Dermapril-SP Trial Experiences

[punkin]

Wish I would have seen this site before ordering from them.
What a deceptive company.  Please let me know what as a group we could do to stop this company.
I got my $5.95 sample last week in December and received my new shipment on January 24 (which was fine as I was going to give this time to see if it actually improved my skin). I looked at my credit card on January 23 and saw a post for $69.95 and for $74.95 from this company.
I left a message and received a call back this morning and was told that I hadn't called within my 14 day trial period to cancel and that my card was being charged for the product, even though it states on their site that it is $5.95 and then you will be paying the $69.95 + shipping thereafter>
See quote from their site: In the event that Dermapril-SP™ is not for you, simply contact our customer service group within 14 days of your initial receipt of your trial pump, return the unused portion (even if it's empty) of your product, with your RMA# enclosed and you will be charged nothing further than the shipping charges. Any pump shipped after your trial period is 100% non-refundable.
I am really upset about this and want to pursue this further to save others having to deal with this company.
Please advise if you have any suggestions.
Thanks!

[Josh]

Unless I'm missing something you didn't call them to cancel AND return the used pump within 14 days of receipt of the trial pack.

I read that information from their site as you will only pay the $5.95 shipping charge IF you contact them within the 14 day trial period AND you return the pump to them also within that 14 days.

It certainly isn't a long enough trial period!

Sue, who posted a while ago in this thread about her problems with the company sent a message to Jane the other day, which Jane forwarded on to me so I'd know. I'll post that here:

Here's the Update:

"I finally got satisfaction from my Dermapril nightmare. The Attorney General office forwarded my mail to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Srvices. They also sent enough information in their response to help me. However, I finally got on line and emailed the Better Business Bureau and they settled it for me. Dermapril will be crediting my credit card for the $69.95...persistence, I guess.
I hope others will be more diligent then me and google them and see they are not to be dealt with.
Thanks.
Sue"

My advice would be to contact the Better Business Bureau or your local government body that deals with consumer complaints to seek advice.

Your other option, providing you can prove that you have indeed followed this companies procedure for returns, is to contact your credit card company and request a charge-back.

[Josh]

Hi everyone,

We're flogging a dead horse here. Obviously some people are happy, most are not (how genuine some of the posts are that are appearing in this thread is debatable IMO).

If you must post about your negative experience, please be mindful of how you word your post. It is better to state the facts only than use potentially libelous language.

Thanks.

[mrylands]

I am not here to flog a dead horse, but here's what I think.  I just ordered the Dermapril.  The minute I got my confirmation email with my order number on it, I CALLED the company and cancelled my membership (This is the same thing I did when I ordered pro active and bare minerals)  They instantly sent me a cancellation confirmation letter which stated that I had 30 days to return the trial bottle (even if empty) .  They even gave me the exact date it had to be returned by.  If I chose to keep it or didn't return it in time, I would be charged just for that bottle and no further bottles would be coming.  The customer service representative even explained that I could call in at anytime and order just one bottle if I liked the product, or they could send out a new bottle every 30, 60 or 90 days, what ever worked for me.  I found them to be very helpful and did everything I asked.  You really have to take control of the situation UP FRONT when having anything charged to your credit card.  My suggestion is to always call and cancel your "club membership" the same day you place your order, before you even receive your product.  If you end up liking the product, you can always join later.  I hope this helped with this product and any other "club" product.  Thanks.

[Graci Gara]

a different approach --

find a credit card company that will issue temp cc numbers - I use one that lets you specify a limit of $ amount and limit the time frame. 

Then, you order, but they never know your main cc#.  They only can charge up to $6 or whatever you specify.  Many credit card companies offer this feature if you know to look for it, and I've never had a problem this way!

[JaneStarr]

Sound like very good advice!  You could probably also use one of those Pre-paid Credit Cards that they sell at CVS and other places.

Jane

[Cassie]

COMPLAIN TO THE FLORIDA BBB ABOUT DERMAPRIL-SP MISLEADING ADVERTISING!!!!

Hi, I am another person who got ripped off by this company.  I received my 14 day supply of Dermapril-SP, but went on vacation and didn't think much about it.  When I got home, there was another bottle of Dermapril-SP along with my credit card saying I owed $69.95 for the first bottle and an additional $75.95 for the second!  I hadn't even tried it yet.  I thought it was a 14 day sample, not a full supply which I would have to pay for.

I notified the company and they basically said tough luck.  So, I wrote the Better Business Bureau in Florida - you can do it online - and they notified the company of my complaint.  Their response to the BBB was that they changed their wording and would refund my money on the second bottle!  I think I'll take them up on that!

In checking their website, they have not changed the wording or advertising or anything.  More of you gals that got suprised by the autoship and billing should at least notify the BBB so this practice can be stopped.  It's misleading advertising to say it's free.

[sudie]

If you buy with a  credit card you can submit a dispute to possibly get your money back.

[AR]

Oh how I wish I would have found this thread before making the major mistake and biting on the "trial."  I just gave them an earfull and they are refusing to refund my money.  I feel so foolish.  I should've known better....I'am an adult!

Thank you for this information and hopefully it will save others.

[JaneStarr]

Sorry that you got caught up in this.  If you used a credit card to purchase, I would try contesting the charge.  That's how we got my Mom's money back on her AmEx.
Jane

[sudie]

All you guys that got ripped off...GO FOR IT!!!   Report the suckers to Better Business Bureau and everything else you can think of.   That way eventually they will be stopped.   You can have the attorney general in your city or state investigate them.    Most have computer departments that can go after them.

[Eva]

I placed an order then found this blog and immediatelly called to cancel the order. The customer service representative then suggested/ allowed me more than the 14 day trial time before returning the Dermapril and then said the order could not be cancelled as it was sent directly to the warehouse. I declined the offer and a cancellation email came through with an RNA number to write on the package when it arrived. The cost to return it will be about $2.00 That plus the $1.50 shipping charge to receive it would cost me a total of $3.50! I 'd say a little trial period is, at least, in order. 

[JaneStarr]

Can't you just write "refused" on the package?  That should cost you nothing (other than the original shipping charge), as far as I know.
Good luck.  I hope you don't get hit up for any extra charges.
Jane

[HopelessFanatic]

I received the dermapril and disputed it like you all said to do however my credit card company called them and had me on 3 way, the rep that she spoke to walked her through the website where they have their terms and conditions and because they put the terms and conditions on the website beside the credit card info my credit card company let the charge go through. I have a capital one card and they let it go through because I did not use my "due diligence" was the legal term she gave me...

My credit card company told me that in addition if I do any more disputes like this that I would be at risk for higher interest rates. She told me when they got off the phone that I should always be sure to read t+c , she stated that if they didn't have the terms and conditions on the website right there before i entered in my info i would have been okay.

She also said that I probably would have gotten some of my money back if I had called them directly instead of going through them...

so that was horrible advice...and it does NOT work- the agent at Dermapril told me to look at the order the receipt that came with the product and there again were the terms and conditions and there it says that it was a 30 day supply...etc etc

soooo i would NOT go through my credit card company, because if you get a rep who calls them and they go to their website and read their terms and conditions then you're probably going to be out of your money-

Christen from Chicago

[JaneStarr]

Hi, Christen --
I don't know the specifics of your situation, but if you called to cancel and returned the "free trial" pump w/in the timeframe required by Dermapril, you should not have to pay anything above the original S & H charge.
See below for quote of my original post.  Their web-site did *not* clearly indicate the terms as of last July-- at least not w/o putting in all your info and CC #.  My mom also followed Dermapril's instructions and promptly returned the pump before the "free trial period" expired.  They charged her CC an extra $69.95 + S & H anyway!  Dermapril never denied receiving the returned pump.  We disputed the charge with American Express with these facts and the charge was promptly reversed. 
I strongly suggest using American Express whenever possible.  They really stand behind their customers, rather than making them prove the charge is invalid.  They seem to put the burden of proof on the vendor, where I believe it belongs.  Sorry that your CC company (Capital One) treated you so poorly.  I am disgusted that they threatened you with an interest rate increase for disputing a charge you believed was invalid.  If you have other options, I would drop Capital One ASAP.

Take care,
Jane

Hope I can spare some of you a hassle.  I've spent the past couple of days helping my mom dispute a credit card charge for what was supposed to be a "risk-free" "14-day Free Trial" of Dermapril-SP Wrinkle Cream.  (Thank goodness she used her AmEx Plat. card.)

Mom ordered the free trial over the phone, giving her CC # to pay the ~$6 Shipping.  When the "free" pump of cream arrived, she saw in the paperwork that they had subscribed her to a monthly "auto-ship" program w/o notifying her. 

Mom did not like the cream nor the co's business practices, so she promptly called and canceled the subscription.  They required her to ship back the pump "even if it's empty" w/in 10 days of canceling.  Even though she did that back in May, a charge of $69.95 dated 6/18 appeared on her CC .

We finally (yesterday) got the company to give us a cancellation # (after being given a major "run-around") on the phone.  We had previously contested the charge with Am. Express. The company never denied having received the returned pump container.

The Dermapril-SP web-site isn't exactly forthright about the "free trial" program.  I poked around myself.  Their home page doesn't give any of the "fine print" details about the "free trial".  You have to put in all of your information before you even get to a page with any details. It turns out that they really make you jump through hoops to avoid being charged $69.95 plus S&H for the product. 

We finally (yesterday) got the company to give us a cancelation # after being given a major "run-around" on the phone and contesting the charge with Am. Express. 



"Free 14-day Free Trial"
We're so confident you'll love how well Dermapril-SP works, you can
try it RISK FREE...
Q. What is your return policy?
In the event that Dermapril-SP™is not for you, simply contact our customer-service group within 14 days of receiving your product. Return the unused portion (you can even return an empty Pump!) of your product for a full refund (less shipping & handling).
Jane