Gold Elements

To anyone who can see this: don't bother to try to call the number provided by Gold Elements on their website. They won't answer, regardless of when you call. They also don't respond to emails with anything other than "Thank you so much for contacting us. We will get back to you shortly." Don't hold your breath--you won't hear anything else from them, and you will likely never see the money you lost through their deceptive and fraudulent business practices.

I cannot believe how easily I let myself get suckered into spending money here. The product may be okay, but the prices are incredibly high and any support from the sales staff disappears after the sale is made. There are NO refunds, even if you try to return unopened product to the store within a few hours after the sale, and if you ask to have items shipped (I do not live in Nashville and did not want to hassle with airport staff when I return home in two days), you will not receive them soon enough to ask for exchanges. Unfortunately, the salespeople do not tell you about the "no refund" policy, and it appears only at the bottom of the receipt in fairly small type AFTER you have paid for the products. Moreover, I purchased a "membership," but I was not given the paperwork I need to set up an online profile and take advantage of any perks this status gives me. When I called the store to ask for a copy of my contract, I was told that it would be emailed to me immediately. Thirty-six hours later, that still has not happened. Also, when I call the company's support line--which is supposed to be open 24/7, according to their website--I get no answer. I have tried four times: the fourth time, I left a message, and I got a return call from the Opry Mills store. (I called that store's number five times and never got an answer. After I sent the email to the company's support group, I coincidentally/conveniently got a call from the Opry Mills store.)

I wish that I had not walked by this kiosk and then into the store. The sales techniques are high-pressured and intimidating. Customers are flattered, shamed a bit for not caring about their appearances, told how special they are, and offered a special deal that they are not supposed to tell anyone else about. Yet, each customer will quickly discover that every customer is offered the same special deal: $327.75 for the eye products (which did work remarkably well in the mall...mine are being shipped to me, so I cannot attest to their effectiveness at home) and a special treat--a session with someone who is a skin care specialist who "works miracles with one's face and neck" and is only in the mall's store for one day--lucky you! You will also be offered a really special deal after telling the customer about how expensive your special plan will cost online. Since I allowed myself to be essentially coerced into buying this special membership, I did not try to look for it online. After I returned home and visited the company's website, I discovered that there is no way to buy such an option there. I was basically lied to. I know that the company will refuse to issue me a refund, for I have read the complaints and the company's responses at the BBB website. However, I do feel it necessary to lodge yet another complaint against this business. Their practices may not be technically illegal, but their tactics are misleading, and the company does not respond to phone calls or emails at all--other than to send an email reading "Thank you so much for contacting us. We will get back to you shortly." (That is NOT true! You won't hear anything after getting that stock response to your email.) Since they sell products that would be more often used by senior citizens, I think that they should be admonished for their deceitful sales techniques and forced to honor promises made to me and others who have had the same experience. I do hope that I can get the facials, product refills, and general support that I was promised, but I am not optimistic that this will happen. Ideally, I should be able to cancel the items that I have not yet received, but I know that this company is not willing to offer that. I checked the company on a spam-finder site, and I was warned that its online services are likely hosted in/routed through Israel, and I was warned not to order through the website for that reason. I wish that I had known all this before I left for the mall yesterday morning. Update: I wrote a letter to the mall's management about my experience and went by the Gold Elements store and the Gratiae kiosk to leave copies with the salespeople I met yesterday. No one was in the store, but the door was wide open with a "Back soon, thanks!" sign on it, and boxes and bottles of product were strewn about on shelves. The same was true at the kiosk--there was no attendant, but all the uber-expensive, magical product was stocked on the shelves, available to anyone who wanted to pick it up. I know that this company is Israeli-owned and has existed under several names. I also don't think the business is legitimate, based on my experiences with Gold Elements, Gratiae, and Aurarius.

Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 16, 2015/11/16) */
I am just sending you a note to let you know I finally got a refund from gold elements after trying for over 2 months. I will never go to their store again nor would I recommend it to anyone.

[redacted],Our records show we have contacted you several times, through our customer service, and the location has contacted you as well.Each Gold Elements store is entitled to a different return policy as they see fit since each location is self-owned. That location has an exchange only policy within 30 days of purchase, as allowed by law, and is being held by many retail stores at the Aspen downtown area.The location has not closed nor does it plan to close.As mention in our previous response, though it has been over 60 days from your original purchase, we are still willing to exchange the items and inviting you to a skin analysis with our esthetician, to find a more suitable line for your skin.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 7, 2016/02/10) */
We understand the reasoning to the products not being vegan. We at gold elements always make sure customers know our return policy three different ways. Customers are verbally informed, signs by the register and also printed on the receipt....

policy does not apply to all of our stores. We are more than happy to work with any customer with returns with other alternatives but still stick by our no refund policy.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2016/02/11) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
My boyfriend was NOT verbally told of the no return policy, otherwise he would not have bought it. There was NO sign at the kiosk, and the receipt was given to him AFTER the purchase, so he didn't know of the no return policy until AFTER he bought it.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2016/02/16) */
We are genuinely sorry to hear that you were disappointed of our service. We want to take a moment to address your concerns and review our price communication procedure to assure you that we do our best to advise our customers about the prices of our products.
Since we understand misunderstandings can happen, we communicate prices in more than one way. In addition to verbally telling our customers the prices, each product is listed on the receipt with its price. When checking out, each customer must approve the total amount and agree to our return policy on the signing screen. Once signed, the detailed receipt is printed for the customer's records and review. The signed copy, however, is for the business's records.We are inviting you to contact customer service again to address a meeting with the owner of the store.

We will be happy to address any questions or concerns you have at our 24/7 customer service line at 1 (855) [redacted]

Sincerely,
Gold Elements

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I never have heard back from the company.  I still have all of the products-- unopened.  The local store is out of business.I have spent a great deal of time attempting to contact the company to refund their products.  They have not returned phone calls or responded to my concerns regarding the allergic reaction I had to their products.There was NO sign at their store saying “No refunds”, nor was I told at the time of purchase that was their policy.  When I first contacted the company I was told that they would look into refunding the price due to the allergic reaction I had.  Later when I received a call from the person who sold me the products— who was from another country and briefly told me that there were no refunds — cut the conversation short saying his mother was calling  promising to call me back which he never did.After reaching the main company, Pamela who seems to handle all calls, I was told that Gold Elements will do refunds BUT NOT at their store where I purchased them.  All of this is a bit weird compromised by the fact that I was told they were closing the store.
Regards,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because I do not agree with the response from Gold Elements store that my complaint is just a “buyer’s remorse”. The main reason I put in a complaint is because the salespersons had provided me false informations regarding their return policy prior to selling me their products. As I said in the original complaint statement, if the salespersons made it clearly that all products are non refundable, I would never made the purchase  on that day. It doesn’t matter why I decided to return the products whether it was  because I found it cheaper to buy on ebay or elsewhere. My point is that I was told by their salespersons/promoter that I was able to return the products if I changed my mind. They did not inform me about buying the products from the store promoter, I must return the products to that specific promoter.  As you can see in the text messages between myself and the store salesperson, I was instructed to come to the store the following day to do a return. However, later on I found out I was not able to return through customer service either because all products are final sales. Obviously, they misinformed me about their return policy from the get go.I attempted to make the return at the store twice but they refused my returns even though I was told in the text messages and over the phone to come to the store the following day to return the products.  I showed up at their store after work with the all the products I purchased,including free goods that came with it. They still refused to accept the return anyway. If you read the text carefully, you will notice that Gold Elements’ salespersons had provided me inaccurate information regarding return and exchange policy. By the way, they did not give me two facial spa like they said they did in the response email. I did not receive any facial treatment from them. I know there is no way I can get my money back. I feel hopeless. All I can say right now is that whatever Gold Elements and their salespersons did to me was wrong. I hope they don’t do that to other buyers.
Regards,
[redacted][To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, the consumer must give a reason why they are rejecting the response. If the consumer does not provide a reason the complaint will be closed Answered]

Attached below are the text messages between myself and the salesperson at Gold Elements store. I made the initial purchase on June 28, 2017 and decided to return the product within an hour later. The salesperson at this store failed to inform me their return policy until I decided to return the product; otherwise I would never make the purchase on that day. I also asked the female salesperson name Flor at least three times that if I could return it if I changed my mind later on and she said yes. Please let me know what I need to do next.

This business is absolutely The most unprofessional establishment I've ever seen. They are always shoving their products and customers faces as they walk by. Today as I was walking down the street they shoved their face product in my face. I said "no thank you." As I continued on my walk the baldheaded man turned and commented to me,"selfish [redacted]!" I was floored as I walked away. Who says that to anyone especially a potential customer. The people that were walking behind me were shocked as well.

Review: I tried to return an unopened product only four days after a purchase and was denied a refund.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund, my money back for the unopened unused products I do not wish to have.

Review: My name is [redacted], I'm writing this on behalf of my mother [redacted] does not speak nor writte in English, she was pulled asided from one of the sales reps from Gold Elements located in La Jolla, UTC. She insisted on letting the sales rep know that she does not use any masks or make-up, however her English is not that great. When she used her product on her face she rapidly, got a rash, felt like a burning sensation on her face. She had to wash it off right away. Again, she is not used to using these products. She tried to let the rep know. Her receipt says refund within 7 days, she purchased the product on 6/29/15. We went in today, 7/1/15 and called spoke with a lady named [redacted]?. Which she said to go in and said what they could do as far as the refund. When we went it even after we asssured her we wanted our refund, all she said was she could switch it up for an organic product and a free facial. Even though we explained to both her AND the previous person my mother, does not wear any types of products on her face. We just want a refund, we understand that the ticket was stamped final sale, however my mom did not know that's what it meant when it was purchased. Please advise on what we can do, because this is poor customer service. Maybe it should make it clear that the stampt over rules what is printed on receipt (Refund within 7 days, exchange after 14days)Desired Settlement: Please, my mother just needs her refund! We can provide copy of the receipt, time stamp of call, and time we went into the store, and names of reps.

Review: I have a fraudulent charge on my Bank of America Debit / Credit Card by Gold Elements at 911 State Street, Santa Barbara, CAOn June 25th, 2014 I was walking down State Street in Santa Barbara (about 5:30pm-6pm) when I was approached by a Sales person on the sidewalk. I went into the Store and was given Champagne. I was given a facial treatment and more Champagne. I was very upset and crying almost the entire time in the store. I was under emotional distress I have been suffering from a medical condition and I believe I just had a miscarriage. I was hospitalized a few days after the purchase.About an hour went by, when I was charged $2,484.00 for the first transaction at 6:51pm and was given more Champagne.June 25th 6:51pm $2,484.00The store sales rep provided over 4 glasses of Champagne and then took advantage of the situation and sold me over $22,734 in products in a second transaction.June 25th 8:03pm $22,734.00I was taken advantage of and I would have NEVER authorized an amount of over $25,000 if I was coherent. I had no idea the amount was over $20,000. My credit card was fraudulently charged. This is a case of wrongful deception intended to result in financial gain.The store hours for the Santa Barbara location close at 7pm. The second transaction happened much later at 8pm. There were several other employees that were present at the time of the transaction. I was so intoxicated that the Sales Rep had to call a cab and he personally escorted me and paid for a cab back to my hotel. The Sales Rep put the products into the trunk of my Car.I live out of the area. On July 20th 2014, My Husband and I drove to Santa Barbara and went back to the Store to return the products. The Sales Rep was not working, but a few of the other employees remembered me. I requested to return the products and stated that I wanted the store to take them back. They are 100% unused and in the original packaging and bags.Desired Settlement: I was sold $25,218 in face cream? I have demanded a 100% refund and the Company and the store have refused to take back the product or return the money charged.All I want is to return the products and have my money returned.