A U.S. COMPUTER SUPPLIES telemarketer called my program to sell toner/ink. The caller said this was a 30-Day, risk-free trial of their "superior" product & guaranteed I would not be billed if I was unsatisfied with the product for any reason. Since these cartridges were about $5 less than my regular cartridges, I figured it was worth a try.
When I let the rep know I'd be willing to try both a color & a black ink cartridge I was told that the cartridges were shipped in groups of 4 (e.G. 4 color/4 black in a package). However, she assured me that if I was not satisfied for any reason I could return the unused cartridges & I would not be charged for them. This seemed like a standard "try at no risk" offer.in addition, she offered a "free gift" for each of my 7 volunteer staff members simply for trying the product.
The product arrived 6-8 weeks later (I should note that the "free thank you gifts" never arrived) & when I tried the ink cartridge it was definitely defective. The color cartridge printed in only pink/purple - there was no yellow. The black ink was watery/smudgey. Since they didn't work, I threw the defective cartridges away & kept the unopened ones to return at the time of the rep's promised follow-up call. However, the rep did not call back.
Instead, I received a letter that my account was overdue. This seemed impossible, since 1) I was supposed to have 30 days from the date of delivery of the product & 2) the rep had not even made her follow-up call yet. I called them about the defective product & requested an RMA to return the cartridges. The rep needed to check with a supervisor & said she'd call back. Again, she did not call back.
After about a week of receiving DAILY letters from the company demanding payment & 3 unsuccessful attempts on my part to contact the company by phone, I emailed customer service. The rep called me back that day with an RMA. I sent the unused cartridges via USPS with delivery confirmation (I should also note that I was told the company would pay for return shipping via a Call Tag initiated by the company, however I was made to pay for the return shipping myself).
I notified the rep that the cartridges were being returned, but the company still sent letters. I again called the company & this time gave them the delivery confirmation # to enter directly into their computer system so they could track the package for themselves. As I didn't hear anything for several weeks, I believed the case was closed with the return of the cartridges.
My program (which works with public schools) closed for the summer in the middle of June, but I received a voicemail from a rep who said I still needed to return 2 cartridges. I called back {this was the beginning of July} & informed that those were thrown out since I was not told they needed to be returned. Again, the rep said she would need to check with her supervisor & that she would call back. This time, I gave her my home phone number to place in the computer file. AGAIN, SHE DID NOT CALL BACK.
As I had not heard anything from her for 3-4 weeks, I thought the case might be closed since the supervisor was told the defective cartridges were thrown away. Just to make sure, I called to verify. The rep was unavailable, but another person said I still owed $20 for the 2 defective cartridges since they weren't returned. At this point, I asked to speak to a supervisor.
The supervisor was extremely unpleasant from the moment he got on the phone. His tone was harsh as he explained that the order was placed in April (which I knew), that only 3 cartridges each of the color/black were returned (which I also knew) & that I owed for 2 cartridges.
I let him know that I understood the history, that I was not told any used cartridges needed to be returned (just unused because of the "free trial") & asked him to review the sales call. I also informed him that I run a small, non-profit program that has only a $400/year budget for supplies & that the fiscal year had changed in July.
Since we are a grant-funded/zero-balance program, there isn't any way to go back & pay an April charge. Given the circumstances, the misrepresentations & the hassles, I asked that the charge be waived for the defective cartridges. The manager refused, said to sue him & hung up on me.
I filed a complaint with the BBB & would highly caution anyone against taking this "free trial" offer.
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