DISGRUNTELED customers like me are ALIENATED...!
1) I've recently received your correspondence (following my similar e-mail correspondence to you (as of July 20th, 2007), sarcastically, requesting you "to remind me NEVER to conduct any business with Columbia House-or: C.H., in short)"-you NEVER bothered to ASK me WHY...!!!
Only THIS, by itself, NEGATIVELY reflects on your customer service & reputation of C.H.
2) When attempting to contact you (for help)-you have the "honor" to rate among THE WORST in terms of customer accommodation & service: your "officially"-published (listed)phone lines (toll-free & regular) seem ALL to be "so perfectly" (deliberartely...?!?) connected to same SENSELESS & USELESS recording (even after accessing ALL available phone prompts-including the option to speak to a customer service representative)-something to the effect of: "All line are busy. Please try your call later OR: Sorry, we cannot connect your call at this time. Please try your call later"-WITHOUT leaving me, one of MANY paying customers (your business providers-NOT for too much longer...!) the COURTEOUS option to HOLD the line (WAIT for a representative-which should be ANY customer's PREROGATIVE)!!! Again, goes to support 2nd paragraph of item # 1, above!!!
2) You've TERMINATED my account (CLOSED it) WITHOUT any PRIOR written COURTEOUS FOREWARNING (via e-mail/regular mail), although my term contract with you has NOT expired!
And DESPITE any LEGAL specification(s) in your business contractual agreement with customers (made public or not, online or otherwise) to the effect of: C.H may reserve the right to introduce any changes into its contractual terms & agreements-including: terminating/closing accounts WITHOUT any PRIOR notice (PARAPHRASE!)-in MY case, under THESE particular circumstances-this does NOT pass muster...!!!!
3) You've CHARGED my account (WITHOUT my knowledge, agreement or AUTHORIZATION-NOT leaving me the choice of choosing amounts & timing of payments (of MY MONEY)!!!!!! An OUTRAGEOUS & absolutely ABNOXIOUS PRACTICES!!!
4) in your July 30th, 2007 ("AFTER-THE-FACT") USPS-mailed notification letter to me (which I keep in my possession), your are (Gee! SO UNPROFESSIONALLY...!!!) stating (quote):" we billed the card you are using all the required as...for a due on contract charge" WITHOUT even stating the amount(s)...!!!
Are you in your "RIGHT MIND"??? WHAT'S UP with that????
(And the list goes on...)
5) in your same above-mentioned letter (item # 4, above), your stating: "In light of that payment..." (NOT MINE-as it was NOT made VOLUNITARILY by me...!!)..."we have enclosed certificates that correspond to the number of units in your due on contract charge. You may use them to order your remaining selection(s) by contacting us at 1-888-467-7404".
DOWNRIGHT LIE!!!! NO certificates have been enclosed in your letter to me. Do you wish to know what was REALLY enclosed (and I also have it as evidence, in my possession!): a RETURN of product/merchandise mailing label...That's all...!!!
Which, if "not" done INTENTIONALLY (in a premeditative manner of for this purpose) but rather "accidentally"-then, yet AGAIN, it just UNQUESTIONABLY goes to REINFORCE the level of your INCOMPETENCE & most POOR service(s)!!!!
6) your above (afore)-mentioned letter is very UNPROFESSIONALLY signed (there's NO name &/or signature of ANY INDIVIDUAL behind it-unless an INCERDIBLY-sophisticated "MACHINE" has generated it...
Boy, do you still have LONG way to go to become a DECENT business-conducting company...!!! This is also based on long PAST (not current) membership "FLUKE" history with C.H. (which I've managed, in meantime, to forget about-which accounts for my having so ignorantly renewed my membership-as reflected at present-a mistake I'll make sure never to repeat...!!!
=======================
ATTENTION!
a) I am keeping a regular & photographic copy of this e-mail, on record!!
b) being an EXTREMELY busy person, I do NOT have the luxury of spending extra time in dealing with C.H.'s "irregularities". Therefore, I hope that all outstanding issues will be resolved on the best side (from my customer perspective, at least...!) & most expeditiously.
I absolutely consider receiving a SERIOUS letter of response from your CORPORATE offices (& even its LEGAL branch), addressing most (if not all main) points/grievances in this e-mail (INCLUDING a specification of a WORKABLE. "LIVE-PERNONNED" contact phone number to C.H.-for purposes of possible questions & clarifications) to be a quick & positive way toward resolution!
HOWEVER, should there be no adequate (satisfactory) response (within a REASONABLE time frame, starting from this-coming business day of Monday, August 6th, 2007-a regular business day when C.H. resumes activity & you will be able to read this mail), I shall make it A POINT to avail time & efforts to handling those outstanding issues, possibly forcing me (albeit undesirably so) to take other measures (including legal action-individually &/or as part of a GROUP- seemingly, an unsurprisingly-growing number of plaintiffs who are have apparently, already formed...(!!!), without excluding any other option for action!)
c) Please note my NEW E-Mail Address-(designated only for correspondence in matters such as yours) is u.sisraeli@sbcglobal.net (& NOT u.sisraeli@comcast.net, anymore)!!!
Respectfully,
Mr. A. Klammer
is a copy of the e-mail which I very recently sent to Columbia House:
Avi
Oakland, California
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Columbia House
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Avi
Oakland,California,
U.S.A.
August 4, 2007-personal comment added (forgotten in first/original filing)
#2Author of original report
Sun, August 05, 2007
I've just remembered that what prompted me to subscribe to Columbia House was coming across their website: tv-show-dvds.columbiahouse.com
Then, when already well into my membership, I've discovered that I did actually NOT know/remember what my commitments to C.H. were. So, on same website (whose address is listed above) I've clicked on the link at bottom of webpage, called: membership details. All the information provided there seemed very "benign"...yet, two statments there:
We'll send complete details of how the Club works and your Membership Agreement in your introductory package
your membership is subject to the terms and conditions of our Membership Agreement, which we will send you with your introductory package, pretty much stated a LIE, as far as I'm concerned (& perhaps, other custoemrs, aswell?!?)!!! C.H. has NEVER lived up to it (has NEVER sent its terms & conditions policy "with introductory package" beyond what they are listing or have listed on the website (the address of which is above-mentioned).
This makes me think the following-please do read in CONJUNCTION with my EARLIER posting (my online letter to C.H.):
C.H.'s Terms & Conditions (as per contractual business agreement with customers) are NOT listed online (although such rules & regulations are same/uniform, with respect to all customers-individually & collectively-whether in CD or DVD Club. Each has-or, supposed to have, at least, its own pre-established rules, laws & regulations)!
Customers like me, who have NOT received those terms & conditions with introductory package (as their website-see address above) promises should rightfully claim that they don't know what they are (beyond what they've agreed to-what Columbia House promises in their faade- promoting image on the website, whose address is listed above & in response to the offer of which customers like me, subscribed to C.H.!
If C.H would claim it's shipped those terms & conditions to me (or any other customer/s)-the burden of proof is on them! Its their word against mine & (probably many other more customers)!
C.H. thinks it's fulfilled its legal obligation to customers by listing such meaningless statements (just words) online (the quotations of which follow below), choosing to deliberately ignore any risks involved in intentional or accidental "human error" occurrence-on C.H.'s part (not staffing envelope with appropriate material/info.) or letters (correspondence) delayed or lost in mail, but rather take such risks (instead of decently/honestly, directly & plainly taking the step of publicly posting their terms & conditions (rules, laws & regulations policy) online-for all to have access to & see (unless they feel they have something to hide)!!