I purchased a six months supply of Avlimil from Berkeley Pharmaceuticals at their on-line website. I had seen their advertisements on television and their website looked very appealing and well organized; legitimate. I received the shipment within a couple weeks from ordering. I did not open the packages of pills at all because I began taking a prescription medication soon after ordering the Avlimil and information suggested I not mix the two.
I called the customer care representative and inquired about how I should return the product for their "100% Satisfaction, Money Back Guarnatee". I had read on their web site that there would be a $10 processing fee that would not be returned to me and the rep. Confirmed this was true. She then calculated my refund to be $89 instead of the $99 I had paid; ($10 re-stocking fee.) She cordially gave me a P.O. Box and asked me to return it certified mail. This all made me feel comfortable because I felt like they were trying to protect my return by suggesting this method of shipment. Because I know it takes 6-8 weeks for these types of transactions to be credited, I didn't bother to contact the company for 2 months.
Finally, my husband reminded me of the return and said we had never been credited. When I called the customer care number, I got the shock of my life. The lady who answered said that my account showed that I had returned only a 2 months supply. I couldn't believe my ears! I informed her that I had returned the entire 6 months supply. She continued to insist that I only returned the 2 month, and she would not admit they could possilby be wrong. I then asked to speak to a supervisor. She put me on hold forever. Then came back and said there was no supervisor available (hoping I would hang up).
I told her immediately that I had all the time in the world and I would wait as long as necessary to speak to someone. This whole time I still felt like the problem would be solved when the supervisior got on the line; he would certainly see the mistake, and if not would err on the consumer's side and refund my money. He was even more combative and insisted that I had only sent back a 2 months supply because that's what their warehouse had recorded. He offered to refund me $23. Then it finally hit me; This company must do this to everyone who returns items. If they did not refund the entire amount due to me, they would make $66 off of me. As I began to think about the thousands of people they must pull this scam on everyday, the dollars began to add up in my mind. I could afford to lose $66, but it was the pricipal of the thing. I thought about all those people could NOT afford to lose that much money and I felt that I should fight for them. I'm not sure where to go from here but I will definitely be more wise from now on.
0 comments