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Such wonderful marketing!
May. 1st, 2002 08:26 pmShortly after I moved into my current place with Tiger Lily I discontinued being in a monthly member of a mail-order business that sent out monthly packages of fairly good home use goodies. No, not Amway, Melaleuca. Money was tight and I didn't know when I'd next be able to place an order. So I cancelled, no sweat, and apparently I cancelled with a back balance there.
Well, some months after I cancelled they started sending me letters telling me to join back up and that I had a back balance. I could apply the back balance toward re-upping and toward my first order. I only remember getting one of these. Apparently they sent out several, all to my old address. I *had* given them my new address but it wasn't on file.
I'd been looking forward to re-upping with them. They have some very nice shampoo and soap and laundry products and I really liked their dish soap. Good shtuff! Thing is, money had been tight. Joblessness and temp jobs and legal stuff last year meant I didn't have the money honey. So today I called their order center, hoping to join up again. Their order center told me, quite pleasantly, that they couldn't renew my association with their company. Please call this non-toll-free number to talk to member services.
I called the non-toll-free number and reached a young lady. I told her I wanted to renew my association and perhaps order some products this fine sunny day. I was told, It's Not That Simple. I would have to sign some forms (forms which are not made available online) and send them in via USPS (faxing isn't good enough for them) and I would have to pay the renewal fee.
Ahh, I said. I have a credit balance. Ahh, she said, no you don't.
What? What happened to this credit balance I was told about?
Well, she said, we sent you letters asking you to rejoin the service and mentioning the credit balance. However, we charge $10 per letter we send out and we sent enough letters to totally deplete your credit balance.
I asked her to send me the resubscription papers at the time and then hung up.
I have had several hours to think about this. I think I will fill out the order papers, then write VOID in large, friendly letters. I will explain to them that their policy regarding those letters that they sent out, draining my credit with them by $10 per letter (which is pretty pricy, given that the letter couldn't have cost them more than $1 each to mail including sending the printing out to Kinko's) and thus removing my credit balance, is a policy that I consider particularly unfriendly. I will explain to them that I will be letting my friends know and that I will likewise be posting about it on the Internet in several places. I will explain that much though I value their products, I do not value the kind of service they had just shown me. I do not appreciate being billed for a private advertising campaign at rates that would make a phone sex line blush.
If they waive the costs of all but one of those letters, I will cheerfully re-up. I don't think $10 is horrible for a half dozen letters (which is apparently how many they sent me). But otherwise I shall be very public about just how service oriented they are. Very, *very* public.
Well, some months after I cancelled they started sending me letters telling me to join back up and that I had a back balance. I could apply the back balance toward re-upping and toward my first order. I only remember getting one of these. Apparently they sent out several, all to my old address. I *had* given them my new address but it wasn't on file.
I'd been looking forward to re-upping with them. They have some very nice shampoo and soap and laundry products and I really liked their dish soap. Good shtuff! Thing is, money had been tight. Joblessness and temp jobs and legal stuff last year meant I didn't have the money honey. So today I called their order center, hoping to join up again. Their order center told me, quite pleasantly, that they couldn't renew my association with their company. Please call this non-toll-free number to talk to member services.
I called the non-toll-free number and reached a young lady. I told her I wanted to renew my association and perhaps order some products this fine sunny day. I was told, It's Not That Simple. I would have to sign some forms (forms which are not made available online) and send them in via USPS (faxing isn't good enough for them) and I would have to pay the renewal fee.
Ahh, I said. I have a credit balance. Ahh, she said, no you don't.
What? What happened to this credit balance I was told about?
Well, she said, we sent you letters asking you to rejoin the service and mentioning the credit balance. However, we charge $10 per letter we send out and we sent enough letters to totally deplete your credit balance.
I asked her to send me the resubscription papers at the time and then hung up.
I have had several hours to think about this. I think I will fill out the order papers, then write VOID in large, friendly letters. I will explain to them that their policy regarding those letters that they sent out, draining my credit with them by $10 per letter (which is pretty pricy, given that the letter couldn't have cost them more than $1 each to mail including sending the printing out to Kinko's) and thus removing my credit balance, is a policy that I consider particularly unfriendly. I will explain to them that I will be letting my friends know and that I will likewise be posting about it on the Internet in several places. I will explain that much though I value their products, I do not value the kind of service they had just shown me. I do not appreciate being billed for a private advertising campaign at rates that would make a phone sex line blush.
If they waive the costs of all but one of those letters, I will cheerfully re-up. I don't think $10 is horrible for a half dozen letters (which is apparently how many they sent me). But otherwise I shall be very public about just how service oriented they are. Very, *very* public.
