Gold Elements Aurarius Gratiae Oro Gold Strong-armed into buying product plan but never given copy of contract or agreement Nashville Tennessee
I cannot believe how easily I let myself get suckered into spending money here. The product is okay, I guess, but the prices are incredibly high and any support from the sales staff disappears after the sale is made. There are NO refunds, even if you try to return unopened product to the store within a few hours after the sale, and if you ask to have items shipped (I do not live in Nashville and did not want to hassle with airport staff when I return home in two days), you will not receive them soon enough to ask for exchanges. Unfortunately, the salespeople do not tell you about the "no refund" policy, and it appears only at the bottom of the receipt in fairly small type after you have signed the purchase agreement and your card has been charged. I purchased a "membership," but I was not given the paperwork I need to set up an online profile and take advantage of any perks this status gives me. When I called the store to ask for a copy of my contract, I was told that it would be emailed to me immediately. Hours later, that still has not happened. Also, when I call the company's support line--which is supposed to be open 24/7, according to their website--I get no answer. I have tried four times: the fourth time, I left a message, and I got a return call from the Opry Mills store.
I wish that I had not walked by this kiosk and then into the store. The sales techniques are high-pressured and intimidating. Customers are flattered, shamed a bit for not caring about their appearance, told how special they are, and offered a special deal that they are not supposed to tell anyone else about. Yet, each customer will quickly discover that every customer is offered the same special deal: $327.75 for the eye products (which did work remarkably well in the mall...mine are being shipped to me, so I cannot attest to their effectiveness at home) and a special treat--a session with someone who is a skin care specialist who "works miracles with one's face and neck." That person will also offer a really special deal after telling the customer about how expensive her special plan will cost online. Since I allowed myself to be essentially coerced into buying this special membership, I did not try to look for it online. After I returned home and visited the company's website, I discovered that there is no way to buy such an option there.
I was basically lied to. I know that the company will not give me a refund, for I have read the complaints and the company's responses at the BBB website. However, I do feel it necessary to lodge yet another complaint against this business. Their practices may not be illegal, but their tactics are misleading, and the company does not respond to phone calls or emails in a timely fashion. Since they sell products that would be more often used by senior citizens, I think that they should be admonished for their deceitful sales techniques and forced to honor promises made to me and others who have had the same experience. I do hope that I can get the facials, product refills, and general support that I was promised, but I am not optimistic that this will happen. Ideally, I should be able to cancel the items that I have not yet received, but I know that this company is not willing to offer that. I checked the company on a spam-finder site, and I was warned that its online services are likely hosted in/routed through Israel. I wish that I had known all this before I left for the mall yesterday morning.
I returned to the mall today to try to get a copy of the membership agreement and to leave a complaint letter with the salespeople who harassed and, I think, defrauded me. No one was in the store or the kiosk, although both were "open" with a great deal of this very special and expensive product on the shelves for the taking. I left copies of my letter at the checkout desk in the store and with the mall's management officials.
I have not gotten any real responses to my emails through the company's website, and I have not been able to speak with anyone in the store at the mall. As far as I can tell, I have been robbed of just over $3500.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Linda
Red Bank,New Jersey,
United States
Update
#2Author of original report
Mon, March 18, 2019
I have filed complaints against this company with the BBB of Nashville, the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance - Consumer Protection Agency, and the FTC. Moreover, I have initiated a suit against Gold Elements in Nashville's small claims court. When the sheriff attempted to serve the small claims warrant on the owner of the Gold Elements store, no one would accept it.
Yet, I received a letter from the owner's lawyer that challenged my right to sue and asserted that he and his client would meet me in court on November 8, 2018, the date that I had requested for my court hearing. Because no one associated with the store accepted service of the warrant, I had no court date, and I told the lawyer this. I also reminded him that I had evidence that my complaint met all six requirements for my claim of fraudulent misrepresentation. I heard nothing else from the lawyer.
According to records filed with the Nashville Clerk of Court, Assaf Amar, the owner of the Gold Elements store in Opry Mills Shopping Center, is also the owner of five other commercial enterprises in the mall: Cocoage, Gratiae, Aurarius, OD&L Marketing, AMA Retail, and Dynamic Innovations. He is also connected with stores in Florida.
I have researched the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977 (as amended in 2011) and have discovered that since I am a senior citizen, I have additional protection under the law. Should I pursue my complaint against Assaf Amar/Amar Assaf in the courts, the State of Tennessee can legally impose civil penalties of up to $10k on him. (The standard is up to $1k for cases involving plaintiffs younger than 60 years old.)