Cookology Chefology LLC, CookologyOnline Lying company that sells you a gift certificate that isn't valid Sterling, Virginia

In the below email sent by Ms. Kopsidas to Office of the Attorney General of Virgina she states in 3 different paragraphs that it was her companies fault yet she still refuses to refund my wife's friend her $150 and still claims I am trying to scam her.  She also states she offered us 2 seats in one of her classes which I previously mentioned before she did not.  This letter also contradicts what she wrote earlier where she states that a family member used it and they were scared to inform me.

March 27, 2013

XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Dispute Resolution Specialist
900 East Main Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219

Dear Mrs. XXXXXXXX,

Mr. XXXXXX's gift card shows it has been redeemed in our system. Our reporting is such that we show when it was issued, when it was redeemed, and the name of the person with credit--this is far more data than most stores keep. Further, we offered Mr. XXXXXXX two seats in a cooking class for he and his wife, which he flatly refused.  He says we're lying that, we never offered him anything and that we never shared the information about a potential family member with the credit. We are not unreasonable. It is also very likely that same manager crossed off the wrong gift card, and it was marked fully redeemed.

The manager working for us at the time told me, without showing me the evidence, that a XXXXXX family member has a credit on our report. After more investigation into our system, which took several weeks, the person we have on the credit report is named Margaret Marrons. We have tried to reach out to her several times to see if they are related, without success.  

Further, Mr. XXXXX posted negative reviews and comments on all consumer review sites. I have countered all of these reviews, and his claims are false. This is the only instance of our system not working.

Please understand my position in a world where so many people are constantly trying to scam my business to get more than what they've paid for or have been gifted. We do better than most businesses in tracking our system. This will be our first flaw in the system.

Sincerely,
Maria Kopsidas
Owner
Cookology, Recreational Culinary School

Mrs Kopsidas claims the gift card was used in February 2012 by
someone with the same last name and the remainder was likewise given to that
person.  She believes someone in my family used it without telling
me. Every time she responds to one of my letters, she makes up and/or adds new
facts.  First she told me she couldn't tell me who used it, and then
she told me she had already given us the name (which she hadn't) and now it is
someone in our family with our last name who use it.  Maybe my dog used
it-he has the same last name as mine. He is the only family member that
lives in VA with the same last name. The bottom line is that we have had
complete and total control over the gift card since we received in a
sealed envelope at our wedding.  The assertion that a family member
would take it and used it is preposterous as well as insulting.

She also states she offered us 2 seats in a class which is equal to a $130 value
which never happened. She never spoke to my wife and only spoke to me one time
and basically told me that there was nothing she could do for me.  We
repeatedly asked her for information regarding who has the credit and as
detailed above, she either never responded or provided confusing or
misleading information. 

Either there is a flaw in their controls over their gift card which they
are unwilling to admit or they are using the cards to scam people by
issuing and then claiming they were used by some unknown person.

The fact that she did not bother to reply to numerous Better Business Bureau emails seems
to indicate that she has something to hide. I have already contacted the
States Attorney Generals office as well as the local new stations to get involved
and will proceed in filing a claim in small claim court if that is necessary.

Sincerely,

Howard

Mr. Marans's gift card was partially used in February 2012 and credit was given for the remainder of the balance with someone with his last name. Our reporting is such that we show when it was issued, when it was redeemed, and the name of the person with credit.

He maintains that we're lying about the amount of information we gave him: 1) that we've never offered him 2 seats in a cooking class, a value of $130, and 2) that we've never shared the information about the family member with the credit. These are all false. The two seats offered were flatly refused.

We are not unreasonable. Each year, during the holidays, we sell over $70K in gift cards and redeem them in their entirety through the following year. 

He insists on pursuing us in court, which we plan to follow through to prove he is wrong with the evidence we have against his claim. 

It is our belief that someone in his family used the gift card but will not tell him they did so. He is a very unreasonable person, and it our opinion that people in his family are not willing to come forward for fear of retribution. 

Further, no  state or federal law forces the merchant to refund the gift card of it is lost, stolen or used. If someone has taken a class and leaves unhappy then we feel obligated to offer a refund or a credit.

Sincerely,
Maria Kopsidas
Owner
Cookology