- Report: #270520
Complaint Review: Petals.com - Internet
-
Author Confirmed
Why?
Petals.com
petals.com Internet, U.S.A.
Phone:
1-800-920-6000
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Petals.com - Scam - No Refunds Ever Sent Internet
Back in February 2007, I placed an order for various items totaling close to $270.00. Given that it was April and I had not received my order, I wrote an email through the Petals.com customer form and requested a cancellation. Given a week had gone by and I did not receive any feedback, I followed up with a phone call.
I spoke to a customer representative that stated he had cancelled the order through his system only to receive 2 weeks later an email from Petals (the only thing they are good at doing is notifying you when something has been shipped or sending you specials) informing me that all the items except one were on their way and I was charged on my visa.
I immediately called the Petals.com customer assistance number and this time I was told to refuse the items upon delivery and I confirmed with her that the last item that was not shipped WAS cancelled in the system which she said she had just done. I refused the items upon delivery as the rep had recommended.
In the interim, approximately 4 days later, I receive a postcard type notification via land mail from Petals informing me the last item had been cancelled due to it being out of stock. 2 weeks later I received an email from Petals telling me that this last item had been SHIPPED and yes, I checked my visa, and I had been charged for that last item too. I immediately called a customer representative who told me to refuse it (this was at this point early May).
Months went by -- all summer and I have yet to receive the credit on my visa. I called 2 additional times, one time the customer representative told me that the reason I had not received the credit was because when I had refused the 2 deliveries I had not marked what I wanted them to do with the money on the return form (duh, if you reject at delivery that means you don't open the box, why would a company just sit on it and not contact the customer or credit the visa?!) so she told me it would be 2 weeks for the visa to be credited. The second time, the representative informed me that the information in the system had the order number I had been given for another customer!!
It is August 27, 2007 today and for the last 2 months Petals.com has their phone blocked by saying that their new catalog has caused such an overwhelming response that all customer representative are busy and to call back later-- I call randomly at this point and I have never gotten through, it's a bunch of crock. Or, they change the message and tell the caller to go to their website for all of "your customer needs". Of course, nobody answers the inquiries even though they state that they'll respond back within 24 hours on their website.
My question is, how is this company allowed to do this? Is there any way of finding out who is responsible? I would like to take them to court for the mere principal of it all.
Rebecca
Climax, Michigan
U.S.A.
I spoke to a customer representative that stated he had cancelled the order through his system only to receive 2 weeks later an email from Petals (the only thing they are good at doing is notifying you when something has been shipped or sending you specials) informing me that all the items except one were on their way and I was charged on my visa.
I immediately called the Petals.com customer assistance number and this time I was told to refuse the items upon delivery and I confirmed with her that the last item that was not shipped WAS cancelled in the system which she said she had just done. I refused the items upon delivery as the rep had recommended.
In the interim, approximately 4 days later, I receive a postcard type notification via land mail from Petals informing me the last item had been cancelled due to it being out of stock. 2 weeks later I received an email from Petals telling me that this last item had been SHIPPED and yes, I checked my visa, and I had been charged for that last item too. I immediately called a customer representative who told me to refuse it (this was at this point early May).
Months went by -- all summer and I have yet to receive the credit on my visa. I called 2 additional times, one time the customer representative told me that the reason I had not received the credit was because when I had refused the 2 deliveries I had not marked what I wanted them to do with the money on the return form (duh, if you reject at delivery that means you don't open the box, why would a company just sit on it and not contact the customer or credit the visa?!) so she told me it would be 2 weeks for the visa to be credited. The second time, the representative informed me that the information in the system had the order number I had been given for another customer!!
It is August 27, 2007 today and for the last 2 months Petals.com has their phone blocked by saying that their new catalog has caused such an overwhelming response that all customer representative are busy and to call back later-- I call randomly at this point and I have never gotten through, it's a bunch of crock. Or, they change the message and tell the caller to go to their website for all of "your customer needs". Of course, nobody answers the inquiries even though they state that they'll respond back within 24 hours on their website.
My question is, how is this company allowed to do this? Is there any way of finding out who is responsible? I would like to take them to court for the mere principal of it all.
Rebecca
Climax, Michigan
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
NSpectr3
Westerly,Rhode Island,
U.S.A.
Dispute With Savvy
#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, March 05, 2008
Fie on Petals for shrugging off a third of her refund, but yay for Rebecca! Publicity may be "the last resort of the innocent", but I think consistent reminders to Petals of its responsibility had more bearing on our positive outcomes. (See my own report for a similar and typical tale of runaround from Petals, one with a happy ending! http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/281/RipOff0281797.htm) Petals Decorative ignored my BBB complaint and quit taking phone calls for a time, but could not hide forever. It's best to have an overall strategy of both direct contact and public comment for stubborn bad actors like this. On a broader topic, I note that some people misunderstand how these gripe forums function, proceeding to make demands and insults as if CEOs routinely spend their afternoons reading their own bad buzz. Friends, understand that ROR and its like do not provide direct automatic conduits to offending companies. Those are your job to establish. All the forums can do is broadcast friendly warnings to fellow citizens, and hope that responses from the accused are truly corrective and not breezy polish from softsoapers in Public Relations.
Rebecca
Climax,Michigan,
U.S.A.
Petals.com
#3Author of original report
Thu, January 24, 2008
UPDATE: I just received a refund from Petals.com in the amount of $185.88 (January 24, 2008). I placed a formal complaint against them through the Better Business Bureau on January 22, 2008 after close to a year trying to resolve this with their customer support reps. I also spoke to the same customer service representative I have spoken with the 3 last times I've called (eastern european accent) and flat out asked her if Petals.com was stringing customers along in preparation of declaring bankruptcy. Although the amount is less than what is due, I am taking the refund and closing the book on this. I have contacted my visa and have asked for them to refuse ANY charges from Petals.com in the near future should they try to go that route with me (from what I've read on various boards, this company is capable of anything.) I hope the IRS gets involved in Petals.com's shady practices and exposes Petals and its owners for what they are. For those of you out there still trying to get your money back.. do not give up. Call Petals every week and expose them to BBB- it took me close to a year to get a partial refund.
