Cal Ventures Zero customer service and a ripoff to boot Lynnwood Washington

History of purchase of Cal Spa's CS106 and V600:

March 8 Enter Cal Ventures for the first time and discuss interest in purchasing a hot tub and a pool table. After quite some time of speaking with Jim Luciano, we had worked out a deal for the CS106 and the V600 for $6195.00 + tax. He had told us that the spa and the pool table should be able to get to us within a week or two because it was home show time, hence the deals we were getting. We thought it sounded good, but wanted to sleep on it.

March 9 We decide we are going to go with the deal, we charge $6000.00 over the phone and say we will be in on the 12th to pay the remaining $746.00.

March 12 We go in to find out that they had ordered the green V600 instead of the Sahara, that we asked for. We were upset about that because we didn't want that color. As compensation they agreed to credit back the American Express and agreed to recharge it on March 16 so the purchase would be eligible for double miles. Not really costing them anything except the credit card fee, but at least we were getting something out of it. So we already were beginning to see the difficulty of dealing with them. We put a $500.00 down that day. We were told it should still be 1-2 weeks. We asked why the receipt said up to 6 weeks and he (Jim) swore it wouldn't take that long.

March 16- The remaining $6246 was charged to the card.

March 18 We call to see what the status is and they tell us maybe next week.

March 25 We call to see what the status is and again they tell us maybe next week on the hot tub and the pool table. We began to ask why they can't confirm a delivery and they tell us the way Cal Spas works is they just put stuff on the truck and they have no idea until it gets there.

March 29 Call to ask about the status and say the hot tub is not there, but the pool table may be coming.

March 30 - Call for info, couldn't get anyone, left message.

March 31 No return call, called again for info couldn't get anyone, left message.

April 1 No return call, called again, Oh yeah, your pool table came in the other day. I said Well we want it, when are you going to get it here. They had no idea how to schedule an installer but assured us Jim would call us back.

April 2 No return call, called several times, finally got Jim, he said he would call the installers and call us back.

April 3 No return call, called and was told Jim can't talk, he is busy with customers I told them, while I realize I am not in your store and you already have my money, I AM a customer who has spent thousands of dollars in your store and somebody needs to talk to me. Jim refused the call and never called back.

April 4 Still no return call, call again, says he can't get a hold of any installers.

April 5 Still no return call. Call again and get a hold of Jim, he says he had somebody cancel upgraded table and since we were unhappy, he could sell it to us for $300.00 more. He had gotten the 30% restocking fee so he could sell it to us and still make the money. We agreed. The installer finally calls, set up for delivery April 8th, we confirmed felt colors.

April 8 Installers show up, table legs damaged and wrong felt color and no accessory kit (which was promised, we had to drive to the store later to pick it up). We call Jim, he takes $100.00 off, so we now owe $200.00 which we are instructed to give to the installer. We weren't happy with the merchandise, but couldn't bare another day of this awful experience so we accepted delivery and let them install.

April 12 Call to check status on hot tub, still nothing. 5 weeks later! I have to go to major surgery on the 19th and can't believe this battle will still be going on. Can't get them to get us any information. Through this whole ordeal, we were NEVER called, even when the merchandised (pool table) had arrived!!

April 17 We attend the Everett home show, happen to run into Jim who has a booth set up and express our extreme disappointment and how the service, lack of response, the whole ordeal was one of the worst we had been through and we wanted it to be over. He told us that we could either return it or he would try to get it to us that next week. Well to be within the 6 weeks he would have needed to get it to us by Tuesday. He couldn't. We decided that even if we could get it that week, the horrible experience we had gone through would just be repeated if we ever had any problems. We told him we wanted the refund, discussed the dollar amount and he verbally agreed he would take care of it when he got back from the home show.

April 20 6 weeks have past, no delivery call, no refund. Jay, my husband goes in personally to Cal Ventures and talks to Jim. Jim says I realized I gave you too good of a deal, I will need the 30% restocking fee. Jay explains that he agreed to refund us the $4200.00 + tax and Jim said he made a mistake and wouldn't do it. Jay said he was going to fight for the money because they were past the 6 weeks and the service we received was ridiculous. Jay had mentioned a lawyer or protesting, Jim said bring it on, you will just bring me more business!. In the interest of ending this madness, Jay offers to pay a $500 restocking fee, to meet in the middle ground. Jim says, I don't know, I'll have to talk to my comptroller.. Jay responds by asking Jim to call him when he makes his decision.


A week goes by with no response from Cal Ventures. No offer to deliver, no refund offer.

We proceeded to write letters to Better Business Bureau, Attorney General, and American express to dispute the charges. The response from Cal Ventures was ridiculous. To top the 30% restocking fee they said we owed them the retail value of the pool table since we didn't buy both items. Where the first day he told us if we bought the pool table alone it would be $2100.00 and the V600 alone would be $4500.00. We have a flyer where he (Jim) wrote this price. In the letter he is claiming we need to pay $2300.00 for the CS106. He also is claiming we never paid the $200.00 fee for the upgraded, damaged table with the wrong felt color; however we have the cancelled check to prove we paid this amount.

The response from Cal Ventures also claims we are just upset we didn't get the hot tub within 2-3 weeks, and we are just complaining, but they had 6 weeks to get it to us. While in reality at the 6 weeks mark, there was no call to tell us it was there and they could deliver it. But what's even worse is that they have been holding all of our money on something we don't have and they have NEVER attempted to deliver. They did not make the six weeks mark and they did verbally agree to refund our money, now his story is changing.

June 3 Contact Cal Spa customer service with a long email detailing our problems.

June 6 Cal Spa customer service responded that this sort of issue was not their problem and that we would have to deal with this on our own.

No progress was made through the BBB, the Washington Attorney General or Amex. The BBB is just mediator, the WA AG has bigger fish to fry and Amex would be foolish to rule against Cal Ventures. After all, they make a lot of $ from big credit card fees and wouldn't want a retailer to drop them.

June 15 Mail a certified letter to Cal Ventures requesting a refund for the amount they claim as a max refund. No response. Called 4 times to talk to Catherine (comptroller). Left messages, no response.

June 28 Sent email to Jim and Catherine asking again for the max refund.

July 1 Receive a response from the comptroller:
I sent American Express a copy of your contract which clearly indicates that Sales are Final and Non-refundable. What I really said and showed to American Express is that contractually I did not have to refund you any money and that it was up to you to take possession of the hot tub you paid for.

Of course there's a stipulation on the back of the contract which, at the very least, calls out a 30% restocking fee for cancelled ordersI guess they're ignoring that.

Should you need to communicate with us again, please continue to do so in writing; to avoid further distortion of facts, neither Jim Luciano or I will accept to engage in a phone conversation with you.

Irony at it's best! We never could get anyone to talk to us

July 8 Submitted another investigation to Amex ask for a refund of at least the amount that Cal Ventures calls out as there max refund.

We'll see what happens

Also, see below for a link to another buyer's Cal Ventures nightmare:
ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff54515.htm

A few quotes from the above link:

We paid it off and then no service. This is my rational for canceling the order, I don't want the nightmare to continue.

We have been sworn at, called liars, told "I'll call you right back" (at least 10 times by at least 6 different people). Always nice to know you're not the only one.

The owner Jim of Cal Spas is the one who swore at me and called us "liars". But he's REALLY nice when you first come in looking for a tub and he doesn't have any of your $$$. And at least Catherine is politically savvy enough to avoid calling us liars, we just distort facts. Of course that's just a nice way of calling us liars, but still

Buyer beware

Jay
Everett, Washington
U.S.A.