Complaint Review: Pimsleur Marketplace

Elite Commerce (Language Course Marketplace / Pimsleur Marketplace) offers to buy back the language course that was purchased from them. I sent my course back according to their instructions and it was received by them (USPS confirmed) on August 30, 2014.  I have not yet received payment for the language course that I returned.  I have attempted to contact them by email, phone and the internet numerous times over a 3 week period and I have received no response.  I filed a complaint with the BBB on September 19th and the complaint was just closed because the company refused to respond.  The BBB informed me that they have a large number of complaints that they are working through for this company.

They now have MY language course and have not paid me for it.  This is outright THEFT.    

I have taken advantage of the buy back program twice now.  

The first time I overlooked the fine print that said you had to call to confirm before they actually sent you the check.  I would say that should be made more obvious, however, I did get the refund.

I have confidence in the program and in fact am getting ready to submit for the third time!

I have been contacted by the CEO Doug Hall (Pimsleur Marketplace), as already updated above by me and the CEO and it was a very cordial exchange that I am satisfied with.  I have been paid a full refund after they admitted to some mistakes they made at their office. I feel this complaint I had is now sorted as a result of the personal call from the CEO and will no longer be posting/commenting here in this thread any longer.

Thank you!

I have bought 3 programs from Pimsleur Marketplace and have never had a problem returning the cd's or receiving a refund for the programs.  Someone always answers the phone and is excellent in customer service.  I recommend them to anyone wanting to learn a new language.

I wanted to make sure that everyone knows that this customer isn't lying.  There were some mistakes that our company made, but, as the customer said, we made every effort to correct the mistakes. 

We value our customers and appreciate all of the support for our company through these comments made by our customers.

Thank you,
Doug Hall

Have you read the post above mine from the president of the company itself saying that he spoke with me on the phone on Friday 4/27/2012????  He (Doug) has already posted even before I did admitting to his company's mistake (and he did so over the phone to me personally as well). Before you know exactly what happened and before you know anything about Doug apologizing to me for not returning a SINGLE CALL (he has my voicemails), for you to assume my update is bogus is just ridiculous. I have no need to fight this with you as you are NOT involved in this case. I have attached a photo dated 4/27/2012 sent with the hand return message from Doug.  So much for your psychology degree and all the money you would have spent on it. Mind you, I have a psychology degree too. One of the first lessons we were taught: Never make assumptions without knowing all the facts.

**Note to company's CEO Doug, sorry that this thread will keep going until I feel all the "rebuttal-posters" are convinced this case was NOT MY FAULT.  If it wasn't the company's fault in not returning my calls, why would you refund the full amount ($119) even beyond the $100 that is the actual buy-back refund amount? 

If I had to guess, I would say that you made this "update" up because you can't admit you messed up.

Pimsleur is a HUGE company and would not ignore a customers calls, your story is simply illogical.

Of course I don't know what really happened, and nothing you say can be accepted as fact because you are necessarily biased int his dispute, but my gut, experience, (and master's level degree in psychology) tell me that you are lying, not the company.

My experience with the buy-back program was successful on 4 occasions.  I was a bit frustrated to find how tedious the process was but when followed properly, I did receive 4 separate $100 checks for the return of Spanish 1-4 CD's. 

My recommendation is to print out the buy-back sheet and highlight each step as you complete it so as not to miss any step.  Save it for your next time and it becomes much easier the 2nd, 3rd and 4th time. 

Keep in mind they operate on Mountain Time Zone and 1-6 calls had to be made for each call to verify address.  Tedious.........  but worth $100.  My net cost for a great course including S&H, certified mail was $234.  Buy used when you can to increase your value.  My experience was very favorable and my co-workers compliment my new skill set.

Hi,

I am the one who initially started this thread with the Scam Alert posting here on RipOff.com. It seems this caught the attention of the said company and they tried to refute by asking many of you happy customers to post many happy rebuttals.  I also copied and pasted above what seemed like a threatening letter that I received from an employee of Pimsleur Market Place (asking me to remove the posting and that they would refund my $100 only if I did so), the president of the company called me (Doug) and he was very apologetic for the email that was sent to me and also had no answer for why no one in his company ever returned any of my calls.  He admitted that this was a mistake on their part, including sending me an email with a typo in the address (which isn't my fault either).  Doug was then kind enough to say sorry about everything and said that he will make a full refund.  I am happy about this.  I have now also received that check in the mail with a hand written note from Doug that says, "thanks for your patience."  I will leave this note here for those interested to see this update on the issue for 3 days and remove my original post. Thanks. ~ Nomali

I have purchased quite a number of language courses from the Pimsleur Buy-Back program since 2008, These include the complete Spanish I, Complete Hindi I, The complete German I, II, III, German +, German All Talk, Comprehensive German, Swiss German,  complete French I, II, III, French All Talk.

They has always been professional, honest and friendly in all dealing with me. I have always recieved the credit back when ever I have returned complete sets. They routinely have special promotions which I have participated in which are real good deals, which makes doing business with them appealing. 

I used this company several times with the buy-back program and never had any problems.  I followed all the requirements they documented for the buyback program and was re-imbursed in the time frame they specified.  I even had problems with a couple of the CD's once and they sent me replacements promptly.

From my experience, I would recommend the buy-back program for their language courses; read and follow their guidelines.

In response to the complaint that the Pimsleur buy-back program with Elite Commerce is a scam I can inform that I have had no problem with the Pimsleur Marketplace buy-back program. I have been treated according to the published contract and have received the appropriate refund check in a timely manner for Levels 1 and 2 of the Pimsleur German program. I can empathize, though, with the person making the charge and offer the following experience.

Last summer (summer 2011) I purchased from the Pimsleur Marketplace, Level 1 of Pimsleur German and, once having completed the thirty lessons, returned the program to Elite Commerce based on their buy-back plan. I also waited several weeks to hear from them to confirm my address.  Then, to my chagrin, I discovered I was require, by their published contract, to call them. Having finally taken the initiative to place the call I promptly received the $100.00 check as promised. I then purchased Level 2 of Pimsleur German and this time phoned after returning the program. Again, I received the refund check promptly. I have just returned German Level 3 and have now confirmed my address as required.

The key is to read the contract carefully and comply with the requirements which are really quite simple. The Buy-back program is not a scam. I trust Elite Commerce and will purchase future language courses from them with confidence.

This is an update on this issue.  I have just gotten off the phone after speaking with our customer and have been able to explain to her our situation and also resolve her concerns. 

We have not only issued this customer her $100 refund, but have also issued a full refund of her purchase price plus shipping because of the difficulty she has had in getting in touch with us.

This customer has been very easy to work with once this issue has been brought to my attention.  She has accepted our sincere apology for the hassle.

We have also instructed our customer service agent, James, in the proper manner of representing our company. 

Situations like this shouldn't happen and won't happen again.  We appreciate the cooperation and willingness to forgive on the part of this customer.

The customer has also been asked to, once she receives her payment, voluntarily either remove or modify this report so as to not financially hurt our small business.  She has kindly accepted that offer.

If anyone who reads this post has any questions or concerns, please contact me directly.

Sincerely,
Doug Hall
President/CEO
Elite Commerce, Inc.
1-866-532-7609

I have bought and returned several language lesson CD's for both refunds and to buy new CD's.  I have always found them to have good service and I have gotten my money back. I never thought there was a limited time you could use the CD's, rather you could return them when you felt you didn't need them anymore. It is important to make sure you call during the hours they list for their time zone. I always print out their return forms and haven't had any trouble with their directions. When you want money back and it is being sent to you in check form you need to call them to confirm that the address you gave them is correct. I have found Elite's program to be a great bargain when you are learning a series of lessons.  I hope this is helpful in resolving your problem. While I have not had a problem contacting them by phone, I suppose if you don't get through you could send them a letter requesting they call you.  Hope this has been helpful

Over the span of 2 1/2 to 3 years I have gone thru all 3 levels of comprehensive French using Pimsleur's buy-back program. I also considered Italian but returned it after receipt and got all but $10-15 back.

I loved the instruction, primarily listening in my car as I commuted. Sad that I've completed all the French lessons in the course. I took my time with each one and played the CDs over and over, trying to get the pronunciation just right and have the words come to my lips without having to think about them! Really enjoyed them.

Their buy-back program is awesome; I admit to being skeptical the first time I sent back the CD portfolio, and then had to call them to confirm my mailing address (?!). And they are a little difficult to get a hold of but I really think it's because they have a small staff. When I did talk with a representative each time, he was professional and apologized for delays getting back to me; I was reassured and did promptly receive my 'rebate' check shortly thereafter. I don't know of anybody else who does that!

I sent my CD set in perfect condition in February 17th and called in less than one month (I can go back and get all the five different days I have called since from my phone service provider. I also have the USPS delivery confirmation).  You lie here saying that I didn't contact you until 2 months. That is just great! Not only do you never respond to phone calls, but then you lie on top of that. And it is only after I report here on RipOff that you finally get activated. 

I got this email after 5 phone calls and an email from James at Pimsleur Marketplace. I have pasted his email below. It is an email that that sounds very much like a threatening letter asking me to remove my RipOff report and that I will receive the $100 refund only after that.)  I want to know why your voicemail says you will return all calls and then you never do. And I want to know why it doesn't occur to you that if you had returned my calls, you would have got your simple need met: Address confirmation. Your email comes only after you see my RipOff Report, which is months after I placed my first call.
-------------------------------
"Dear Ms. Perera, Did you receive my email from a few days ago asking for your address confirmation? We have now seen your erroneous and dishonest report on Ripoff Report.  As
soon as you remove the slanderous postings, we will be happy to send  your $100 check to you. 
Again, the reason your check hasn't been sent is because your address has not  been confirmed.  These were the rules you agreed to when you sent the  course to us.  We are not responsible for your misunderstanding of the terms and rules that you agreed to. Again, as soon as your ripoff report
is removed, we will be happy to continue this process with you to ensure that you receive your payment. Thank you,James"

*My Response to James via email:*

No, There is no email from you from just a few days ago asking for address confirmation. I have looked in my spam folder as well. Can you forward it?

Also, I did call your agency! I called many times asking you to call me back to discuss and also does it occur to you that during those calls--had you returned even one of them--that I would have confirmed the address?

Your voicemail recording says you will return calls. Where are the calls?

When a customer keeps calling and there is no return call, what do you think a customer will think?

And isn't it interesting that you become activated and even rude in this email ONLY when I have posted on RipOff Report? 

I have called you 5 times. I need you to call me to personally have me confirm my address. I am not going to leave my address on a voicemail recording at a place where they never return phone calls.

And yes, I will take down the report, but you have to call me first. (added phone number). Please know that you cannot threaten a customer that has been trying to get in touch with you for over a month.

Thank you.

Nomali

I have been a customer of Elite Commerce, dba Pimsleur Marketplace, for over five years.  I have purchased twelve language courses and returned them through the buyback program.  In all but two instances my refund was promptly processed.  In the two exceptions all it took was a reminder call to get my money back.

I've purchased several language packages from Pimsleur Marketplace and always received the buy back money.  I agree that it can take a while, they don't always answer the phone and sometimes you have to follow up with them a few times, but it has always worked for me.  Maybe it is a bit of a hassle, but hey, where else can you buy a used pimsleur set for $120 and return it for $100?  I think it is worth the trouble.  Keep bugging them and you'll get your money back.

Did you call first or did you just stick the package in the mail? You need to call them before you return because they may have a different return address and they need to be ready for your return before you send it.

The Pimsleur Guarantee is real, I've used it in the past, you must be calling the wrong number or dealing with a scam company.

I've used the Pimsleur Buy-Back program three times and never had a problem. There is a step in there you have be sure to take - calling and actually confirming your mailing info for the check - or else the process slows to a crawl, but otherwise it's fairly easy and is definitely a pretty sweet deal. You basically get a full language course for $10 or $20 plus tax and shipping, once the buy-back is factored in.

I don't know the details of this situation but I'd like to confirm my own experience working with Doug Hall, who runs this company. I wanted a Pimsleur Italian III shipped to me in Italy where I was working for the summer, spoke directly with Doug who took care of the whole transaction for me, arranged the international shipping, etc. When I got back to the States I called to get my buy-back check, spoke again with Doug who remembered me and my situation in Italy, and it was a very smooth and friendly exchange. When I'm ready for the next language, I'd use this program again in a heart beat. That's my experience. 

While I sympathize with the frustration of the individual who has complained about the Pimsleur Buy-Back Program, I must also question whether this individual properly followed the guidelines of the program.

As I recall, the directions are very specific and one needs to read them carefully. There is a time frame for reimbursement and two methods of reimbursement. If one sends the material back in the condition which it was received and wishes a credit card credit, my recollection is that no further cooresspondance is required. If one wishes a refund via check, I believe that the requester's address must be verified via phone.

Despite the very specific requirements of the program, it was not difficult to participate and it provided an excellent value. I personally studied all three levels of the Pimsleur Russian course, and was able to trade in each level for the next and received a considerable refund for the last level once I returned the material. All in all, I was able to study this course for a fraction of the cost of buying and keeping it. This program is an amazing opportunity, without which I may not have been willing to use Pimsleur. The Buy-Back program is a fantastic value and I would not hesitate to participate in the future.

If memory serves, my last Buy-Back credit seemed late in posting to my credit card. A simple email to the company resolved this issue, and in all fairness it may have just been an accounting delay between posting and statements. In other words, everything went well the several times I used the program.

The people at Pimsleur Marketplace are actually quite reasonable, so I am surprised that something could not have been worked out. If it was indeed their fault for not answering your phone calls in a timely fashion, then perhaps you can reach some sort of agreement with them.

Well, here's what happened with me...From 2009 to 2011 I bought a lot of courses from Pimsleur Marketplace/Elite Commerce in Ammon Idaho. (Ask my wife!) Maybe 6 all in all, though I don't remember exactly. I completed 3 of them though, that I do know. The others I got on sale for future learning I should actually 'get around to' now that I think of it. I actually first heard of them in 2009. Someone mentioned it a Youtube video as a good way to save a few bucks and legally get some good language programs.

Anyway, I heard the name around early '09 but didn't buy anything right away. When I did get seriously interested in languages though, I looked into it, and decided to try them...  I ordered my first course online, got it shipped to my house, carefully sat and copied each disc (each time this took at least 2 hours to do) and returned the product by going to the post office each time, waiting on line etc. and mailing it back with a completed form, then emailing and/or calling (usually both) about the hundred bucks. Since they were pretty good about it the first time, I ended up doing the same thing again and again, each time getting the full refund- therefore getting a really good language program for like 30 bucks or less depending on discounts and sale prices. I was always careful to read the rules, what would and wouldn't get you the refund, what you can do with the money (one time I applied the refund as a credit on the next purchase which you can also do if you are a repeat customer), and I remember always had to print and fill out the form from online. My interests evolve over time, and I am not doing as much language learning as I used to or as I would like to be doing, but if I did, I can honestly say the first thing I would do is check out pimsleurmarketplace.com to see if Urdu II has come out yet! -anonymous, NY

The Buy Back Program is a program wherein you can return your course to us for a $100 refund.  If you are requesting a refund check, you must call to confirm your address before the check is sent.  The customer, in this case, waited two months before calling us.  At the same time, the customer sent an email asking about the refund.  Our customer service representative responded on Apr 16 asking for address confirmation by email.  The customer never responded. 

Because the response to the customer was handled by email, the customer's phone calls were not returned. 

We have had thousands of customers who have sent their courses back to us, FOLLOWED THE RULES, and confirmed their address.

For complete rules for the Buy Back Program, go to www.PimsleurMarketplace.com/the_buy_back_program

In response to this customer's question, "what should I do?"  The answer is simple, follow the rules of the Buy Back Program, and respond to your emails.  This could have been cleared up very easily.

Pimsleur Market Place has a "buy-back" program for the language programs (usually in 30-CD sets). They promise to refund $100 if you send the CD set back to them within a limited time frame and in perfect condition. I assume this is what universities, etc also do with Buy Back programs. I have sent the package in perfect condition after use. It is now close
to 2 months and I have a USPS delivery confirmation. I have not seen a check sent to me as the refund for the buy-back. I have made 5 phone calls, but no one ever seems to answer the phone or return messages. I have also sent an email requesting the money they promise. What are my next steps? Can anyone advice? Should I call the police? Thank you. Strongly urging future buyers from Pimsleur Market Place to use caution and NOT BUY from them. Scam Alert!!!