Family Marketing USA failed to honor gas card certificates and failed to return phone calls Sherman Oaks California
In late 2006 I purchased a booklet of gas card certificates from a reliable seller. This program is where you mail in a certificate each month and receive a free gas card. First two times, I received a gas card. Then the cards stopped. I was able to locate the seller and he gave me Family Marketing USA as the name of the company that purchased the gas card certificate program. He said if I contacted them they would make good on the gas cards.
So I called the above phone number and explained to the operator the situation. Yes, we will honor your certificates if you return a form we will mail to you. This was in March.
I received the form and returned it to the above address in March. It is now June and I have not received replacement gas card certificates or anything from Family Marketing USA.
I have also called their phone number numerous times and it always says "all of our representatives are currently busy. Please leave a message and we will get back with you." I have left several messages and I hear NOTHING back. What a ripoff.
John
Columbus, Ohio
U.S.A.
6 Updates & Rebuttals
C
LA,Colorado,
U.S.A.
Keep Calling
#7UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 08, 2007
I called in yesterday and was able to reach them twice. You just have to keep calling. They are trying to keep overhead low by not having a ton of employees. I don't know why they don't call back but you can eventually reach someone.
C
LA,Colorado,
U.S.A.
Keep Calling
#7UPDATE Employee
Fri, June 08, 2007
I called in yesterday and was able to reach them twice. You just have to keep calling. They are trying to keep overhead low by not having a ton of employees. I don't know why they don't call back but you can eventually reach someone.
John
Columbus,Ohio,
U.S.A.
Won't call back?
#7Author of original report
Thu, June 07, 2007
If they won't call back then WHY DOES THEIR PHONE SYSTEM SAY TO LEAVE A MESSAGE? And I sent them their form, why don't they respond to that!??
John
C
LA,Colorado,
U.S.A.
I disagree that is it a ripoff
#7UPDATE Employee
Thu, June 07, 2007
I have followed all the rules and had over 1000 booklets mailed in April to myself and even received my own personal gas cards to use. They are currently on backorder with sending out new booklets but as you can imagine they are swamped because of the popularity of the program. It works. You just have to keep calling as they won't call you back.
John
Columbus,Ohio,
U.S.A.
Family Marketing update
#7Author of original report
Tue, June 05, 2007
To the person who commented on my original review: I have followed all requirements to the letter. I am a very conscientious person and have not done anything incorrectly. There are others who purchased these gas card certificates with similar problems.
As I stated, the program was purchased by Family Marketing, I called them, they sent me a form, and I returned it correctly completed in March. Even if it wasn't correctly completed, I have called numerous times in May and can't even get through to a person. I have left 2 messages with my phone number and received NO response (and yes I have voice mail).
John
Ronald
Gold Beach,Oregon,
U.S.A.
New Agent to the "Company" seeks to clarify and provide constructive input to complaint.
#7Consumer Suggestion
Mon, June 04, 2007
I am glad that I GOOGLED this company. I am about to shell out about $3,000.00 for a dealership with Family Marketing USA.
By the way, I am not responding to "Kids.com Aka JustOurKids.com Main Office In Fairfield Is A BIG SCAM child modeling scam still operating despite FTC injunction Fairfeild Valley Stream New York Minnesota Illinois Pennsylvania Connecticut" as this form seems to suggest, but to a complaint about Family Marketing USA, a gas coupon marketing company.
I would like to see the 'form' that the complaintant had to fill out. I understand that the coupon books that entitle the bearer to $100 worth of gas at the gas distributorship or brand of his choice as long as they are on a list (which contains most of the major US distributors); the coupon books are limited to one per household. That is a difficult thing to monitor and a great temptation to abuse for many consumers, the price of gas being what it is today. Anyway, I wonder if the complaintant followed all the rules about the negotiation of the gas coupons.
It also says right on the coupon books which contain ten, ten-dollar coupons to be redeemed within a twelve month period...it says, "don't redeem more than three coupons at a time, and do not try to redeem all coupons at one time" at risk of being ejected from the program with loss of priveleges. Again, I would like to hear and see more detail from this complaintant. That is especially true, because I just spent more than $2,000.00 at Family Marketing USA, and I am just this evening faxing a check for another $3,000.00 in hopes of becoming a distributor with essentially my own franchise in this apparantly, and believably highly lucrative home mail-order business opportunity. I just hope I am not too late to be one of the thirty opportunities being offered before the distributorship program is shut down.
An aside if I may? I am grateful for this site, Ripoff Report, because I have been victimized myself on several occasions while doing business on the internet, and I have been looking for an effective outlet for warning/complaint forums. This site looks tight and very simple. I like simple. I'll be back with a couple complaints of my own, once I have gotten all my facts straight. I believe that the only way a site like this can be helpful, is if flimsy or poorly supported complaints are not published. I will do my part to respect the need for substance, not emotion, in complaints filed here.
Sincerely,