ITV - itv.com - Kevin Trudeau HUGE RIPOFF, Non-Cancellation & False Advertising Internet
Ordered Kevin Trudeau's book, "Weight Loss Secrets They Don't Want You to Know About" on a Sat. by calling the 800 # shown on the infomercial (ITV). When I called, I was told that I was being recorded and was offered several different products to sign up for, including access to Kevin's website--free for 30 days.
I declined, and was not told that it is NECESSARY to "supplement" the book. Apparently, the book references the website, and one is unable to get all the info w/out it. Had I know this, I would not have ordered the book in the first place. All said and done, the book itself was $29.95 + (regular) price for shipping of $9.95. I was told the book would ship within 4-6 weeks.
After ordering, I did not feel "right" about it, so I googled Kevin Trudeau and ITV and saw all the warnings regarding scams and complaints. I called back to cancel my order and was told that I would have to call a different customer service number, but that they were only there M-F.
On Sun. I decided to call the # to see if it was a valid one; someone answered and I told her that I wanted to cancel my order. She said that my order was not yet in the system, so there was no way to cancel it yet. I called back on Monday and was told the same thing. I checked to see if my card had been charged yet, and it had not.
I called again on Tuesday and was told the same story: order was not yet in the system, and there was no way to flag it, since it wasn't there. I said that I wanted to verify that this would be the # I would call to cancel, and also that if my card was charged, they would be able to refund it right away. The girl emphatically said, "Yes!"
I called again on Weds. morning and a guy who answered, "ITV..." told me that unfortunately they were unable to cancel any orders and that I had been given wrong info (for the past 3 days) and that since that time, the CSRs had all been informed of the correct policy (since yesterday) and the only thing I could do was to write down a return # and once the book arrived, to ship it back, with the return #; of course the shipping charge was on me.
I asked if there was a mgr. I could speak with. He told me NO and hung up. I called back again and spoke with someone else and got the same story. This time I insisted that there must be someone else I could speak with, that I wanted the order cancelled and did not want my card charged. I was told that the charge should have occurred in "real time" & was probably already charged. I was told that the "mgr." would tell me the same thing, but I was put on hold.
I was then given the name and another # to contact the mgr. directly. Of course when I called, it was a automated voicemail that said, "Sonny is at home." At this point, I have demanded a call back and have not received it--doubt that I will. I will join a class action if there is one out there!
Collette
Glendale, Arizona
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Lucky
Shamrock,Maine,
U.S.A.
Once again
#6UPDATE Employee
Tue, February 27, 2007
Like I said you could have spoken w/ new reps who were not sure of the policy..we honestly have no way to cncl the order once it has been processed by the sales rep. The only thing we can cancel is the monthly access to the website or the newsletter. (Which you do not need to effectively use the book.) There are alternatives to the injections on page 146, incase that helps you. I aplogize for the run around that you got, I can assure you that is not the norm in the office I work in. We help customers to the best of our ability, and some of us go above and beyond our duties...But no one wants to get on here and praise what we do acutally do..which is a lot. Again if you felt uneasy when the rep started talking about the website then why didn't you tell them not to process the order?
Kathleen
Mesa,Arizona,
U.S.A.
I was curious....
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, February 26, 2007
I bought this book, though not directly from Kevin Trudeau's conglomerate so I am not being plagued by poor customer service. Have you tried a used-book store? I'm sure there are people who have bought this book and don't want it anymore.
I'm not sure where Collette got the information that the book is useless if you don't sign up for the website. The program is clearly outlined in the book, in it's entirety. There are references made to his website plus other websites for products he recommends.
However, be aware that part of the protocol involves being injected by a physician daily with a substance, hCG, that is not accepted as a treatment for weight loss in the U.S. He himself went to Germany to obtain it. I can't imagine what one might need to do to actually find a medical practitioner to do this here in the States.
The protocol is not 'easy' as Kevin Trudeau states often. Plus the supplements required, though I have not priced them, are probably quite pricey. That being said, if one followed the protocol, even without the injections of hCG, one would doubtless lose weight. Just thought I'd shed a little light. For the record, I am non-committal.
Collette
Glendale,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Rebuttal to employee, "Lucky"
#6Author of original report
Mon, February 26, 2007
First of all, I did initially want the book--until I found out that the book NEEDS to be supplemented by the website for an additional $9.95/mo, that without it, the book it pretty much useless.
Secondly, I guarantee you that if you call the 800 # provided in order to "cancel" your order, and you happen to call on a weekend, you will get a recording that says, " Thank you for calling customer service....the estimated wait time is 20 minutes..." and if you choose to wait for the 20 minutes (as I did), a person will answer and say,"Customer service...how may I help you?" When you say that you would like to cancel your order, you will be told that it is not yet in the system and therefore, there is nothing that can be done.
Then, when you call back on a regular business day, and ask to be transferred to a mgr., you will NOT be able to actually speak with one.
Maybe you should seek employment with a reputable company that actually stands behind their products instead of accusing innocent consumers of lying.
Lucky
Shamrock,Maine,
U.S.A.
Think before you call
#6UPDATE Employee
Sat, February 24, 2007
If you are NOT 100% sure that you want to order then why order? It is policy that we cannot cncl an order once the sales rep processes the order. You should have never been told that we can flag the order and so on. Do you have names and numbers of these reps? I didn't think so. And the office is NOT open on Sundays, so that proves you are not 100% honest YOURSELF!!! You could have spoken w/ new reps who were unsure about policy, but again the policy is that once an order is processed by a sales rep it cannot be canceled. You can however, when you recieve your pkg call for a return authorization number, then return your pkg for a refund. You should have been put thru to a manager if you requested, even though they would have told you the exact same thing as the rep did, you should have still been transferred.
Alan
Minneapolis,Minnesota,
U.S.A.
No accident
#6Consumer Suggestion
Thu, February 22, 2007
The lies and the difficulty you have encountered in trying to cancel this crappy book is no accident. When you have nothing to offer for the money everyone with a lick of brains will want to cancel and then they would not have any scam money. So the solution is to make it impossible for a person to cancel the order.
All you got for those few days was a carefully planned stall maneuver so they could charge your card, and they will. Now listen carefully, they will continue to charge your card for their worthless website even though you said you did not want it, that did not matter. You will see it on the next few CC statements.
The only way to stop this creep is to at min. change your card number but that is no guarentee. The iron clad method is to cancel your card and open a new account at a different bank. I read on this website that if you only change the number they can force a sale on the new number.
In the future do not ever give out you number again to any of the scam artists out there. If you want to know if they are a scam artist simply search on this website and it will answer that question.