“Free” is one of the most powerful words in marketing. And who wouldn’t want to get a free Cuisinart coffee grinder and two bags of coffee?
Anyone who clicks on this offer on the homepage of Seattle Coffee Direct will surely be surprised to see that there is no free lunch.
*MOUSE PRINT:
So the offer really is to BUY two 12-ounce bags of coffee for $9 and get a free coffee grinder. And it says you are going to get two bags of coffee MONTHLY. This sounds like the offers that Gevalia has made for years, but they offered a free or reduced price coffeemaker.
If you look at the sign-up page, you really would not have a great idea how this monthly plan works, but you would think that you are only going to pay $9 now. The fact is, you are going to pay nowhere near $9 for the free coffee grinder and two bags of coffee.
*MOUSE PRINT: To spill the beans, you have to read the last words in the above graphic that say “click here for details.” Amongst other “details”, you will find that they are going to tack on a “small” $25 “handling fee” to your order, and your pound and a half of monthly coffee in the future will cost a mere $25 plus a small (unspecified) shipping and handling fee:
So the offer has morphed from a free grinder and free coffee on this company’s homepage, to $34 for a free grinder and coffee, plus being subscribed to an expensive monthly coffee club.
Incidentally, to top it off, Seattle Coffee is in Evanston, Illinois.
If they think a $25 handling fee is ‘small‘, I’d be scared to think what the monthly ‘small shipping & handling fee’ will be.
The link to the sign-up page seems to be incorrect (too bad, as I’m curious to see just what it looks like!). [NOTE: link fixed, sorry.]
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If you go to
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/seattle-coffee-direct-c14620.html
you’ll see the first of many complaints about this company. As for the “postage and handling”, it appears from the complaints that the actual monthly charge comes to 36.95. (probably including tax, and no doubt other “fees”)
I’ve had a couple of really funny phone calls with telemarketers on ‘free’ offers.
-“So, you guys send this over me, and I pay nothing?”
-“Yes, you just pay the [other things]”
-“Well, that’s not free if I have to buy something with it.”
-“What do you mean sir? The [gift] is free”
-“No, it isn’t. In the end, I need to pay you guys money to get it to me. That’s not free. Free is when you GIVE it away”.
-“But we are giving it away.”
-“With the [product]”.
-“Yes”
-“That’s not free. That’s me paying [$amount]”.
-“Well, that’s for [product]”.
-“Let me do it this way. Send it to me if you want, but let me make it very clear I WILL NOT PAY FOR ANYTHING. Because that is what free means.”
-“Sure, just let me write down you address and credit card number”
-“No, you won’t get my cc. If it’s free, you don’t need money from me”
etc etc etc.
I have had similar conversations, I usually say “If I really won it, then please send me my prize”. And refuse to give a credit card to cover “expenses”, after all if I won it and it’s free then there should be no other expenses. I have yet to actually recieve any of these “free prizes”.
I have however won several things from legitimate companies, and they were always sent or picked up by me at NO COST. This is simply another ploy to try and seperate you from as much of your money as possible, wonder how long it would take to cancel your membership in their coffee club.
(1) I’ve been trying to spread the word about my idea that if a company offers something for free, then they have to have a way for ANYONE to get it for free. If you (the consumer) want the convenience of having it mailed to you, then you can pay them for that (or send them a postage paid box) but you should be able to walk up to their store/warehouse/etc and pick it up since it’s free.
They may choose to limit it to one per person (and get sufficient proof that you are not taking two) but if they say FREE then there has to be some way to get it for free.
I’d like to see some govt regulation on the word FREE as described above.
(2) Similarly, Shipping and Handling should be reasonable. They should tell you how much each part is: shipping is $x and handling is $y.
And if you want to supply your own shipping, you can do so. Handling is tougher. Maybe it should not exceed the retail price of the product, or should not exceed $1 per pound of product, whichever is lower.
(3) The idea of recurring costs is the new wave of marketing. There should be full disclosure up front so we can see how much our product will cost to subscribe, including shipping, including handling, including cancellation fees (if applicable) etc.
—
So how do we actually make any of these things happen? Sitting here talking about it won’t really help much unless we share the ideas with people who can make it happen…
For sales tax purposes there is no such thing as “handling,” it is all considered part of the purchase price. The only thing one could hope is that they send this through USPS so you could charge them with mail fraud. I wouldn’t be surprised if they use UPS, Fed Ex Ground or DHL to avoid just such a problem.
yeah not only is it expensive, but I’ve had funds directly taken out of my bank account before they even send the coffee… as often as twice a month till I found it on my bank statement… beware all….
I signed up for an online offer from SeattleCoffeeDirect.com earlier in December this year and was charged $34.00 for two bags of coffee beans and was professed to have been given the coffee grinder for FREE ~ yeah, right! For some odd reason, I received ANOTHER shipment in the mail on Christmas Eve which contained yet another two bags of coffee beans – I knew that this was not at all my understanding that I would receive a total of four bags of coffee beans, but I considered it to be a mix-up and had planned to call them back today to verify everything…that was UNTIL I REVIEWED MY CHECKING ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS!!! It turned out that I was billed not only the $34.00, but also $48.95 on 12/19/07. I called their toll-free number, 888-217-2233 and first spoke with one person, who said that it was a MEMBERSHIP that I was joining and if I send back the additional order, they process the refund. After I ended the conversation, I took another look and noticed another charge on 12/27/07 ~ I called their number again and this time I was dealing with an extremely RUDE person who flatly stated that once both orders were returned and, they would refund my money…there was no apology nor any hint that his company assumed the responsibility for such a misleading advertisement.
I fell for this one too… got my $34 charge for the FREE coffee grinder and
the $48.95 shipment for the coffee (it must be REALLY GOOD?). Anyway, I
called and was told to ship it back by putting “RETURN TO SENDER” and they
would refund my money when they got the return. I also cancelled my account
the same day and received an email (12-7-07) acknowledging the cancellation
and they gave me a number to call with any questions etc. As of today
(1-29-08) I still haven’t gotten the refund so I called to find out how long
it usually takes and they said that they were processing for the grinder and
tried to say that the other hadn’t been received yet because the post office
sends them back when they feel like it… Then they said they were going to
refund the amount minus the $11 it cost them for me to ship it back. I told
them that I felt that the ad was VERY MIS-LEADING and let them know that I
was NOT HAPPY about it and she “talked to her manager” and said that they
would also refund the $11 but it would take 3 – 5 days… I’ll post what
happens WHEN/IF it does.
Also got scammed by Seatlle Coffee Direct; the initial $34.00 “free” coffee followed ONE week later by 2 more bags of coffee and an automatic debit from my bank account which was never part of anything I remembered signing up for.
That sure scared me. What tipped me off as odd was the fact the second package had no packing slip or invoice listing any of the charges as any respectabl company does. I then “googled” the company and discovered how many people had lodged comlpaints already for the same reason. I have filed a complaint with INTERNET FRAUD WATCH at http://www.fraud.org/internet or http://www.ncinet.org. to see if this company gets shut down and the owner arrested for fraud.
I wish I had read these comments before I signed up. They say they will refund my money when they get the product back. I just joined on 1/23/08 and I’ve already been charged over $180 !!!
I too fell for this crap – I was charged twice in 1 week, called and cancelled my membership and the girl told me that she would cancel and I would be refunded my 2nd payment within 3-5 days. NOTHING! Three weeks later, I get charged $3 for a “foreign currency conversion”! What the heck is THAT??? I thought they were in the US – so am I! I really would like to complain a lot more about this company, but not sure who can do anything about it.
I think the coffee is fantastic tasting but I can’t get the coffee drank as fast as they’re sending it to me. I just called and explained the situation and the woman was quite nice and took care of the mix up, no
problem. You have options. See what they are before you get too upset. I figure that the $25 for the coffee
that I buy is quite good and worth the money. Call customer Service before you go and get you gundies in an
uproar. You can cancel if you aren’t satisfied.
Once these guys get your credit card number they start charging fees as fast as they can two to THREE times a week. The only way to stop them is to cancel your credit card or you will have coffee comming out your ears. A Class action suit is being brought against them for their fraudulent business practices.
Don’t get mixed up with this unethical business.
i signed up for their free offer and two days after my initial was sent I was sent a second order and charged for it. this company does not allow to cancel before they send an order, forcing you into more charges. I would not recommend them to anyone for any reason
@Joan Shmitz:
So what if the coffee is good? We aren’t discussing the quality of the product, but rather the company’s outrageous marketing and billing practices.
I too ordered the two packages of coffee and the “free” coffee grinder for $9 and was checking my bank account online this morning and saw a $34 charge. Of course there was no phone number associated with the debit transaction so I went online to look up the company. I found their number along with the numerous complaints against this company and their fraudulent practices. I was told that the $25 “shipping fee” was indicated in their terms which I did not see when I placed my initial order. I told her that the charges was b.s. and to cancel my account and that I wanted my order canceled as well and I wanted a refund which she said would be done within 3-5 business days. After reading more and more disgruntled comments from dissatisfied customers I called back to make sure that my account was canceled and that I was not going to be billed anymore. I was assured that my account was canceled and I have two cancellation notices. I am taking this as a lesson learned and thank God that I check my account on a regular basis otherwise I would have had numerous charges like everyone else. We have to use due diligence whenever we place orders with online companies especially when the word “free” is mentioned anywhere in the advertisement.
I Just order the coffee and FREE grinder,but I got my coffee yesterday with no statement and no grinder. I was looking for a phone number to call and find out where the grinder is, because I can’t try the coffee with out the grinder.This brougth me here to see all this. I think I will call my bank and put ahold on anything from this coffee co. if it’s not to late. Looking at the package it was shipped DHL and they shipped to the USPS which I found odd.
Has anyone had a problem with this coffee thing about getting a coffee maker Genevia? I have been charged twice for it and has nbot received it. WHAT A HOAX THAT MY BOYFRIEND SENT HIS DEBIT CARD NUMBER.Please let me know if this has been a problem from any of you? JOY M. It’s also from Seattle Cof
fee Direct. What is rougher is that this company from Evanston IL preys also on disabled people.
I fell for this too. When it came, I think it was a $34.95 charge. Then not even two weeks later I got the same two coffees again. Then two weeks later, they came again. I have more coffe than I know what to do with. I don’t even like one of the coffees. They didn’t include anything in the package to make coffee choice changes. I will return this last package I got today to sender unopened. I hate these places that only have hours during the week days during normal work hours. I imagine I will be on the phone forever trying to get them to stop sending coffee and crediting my account. Geeeeze I hate this.
Wow, I didn’t imagine that many people getting scammed by this business. I too got scammed by them, don’t want to repeat the same story as it is exactly what happened to me. But I have called them time after time for my refund and they say: “We have just issued a refund back and you should receive it in a week”. Never received it. I never had extra charges on my account so far after the first $48 but I want it back, it is enough that I let the $32 slide thinking “ah well, let it be the price for the coffee and grinder”, but the other amount I knew nothing off. I am calling them as I type right now and this time I will contact BBB and maybe at least I will add more complaints and they will be shut down for good.
Add my name to the list of those scammed by this mis-leading, dishonest, fraudulent so call coffee company. by the way, the coffee sucks. I found out today that I was charged $48.95 on my debit. I called my bank and had to cancel my debit card. I also filled a complaint with the Illinois Attorney General’s
office.
This company screwed me of 45.65 plus 25.00 shipping fee when I never orderd anything from them,if I had not checked my bank account it would have just pulled ou the rest,i AM PUTTING A STOP TO THIS
I, too, was scammed. I received numerous packages of coffee all within the same week. Odd. And the charges were outrageous! So, I checked “My Account” online and tried to cancel it right away. Of course, that’s not even an option – nowhere to be found on the website. They’re available through their toll free number only from 10am-6pm Mon-Fri, when most people are working or commuting. This happened on a Friday night. So, the next Monday I called and spoke to a lady who patiently listened to my complaint. She was very nice and canceled my membership. I should have asked for her name and a confirmation number! A month later, here I am with a brand new package from these guys! Is there any way to get our money back? I will definitely call my bank and have this company blocked or get a new bank card. But what about the money already taken from me? From all the other people scammed? …
I to have been scammed, same story, when I went to the terms page I waited for 10 minutes it never came up. so I processed order when to terms page again NOTHING. I have been charged 39.98 plus 25.00 seprate, and no products. I am calling my bank on Monday to stop payment and report fraud.
I was paying my monthly bills when I noticed the charges to my credit card from Seattle Direct Coffee Co for $25.00 on 6/03/08 and another charge on 6/09/08 for more coffee (that I didn’t order) and called the coffee company to cancel any future orders. The gal that answered said my second charge of $48.95 would be refunded as soon as I return the second shipment of coffee. I then got in touch with my credit card company, explained the situation, and they said they would change the credit card number effective immediately. I feel sorry for those that used their bank accounts as the payment source! This company has no morals! Don’t fall into their trap!
I filled out an online survey (just like many of you) and received my grinder and two bags of coffee. I then received
another shipment and immediately called and canceled my order (I had not ordered the membership.)
That was more than one year ago. In March of this year I again received two bags of coffee and a grinder. I decided to just
keep them and figured it had somehow started up the membership again. Then I received six more orders in the space of two
weeks – for a total of seven charges of $38.95 each on my credit card. When I called the company they denied I had ever
canceled the order and said they started charging the card again in May and it went through so they put charges through
quickly to get their money as I had not specified in my original order how I wanted to get the coffee (as if I wanted 14
pounds of coffee in one month!) This was on June 11th. I was assured I would receive 3 immediate refunds of $38.95 on
my card and would get a refund for each bag I returned (at my expense). It is now June 26 and I still have no refunds and am
waiting for them to show up on my card before I return the coffee. I doubt I’ll ever get my refunds – judging from the
comments I’ve seen here. BEWARE THESE PEOPLE!!!
OMG!! Shame on me for not reading this stuff before hand!!!!!
I had signed up for what I thought was a $9.99 offer, that included 2 stainless steel tumblers, 2 coffee mugs and 2 bags of coffee…it’s amazing how $9.99 turns into $25.00!! I thought I had read the Terms and Conditions but apparently I read something different. I was charged $25 on 8/10, then $34.95 on 8/13!!!! And that BEFORE I even received anything from them!!
I just called and spoke with Nina in Illinious (#3002) and she said that I had, also, joined their little club…and that I paid $5 for 5 items (hence $25)…so where did the $9.99 come from?? I still have no idea.
She gave me a cancellation number and told me to return the second shipment when it arrives. Reading all of these comments I’m planning on paying, MYSELF, priority mail to get it back.
BEWARE!!!!!!!!! YET ANOTHER SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!
I won’t repeat story but my question is, has anyone received a full refund as promised?
I fell into the hole just like everyone else here. I just called and canceled my “membership” so I’m just taking the one extra charge I got as a loss (stupid, I know, but I don’t have the time to worry about a refund). The guy I talked to said that they send a new thing of coffee each week? And charge you each week? Holy cow!?! Anyway, I figure if in a few weeks I keep getting charged, I can file with my credit union that my debit card has fraudulent charges appearing on it. What a mess.
I too fell for this but mine said 2 bags of coffee and 2 mugs for only $5. On 9/5/08 I was charged $25 (I thought maybe I hadn’t read the fine print or something). 9/10/08 my debit card was charged $38.95, and then again on 9/16/08 was charged another $38.95. I was charged $103 for coffee in 11 days! When I called their number to find out what was going on, they said I had enrolled in the “weekly” coffee shipments. No where in their sign up process did it say weekly–their website says “monthly” shipments with a “small” shipping fee. $13.95 for shipping is not SMALL!!! I called and cancelled but I guess I’ll see what happens…………..
I also ordered 2 bags of coffee for $5. Coffee arrived with two ceramic mugs (1 broken) and two “to-go” containers. My card (fortunately I used a rebate card that only had $100 to start with) was charged $25. When I called they said — Oh, you must have ordered the 5 for $5, but you can just write “Return to Sender” on it and return it. OK — so has anyone ever gotten a refund that way? If they have tried to charge my card any more, it would not have worked because the balance is down to $10.
if you want to get a refund from these thieves, here’s some good info:
their corporate telephone number is: 847-424-0954
their warehouse number is: 847-647-7293
the customer service manager’s name is Rebecca.
the vice president’s name is Eric.
what may be the most helpful info of all:
they get their posters from Pyramid America (http://www.pyramidamerica.com/)
and they get their coffee from European Roasterie (http://76.164.129.95/ProductCart/pc/home.asp)
if you make a complaint to their suppliers then perhaps that will get some real results.
hope this helps.
I apologize for the troubles you have encountered with our company, Seattle Coffee
Direct. Please call to speak to a customer service representative at 888-217-CAFE as soon as possible. By providing us with some basic information, such as your name and zip code, we can look up your account to clear up any problems. If you are unsatisfied in any way, we will reasonably terminate your membership and provide refunds. To better understand the charges to your account, please see our details and terms at https://www.seattlecoffeedirect.com/TC2.php.
Sincerely,
Jeff Berman
Direct of Customer Service
jberman@seattlecoffeedirect.com
We too have been scammed by this company. We cancelled our order (don’t even know how we came to be signed up w/them) over 2 months ago and are still trying to get our money back. The wife calls them almost everyday and the response is almost always one of 3 things. We’ve been having a problem with our network, or, it will be 7-10 days (many times) or you will see it in your account on Monday. WE are contacting ABC News 20/20, NBC’s Dateline and CBS’s 48 hours to see if we can get them interested. I suggest EVERYONE take this approach. To us, it’s not even about the $63.95 anymore but that that there is a company out there that is allowed to continue this practice. I suspect they simply think you will get tired of calling them and just give up. Obviously it’s more expensive than what they owe to get an attorney involved and I think they bank on this for just that reason. WE ARE NOT GIVING UP. We may even contact an attorney to see about a possible class action lawsuit. People like this MUST be dealt with.
I for one am tired of seeing people get away with this kind of crap simply because they can! Even if ( a BIG IF) we get our money back, we’ll still pursue this in some way to help stop these people
Went for the five dollar for four coffee mugs and two coffee packages, was billed for $25, and two weeks in a row was billed $38. I immediately canceled my debit card, and called demanding a full refund. In the meantime, I’ve got a lawyer friend to get after these con artists. I’ll keep you posted
These crooks got me too! I signed up for the two coffee packages, and two mugs for $5, before the initial trial package arrives, I see a $39.00 charge on my card. I then try and contact them (good luck), I finally get them, and cancel my membership by which time i get nailed with another $39 charge ( and I hadn’t even got the first $39 package yet!) Not expecting these charges my debit card went into overdrawn status and I get nailed with two $30 fees! Any how they cancel my membership on 9/28, and tell me to simply return to sender the packages when they arrive and then I should receive my refund. Which I do. I call today 10/26 to see what the status is and after trying 4 times to get someone, I finally talk to this young lady who tells me there is no record of my packages being returned! She tells me she will check on it. I am left on hold for about 20 min, afterwhich the phone automatically disconnects me! I Was so mad, I went to the BBB website and immediately filed a complaint. I then call back to Seattle Direct adn get another rep whom I tell that I have contacted BBB and want to know exactly what is up with my refund. She tells me to hold then gets back to me and tells me that it is scheduled for the 17th of November. I ask how can I go from “its not in our system” to “here is your refund”? She tells me the other rep must have set that up! I think it is horse poop! They probably play the “odds” that most people would give up after a while (espeically with such small charges, relatively speaking) and they make their money, but if you are persistent enough they will refund you. At least that is what I think.
I am all for a class action suit, especially to shut that damn place down.
A year and a half after I cancelled my service with seattle coffee direct, I began having charges for 79 dollars show up on my cr card. Unable to reach anyone by phone, I found my old email from them confirming the cancellation, and emailed it furious. I received(very quickly) and answer from their “president” telling me my money would be refunded within 72 hours…we are closing in on the 72 hours…no refund as of yet.
i’ve never even heard of them. How did they get my card # and charge me? I’m so on a rampage now. I’ve scheduled into my daily routine times to call their suppliers and my local congressman…maybe that will help get their greedy mouths out of good peoples pocket books and around some good healthy humility. In today’s society it is those that take advantage of the busy and trustworthy through cowardly scams that weaken american society, not terrorists.