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Stacie of Coulee Dam WA writes (1/18/02):
My husband and I fell for the free trip offer that Royal Prestige has been using to lure in newlyweds. I was actually happy with the cookware but not the outragous price. We were happy to close out some accounts, including Royal Prestige, w/a consolidation loan less than a year later but then found out that Royal Prestige had put a blemish on our credit history.
I have called the Royal Prestige headquarters to find out why they are on our credit report because we do NOT owe them a single penny, but was told that they no longer have any record of our account. Yes, because it has been paid in full over 4 years ago. So to this day whenever we apply for anything, we are guaranteed that the creditor will call to find out what happened w/Royal Prestige 4 years ago.
Grace of Sarasota, FL, writes (5/21/01):
We were supposed to have won a free cruise from a bridal show. To claim our prize we were to meet at an economy hotel. The salesperson said that we can get this trip for free if we buy his cookware. The contract was signed for $750. We received a bill almost totaling $2,000.00. We called Royal Prestige headquarters to advise of this error. They advised that the salesperson that sold us the cookware no longer worked for them. We tried to return the items and Royal Prestige said that we had to pay off the balance or it would consider us delinquent on our credit report.
We took almost 2 years to pay the balance off. And we almost didn't get married because of the stress of continuous deliquent notices and phone calls. The payoff could have been used towards the wedding expenses. We still haven't used the cookware.
The company states that the problem has been resolved.
Kevin of Palmdale, CA, writes (5/20/01):
A Royal Prestige representative was sent to our home, without our permission. The representative showed us his dishes, china, pots and pans and offered to give us a free Hawaii trip if we listened to his presentation. After about 4-5 hours of showing us his products he went back and forth with us saying that there was no obligation to buy -- we clearly told him we did not want it.
So finally he said, well okay I just need your signature so that I can have my company send you your Hawaii trip. I signed and then about three weeks later the pots and pans, dishes, silverware, and china showed up at our door. We looked for a number in the package and found nothing. About a week later we got a bill for $80.00, there was a 310 telephone number on the bill that we called and told them that we never ordered this stuff and they said that we signed a contract with them and they would get their money from us no matter what. Basically they told us we weren't able to send them back. On a later date we called them and asked them to have someone come and get them because we didn't want them. They agreed and said to have them ready and a UPS guy would pick them us. To no avail -- he never came.
Since then we have had to pay the bill because they have threatened to send it to collection. Since at the time we were just about to buy our home, we had no choice -- we had to keep our credit clean in order to buy the house. We have heard no word from Royal Prestige since and have had numerous late payments because we cannot afford the extra hundred dollars a month. We have not used our vacation but we tried and were told that we would not be able to use it because it lost its value one month after it was validated.
The company says it contacted Kevin to try to resolve his complaint but was not able to do so.
Elizabeth of Richmond, VA, writes (4/10/01):
My fiance and I were called and told that we received a free honeymoon and that we had to come to an information session to receive it. When we went we were very pressured to buy almost $1600 worth of pots and pans and china, silverware and crystal. We put a $200 deposit down and filled out a paper to finance the rest. After thinking it over a little we decided that we didn't want the merchandise and it was way too expensive. We felt that we had made the decision to buy the product in haste because of all the pressure. When we received the products we called the company to see what we could do about returning them and they were incredibly rude to us and threatened that if we did not pay it would go on our credit report and ruin it. We do not want the merchandise. We have not used it.
We now have a $64 per month payment that is too expensive and pots and pans we do not want. What do I do? We cannot pay for this and do not want it. The products are cheap and the people at the company have been incredibly rude to us. They have even gone so far as to hang up on us.
Hy Cite Corp. has settled this complaint by refunding Elizabeth's down payment and releasing her from her agreement ... in exchange for her signing a "letter of resolution."
Dwana of Overland Park, KS writes (1/24/01):
During the month of May or June my then fiance and I received a call about a free trip to Vegas/Hawaii and all we had to do was watch a cooking show. We attended the cooking show just to receive our free trip. After watching the cooking show we felt obligated to purchase cookware because it was stressed that using this cookware would save our lives. We were told other pots and pans cause certain diseases and many deaths throughout the US because of certain materials used to make cooking products.
We have had the cookware for about 6 months and it sucks. They say you can cook food with very little grease or water and it will not stick to the pan. Well, that is a lie. I followed the directions to the exact key in the cook book that came with the pots and pans and the food does stick. We were told you would only have to use a non abrasive cleaner for the cookware every now and then. Unfortunately, after every cooking session we use a non abrasive cleaner to get all of the gunk out of the pan or pot.
I have tried calling Royal Prestige to get a refund but the line is constantly busy or if I send a message it does not get answered. We paid over $1600.00 for this cookware and it is not worth the price. I want to know what I can do to get my money back and send the merchandise back to the company. Just yesterday, the top for my one of my pots cracked when it fell one inch onto the floor. We were told these items would last a lifetime.
Since we've purchased the products we have purchased 4 cans of Bon Ami. Majority of the time we have to make the Bon Ami very pastey and sit in the pot and pan for awhile in order to get the gunk out. In other words the protein left in the products for the food.
The company states that the problem has been resolved.
Gabriella of Brooklyn, NY, writes:
I received a call from Royal Prestige saying I had won their grand prize, a four-day trip to the Caribbean. I was told I must attend a promotional show to pick up the prize. The presentation of pots explained how we were basically killing ourselves if we did not use their pots, we were going to die of a number of poisonings. The salesperson also expressed how much better we would be eating, showing us the fat removed from the chicken they cooked. They never showed what they put in the pot or how fatty the chicken was in the first place. By the end of the presentation we felt obliged to purchase these very, very expensive pots.
During this entire meeting the saleperson never once mentioned the three-day cancellation policy. However, he remembered to mark the cancellation date on the back of the contract, but, of course, did not inform us of this vital information. After about four or five days I received a call from Royal Prestige, in the evening, intrupting my dinner. They wanted my work number. I expained that I was a school teacher and could not receive calls. The woman lied and said she only needed to fill in the blank with a number. I did not infrom the woman that I did not want the pots for a few reasons. I was eating my dinner, I was unaware of the cancellation policy and thought it best to speak directly to Gene Confredo, the salesperson. The next day my school gets a call asking if I worked there. When asked to identify themselves and the reason for calling they refused. A credit check is one thing, but being sneaking about it is another.
I decided that spending $1500 on pots was not our first priority, being that we are paying for a wedding and trying to buy our first home. I spent a few days trying to contact Royal Prestige to no avail, the phone was either busy or never answered. Finally, I spoke to the salesperson, Gene Coonfredo who told me he could not cancel the pots, even though we had not yet received the pots. We also only paid a small portion of the total payment. When asking why he never mentioned the cancellation policy, his answer was I should have read the contract, yeah right, with all the pressure to sign it on the spot. I even offered to pay the shipping charges if the merchandise was on its way. I am very disappointed by the lack of professionalism. The first this Gene said at the presentation was the majority of their business comes from word-of-mouth; this does not look like a good way to spread the word.
As a result we are strapped for money trying to pay off this ridiculiously proced cookware. I have spent countless amounts of time making telephone calls for no one to answer or for the line to be busy. If I haven't received the pots yet, there should be no reason why I can't cancel.
Tonya of Blackstone MA writes (5/18/01):
In 1999 I recieved a phone call saying that I had won a free honeymoon vacation and all I had to do was go to a cookware show. At the "show", we were told these pans were the best and we would never need another set. They said these pans came with a 50 year warranty, and they would replace anything damaged. I signed the contract under the assumption that it was a credit application and it had to be approved. A few days later, I received the pans and the bill.
I called Royal Prestige to find out why I had gotten this stuff without knowing I had been approved. When I tried to send the merchandise back they told me that I only had 3 days after signing the contract to send it back. (It took more than 3 days to get it). I began making the payments, and eventually due to my financial situation I could not pay any more. I had customer service reps calling my house 3 and 4 times a day. They had told me if I didnt pay them they would ruin my credit, and "take me down". When I tried to speak to a supervisor I was put on hold indefinitely.
When I finally did use the pans, everything stuck to the bottom and cleaning them was a chore itself. I followed the directions that came with them, but it also did not work the way they had demonstrated.
Royal Prestige took me to court so now I am under court order to pay them. I have been paying them monthly to stay out of court, and it is a financial strain. Is there anything I can do to reverse this decision and maybe get my money back?
The company states that the issue was resolved.
Elaine of Middle Village, NY, writes:
We were engaged and were told we had won a trip, all we had to do was come see a demonstration of their cookware. A high-pressure salesperson (Gene Confredo of Lynbrook, NY) pressured us into buying the pots. I was hesitant and very unsure. We returned the pots upon receiving them because there were pieces missing & pieces that were damaged. We are now being sued (brought to court), because we didn't pay for the pots.
Ernest of Philadelphia:
My fiance and I were contacted by 21st Century Concepts stating that we had won a "3 nights, 4 day" trip to any island or in the United States of choice. They said that we were selected from a bridal show and all we had to do was to come see their demonstration of Royal Prestige Cookware on August 26, 2000 at the Doubletree hotel. We had no idea who or what was Royal Prestige. We only went to see if the trip was really true, we were not looking to buy any type of pots.
When we arrived the spokesman -- Ken L. -- was talking about how good the pots were; for example they do not rust, you do not need to cook with oil and you do not need to worry about burning your food. Then later during the presentation they showed us articles of a bird dying from the fumes of some other pots. He also showed us how good the pots are for cooking a healthy meal. We felt obligated to buy the best cookware for our family safety.
The salespeople were very forceful, like we had to buy their product. They told us that if we bought this product then we would get a 30-50% off discount on the product, but I'm not sure if we really got the percentage off. While getting ready to buy the pots, I asked the sales rep if we could cancel the order if we decided that we did not want it and the woman and Ken both said YES, but they did not give us a time frame. So we figured that we could cancel it before we received it.
We signed up for $1699 worth of cookware. They informed us that no one has ever returned their pots; this was another reason why we brought the pots. When we got home that night, we decided that we did not want the pots because we have a wedding to save for also at that time we were not thinking about the price because we both were going to pay half and half. I did not feel as though I made a rational and reasonable decision at the time of the sale. As I read the paper it says that you may cancel the order with in the third business day.
Then I called the company (monday 28) and they told me to call the person who sold it to me. So I called Ken L. to let me know what to do and also to let him know my situation, I thought that maybe he'll understand. The first time I caled Ken I recieved no answer which was on Saurday (August 26). I called him and left my telephone number and also my email address, so that he could reach me. I called him everyday and sent him emails. So by the time he got back to me it was already too late to cancel the pots. He told me that if we were to cancel the order then they would sue us. So then we agreed to not go through the hassle of being sued and owing more money then we expected to pay.
The company reports that the complaint has been resolved.
Mark of La Crosse, WI, had a similar experience:
In February 2000, my fiance and I were contacted that we had won 4 days and 3 nights in a luxury resort and (like everybody else who reported on Royal Prestige) all we had to do was attend a seminar at a local hotel. We went, planning to not buy a thing, and just get the papers for the trip. The night before, I had planned to do research on the company, but ran out of time -- something I am now regretting deeply.
My wife and I are into our health and when they made their claims of this "health system cookware" that doctors at Mayo helped design we thought the product sounded really good. (My sister is a nurse and her fiance a doctor at Mayo and when I told them this later, they both laughed). We wanted to think about it because we don't like to make rash decisions, but they told us that we had to buy it that night or we lost the deal.
We knew the cookware was really expensive, but we thought that maybe this trip would offset the price. Well, one month after signing (about a week after receiving the cookware) my wife called our representative to get some questions answered, because she wasn't happy with the cookware. Dan, our rep., always happened to be out of the office and we never got in touch.
Well, the cookware never "panned" out to be what they claimed. It doesn't seal, it burns the food, and you need to add water -- like all other cookware. After the rep's La Crosse number was disconnected, my wife contacted MI customer service. After belittling her, he said all she could do was exchange the cookware for another product, but we would still be obligated to the same $1200 contract.
My wife offered to simply send the product back, let them keep the $400 we had paid and the product and be done with the company but again, the rep said no. We feel completely shafted by this company. We are foreseeably out $1200. We are still fighting to get out of the contract. We have decided to notify the major organizations, who have sponsored Royal Prestige in their wedding shows and hotels and warn them of this company's false advertising. We are also pursuing this with the Wisconsin Attorney General.
Dawn of New Windsor, NY, writes:
My fiance and I were contacted by 21st Century Concepts stating that we had one a 3 night, 4 day trip to Orlando, Mexico, Las Vegas or Hawaii. Our names were selected from drawing that was held at a bridal show. We were told that all we needed to do was go to a product demonstration to receive this prize.
On 9/19/00 at 6:00pm, we went to a local Holiday Inn and saw a "Royal Prestige Cookware" demonstration. While there they informed us of how "dangerous" our teflon cookware at home was. This information was disturbing to us. We were also told that the Mayo clinic endorsed this product, (which after viewing your site I see is not the case at all). So after lowering the price of the cookware and throwing in a china place setting for 4, we decided to purchase this cookware, which by the way came to about $2,300.
About 3 weeks went past and our cookware arrived along with a bill for $98. I sent in the payment and then decided to look at the credit financing information.The interest rate was around 24% and each monthly payment about $100. I told my fiancee that we can't afford this cookware and that it needed to be returned. So since it was never taken out of the box and used I figured that I could call our salesman, explain our financial situation to him and try to work something out as far as returning our cookware. So my fiancee called him the following day and immediatly he was totally against hearing us out or helping in any way. He told her there was nothing he could do and that under no circumstances whatsoever can this stuff be returned.
We called the company in Madison,WI. They said the items could not be returned for any reason and that they could do nothing. It was out out their hands. Since then we have called our salesman (Dan McGrath) about 11 times with nothing but an answering machine and not one return call.
The company has settled the complaint by exchanging Dawn's 22-piece set for a smaller set and canceling the remainder of her payments.
Elaine of Middle Village, NY, writes:
We were engaged and were told we had won a trip, all we had to do was come see a demonstration of their cookware. A high pressure sales person (Gene Confredo) pressured us into buying the pots. I was hesitant and very unsure.
We returned the pots upon receiving them because there were pieces missing & pieces that were damaged. We are now being sued because we didn't pay for the pots.
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