Complaint Review: Wild Party Girls WPG Products

My fiance ordered a set of videos after seeing a commercial late one night. The vidoes are basically a knockoff of Girls Gone Wild. The price was 8.95 for shipping and the videos were "free"...right! He was asked if he wanted to continue receiving videos monthly at the regular price...the rep on the phone asked numerous times and each time he was told NO!

He received his shipment of 3 videos and our bank acct was charged $8.95. No problem. He opened one video, wasn't impressed. The other two are still unopened. A few weeks later there was another package in our mailbox. Another video. We didn't pay much attention since it was a duplicate of one of the ones received in the first shipment. I made a mental note to call the company to return it, but got distracted and it slipped my mind. 3 weeks later we got another video but it was not a duplicate. I asked my fiance about it and he stressed that he had told them not to send anymore videos. I believe him because the checking account associated with this card usually only has money from my paychecks so he doesn't use it and wouldn't do so without making sure it's alright to do so.

I happened to be online at my bank and noticed two charges for $28 and change. The description read SRTY SLPOVR which was the titles of the tapes. It may not seem like a lot of money but we did not authorize this company to take it.

I called the customer service number printed on the front of the envelope that the tapes were shipped in. The customer service hours are difficult to reach 10AM to 6PM Monday through Friday Eastern time - ph# 800-439-3620.

If you want to experience HORRIBLE customer service over the phone, this is your place! I work for a retail/catalog call center and just happen to handle the credit/debit card credits and chargeback situations so I KNOW everything they were telling me was a load of crap - from whom I could talk to, to how telephone ordering worked, to how I MUST send the tapes back to receive my money back!

The first woman I spoke with, Tracy, was pleasant enough until she heard my complaint, which was voiced in a calm, ADULT manner. She immediately began interrupting me, raising her voice and you could hear the attitude in her voice and street type slang and inflection replaced professional enunciation. It was like a light switch had been turned on.

I asked for a supervisor she told me she was the floor manager and I could only talk to her. She told me her supervisors didn't take calls. When I explained that I worked in a call center, and dealt with escalated customer issues and supervisor availability I was informed that all call centers are different. Gee, I've always thought that customer service centers were there to ensure customer satisfaction...

When I persisted in asking for some sort of assistance, she hung up on me. BAD move. I called back and spoke with a man and I asked to speak to a supervisor who was not Tracy. He refused and told me I could speak with him. I explained the situation again and told him I had been treated very rudely and unprofessionally by Tracy. I could hear a woman speaking in the background and he informed me that Tracy said I had to return the videos in order to get my money back. I told him that I really didn't want to spend the extra money to ship them back since I didn't order the videos, but I would do it.

I was simply asking for them to reverse the two unauthorized charges before they received the videos back...again because I had not requested that they be shipped in the first place. I was then told that the "marketing" company that my fiance had contacted to place the order was not associated with the customer "service" center I was now dealing with. What the "marketing" center did had no bearing on what was shipped or not shipped. WHAT?!?!?!?!

At this point I explained that I knew intimately how the credit/debit card charge, credit, fraud and chargeback system works and that I would be contacting my bank to initiate a chargeback, report fraudulent activity and research other possible actions I could take and was again hung up on.

I have cancelled my fiance's debit card so they can't get their sticky fingers into my account again. I have an appointment Monday to meet with the fraud representative from my bank to see if there is anything I can do in that direction.

I am considering contacting the local media, although being in SC I doubt it will make much impact on the company itself other than getting the word out not to do business with this less-than-reputable company.

I'm glad I found Rip-Off Report! It's just the first stop in many I'm planning to make!

Marjorie
Williston, South Carolina
U.S.A.

EDitor's Suggestions on how to get your money back!

HERE IS WHAT RIP-OFF REPORT SUGGESTS YOU DO:

Go to your bank within 60 days of the charge, or as soon as you know about the charge, don't delay, and tell them that there has been fraudulent activity within your account. Explain that you wish to file a dispute, and demand that they assist you in accordance with Federal Regulation E.

According to the majority of victims interviewed by Rip-off Report, those who immediately called their banks to dispute the charges did not get very far. Many victims got the following responses from their banks: ?we could not do anything for you? or ?you waited too long; it has been more than 60 days?.

If the bank is says that you have waited too long, explain to them how you called their 800 number as soon as the charges were found, and were told by the bank that nothing could be done. Remind the bank that they failed to assist you properly at the 800 #, and instead, provided you with an inadequate explanation of your right to dispute. Tell the bank that it's their fault time has expired, and since they gave you the wrong info to begin with, they will just have to deal with it, take the loss and reverse the charges.

Tell them the truth; this was unauthorized and your account was NOT to be charged! Keep emphasizing how you never authorized anything! Direct them to the hundreds of victims reports that were filed on Rip-off Report.com. And if you're at the bank, walk them over to their computer and make them go to this site! If you are on the phone with them, tell them you will wait while they access this site! Either way, be persistent!

DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!

Let them know nicely, that you were advised to Report them (the Bank) and this situation to the Banking Commission in your state. Since each state has a different name for the agency/controller over banks, find that name before you call or get to the bank so you can throw it in their face. The more knowledgeable you appear to be, the further you will get.


And just continue to demand the Federal Regulation E form! The bank CAN, MUST and WILL reverse the charge! But, you must be persistent; ask to speak to the supervisor or the area manager for all the branches in the state.



Let the bank personnel know you are meeting with the media later in the day, that you would much rather they do the right thing (as most other banks have) by looking at the complaints and immediately reversing the charge(s) to your account; no matter how long ago it was. Be sure to call the Media if necessary so you are telling the truth.

If you have to, be loud (but nice) in front of other customers. If you are just calling by phone, the above tactics should still work. The bank can easily fax or mail to you the Federal Regulation E dispute form.

CHARGES TO YOUR CREDIT CARD

If the charge was to your credit card (not debit card, check card, or checking account), contact the credit card company as soon as possible to request a dispute form. Consumers usually have a little longer to dispute fraudulent credit card charges (up to 6 months), but it is better to act right away. In this type of situation, credit card disputes are usually successful since fraudulent companies often won't contest the disputed charge. In rare cases, credit card companies will review disputes, but refuse to reverse the charges. If this occurs, complain to a manager and let them know you will be filing a report here.

Remember? Don't let them get away with it! Make sure they make the Rip-off Report .. The more Reports filed on a Company or individual, the more likely it is that the authorities, media and attorneys will want to take action.

And good luck? Let us know how you do!

ED Magedson ? Founder, Rip-off Report.com & Author of www.ripoffrevenge.com
EDitor@RipoffReport.com
badbusinessbureau.com
www.ripoffreport.com

Don't let them get away with it.?
Make sure they make the Rip-off Report!

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CLICK HERE to read about Credit Card Scams... find out how to get your money back. *Rip-off Report Investigation provides valuable information.