So… Was I Taken for a Ride?

After reading my last two posts, you probably think I got scammed.

And I probably did fall into a minor scam.

However, in reading the “free” book I originally ordered two thoughts jumped out at me:

1. The author mentions the importance of reading the “fine print” whenever you order anything.
   

Well duh. I thought I did. Thing is, his fine print is REALLY fine. So yeah, I checked. He mentions sending this 100 dollar item but the print is so tiny I didn’t notice it the first time. Hmmmmm.

2. Then the author talks about the power of negotiation.
   

He says never to pay full price for anything. That’s fine and good, but I wonder how many people simply fork over their hundred bucks and pay their credit card bill without “negotiating” down the price.

Plus, if you’ll read my last post, you’ll notice I wasn’t negotiating. I was trying to return the package. I wish I were an ace negotiator, but in that instance I wasn’t even trying to bring down the price although I evidently succeeded.

Bottom line? In my mind his business model is a pretty crumby way to run a business. When people order from Filbert Publishing, they know how much the item will cost and we deliver what we promise. In fact, we often pop freebies in the package just for a nice surprise.

But we don’t sneak in extra charges.

That’s just stupid.

I may have paid 25 bucks for my 100 dollar item, but I doubt I’ll order from that company again. I don’t like surprises. I doubt you do either.

Unless they’re nice surprises that don’t cost a cent.

Talk later,

Beth

My Grand "Refund"

So… I call the 1-800 number to request a refund.

If you’re not up to speed, please read my previous entry for the whole story.

Short story: I ordered a free book and received an entire CD course costing close to a hundred bucks. If I didn’t get it back to them within 30 days, I’d have a new charge on my credit card.

So… I call the company. A very nice man with a thick accent answers.

I explain the situation and request my refund along with instructions to send the CD set back to them.

“If I were to offer you the set for $79.95 would you keep it?”

“Nope,” I answer, “I don’t need this set.”

He goes through a litany of questions and taps at his computer a while. “Have you listened to the CDs?”

“Nope.”

“Do you plan on listening to them?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t need them.”

“I suggest you open them and listen. If you don’t like them you can send them back.”

“No thanks,” I answer.

Then he says, “I just got authorized to sell you the set for $49.00.”

I answer, “Thanks, but I really don’t need the set. Just tell me how to get it back to you.”

He taps some more and says, “Have you opened the CD set?”

I just answered this but reply again, “Nope.”

“That’s good,” he says, “otherwise you couldn’t return them.”

“But you just told me to open them,” I say.

“Have you?”

“No.”

“Then you’re fine,” he says. Then he goes into detailed instructions on what I need to do to replace these CDs. Quite complicated, if you ask me, especially considering I didn’t order them. (Plus he implied on more than one occasion that if I didn't wrap these CDs correctly, they could refuse the shipment AND the refund. Ack!"

Finally, just as I’m about to hang up he says, “If you decide to keep these CDs, I’m authorized to sell them to you right now for a one time charge of $24.95.”

Imagine. In the matter of ten minutes, that multiple CD set plummeted from nearly a hundred bucks to around 25.

Considering I really didn’t feel like wrapping up the set to their specifications, heading to the post office, purchasing big-time postage and tracking information… I said, “You’ve got a deal.”

Now I’m the proud owner of a CD set.

Bad marketing?

Dunno. From what I hear, the guy’s really selling product.

Definitely sneaky, though. It’s certainly not a technique I’ll use.

After all, if you want repeat customers, this is hardly the way to treat them.

Final thoughts on this next time.

Enjoy your week!

Beth

Shady Marketing

First, some background: it started innocuous enough. My husband had a hankering to dabble in real estate and caught wind of a Robert Allen seminar in Minneapolis.

We went.

We didn’t stay.

After the speaker proceeded to list some pretty funky ways to finance potential real estate deals (including credit cards… CREDIT CARDS...) I figured we were definitely in the wrong seminar.

However as a copywriter, I must mention I found the persuasion techniques utilized by the “Enlightened Wealth Institute” to be incredibly fascinating.

After we arrived home, Maury began searching for some information on real estate investing.

First, he decided to conduct a search on Robert Allen. Unfortunately, he found a ton of negative information on that particular seminar. (Surprise, surprise.)

However, he also found something very interesting. Seems one of the sites that “review” various real estate gurus “highly recommended” a particular guy’s methods.

We surfed to the recommended site and voila: the guy was giving away a free CD and book package. All we had to do was pay around four bucks for shipping!

I figured checking out the guy’s book wouldn’t hurt so we signed up. Plus, I love getting on mailing lists. More junk mail = an expanding swipe file!

About a week later, our package arrived. I ripped it open and inside was the book, two CDs, and a folder containing EIGHT more CDs. The letter explained that we’d signed up for the free book PLUS a “30 day trial of their incredible wealth system.” At the end of 30 days they were going to charge our credit card for an additional 99.90.

What the heck!~!~!

Now, as a consumer, I find that method reprehensible. As a persuader, I find it fascinating. How could this guy get by with tactics like this without totally angering his customer base?

Well, it turns out he hasn’t.

Websites buzz concerning his selling techniques. Mind you, most people agree the information is fine, but the sales methods? Totally suck.

Any marketer worth their salt knows that most people won’t return a product, even if it’s defective. I don’t know if most people are lazy or simply forgetful, but the stats prove most products will sit on a shelf rather than get shipped back to the company.

This makes sending someone a 100 dollar product piggybacked with a “free book” is pretty underhanded considering that this marketer is relying on the general public’s inertia to keep greenbacks flooding his offices.

Plus, the refund process? WAIT until you hear about that!

I’ll clue you in tomorrow.

Talk then,

Beth

The Blog Springs To Life

My book’s finally (officially) released.

What a ton of work! But it’s worth every moment. If you’ve written a long-form nonfiction title, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

But the baby’s born and life is fab.

Couple new developments these past few weeks:

1. You can check out my latest title here: http://filbertpublishing.com/101.html
2. Filbert Publishing has added free e-courses to our repertoire of resources for freelancers. Here’s the link: http://filbertpublishing.com/Courses.html
3. My BethAnnErickson.com site is currently undergoing a huge revision. Hopefully it won’t cut into my blogging time.
4. Want to check out something utterly cool? Click this link: http://3chix.com

I’ll be back soonest with new news!

Talk later,

Beth