May 26
Nita Virghes
Assistant Manager Direct Retail Services
Better business bureau
330 N Wabash Avenue Suite #2006
Chicago, IL
60611
RE: BBB CASE #: 94350185 UniBlue.com/Cleverbridge E-Commerce Partner
Dear Nita Virghes:
I am writing in response to the following information provided on May 24, to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Chicago, by Richard Krolikowski, Cleverbridge Inc.
Please note, on May 24, (the same day the BBB, Chicago received their response) the Customer Support Team, Cleverbridge Inc., sent a response in an email to http://usashameboard.com which states:
Dear Roger,
Please allow us to apologize for any inconvenience that this ordeal may have caused you. We have reviewed this issue extensively and have been working diligently to assure your satisfaction with this transaction. As you know, we have been in constant contact with yourself, Uniblue Systems, and MasterCard to exhaust all possibilities of a satisfactory resolution regarding this issue.
Mr. Krolikowski in his response, failed to mention that the refund to the gift card was due to “Terrible Service” by UniBlue.com and the charging for duplicate products.
In any event, when a customer is about to purchase RegistryBooster, the UniBlue.com website states: “RegistryBooster optimizes your PC by servicing your registry. If, for any reason, you are not pleased with our product, contact our customer support team within 30 days of purchase and we will refund the full purchase price.”
I do not accept Mr. Krolikowski’s position. Please review the following as they transpired:
• Feb 6, I purchased RegistryBooster for $29.95, from UniBlue.com via the internet. I used a pre-paid gift card to pay for this product.
• March 29, Sarah, Customer Support (CS), UniBlue.com recommended that I upgrade my purchase to PowerSuite 2011 for $39.95. This upgrade includes three products in the PowerSuite which are RegistryBooster, DriverScanner and SpeedUpMyPC. Sarah did not tell me at the time of purchase that one of the three included RegistryBooster, which I already had and could not substitute; DriverScanner; which was incompatible with my old computer and caused it to crash and SpeedUpMyPC; which actually worked. I requested a refund.
• April 1, Sarah, CS, UniBlue.com sent an email to advise a refund would be processed for the PowerSuite 2011 pending everything being deleted from my computer. When I uninstalled PowerSuite it also removed both RegistryBooster’s as I had two installed on my computer. I requested a full refund for both products.
• April 4, Richard K. CS, Cleverbridge Inc., provided a credit for $39.95 Reference Number 2127084. This was the first time I spoke to Cleverbridge as I never heard of them before and all CS before that were from UniBlue.com and well aware of my gift card payment arrangement.
• April 19; received an email from Helen, Customer Service Manager (CSM), UniBlue.com which states: “Kindly note that I can confirm that your orders were refunded on the 1st April. I suggest that you contact you bank if you still have not received the mentioned refund”.
• April 20; I sent an email to Helen, CSM, Uniblue.com, to advise that I still had not received a credit for the first RegistyBooster. I attached copies of my credit card statement showing the only refund received was for $39.95.
• April 22; Richard K, CS, Cleverbridge Inc., in an email stated: “Our records indicate that this refund was issued as of April 11 back to your MasterCard ending in 0349”. RegistryBooster for $29.95 was credited April 11, Reference Number 19468919, to my old gift card. Mr. Krolikowski will like you to believe that this is the first time I have spoke to Cleverbridge in this regard.
• April 25; Helen, CSM, Uniblue.com, in an email states: “Kindly note that refunds from our end are only able to be refunded to the same credit card which was used when the order was placed”.
• April 25; Helen, CSM, Uniblue.com, in an email states: “We do apologize for any inconvenience caused in this matter but from our end we have processed the refunds as per your requests. If you are having issues with the refunds, I suggest that you contact your credit card issuer and discuss further with them”.
• April 26; Frank, CSM, Uniblue.com, in an email states: “Please understand that as a global e-commerce player, Cleverbridge are bound with various international laws and policies to safeguard the interest of their customers. I can assure you that they deal with a multitude of 'fraud' cases, were people (sometimes professional in what they do), try to trick systems in order to gain money that does not belong to them. This is one of the main reasons why Cleverbridge only refunds money back to the original credit card used. We have had quite a number of cases before where for some reason or another the original credit card would no longer be available and a new one issued by the bank - for example if it gets lost/stolen or perhaps just expired and a new one issued.in all of these cases, Cleverbridge would still return the money on the original credit card and the bank concerned would take care of linking the transaction with the new credit card”.
When a customer is about to purchase RegistryBooster, you have to look towards the very bottom of the website to find and click “Terms and Conditions” and “Privacy Policy”.
Terms and Conditons: Clause 6 Payment by credit card states:
When paying by credit card, the Customer shall provide their full credit card details for each order (cardholder name, card number, expiry date, CVV). Furthermore, the Customer hereby provides their prior consent for cleverbridge to charge the payment for the order to the respective credit card company, particularly for online transactions.
Cleverbridge will take all reasonable measures to protect the credit card details against unauthorised access by third parties. The Customer is aware that unauthorised access to such information by third parties cannot be excluded, especially during the electronic transmission of such information. The Customer's credit card account will be charged online when processing the order.
Privacy Policy: #5 Payment Procedures states:
We provide our customers with the various payment methods, such as credit card, bank transfer, cash payment, direct debit, PayPal, check and giropay, etc. For payments by credit card, we require your credit card number, the card's expiration date and your credit card's security code. Your payment details are then transferred to our payment provider for transaction processing. For payments by direct debit, we require your name, your account number and the bank routing number. Additionally, you can also pay for goods by check or in cash.in this case, we will not require any information other than the delivery address.in order to ensure a secure, encoded transfer of your personal data, we use the SSL (secure sockets layer) standard on all our websites. This means that your personal data and the payment information provided during our ordering process will be transferred securely.
Unfortunately, no where on the UniBlue.com website did Cleverbridge Inc., or UniBlue mention how they deal with Gift Cards either during the transaction or what happens should a refund be required. Also, Cleverbridge obviously knew about VanillaMasterCard’s standard practice of charging a $9.95 fee for issuing a new card.
Subsequently, considering the circumstances, Cleverbridge, could have accommodated me by crediting my new MasterCard account or simply mailing out a cheque.
Now I will be waiting again for VanillaMasterCard this time, to send me in six to eight weeks, a new “Twenty Dollar Gift Card”. $29.95 - 9.95 = $20.
In conclusion, I believe that Cleverbridge Inc., are responsible and accountable for the circumstances and should act in “Good Faith”. This should also be true for all those customers who filed complaints against Cleverbridge Inc., on http://usashameboard.com.
Sincerely,
Roger Grant
Cc: http://usashameboard.com
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