I have been a lifetime member for several years, opting to pay off the membership soon after signing up in spring of 2000. I was pleased with the merchandise and prices and never encountered any problems with the company until beginning in 2004. I was under the assumption that the membership fees were due in Aug. And I always paid them in Aug. Suddenly I was not getting the winter and spring catalogs.in I was going through a very serious difficulty of another sort and SMC was the last thing on my mind so I forgot to pay them until December.
I wrote a note of apology, explaining my situation along with my renewal fee. I told them I didn't expect the fall catalogs but if they had them still I would like them. They sent me a bill back claiming I owed them another 9.90. I questioned it and they said the renewal membership costs had gone up to 39/40 dollars. I told them I couldn't send it immediately, but then in Jan. I sent the rest but also told them that my membership notice did not state that the cost was any higher and I had not received any notices that the cost had gone up. I also complained that I was not getting both catalogs even if I did pay on time. They never responded. I no longer got the monthly reports, I didn't get the catalogs for 2005 or 2006. It's like suddenly after paying out all that money to become a lifetime member, they dropped me like I was poison. I have never heard from them again.
I never really did get my business going because I still had kids home and they always seemed to need attention over anything else I had in mind to do, I figured as soon as they were out of school I would have the time to apply myself.
By the way, You do not have to buy their website, you can get one of your own... A free one even if you look around the net.
The product is everywhere and I was surprised when they even sent the catalog to some people that hadn't sent for membership. The necessary better business bureau to file at is (ROR REDACTED LINK FOR SECURITY PURPOSES)
That is the one that deals with Chatsworth, they currently have no mention of Specialty Merchandising Corp in Chatsworth. The CA attorney generals site makes no mention of it either so if anyone expects to get anywhere with this, everyone that's complained here needs to write the atty general in CA and the bbb in la. The names signed to my contracts are Claire Levine
as director and Lynda Levine as vp marketing and Kerry Cox as vp of direct marketing. The other director signed on the contract is Mark and I can't read the last name, looks like ley.
I wrote to the company last year twice and this year and asked them what was going on because I had sent the money I had owed but have heard nothing at all from them.
In the beginning I had no complaints whatsoever so I wonder if it's operated by the same people.
On my literature the phone line is listed as 818-998-3300, the fax number is listed as 818-709-5535. I do not know if these are still valid.
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