Creative Home Arts Club Bait & switch mail advertisement, items received were not as advertised. Minnetonka Minnesota

They offered a one year membership for $24, along with a $100 grocery gift card. When I joined, I received a certificate that I had to mail in to get the grocery card. I mailed it in, but instead of receiving a grocery gift card, I got a booklet with a list of about 900 products from which I had to select 48, in numeric sequence, and enter them on a form. I was instructed that 2 weeks later, I would need to do this again. I would then receive cents-off coupons that would total $100. This is not what the membership materials promised.

I received my bill, so I sent in my payment. Then I received another bill, and mistakenly thought that I had not yet paid, so I paid the bill. Now I had paid twice, and had received nothing of value from this company.

In May I called the company to request a refund. Instead they sent me an invitation to become a lifetime member of their club, and subtracted $24 from the usual lifetime membership fee, which was somewhere in the $300 range. I called the company again in June to ask for my $48 back. They said it would take 3 weeks and I would get it by July 13.

A week or so after I called, I received another lifetime membership offer. I threw it away. Then on July 9, I received a check for $24. On July 12 I called to ask where the rest of my money was. They told me they had sent me the membership offer and I needed to follow the instructions on it in order to get my money. I asked for a supervisor and told him that I wanted my money back, as promised, by July 13. The man said he couldn't do that. He was not able to connect me with any person with the authority to give me an immediate refund. He gave me an e-mail address and said if I sent them a message that they would get back to me right away.

Several hours later, I called back later that afternoon and spoke with a different supervisor. Same story. She authorized another $24 check to be sent, but couldn't connect me with anyone who had authority. Six days later I received a response to my e-mail, but I still don't have my money.

If you get a mailing from this company, DO NOT JOIN. It is a ripoff.

Benita
St. Paul, Minnesota
U.S.A.