All right folks,
Do you want to know how to prevent getting ripped off from video Professor? For the most of you, you only wanted the $6.95 free CD advertised, only to be had for multiple charges of $69.95 to either your credit cards or bank accts. You've attempted to speak w/an actual person, by dialing 1-800-525-7723 or 1-800-626-1059, only to find yourself lost in a series of automated prompts. If you can't get through on the 1-800# to a csr, then your best option is to just send 1 of the 3 CD's back to Video Professor, with the address listed on the invoice, along w/a copy of the invoice label of course.By the way, the whole deal w/having to return a CD or a sent package back, for either a refund or to prevent billing, is an absolute lie. Once CD's are returned, they're filed in crates destroyed @the wharehouse or Customer Service Center of Video Professor.
You have 10-days do review the lessons, but to avoid being billed, immediately send one of the CD's back w/the invoice be sure to dispute any future or current charges w/your bank or credit card company when doing so. It cost more for Video Professor to resolve a dispute, than to just stop billing or immediately refund a customer. The appointed point of contact to handle such disputes is Anne Deeb. Her email address is [email protected]. If Vid Prof agrees to a refund they say, "Your refund will be processed within 1-2 billing cycles...", then definately dispute the charge, only if the charge has occurred prior to or within 10-30 days of ordering your "free" lesson.
Vid Prof are sticklers for not refunding a customer after 30 days, so don't believe anything about having to wait for a refund to post within 1-2 billing cycles. Refunding a customer within 1-2 billing cycles is a fraudulent policy that John W. Scherer forces csr's to tell customers, so he can collect interest off the money that's been transferred from a customer's account into Video Professor's. Still, it's just best to dispute the charge. Also, Video Professor has been known to have funds transferred into their account, close the account with the current financial institution, open a new account with a different financial institution, and then deny a customer's request for a refund. This occurred, for example, when Video Professor had closed their account w/US Bank, followed by opening a new one with 1st Bank of Denver, and then denying access to refunds to customers who had requested them.
Now lets go over Video Professor's incentive program for working CSR's.By the way, be nice to customer service reps - they're getting screwed (if not more) by John W. Schere as much as you. What happens is that a customer sees a late night infomercial or goes to a Vid Prof website, orders from the website or calls the 1-800# listed on the infomercial. The customer is then directed to an outside call center known as West in Omaha, NE (go to west.com/about/index.Asp). The coordinator and primary point of contact between West Video Professor is Karla Halquist ([email protected]). She's this ugly, stick figure asian girl w/breast implants, & can be considered as a fem-nazi.
Anyway, customers place their order for the $6.95 CD and you all know the rest. To be honest, the $6.95 shipping handling fee for Lessons or Software Savers is also a scam. It should only cost, @the very most, $2-3.00 to ship the CD's. What's even more funny is that it only cost a $1.00 to make the individual lessons, so anyone being billed $69.95 for the lessons, or $99.00 for the Software Savers CD's, are definitely getting screwed, as well as the Video Professor's CSR's. But if you happen to reach a Customer Service Rep, are demanding your money back or wanting to avoid being billed, you're definitely going to have to listen to a written out script. Here's an example:
A CSR is consistently getting a series of calls w/screaming customers and dumbfound users of the actual lessons, because the CD's don't immediately install themselves like good ol' Johnny advertises. Now as an incentive to dealing with these customers, and keeping this money making machine churning, CSR's are given a $1.00 for each package they had convinced - or swindled - a customer into keeping, $2.00 if the customer hadn't been billed and was considering returning the package. As stated before, a customer calls West, signs up for the free CD, waits 5 to 6 days and either calls or confirms if they'll keep the lessons or not. Aside from the enraged customers, who were being viscously billed by continuing reviews, you have the ones who read the "Open Me First" booklet, decided that maybe Lesson 1 was too basic of a lesson, or that Lesson 3 was to advanced, and then call up to receive instructions on how to return one of the CD's.
In regards to CSR's making an incentive on a call, it requires them to possess a certain savvy, displayed through an impending play of words. For instance, a customer calls and didn't contact Vid Prof before the 10-day review expired, or on the other hand, did remember to contact Vid Prof, but due to limited staffing in the call center, was unable to reach a live representative, in efforts to receive the appropriate authorization code, and failed to return one of the 3 CDs.By the time the customer finally speaks to a phone rep, they're absolutely peeved and, on occasion, not. So the customer calls, the rep delivers their spiel, and the conversation basically goes like this...
Customer: "Uh, yeah... I've been trying and trying to get in contact with you, and get a Return Authorization Code to return one of the CD's, but all I get is an automated system, and now I've just found out that my credit card's been billed for $69.95. I didn't say you could bill me, you greedy bastards!!! All I wanted was the one free lesson!"
Rep: "Sorry about that Sir/Mam. I'm showing that your account has been billed for $69.95 on this particular date, and we have another scheduled review, w/a freight charge of $6.95, to bill and ship on the following date."
Customer: "What?!!? I don't want your stupid CD or any of your other CD's, and I didn't say that you could bill me either. I just want to return Lesson 1 because it show me anything, and I want my money refunded... Immediately!!!
Rep: "That's no problem, Sir/Mam. What I can do is issue a return authorization code (sps, spr, k, rk), and give you the following return address to return your lesson, allowing you to keep Lessons 2 and 3, absolutely free. Now were there any other titles that you were interested in?"
Customer: "I told you I didn't want any other lessons!"
Rep: "Well, if you like Sir/Mam, by keeping all 3 lessons, and the billing of $69.95 ($99.00 if Software Savers w/7 other CD's for free), Video Professor would be more than happy to send an additional 3 CD's, of any title of your choice, absolutely free!"
Customer: "Didn't you hear me, you moron?! I told you I didn't want to be charged for any of your lessons. I just wanted the one free CD!!!"
Rep: "That's understandable, Sir/Mam. If your interested, we can you send you 2 free packages, with a total of 6 CD's, based upon any subject title of your choice."
Customer: "Two free packages, huh? That's not bad, I guess. But I want my account closed, and I don't want any other charges to show up on my credit card!"
Rep: "No problem, Sir/Mam. Just let me get my supervisor on the phone to confirm that you called to return your initial package, but will keep it and its
billing of $69.95, and in return, will receive two additional titles for free. Can you please hold?"
So now you know how to fend off the sadistic advances & entrapments of Video Professor & its personnel. Here's another nugget of info for ya, if you're interested. A good way to get over on Video Professor is to sign up for the lessons, via www.videoprofessornow.com. This is Vid Prof's online programming for hi speed internet users. The trick to getting free lessons continually @no charge is to sign up for the 10-day trial of VP Online, with a valid email address & credit card, then cancel after the 10-day trial. Actually, in billing terms, the trial exists for 14-days then bills. However, if you cancel prior to billing, sign back up with the same credit card but a different email address - VP Online will begin another 10-day trial. The member login will recognize the new email address as a new user, and a person could continually sign up for free VP Online lessons, as long as they submit a new email address each time they sign up.
So with all this information given to you - I urge you to fight against this corporate parasite on American society, prove to Video Professor that the public will not be had, and will demonstrate its voice against capitalistic tyranny!!! Oh yeah, here's the email addresses to senior executives @Video Professor. This way, you can really voice your frustrations actually be heard! I also advise you to continually file complaints w/your State Attorney General as well. And remember... DISPUTE! Dispute! DISPUTE!
Bettye Harrison, President [email protected]
Dave Laughlin, Vice President - [email protected]
Eric Hansen, Director of Marketing - [email protected]
Michelle Wood, Ecommerce Manager - [email protected]
Jamie Melies, Marketing - [email protected]
Kathy Franz, Director - [email protected]
Jennifer Richardson - Accts Payable rep - [email protected]
Lindsey Sandmier, Customer Service Manager - [email protected], x310 @1-800-525-7723
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