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  • Report:  #89875

Complaint Review: Consumer Response Group - AmericanFone

Consumer Response Group & American Fone give your credit card & phone information out to other companies. Also, The secret shopper List they offer is a rip-off! Santa Barbara California

  • Reported By:
    Louisville Kentucky
  • Submitted:
    Sun, May 02, 2004
  • Updated:
    Sat, August 05, 2006
  • Consumer Response Group - AmericanFone
    25 W. Anapamu St.
    Santa Barbara, California
    U.S.A.
  • Phone:
    800-706-5508
  • Category:

I ordered the Mystery Shopper program by phone. The person I talked with explained that I would receive a course and take an open book test on the course, then I would receive assignments and be paid for them. (average $25.00-$50.00/ assignment)

He said I would receive 3-5 assignments a day. He also explained that their would be no out of pocket expense, that they (the company) would pay for everything up front. The ONLY expense I would incur would be the $59.00 initial cost of the course + shipping.

He asked if I wanted to sign up for a Free telephone service trial. I expressly told him no. When I recieved the course materials I find that what I'm actually going to get are a piece of paper from the Consumer Response Group saying that I am a certified Mystery Shopper, after taking the Open Book test.

Then, they are going to send me a List of Companies that may or may not hire mystery shoppers, and then they are done; and they have my $59.00 I then opened a letter from AmericanFone that came at the same time. They got my phone number and my credit card information from Consumer Response Group, and they inform me that I am signed up with their service.

They told me that in 30 days I would be billed $49.95 + $4.95 tax for their service. I am at present sending things back for refunds and I have Emailed AmericanFone and informed them that I am not signed up for their service and don't want it. I just hope I can get most of my money back.

Tracy
Louisville, Kentucky
U.S.A.

2 Updates & Rebuttals


Johnny

Chicago, IL,
Illinois,
U.S.A.

Consumer Response Group....

#3Consumer Comment

Sat, August 05, 2006

I went through the same process as well and the same thing happen to me. CRG ended up giving my card info to americanfone company after I told them I DID NOT WANT THE SERVICE. What part of that did you all NOT understand CRG.

I ended up getting my refund from CRG and american fone. But these people on here are not making up stories. I dont care if you give refunds back or not you still do things to people your not suppose to and I don't see how the state and government let you people get away with this.

I know people are out to make money and have to feed themselves and all but dont lie to customers it will come back and bite you hard one day and you will be sitting on the corner or in a jail cell one day if its kept up. I have seen it happen.

I will never give out card or personal info on the phone ever again. Anyone who reads this don't do it either. Research these companies up and down either here on ripoff or anywhere else on the web.


Christopher

Los Angeles,
California,
U.S.A.

We record all calls!

#3UPDATE Employee

Mon, June 19, 2006

We sell our calling cards through other sales companies, such as this secret shopper company. Companies like this will offer one of our calling cards free to use for 30 days after which charges are processed if the card is not canceled. ALL CALLS ARE RECORDED, and NO customer's information is sent over to us unless we have the customer RECORDED, ACCEPTING THE CALLING CARD.

We are an honest company. We do not charge anything is the customer cancels the calling card within the 30 day agreement period. Even if the customer contacts us AFTER the 30 days (if they haven't used the calling card) we will STILL give them a full refund, even though we are not legally required to do so. And we will even process refunds as far back as SIX MONTHS.

If this customer called us within even 6 months of being charged, we processed a FULL REFUND for the charges they received. Not "most of" their money back. A FULL REFUND.

Understandably, AmericanFone will not take responsibility for a customer who has not even looked at their credit card statements for more than six months.

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