On July 18 I heard a Rosetta Stone ad on the radio offering a free demo CD if I called 1-800-400-9309. When I called and told the telephone salesman that I was interested in the demo CD, the salesman immediately began disparaging the demo CD and encouraged me to purchase Level 1 Spanish "for only $47." When I expressed amazement at such a low price, given that Level 1 costs $259 on the Web site, and asked how the difference in price could be so great, the salesman assured me that people simply get a better price by calling than by going to the Web site. I decided to accept the offer, and the salesman began taking my personal information. But I remained uneasy because of the huge price difference, and asked again: does this offer include all of the items listed on the Web site (the CD's, the headset with microphone, the User's Guide, and the Audio Companion for use with mp3 player? The salesman assured me that it did, and continued to take my personal information. But finally, at the very end, he informed me, almost casually, that I would be billed for four additional installments of $47.
This sleazy high-pressure salesmanship is highly unethical and unworthy of a major company like Rosetta Stone. When a salesman attempts to steer you away from one offer to a more expensive one, it is called "bait and switch". When a salesman lies about the price and attempts to trick you into making a commitment of several hundered dollars, is goes well beyond being unethical. Rosetta Stone needs to get a handle on this.
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