Heirloom Home Products Ltd., Eric And Pauline Cooper Kitchen Cookware Rip Off, Brides Beware Ripoff Calgary Alberta
BRIDES BEWARE!!!On February 3, 2007 my fiancee and I were invited to attend a demo at a hotel from Heirloom Home Products. They got my name from a draw at a recent Bridal Fair I attended.
We attended the demonstration and were talked in to a very large purchase of cookware by Mr. Eric Cooper and his wife Pauline Cooper. We agreed and signed a purchase agreement because we were told several times that if we didn't by today on Credit Card then we would not get the deal they were offering. (Extra Product)We were defineatly taken in by there very high preasure sales pitch. The payment transaction was put through on my fiancee's Visa immediately.
After leaving the hotel and some discussion we decided that now was not the right time to be making such a large purchase. we called the following afternoon to cancel the order. Not realizing nor ever being told that they did not have a cancellation policy. Had we known we would have never made the purchase so quickly.
First they claimed not to have received the message of the cancellation. We had to send them a phone record to prove the call was placed. Then they claimed not to have a cancelation policy and asked when we would like the product delivered. We refused delivery and still have not accepted the cookware.
Once they refused to give us a refund I started researching the web as I figured there must be some sort of consumer protection. I dicovered the 10 day colling off policy for direct sales. When I brought this information to their attention they claimed not to be direct selling. Even though in my research I found that they do in fact have a license to do direct selling. They claim that they choose not to use this license but pay for it every year?!?! They are also advertised on several bridal fair websites as "Direct Sales Specialists"!!
Apparently they are not legally in the wrong. Even though they have a business address, their normal place of business is in a hotel! I can see this if maybe in the same hotel same conference room etc. But apparently any hotel, anywhere in any city, or in any province is considered their normal place of buisness. As such means that is not direct sales!! They even claimed in their demonstration that they do also go into peoples homes and do demo's. That is definitely direct sales!! So tell me, does this mean that Heirloom Home Products can decide whether or not they are direct sales depending on the situation?!?!?!
After several weeks of correspondense we had still gotten nowhere so I contacted the company Regal Ware Inc. whom Heirloom Home Products are contracted as distributors for. I also discovered that Regal Ware Inc. is a member of the DSA(Direct Sales Association) Regal Wares requires their distributors to follow the rules and guidelines of the DSA which includes providing the 10 day colloing off period. Regal Wares informed Heirloom Home Products that if they did not comply with the rules and guidelines of the DSA then they would terminate their contract to be distributors.
Heirloom Home Products have now adopted the 10 day cooling off policy as of March 1, 2007. They still claim that even though they have adoptesd the policy they are still NOT "Direct Sales"!!They are still not cooperating and have still refuse to give us a refund, and are still wanting to deliver product that we do not want.
Regal Ware Inc. is claiming that there is nothing more that they can do. I know that we are not the only couple taken by this company and have been in contact with them. Pretty much the same situation.
BRIDES BEWARE!!! The products this company sells are: Celebrity China and Crystal and Cordon Bleu Cookware. If you are looking for new pots you can get pots just as good at William Sinoma for much cheaper and a return policy. They come across as very nice people at first but are definitely practicing poor and unethical business. I am hoping by submitting this rip off report that I am helping other brides aviod my situation. Brides really don't need this stress added to the stress of planning a wedding.
Marcy
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Cheryl
Sherwood Park,Alberta,
Canada
We were also very unsatisfied with our dealings with Heirloom Home Products
#6Consumer Comment
Wed, July 29, 2009
We also had unfortunate dealings with this company as the result of buying a set of cookware from them in Edmonton. We weren't pleased with the performance of the cookware and we never received our incentive gift of a set of knives.
We were prepared to return the entire set and when my husband talked to them on the phone they got very irate and basically said we had no recourse and that maybe if we hadn't taken them out of the box they would have taken the pots back. When the delivery company, I believe it was UPS, failed to deliver the knives they never left a number with us so that we could try to pick them up and as a result we never got them and Heirloom never tried to get them to us.
Overall a very negative experience. This was back in 2004 so it's been a while now...I'm sad to see that they are still taking advantage of people.
Heirloom Home Products, Celebrity China & Crystal
Calgary, AB,Alberta,
Canada
Heirloom Home Products & Celebrity China's Point of View
#6REBUTTAL Individual responds
Wed, March 05, 2008
With respect to Marcy's claims on our company my usual comment would be there are 3 side to every story yours, mine and the truth. Marcy fails to let u know she received a full refund, she fails to tell you that when infact she did come to our presentation and did decide to make her purchase, before the Visa was approved her partner was asked if that was o.k. he replied o.k. Eric Cooper also asked them on several occasions were they happly with there decision to purchase, he did not want them leaving if this was not for them, they replied several times yes, both parties shook hands and everyone went there seperate ways.
Heirloom does not pressure anyone into purchasing Eric's comment at the end of his presentation is: "you are the customer it is totally your decision". Yes we do give an incentive gift. We have been very proud of our customer service for over 35 years and if this is our only complaint I think we have done very well, don't you???
I notice that a lady has commented on how good our product is and I thank her for that.
Pauline/Eric
Jeanne
Schenectady,New York,
U.S.A.
PS TP MY RESPONSE ON COOKWARE SOLD BY HEIRLOOM.
#6Consumer Comment
Sun, February 24, 2008
I wrote a response to this report earlier today. I was wrong about the name of the product that I reported on. It was, apparently not cookware made by the REGAL company. The cookware I was describing was Lustre Craft by West Bend. I am very happy with this product as the set has served me well for over 40 years. However, the company that sold it to be might have been named Heirloom, becasue I remember the name on the receipt. Regardless, if you product is good qulaity and you are not able to return it, it might still serve you well over your future years of cooking. Although, I do not condone unfair selling practices.
Jeanne
Schenectady,New York,
U.S.A.
HEIRLOOM COOKWARE HAS SERVED ME WELL FOR 40 YEARS
#6Consumer Comment
Sun, February 24, 2008
I understand your concerns and I feel for you as a consumer, especially when money is important at this time of your life. It is never acceptable to me when I do not get satisfaction in the marketplace and we should have options to change ours minds about a purchase. HOWEVER, if this is the same cookware that I purchased 40 years ago that I still use daily, then THE PURCHASE MAY WELL BE WORTHWHILE IN THE LONG RUN.
I am not sure of the price you paid, but in 1968 I paid about $300 for a full set of "waterless" cookware (the idea was that you could use minimal water and it had the ability to seal and steam the foods). [With inflation, prices have gone up about 10x since then. For example: A $20,000 house would now cost at least $200,000] I was engaged to be married at the time and was approached (after my engagement photo was in the newspaper) to purchase a set of cookware. It is heavy stainless steel with a cast iron core. The peices fit and stack into each other so it needs limited space to store. Of course, a couple of the handles got worn out after 10-20 years (of use in the oven, etc). but, when I had a local salesperson, they were readily replaced. [if you decide to keep the cookware, make sure you get a contact and a website so you can keep tract of where they are]. I did burn one pan (left it on the stove--water boiked away and scorched the bottom--but I can still use it--it is more likely to stick--but still works).
I have never regretted this purchase and probably have saved thousands of dollars in replacement cookware over the years. Of course, I have purchased and replaced about 10 fry pans after teflon came out for ease of cooking eggs, but all of the other pieces are very useful for a variety of cooking and baking uses. They can be used on the stove top and in the oven. So, if you are forced to keep the set, try to accept them and discard the disagreeable purchase situation that brought them to you. IT MAY BE ONE OF THE BEST INVESTMENTS YOU EVER MADE. I WISH YOU A HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE TOGETHER AS A MARRIED COUPLE.
Marcy
Calgary,Alberta,
Canada
Brides Beware!!!!! Heirloom Home Products Ltd. Selling Cordon Bleu Cookware. Also known as Celebrity China and Crystal, Distributors for Regal Ware Worldwide, Inc.
#6Author of original report
Tue, March 20, 2007
Just wanted to include that they also advertise themselves as Celebrity China and Crystal. They do not only sell in Calgary but pretty much in any city that has an annual bridal fair.