- Report: #157487
Complaint Review: Modern Moms LLC - Beverly Hills California
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Modern Moms LLC
9595 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 900 Beverly Hills, 90212 California, U.S.A.
Phone:
310-300-3431
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Modern Moms LLC ripoff false advertising scam Beverly Hills California
In April, 2005, Modern Moms, which is supposed to be a support club for moms, advertised on their website and various message boards pertaining to parents that if you joined their Mom's club for $35 (national membership) or $40 (local), you would receive a gift bag worth over $200 for Mother's Day. They also promised 3 other bags throughout the year, all with valuable gifts from their sponsors. Because of this advertising and the promise of the valuable bags, hundreds, if not thousands, of moms joined, including me. I joined too late for the Mother's Day bag, but was still promised all the other bags, including the Father's Day bag.
Members started complaining on message boards that they weren't receiving the bags. They emailed and called MM, and were told various lies like they went out when they didn't, and even provided phony tracking numbers. Sometimes they wouldn't even respond to emails and would blame "filters" on their emails. Then they said a few members didn't receive bags because they were waiting on gifts from the sponsors, when in actuality only a small number of members received anything.
In June, even though most members were waiting for their gift bags, they sent members an email trying to recruit even MORE members, asking them to refer their friends to help get a big sponsor for future bags and even offered them an extra gift worth $35 in the father's Day bag as incentive.
As of this date, most members have still not received their bags. The Father's Day bags were advertised on her website and message boards as containing a messenger diaper bag full of full- size expensive items such as Crest Whitestrips, a Dad's magazine, car cleaner, pain cream, goat milk soap, Taggies toy and many other things. Some members finally received them and instead of a bag full of full-size items that were advertised, they got 2 or 3 samples in an envelope if they got anything at all, and NO messenger bag. Lolita Carrico, the founder, blamed some members who apparently complained to the sponsors because of the way MM was treating them, for the lack of gifts.
I didn't receive anything from them and I emailed Lolita on 8/11 and was told I would get my gift in 5-7 days. When I never got it, I filed a complaint with the BBB. In her rebuttal Lolita said I joined after the cutoff date but it wasn't true. Then she admitted I was right, and I received a little envelope with the pain cream that exploded all over the bag, a goat milk soap, and a Chlorox sample. I asked for a refund on September 1st, and she agreed to give me one, but to this date I still have not received it.
Lolita stated in her rebuttal to me and others who complained to the BBB that she NEVER advertised the gifts and never put a monetary value on them, but I have written proof and screen shots that she advertised the $200 gift bags on her own website, and someone who said they were Meghan Rappaport, who works for Modern Mom, as well as someone claiming to be Lolita's husband Chris Caricco, advertised on several Google boards (which she has since removed).
I am still waiting for my refund, and so are many other people. Emails and calls are being ignored. We are tired of being ignored and lied to. We just want was was promised to us in the beginning, or a refund.
Mary
Brooklyn, New York
U.S.A.
Members started complaining on message boards that they weren't receiving the bags. They emailed and called MM, and were told various lies like they went out when they didn't, and even provided phony tracking numbers. Sometimes they wouldn't even respond to emails and would blame "filters" on their emails. Then they said a few members didn't receive bags because they were waiting on gifts from the sponsors, when in actuality only a small number of members received anything.
In June, even though most members were waiting for their gift bags, they sent members an email trying to recruit even MORE members, asking them to refer their friends to help get a big sponsor for future bags and even offered them an extra gift worth $35 in the father's Day bag as incentive.
As of this date, most members have still not received their bags. The Father's Day bags were advertised on her website and message boards as containing a messenger diaper bag full of full- size expensive items such as Crest Whitestrips, a Dad's magazine, car cleaner, pain cream, goat milk soap, Taggies toy and many other things. Some members finally received them and instead of a bag full of full-size items that were advertised, they got 2 or 3 samples in an envelope if they got anything at all, and NO messenger bag. Lolita Carrico, the founder, blamed some members who apparently complained to the sponsors because of the way MM was treating them, for the lack of gifts.
I didn't receive anything from them and I emailed Lolita on 8/11 and was told I would get my gift in 5-7 days. When I never got it, I filed a complaint with the BBB. In her rebuttal Lolita said I joined after the cutoff date but it wasn't true. Then she admitted I was right, and I received a little envelope with the pain cream that exploded all over the bag, a goat milk soap, and a Chlorox sample. I asked for a refund on September 1st, and she agreed to give me one, but to this date I still have not received it.
Lolita stated in her rebuttal to me and others who complained to the BBB that she NEVER advertised the gifts and never put a monetary value on them, but I have written proof and screen shots that she advertised the $200 gift bags on her own website, and someone who said they were Meghan Rappaport, who works for Modern Mom, as well as someone claiming to be Lolita's husband Chris Caricco, advertised on several Google boards (which she has since removed).
I am still waiting for my refund, and so are many other people. Emails and calls are being ignored. We are tired of being ignored and lied to. We just want was was promised to us in the beginning, or a refund.
Mary
Brooklyn, New York
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Mary
Brooklyn,New York,
U.S.A.
The latest chapter and more lies from Lolita
#2Author of original report
Wed, January 11, 2006
Lolita hired an Executive Director to try to clean up the mess she made. This director tried to help everyone and sent unhappy members emails giving them 3 options-to leave Modern Moms and receive either a refund or a $40 gift certificate to Giftcertificates.com, or to stay and receive a back to school and Holiday bag. Members who heard about the options, and not every member did because Modern Mom mysteriously lost people's information, gave the executive director their options and were supposed to receive what they chose. The people who chose the gift certificate received them, but it turns out that the ones who didn't cash it in immediately found that it had been cancelled! Refund checks were supposed to be mailed out on December 19th never were. Very few of the items for the gift bag were sent to the executive director, so she had almost nothing to send out for the gift bags. She quit her job in disgust. Lolita claims that the refund checks were sent out January 2nd, but members who are waiting for them never received them. What a surprise. Once again, members were given promises and have still received nothing, except for the ones who were quick enough to cash in their gift certificate before it was cancelled. How long are these lies going to be allowed to continue?
Mary
Brooklyn,New York,
U.S.A.
Modern Mom DID advertise that all members would receive gifts!
#3Author of original report
Mon, October 10, 2005
This was taken from a google group and posted by Megan Rappaport who works for Modern Moms:
From: "Modern Moms Clubs"
Modern
Beverly Hills,California,
U.S.A.
Modern Moms Club Gift bag response
#4UPDATE Employee
Mon, October 10, 2005
Modern Moms Clubs are support and playgroups across the country for mothers. Occasionally, we do send gifts to our members based on supply from our sponsors. Modern Mom never advertised our gifts which are not a part of membership, but rather gifts we garner from our sponsors for our members based on supply. We do thank our sponsors on our website in return for their generosity, but the thank you page is not meant for advertising purposes. Membership benefits do not discuss the gifts as they are not guaranteed nor the purpose of our organization. Surrounding Mother's Day, our gifts were posted on various freebie and deal seeker message boards by non-employees encouraging people to join solely to obtain the gifts, which we cannot control and would highly discourage. Thus, many people joined for the prospect of a "deal" to receive items rather than for the support networks we offer to women. We never guarantee contents of gifts as they are based on sponsors and supply. Our Terms and Conditions of membership clearly state that membership dues are not refundable.
