Complaint Review: Derrick McDonald..Express Personal Communication

I first dealt with Mr. McDonald and his company on Feb. 2, when I stopped by his kiosk at SouthPark Mall in San Antonio. His employees were selling Helio cell phones. The deal sounded real good, so me and my other family members deceided to try Helio. Well they did not have the phones we wanted so they sent us to North Star Mall. Once we got to North Star Mall they did not have the phones either. They called their boss, Derrick McDonald, and he stated he had some in his trunk and was on his way to the mall.

About an hour later of sitting around waiting, Derrick calls and says he does not have the phones like he thought. So one of his employees tells us we can order them and proceeds to do that. So we finally leave with one phone and two on their way. Mind you, I live about 45 minutes away so now I am going to have to make another trip.

Well after messing around with the phone and calling Helio directly, we find out we were lied to about our plan and we really are going to pay close to 300.00 a month. The employees at the kiosk had stated that within 30 days, we could cancel our plan and no questions asked.

So, the weekend of Feb. 15th, we drive down to San Antonio to let them know, we no longer want the Helio phones and we were asking for a refund of 270.63, which was part of the deposit. There was also a $300.00 deposit, but Helio was taking care of that, Helio told us we had to get the refund from the dealer. So we show up at the mall and the boss is not there so the employees call him. My husband talks to him and he is hung up on. My husband calls back again and he is hung up on again. Not very professional huh? Come to find out we are talking to Frank, one of Mr. McDonald's "partners". He said we needed to go to the store off Stone Oak Parkway, M-F. So, I go there on Feb. 20th, Frank hands me a check for 270.63.

I am a little leary but trying to be optimistic and go to my bank to cash it. Monday, March 3rd, I get a notice in the mail that the bank tried getting their money from Express Personal Communications bank, Wachovia, on 4 different attempts! Well, my bank in turn, withdraws 270.63 plus a 7.00 fee from my account!!!! Now my account is overdrawn and my rent check bounces!!!!!

I called Derrick McDonald and he is sweet as honey on the phone and tells me to come on down to get my money. So I go down again on March 4th. I had called Mr. McDonald twice through out the day and told hime several times about the amount. My husband did also. I arrive and Mr. McDonald starts in on what happen, yadda, yadda, yadda. He then tells me that he is changing the company's name and zeroed out all the accounts at Wachovia and should get funding in a couple of days, and sorry but he has no money on him and for me to try again later!! Since then, I and my husband have called him several times through out the day and he won't answer the calls. I need my 277.63 and can't believe he has done this again.

Rr
San Marcos, Texas
U.S.A.