In April, Modern Moms, which is supposed to be a support club for moms, advertised on their website and various message boards pertaining to parents that if you joined their Mom's club for $35 (national membership) or $40 (local), you would receive a gift bag worth over $200 for Mother's Day. They also promised 3 other bags throughout the year, all with valuable gifts from their sponsors. Because of this advertising and the promise of the valuable bags, hundreds, if not thousands, of moms joined, including me. I joined too late for the Mother's Day bag, but was still promised all the other bags, including the Father's Day bag.
Members started complaining on message boards that they weren't receiving the bags. They emailed and called MM, and were told various lies like they went out when they didn't, and even provided phony tracking numbers. Sometimes they wouldn't even respond to emails and would blame "filters" on their emails. Then they said a few members didn't receive bags because they were waiting on gifts from the sponsors, when in actuality only a small number of members received anything.
In June, even though most members were waiting for their gift bags, they sent members an email trying to recruit even MORE members, asking them to refer their friends to help get a big sponsor for future bags and even offered them an extra gift worth $35 in the father's Day bag as incentive.
As of this date, most members have still not received their bags. The Father's Day bags were advertised on her website and message boards as containing a messenger diaper bag full of full - size expensive items such as Crest Whitestrips, a Dad's magazine, car cleaner, pain cream, goat milk soap, Taggies toy and many other things. Some members finally received them and instead of a bag full of full-size items that were advertised, they got 2 or 3 samples in an envelope if they got anything at all, and NO messenger bag. Lolita Carrico, the founder, blamed some members who apparently complained to the sponsors because of the way MM was treating them, for the lack of gifts.
I didn't receive anything from them and I emailed Lolita on 8/11 and was told I would get my gift in 5-7 days. When I never got it, I filed a complaint with the BBB.in her rebuttal Lolita said I joined after the cutoff date but it wasn't true. Then she admitted I was right, and I received a little envelope with the pain cream that exploded all over the bag, a goat milk soap, and a Chlorox sample. I asked for a refund on September 1st, and she agreed to give me one, but to this date I still have not received it.
Lolita stated in her rebuttal to me and others who complained to the BBB that she NEVER advertised the gifts and never put a monetary value on them, but I have written proof and screen shots that she advertised the $200 gift bags on her own website, and someone who said they were Meghan Rappaport, who works for Modern Mom, as well as someone claiming to be Lolita's husband Chris Caricco, advertised on several Google boards (which she has since removed).
I am still waiting for my refund, and so are many other people. Emails and calls are being ignored. We are tired of being ignored and lied to. We just want was was promised to us in the beginning, or a refund.
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