
Alexi of Leominster, MA on Aug. 7, 2011
Satisfaction Rating: 1/5
To whom it may concern,
In April of 2011, my son and his fiance attended a presentation for your Royal Prestige cookware, after receiving notice from David's Bridal in N.H. that they had won
some FREE gifts provided they attend a cookware presentation, i.e. FREE vacations, FREE rings, FREE stemware, etc
I drove them to this presentation, and upon arrival was informed that since I was not a "winner" I could not be present for the "show", but was welcome to return when they were finished.
Initially I thought this strange, but in hindsight, I fully understand the reasons.
I waited in the parking lot during this time and then received a call from my son saying it was done, and I could come back up to the room.
We were then seated at a table where the demonstrator began to explain financing options.
Since my son and his fiance were not able to provide a credit card for the down payment, I was asked if I would be willing to assist them in getting the cookware and
knives they were interested in.
I explained that if I were to do this, I needed to know exactly what the payments would be, etc etc if I was going to use my credit to do this for them.
I was told the payment would be in the $60 - $65 dollar range.
I told him I thought we should take a day or two to consider this, and was promptly told that this was a ONE TIME ONLY deal. Now or never !
While I felt very pressured to make a decision right then and there, I decided I would go ahead, based on what information I was given regarding the payment amount.
I was NOT told at the time, about the 3 day cancellation, or that the interest rate would be sky high and bring the payment up to $86. Quite a bit more than we had discussed at the time of the demonstration and signing. When I received the first statement I was shocked to say the least.
This then prompted me to go to the internet and do some research on your company. I was appalled by the number of negative consumer complaints I found about your company and the people who sell these products.
The very same selling practices you have been penalized for in other states, are the exact same tactics your demonstrator used to "sell" these products to my son and fiance.
Telling them how dangerous other cookware is, and how hazardous it is to their health. He even went so far as to cite "studies" and "reports" from health organizations to further project his claims.
I am now painfully aware of "why" this demonstrator did not want any extra bodies present at the time of his carefully crafted "show". He had in front of him a small group of young, excited, soon to be married couples, and most certainly did not want some middle aged survivor of common cookware in the room to ask questions or dispute the "lies" he was prepared to tell these happy couples about the unsafe cookware they were using. Had I been present, I would have walked out and taken my son and fiance with me. It was a sham from start to finish.
After further inspection of the so-called FREE gifts, it was discovered that all these FREE gifts came with additional costs, that make them not so FREE after all.
In fact not one of the gifts is FREE. Not the rings, not the stemware, and most certainly not the vacations. I have cruised numerous times with Carnival Cruise Lines for what they were going to be charged in fees alone.
I have been staring at these unused pans and knives on my counter and feeling more and more ripped off with each passing day. I have made payments to date, as I was not sure what my next steps would be. I find everything about your company appalling and I am disgusted by the way you target your customers.
So here's what I'm going to do. I am sending a similar letter to David's Bridal corporate and have begun the steps of filing a complaint against your company with the New Hampshire Attorney Generals Office, as well as Massachusetts. I am also prepared to begin my own legal action against you, and if for no other reason than to shed light on what you do and how you do it.
I have several people on board with me who are equally disgusted, and are eagerly waiting to help me champion a campaign to bring awareness. This will come in the form of as many legal ways as we can come up with, to let as many people as we can reach know, to NOT do business with you.
While I am slightly willing to accept the notion that not all of your associates practice these methods of selling, one doing so and getting away with it, is enough to give you and your company a bad name.