National Association of Professional Women

Review: I bought a membership to NAPW in 2012 and paid $995.00 for it. During the time I was a member, I received no real benefit from this organization. Therefore, I did not want to continue the membership. On June *, 2014, I noticed NAPW charged my debit card $995.00 to renew my membership without my authorization. I called NAPW to get these charges refunded as it was not authorized and had put me in a financial hardship, as these funds are coming from my checking account. They refused to refund it. I have called my bank and filled out a dispute so that these charges can be refunded. This is fraud and I encourage all women to stay away from this organization.Desired Settlement: Refund the entire $995.00 as it is not a charge that I authorized.

Business

Response:

As a courtesy, the full amount has been credited back to [redacted]' card.

Review: I believe the company used deceptive practices to lure unsuspecting customers to purchasing their membership, which in fact has no benefits. Immediately upon realizing this happened, I tried to cancel my membership the same day and the organization would not honor my request. I believe they are a fraudulent organization with terrible customer service practices.Desired Settlement: 3 payments:8/**/13 789.008/**/13 99.0011/**/13 995.00

Business

Response:

[redacted] claims that NAPW uses improper tactics to "lure" customers to a membership that has "no benefits." These claims are utterly false. First, NAPW markets to consumers through a number of channels, but never contacts consumers unless the consumer first indicates a desire to be contacted and learn more about membership. There is no cold-calling; all sales calls are placed to consumers who have provided contact information and asked to be contacted. Second, every member of NAPW's management team (as well as its numerous business partners) work hard every day to deliver an increasingly robust array of benefits. These include numerous promotional tools (for self or business), several partnerships providing free or deeply-discounted continuing and professional education, ability to network online through our secure portal, ability to network face-to-face through any of our nearly 400 local chapters nationwide, attendance at our annual National Networking Conference led by the country's most accomplished professional women, and many more. In [redacted]' case, she became a Preferred NAPW member in August of 2013 and a VIP member in November of this year. At a minimum, these membership levels entitled [redacted] to unlimited free continuing education (potentially valued in the tens of thousands of dollars) as well as free participation and VIP treatment at our National Networking Conference being held in April of 2014. This conference is annually among America's best, and past conferences have included speakers such as [redacted])

, [redacted] (of [redacted] fame), [redacted], and many, many more. Where other organizations charge significant entry fees to conferences of this quality, NAPW's is free to its VIP members like [redacted]. In addition, [redacted] was entitled to network in person in any of our nearly 400 local chapters, including the 12 local chapters in her state of [redacted].

Review: Last year I signed up for their service. they wanted to charge me over $700 dollars to join. I am a low income worker and that was way too much for me, but I wanted to join so that I could meet other professional women and climb the corporate ladder. I ended up paying about $100. of course things do not go according to plan. I never used the services provided by the company. Now, 1 year later I see a credit card charge for $199.00 that I did not authorize. I called and expected them to apologize to explain the mistake then give me a refund for the unauthorized amount. however they did not. they said I had a VERBAL agreement and that I am not entitled to a full refund. I told them I was not aware of any verbal agreement for an auto-pay feature. nor did I sign any documents stating that I was being charged, I was also not notified that my account was being charged.Desired Settlement: I would like a full refund of $199.00 that I was charged for illegally. I was never notified of a charge to my account, nor did I authorize a charge to my account, nor did I sign for any amount to be taken out of my account.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by National Association of Professional Women regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

[redacted] - a check will be sent to her for the balance of her renewal fee within ten business days.

Review: I received a call from this organization. first, they buttered me up and let me talk about myself, they described their services and benefits from being apart of NAPW, then lastly they tried to get me for $995. I said I could not do it, then it went down to $795. I cannot spend that much money without talking to my husband. Finally it was $199, then after I agreed, I was told there would be an additional $99 for setting up my online profile. This was Friday, April **. I called today, April [redacted], to cancel, and they said they would refund me $100 and waive the $99 online profile set-up fee. and I was rushed off the phone. All I want to do is opt out of the membership and be done with these people. they are trying to sugar-coat giving me a refund.Desired Settlement: I would just like to end my relationship easily with the NAPW

Business

Response:

This member was issued a full refund.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

They're saying I was issued a FULL refund???? I can show bank statements showing they deducted 199.00 from my account. When I called to cancel my membership and get a refund, they strong-armed me into staying, and issued a PARTIAL refund of $99.00. Maybe they should have stated I was issued a PARTIAL refund, not a FULL REFUND because that is a lie!

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

The balance of your refund was issued this morning. It may take two to five business days for it to post to your account. Here is the bank transaction number

[redacted].

Review: I received multiple blocked phone callson my work telephone number and on my personal cell phone from a woman named [redacted]. She wanted to know about my professional career to see if I qualified to be a member of their elite NAPW group. I told her about my accomplishments at work, and she congratulated/welcomed me to NAPW. She told me upfront the cost would be $9.89 [enunciated nine eighty-nine]. Once she received my address and credit card information she attempted to charge me $989.00 [enunciated nine hundred eighty-nine dollars]. I would not have agreed to this program for an outrageous charge like such. I luckily had to take a business call, put the representative on hold, and did not finalize the transaction. I received multiple blocked calls to both my work and cell phone numbers.

I called my bank and warned them of this possible unauthorized transactionDesired Settlement: I would like a full refund I would also prefer the company stop calling me as well.

Business

Response:

I have reviewed this member’s file, including the recording of the sales call. [redacted] was contacted by our representative on October **, 2013. Our representatives are required to repeat prices in full dollars (“two hundred eighty-nine”) and, in this case, our representative did so. [redacted] provided her credit card information and our representative attempted to process her card for the price of the membership. However, the credit card was declined. Our representative set a call-back for the following day, so that she could reach [redacted], but was never able to actually reach her. At that point, the representative set [redacted]’s membership as complimentary, permitting her a profile on and access to NAPW’s online networking site.

Because [redacted]’s credit card was declined, there was never any charge processed by NAPW and therefore there is no refund to give. Should [redacted] dispute this, I request that she provide a copy of her credit card statement showing a charge by NAPW. If she is able to do so, I will be happy to investigate further.

Review: I verbally joined their membership and after joining researched the company and decided against its membership the next business day. I was never informed of any stipulations of joining the membership. I have spoken with membership and their resolution in to refund me only partial amount of my payment. I only request a full refund and to make certain their staff informed new businesses of the stipulations when joining their organization.Desired Settlement: I only desire that my credit card be refunded the totally amount that was debited.

Business

Response:

We regret the misunderstanding. Upon this member's request to cancel the purchased membership, she was issued a full credit in the amount of $199.00. Should you have any further questions, you may contact me at ###-###-####.

Regards,

Review: I emailed and spoke to NAPW's customer service requesting my membership not be renewed and I was told they could not turn off auto renewal and I would have to call back during a timeframe closer to my renewal to cancel, which is April * (which is approx. 2 weeks away). I told them that wasn't acceptable and that I had notified them in writing and verbally to cancel the membership and they continued to refuse to do so. At no time during the sales pitch when I joined did they indicate that cancelling the membership would present such obstacles and could only be done during a specific window. I informed them I made them aware of my wishes to cancel the membership and they refused to oblige.Desired Settlement: My membership is cancelled without conditions or timeframes dictated by NAPW. I've notified them, that should be more than sufficient to turn auto renewal from on to off.

Business

Response:

We are sorry that[redacted]’ experience with the NAPW has been less than ideal – we do strive toprovide our members with resources and benefits to enhance and improve theirlives, both personal and professional. We encourage and expect ourmembers to avail themselves of those benefits and to contact us with anyquestions or problems regarding their memberships. Members who do take the timeto explore and take advantage of the myriad resources available will findtremendous value in being a member of the NAPW. [redacted] received an email offer to renew her membershipat a special price for early renewal. Responses to this offer were handled by aspecific team of customer service representatives. These representatives have only limited accessto our member accounts and are not able to make any changes to the status ofthe account except to renew it at the special rate. [redacted] was advised of this and that she would bereceiving additional reminders about her renewal, which would have contactinformation for any questions or requests that she had regarding that renewal. We did receive a request from [redacted] that we not renewher membership. This was handled by the correct department and her membershipwill not renew. She will receive a confirmation email shortly, if she has not already.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Charged for renewal without consent. Luckily caught charge before processing. Discussion with representative from NAPW resulted in argument to remove me from membership as this association provides no value. Will now need to cancel card as this association seems to charge with no authorization from the consumer.

This organization is currently advertising on [redacted]. I assumed that the organization had features similar to [redacted], as they did have a [redacted] page. I didn't receive any confirmation that my application was successful until today.
I got a call from one of their associates who interviewed me as if I were applying for a job. They were nice but deployed high pressure sales tactics. They said I had been accepted into the NAPW, began to talk about all it's features, then hit me with the cost for membership which was $700.00 up front. I said no and they kept trying to talk me into a membership. When I wouldn't budge they continued with many other lower lever offers. They told me If I wanted to be member I would need to pay for the lowest level membership or I would have to do the whole application process over again. And when I still wouldn't budge they told me the lowest level available which was free- was something I would have to call back to access through their membership department (I had said I would have to call back) and that it was a very limited package.
No where is it listed that there is a cost involved when you click their link on [redacted]. Their sales tactics are not becoming of an organization that seeks to empower women or conduct business in an ethical manner. They are not honest and upfront about what they are selling you, and then they apply a serious amount of pressure to get you to accept and pay.

Review: In November 2014, I was charged $989.00 and then another $99 from a high pressure sales person who dropped names such as "Oprah" and "Star Jones" to make me feel comfortable about a product that is nonexistent. I was told that I would receive a packet with discounts and benefits, which never arrived. I was told that I would have a "spotlight" section on the front page of the website, which did not happen. I was told that I would receive a packet in the mail, which never arrived. I was told that I would receive "free courses" to enhance my skills. These courses are on a middle school education level and not for an educated professional business owner. I was promised a link to their website which would help with my Google rankings, I never received this link; when I questioned them about it, I was put on hold and then told that we were linked. I built and I manage my own website, I know that a link needs to be embedded and that our sites are not linked. This past week, January 2015, I was told that I am woman of the year and part of the VIP circle. My card was charged $995. The sales person [redacted] at ###-###-#### spoke so quickly that it wasn't until I hung up that I realized she charged my card. I immediately sent an email and left voicemails requesting a refund; there was no response. I called today and insisted on a refund and after much effort and more high pressure sales, I received one for the $995. I asked for my initial $989 plus $99 to be refunded to no avail.Desired Settlement: A refund of $989 and an additional $99 for a switch and bait advertising, in addition to the $995 that I am told would be refunded with confirmation #[redacted]

Business

Response:

We are sorry that[redacted]’s experience with the NAPW has been less than ideal – we do strive toprovide our members with resources and benefits to enhance and improve theirlives, both personal and professional. We encourage and expect ourmembers to avail themselves of those benefits and to contact us with anyquestions or problems regarding their memberships. Members who do take the timeto explore and take advantage of the myriad resources available will findtremendous value in being a member of the NAPW. [redacted] completed an application for membership in NAPW. On November *, 2014, NAPW contacted her andconducted its initial enrollment interview. During this telephone call our representative explained the annual costsand benefits associated with membership, and that all membership enrollmentsare final. Because NAPW is amembership-based networking organization, the primary benefits at all levelsare found through our membership portal ([redacted]) aswell as through our face-to-face networking at our over 300 Local Chaptersnationwide. Additionally, through ouronline portal, members are able to access ancillary benefits provided by ourbusiness partners. Because NAPW incurscosts upon enrollment with those partners, we maintain a final salepolicy. Please be aware that membershipalone includes no tangible product to be shipped to the member. All of this wasexplained to [redacted] during her interview. Ourrepresentative explained that [redacted] would receive an email (within 24hours) containing login information for our members’ portal through which she isable access all of the online benefits and enroll in Local Chapters. Our representative further explained that [redacted] should review our Terms & Conditions. Subsequent to logging in but prior to accessing her benefits, she changedher login information, which cannot be confirmed without reviewing andaccepting those Terms & Conditions. Therein, [redacted] was provided withthe details of our final sale policy, along with all other policies governingher relationship with NAPW. NAPW’s Terms& Conditions are available at [redacted]. Within 10 days of enrollment, NAPW physicallymailed a welcome package to the member containing a paid statement, amembership card and a welcome letter. NAPWemploys a comprehensive call recording and auditing function. Our staff reviews the recording of eachcompleted interview for multiple compliance points, including that therepresentative explained the renewal and refund policies as described above. Aspart of our investigation into this case, we reviewed that call again and [redacted] was made completely aware of these points at the time. [redacted] had been selected for consideration by our VIP membershipcommittee and was contacted on January *, 2015. This is the call to which shealludes in her complaint. Our members are entitled to be treated with utmost respectand empathy, and every person on the NAPW team is trained to work with ourmembers to resolve any issues; however, there areprotocols and policies which must be followed. These policies are companywideand all of our team members are required to follow them. In this case, we cansee how [redacted] might have misunderstood that her card would be charged. [redacted] contacted us onJanuary **, 2015 about this charge and we immediately issued the refund to herfor the upgrade. She also demanded thatwe issue a refund for her original membership, which we were unable to do asthe transaction had taken place more than sixty days prior (our credit cardprocessor does not permit credits after sixty days) and she had approved her enrollmentas a member. As ourVIP representative explained, NAPW has a comprehensive membership servicesstaff, which is qualified to field all inquiries and works with members on anyother questions or issues regarding membership, access to benefits and otherquestions. NAPW publicizes theavailability of this staff through multiple dedicated pages. See [redacted]. Each of these pages publishes the contacttelephone numbers and email addresses, and provides a convenient form whichthis member could have submitted at any time if she wished to engage our stafffor any reason. We take the claim that a member was "scammed" or that acharge was unauthorized very seriously. NAPW provides an amazing value for themembership fee. Included in ALL memberships levels are webinars,seminars, discounts, perks, online networking access and in-person chapteraffiliation as well as a myriad of other benefits. Our organization isgrowing, expanding and moving forward through numerous initiatives, strategicalliances and corporate affiliations; offering members additional avenues toASPIRE, ACHIEVE and CONNECT. Every member of NAPW's management team works diligently todeliver maximum value to our members, and any claim that someone was"scammed" is demonstrably false. We currently have almosta half-million satisfied members, all of whom are free to use our onlinenetworking portal, which gives our members more connectivity optionsand far more ability to promote themselves than other networking sites. We have over 300 local chapters across America, in which tens of thousands ofour members get together to take their online experience into the real worldand create incredible connections with other professional women. These localchapters are constantly implementing new ways for the local members tointeract. We encourage of our members tojoin all of the chapters in their area - this gives them more opportunities toattend events that fit their busy schedules and widens the circle of localwomen with whom to network. Moreover, we host an annual National Networking Conferencewhere almost two thousand members where members from all over the country enjoyan unforgettable day of networking, panel discussions, workshops andpresentations from extraordinary women like Sara Blakeley, Arianna Huffington,Star Jones, Martha Stewart, Ivanka Trump, Randy Zuckerburg, Barbara Corcoranand Robin Roberts. Additionally, we are constantly providing and working to upgradethe secondary benefits such as free or discounted continuingeducation through leading providers like [redacted] and [redacted]; shopping and other discounts through a number of partnerships,including exclusive sponsors like Lenovo, one of the world's largest computersuppliers; and interesting topical content provided through our social mediaand other outlets. Again, our entire team is working hard every singleday to build these partnerships, identify and create content, and make greaterbenefits available to our members. We invite [redacted] to contact us directly to go over hermembership and work on a resolution. Tell us why here...

Review: This organization tells you that membership is free, then does a high-pressure up-sell that is not honest about the charges or the fact that it will not refund your money if you cancel. I did not understand that I would be charged $688. I realized within an hour of joining that it was a scam. I called immediately to cancel and was told that the most I could get back was $100. I made several other attempts to call and got only voicemail. I have contacted my credit card company to dispute the charge.Desired Settlement: Refund of my money and have no further contact with this company. It is completely disreputable.

Business

Response:

We are sorry that[redacted]’s experience with the NAPW has been less than ideal – we do strive toprovide our members with resources and benefits to enhance and improve theirlives, both personal and professional. We encourage and expect ourmembers to avail themselves of those benefits and to contact us with anyquestions or problems regarding their memberships. Members who do take the timeto explore and take advantage of the myriad resources available will findtremendous value in being a member of the NAPW. Our members are entitled to betreated with utmost respect and empathy, and every person on the NAPW team istrained to work with our members to resolve any issues; however, there areprotocols and policies which must be followed. These policies are companywideand all of our team members are required to follow them. [redacted] completed an application for membership in NAPW. As our material states, there is no fee toapply for membership, and we do offer a free listing for those applicants whochoose not to purchase a full membership, as well as email delivery of ourmonthly newsletter. However, a password is required to access benefits likeseminars, local chapter meetings, other events and resources, which is issuedwhen an applicant purchases a membership. We do assume that anyone who applies for membership does take the timeto do some cursory research about the organization before submitting herapplication. OnDecember *, 2014 NAPW contacted her and conducted its initial enrollmentinterview. During this telephone callour representative explained the annual costs and benefits associated with membership.We do begin by offering the most comprehensive packages and work with the applicantto provide as many of the resources she seeks while staying within her budget. BecauseNAPW is a membership-based networking organization, the primary benefits at alllevels are found through our membership portal ([redacted]) as well as through ourface-to-face networking at our over 300 Local Chapters nationwide. Additionally, through our online portal,members are able to access ancillary benefits provided by our businesspartners. Because NAPW incurs costs uponenrollment with those partners, we maintain a final sale policy. Please be aware that membership aloneincludes no tangible product to be shipped to the member. Ourrepresentative explained that [redacted] would receive an email (within 24hours) containing login information for our members’ portal through which she isable access all of the online benefits and enroll in Local Chapters. Our representative further explained that [redacted] should review our Terms & Conditions. Subsequent to logging in but prior to accessing her benefits, she wasrequired to review and accept those Terms & Conditions. Therein, [redacted] was provided with thedetails of our final sale policy, along with all other policies governing herrelationship with NAPW. NAPW’s Terms& Conditions are available at [redacted]. She accepted these terms and changed herlogin information. [redacted] did contact us later that day, and hermother filed this complaint before we had the opportunity to speak with her. As [redacted] is a college student with limited resources and clearly seems not to have understood the membeship, we did void that sale and her money should have beenrestored to her account. We take the claim that a member was "scammed" orthat a charge was unauthorized very seriously. NAPW provides an amazing value for themembership fee. Included in ALL memberships levels are webinars,seminars, discounts, perks, online networking access and in-person chapteraffiliation as well as a myriad of other benefits. Our organization isgrowing, expanding and moving forward through numerous initiatives, strategicalliances and corporate affiliations; offering members additional avenues toASPIRE, ACHIEVE and CONNECT. Every member of NAPW's management team works diligently todeliver maximum value to our members, and any claim that someone was"scammed" is demonstrably false. We currently have almosta half-million satisfied members, all of whom are free to use our onlinenetworking portal, which gives our members more connectivity optionsand far more ability to promote themselves than other networking sites. We have over 300 local chapters across America, in which tens of thousands ofour members get together to take their online experience into the real worldand create incredible connections with other professional women. These localchapters are constantly implementing new ways for the local members tointeract. We encourage of our members tojoin all of the chapters in their area - this gives them more opportunities toattend events that fit their busy schedules and widens the circle of localwomen with whom to network. Moreover, we host an annual National Networking Conferencewhere almost two thousand members where members from all over the country enjoyan unforgettable day of networking, panel discussions, workshops andpresentations from extraordinary women like [redacted]and [redacted]. Additionally, we are constantly providing and working toupgrade the secondary benefits such as free or discounted continuingeducation through leading providers like [redacted] and [redacted]; shopping and other discounts through a number of partnerships,including exclusive sponsors like [redacted], one of the world's largest computersuppliers; and interesting topical content provided through our social mediaand other outlets. Again, our entire team is working hard every singleday to build these partnerships, identify and create content, and make greaterbenefits available to our members.

Review: I recently found a charge to my credit card on 12/**/13 in the amount of $789.00 for annual renewal. When I decided to become a member I was informed that the annual renewal would be $99.00 a year. This is how they justified the exorbitant initial fee. I was also sold a membership plaque for $99.00 which was never received. I moved from California to Georgia and thought it had just gotten delayed. I couple months after the move I contacted NAPW and provided them my new address, Within a month, I received a call to upgrade my membership. . .I declined and inquired about the plaque again. . . still not received. It was at this time I made a mental decission to not renew. I contacted NAPW renewal desk to question the $789.00 charge and to cancel my membership. First response was that I verbally agreed to the T&C when I signed up and that I failed to respond to an email send 11/**/13 so that was that. I challenged that decision and then they agreed to refund 50% of the charge to my card. I requested NAPW to provide the 'recording' they use as acceptance of the T&Cs and she said she would refer the request to 'compliance' and that in a few weeks I would get an email to call compliance and listen to my verbal acceptance. They stopped the auto renewal to ensure I would not be charged again in 12/**/13. I don't believe that they will ever produce a recording not do they have any documents to support acceptance of T&Cs since I know I was never presented any. Since when is a failure to respond to an email (that may have gone into a spam folder) an acceptance of T&Cs? If I sent them an email stating that if they do not respond to me in 24 hours, they will refund my card ten times the amount charged and my email falls into their spam, can I assume their lack of response is an acceptance of MY T&Cs?Desired Settlement: Copy of recorded acceptance of T&Cs regarding automatic annual renewal provided to Revdex.com for review. Full refund of 12/**/13 $789.00 credit card charge and refund of $99.00 plaque purchase OR the plaque itself.

Business

Response:

I would like to apologize to [redacted], on several fronts. First, it appears that her plaque is lost in transit. I have confirmed through our previous plaque vendor (since replaced) that her order was fulfilled and shipped. They are, however, unable to provide me with tracking data to locate or otherwise learn the particulars of the plaque's shipment. All they are able to provide are their internal records showing that it shipped. Their inability to provide additional information is most likely related to the fact that they were replaced by a competing vendor. Second, it appears that our system for providing notice to our members somehow failed in [redacted]' case. We explain in our initial sale that the relationship is governed by NAPW's Terms & Conditions. On multiple occasions throughout the year we remind members of the Terms & Conditions (via email). At any point when the Terms & Conditions are changed, the members are sent an email and we internally reset our website login system to require that our members acknowledge review of the updated Terms & Conditions prior to logging in and using the website. It appears in this case that our multiple failsafes somehow failed [redacted].

Review: I signed up on [redacted] to join NAPW and on their site they said it was free. Well they called me ysterday and it was over $700 just for the budget package and another $99 "setup" fee. No free membership was ever offered. She told me I would get all these perks like 20% off target purchases and 75% off at many restaurants as well as free seminars and I would would be ever so happy. I said Ok and immediately regretted spending all that money I don't have so I called the billing office and they told me the phone calls are recorded and I agreed that it was non-refundable. Well if I did she phrased it in a very vague way because I do not remember anything like that. The woman in the billing office offered to take off the $99 setup fee and $200 of the membership fee so I said ok. Today I looked up all they had to offer and you can get $7 off target if you mail order and the only restaurant discount is in Louisiana. Plus I found out it was a for profit group. So it is not a bunch of women trying to help each other. It is a bunch of sociopaths trying to get rich. I am also not from New York. I live in Illinois and have spent my life helping people, first as a Nurse then as a Public Librarian. No company should get away with taking your money without a 24hr. refund policy. Almost all sellers do that. I have not used a thing of theirs yet and I want all of my money back. Plus the receipt they sent did not even have the price I paid on it. I think they just make numbers up for a commission.Desired Settlement: I want the rest of the money they have charged to my credit card refunded. I want them to disclose that they are a New York organization. I want them to give people a 24 hr. waiting period to opt out so they can take a look into their services first.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I reviewed by current Capital One statement, and NAPW on June **, 2013 they charged my credit card for $199.00. I did not authorize this charge.Desired Settlement: And remove my credit card information from my data base.

Business

Response:

We deeply regret this misunderstanding. Upon review, we see that Ms. [redacted] was enrolled in automatic billing for her renewal. Ms. [redacted] has been issued a credit in the amount of $199.00 and removed from all future billing.

I trust that this resolves this matter.

Consumer

Response:

[redacted]:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: After submitting information for a "free" membership, I was contacted via telephone by a very fast talking person, who "interviewed" me for acceptance. After a few minutes, I was accepted into membership. I was then informed of the cost, and gave my billing information. After further research and consideration, I decided to cancel my membership. Typically there is a 24 hour cancellation policy on any agreement or contract. I e-mailed their billing department within an hour, but received no response. I filled out a contact form and was called by a representative who told me the membership was non-refundable, she would discount the membership, gave me a 6 digit confirmation number told me to have a nice day and hung up on me. This is a scam!Desired Settlement: I just want my money refunded, I have not used any of the services or even logged into my account.

Business

Response:

Review: I noticed on August **, 2013 there was a charge of $199.00 on my business credit card that is connected to my business bank account.

I researched my e-mails for the August *, 2013 dated e-mail from NAPW.com and found that I did not receive one from this organization.

On August **, 2013, I left a message with the NAPW organization (with my bank on the line as well) stating that I would lodge a complaint the the Revdex.com if I did not received a refund of my money.

I received $149.00 on August **, 2013.

I've done research on this organization and I'm aware of other women receiving a FULL REFUND of their money.Desired Settlement: Since I'm aware of other women who have received a FULL REFUND of their monies, I want a FULL REFUND of the remaining $50.00!

Business

Response:

Review: On December *, 2013, when I initially contacted the NAPW it was because I had seen an advertisement for it on [redacted] or [redacted] for a free membership and I thought I would contact them to see what it was all about because I thought being a part of a women's organization would be something good I could put on my resume and might help as I advance in my career. When I did contact them I spoke with someone who asked all kinds of interview type questions and went on and on. I was on the phone for approximately 30 minutes, and was subsequently advised that in order to get the kind of benefits that would be most helpful to me I could get a typically more expensive membership package for $99.00. I thought establishing a profile with them would help attract businesses in my field and I could possibly get more interest when submitting my resumes nationally. I went ahead and agreed to the membership. I honestly was on the phone so long with this person I could not tell you what they told me as far as being charged again annually for the membership. I was contacted by them again to interview me so they could set up the detailed profile for me and name me as a leading women or something to that effect but was told then that I would have to pay more for that. I declined that several times. On December *, 2014 I noticed they had charged my card on December *, 2014 for an annual membership in the amount of $199.00. I contacted the organization at ###-###-#### and was transferred to their renewal/billing department. I was informed that they could not credit me the whole amount I was charged but could give me a courtesy credit for half. I repeatedly told them I was not interested in taking advantage of any of their offers, I did not find their services helpful last year and I wanted my membership completely canceled. I was advised that they already paid out a portion of the money I gave them to their vendors which they would not be reimbursed for and so they could not reimburse me. They told me they would put a notation on their billing so that I would not get automatically charged again next year.Desired Settlement: I want my membership completely cancelled and a full refund for "services" which I will not use and are not applicable to me. Unfortunately, this organization does not help or support women but takes advantage of women which are trying to survive in the corporate community.

Business

Response:

We are sorry that[redacted]’s experience with the NAPW has been less than ideal – we do striveto provide our members with resources and benefits to enhance and improve theirlives, both personal and professional. We encourage and expect ourmembers to avail themselves of those benefits and to contact us with anyquestions or problems regarding their memberships. Members who do take the timeto explore and take advantage of the myriad resources available will findtremendous value in being a member of the NAPW. Our members are entitled to betreated with utmost respect and empathy, and every person on the NAPW team istrained to work with our members to resolve any issues; however, there areprotocols and policies which must be followed. These policies are companywideand all of our team members are required to follow them.

[redacted] authorized the December *, 2014 charge reflecting her annual membershipdues. During her initial enrollmentinterview, our representative went over the membership, beginning with the mostcomprehensive package – part of the goal of the interview is to determine thebest package to fit the member’s goals and budget. We want them to get themaximum benefits for the money, which is why they offer the options in theorder they do. [redacted] selected the most basic level of paid membership. Ourrepresentative also explained that NAPW uses an automatic renewal process,designed to protect [redacted]’s enrollment in and uninterrupted access to thebenefits provided by NAPW and its business partners. Prior to concluding the interview, ourrepresentative specifically informed [redacted] that her annual membershipwould automatically renew. [redacted]had the opportunity to opt out of our automatic renewal program at that time. NAPWemploys a comprehensive call recording and auditing function. Our staff reviews the recording of eachcompleted interview for multiple compliance points, including that therepresentative explained the automatic renewal process as described above. Aspart of our investigation into this case, we reviewed that call again and [redacted] was made completely aware of these points at the time. This interviewis available for review if required. Duringthe initial enrollment interview, our representative explained that [redacted]would receive an email (within 24 hours) containing login information foraccess to our members’ portal. Ourrepresentative further explained that [redacted] should review our Terms &Conditions. Subsequent to logging in butprior to accessing her benefits, she was required to review and accept thoseTerms & Conditions. Therein, she wasprovided with the details of our automatic renewal policy, which was previouslyexplained during the initial enrollment interview. NAPW’s Terms &Conditions are available at [redacted]. Throughoutthe year, NAPW made available to [redacted] a comprehensive membership servicesstaff, which is qualified to field all inquiries and would have been able towork with her had she elected to opt out of her automatic renewal (or any otherquestions she may have had). NAPWpublicizes the availability of this staff through multiple dedicatedpages. See [redacted] and [redacted]. Each of these pages publishes the contacttelephone numbers and email addresses, and provides a convenient form whichthis member could have submitted at any time if she wished to engage our stafffor any reason, including opting out of her automatic membership renewal. From dayone of [redacted]’s enrollment with NAPW, we communicated via email using theaddress she provided: [redacted], thesame address she lists on this complaint. Email was clearly the primary communication channel, by which [redacted] received her monthly newsletters and numerous other organizationalannouncements. A postcard reminder wasmailed at the end of October to the address provided by her at the time ofenrollment, which is the same as the one provided here. Additionally, wellbefore it was processed, NAPW sent [redacted] a courtesy reminder of herupcoming renewal transaction via email, and another reminder a week later. We havereviewed all of our records. [redacted]did not contact us to cancel her scheduled renewal prior to processing, asrequired by our Terms & Conditions, so her renewal was processed as shepreviously authorized. [redacted] did contact us on December *, 2014,and all of the above was explained to her. As per her conversation with ourmembership services representative, we have issued a credit to [redacted]’saccount and we have also deactivated the automatic renewal function of hermembership, so that it will not renew. We take the claim that a member was "scammed" orthat a charge was unauthorized very seriously. NAPW provides an amazing value for themembership fee. Included in ALL memberships levels are webinars,seminars, discounts, perks, online networking access and in-person chapteraffiliation as well as a myriad of other benefits. Our organization isgrowing, expanding and moving forward through numerous initiatives, strategicalliances and corporate affiliations; offering members additional avenues toASPIRE, ACHIEVE and CONNECT. Every member of NAPW's management team works diligently todeliver maximum value to our members, and any claim that someone was"scammed" is demonstrably false. We currently have almosta half-million satisfied members, all of whom are free to use our onlinenetworking portal, which gives our members more connectivity optionsand far more ability to promote themselves than other networking sites. We have over 300 local chapters across America, in which tens of thousands ofour members get together to take their online experience into the real worldand create incredible connections with other professional women. These localchapters are constantly implementing new ways for the local members tointeract. We encourage of our members tojoin all of the chapters in their area - this gives them more opportunities toattend events that fit their busy schedules and widens the circle of localwomen with whom to network. Moreover, we host an annual National Networking Conferencewhere almost two thousand members where members from all over the country enjoyan unforgettable day of networking, panel discussions, workshops andpresentations from extraordinary women like Sara Blakeley, Arianna Huffington,Star Jones, Martha Stewart, Ivanka Trump, Randy Zuckerburg, Barbara Corcoranand Robin Roberts. Additionally, we are constantly providing and working toupgrade the secondary benefits such as free or discounted continuingeducation through leading providers like [redacted] and [redacted]; shopping and other discounts through a number of partnerships,including exclusive sponsors like Lenovo, one of the world's largest computersuppliers; and interesting topical content provided through our social mediaand other outlets. Again, our entire team is working hard every singleday to build these partnerships, identify and create content, and make greaterbenefits available to our members.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

I did not know/ do not recall that the membership was automatically renewed which is why they never were contacted about it. I truly believe that their interviews are designed to distract and mislead you. I recall telling the person interviewing me that I was at work and didn't want it to take too long. I did not call and complain that no useful services were provided to me in the area and I "walked away" from the initial membership charge as a lesson learned that I should not have gotten a membership to this company in the first place. I definitely am not interested in paying another $100.00 for it again and not using it again. As an unhappy customer I have vocalized within seven days of the "automatic renewal" that I do not want the membership for this year. The reason that I found out that it was automatically renewed is because I saw the charge on my credit card. I have demanded that the membership for this year be canceled and a full refund ($199.00) of the charges on my credit card. They have given me a partial credit of $99.00 with a statement that they have already paid vendors for valuable discounts I can receive. It is not my problem that they pay vendors "in advance" for discounts their members receive (or don't receive). I guarantee that those vendors are paid regardless of whether or not my membership was automatically renewed. I do not believe from December * to December * they specifically took my money and paid it to other vendors. I want anything having to do with a membership ceased, including emails and I want a full refund of the fees charged on my account.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.Sincerely,[redacted]

Business

Response:

While it is our position that [redacted] was advised of the automatic renewal at the time of her enrollment, and was sent reminders of the upcoming renewal three times, she maintains that it is not "her problem" that we have already allocated funds for her continuing membership, which makes no sense. We only ask members the courtesy of either advising us that they do not want the automatic renewal during the enrollment interview, or to let us know at any time during the ensuing eleven months until the renewal comes up. We could argue that it is not "our problem" that she did not pay attention to the information she was verbally given, the terms and conditions to which she agreed and the reminders she was sent, but that seems pointless to her logic. Therefore, we have refunded the balance of her fee and removed her from all but archival records.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.Sincerely, [redacted]

Review: I received a notice that I had been approved for free membership into the National Association of Professional Women. I filled out the online application. They called me and went over the membership details. Then she told me that the membership was almost $1000.00! The notice I received said FREE. Then she said there were tiers. I could pay less than that and get less of a service. Then she said I could pay even less than that and get a limited service. She said she could give it to me for $199.00 if I decided to join right then. The offer would be void if I didn't do it on the phone at that moment. She did not want me to discuss it with my husband first. I decided to do it, but declined the offer of a $99.00 desk plaque. I was told I would receive a user name and password within 48 hours via email and a welcome packet would arrive in the mail within 10 days. That was on October [redacted]. I then noticed that not only was the $199.00 debited from my bank account, but there was another charge of $99.00 charged that I did NOT authorize. So, no user name and password, no welcome packet, but two charges out of my bank account. Many emails requesting cancellation. I left voicemails, as no person ever answers. You always have to leave a message. I work during the hours they are open for business and cannot have personal calls at work. I was trying to take care of it via email. They informed me I could NOT take care of this via email or voicemail, that I had to call the number and speak with them directly. I have had it and today decided to file this complaint. They did just today admit, via email, that the $99.00 charge was a mistake, but made NO mention of refunding it back to me. I want this membership cancelled and all charges refunded to me.Desired Settlement: Membership cancelled and all charges refunded to my bank account.

Business

Response:

We are sorry that[redacted]’s experience with the NAPW has been less than ideal – we do striveto provide our members with resources and benefits to enhance and improve theirlives, both personal and professional. We encourage and expect ourmembers to avail themselves of those benefits and to contact us with anyquestions or problems regarding their memberships. Members who do take the timeto explore and take advantage of the myriad resources available will findtremendous value in being a member of the NAPW. Our members are entitled to betreated with utmost respect and empathy, and every person on the NAPW team istrained to work with our members to resolve any issues; however, there areprotocols and policies which must be followed. These policies are companywideand all of our team members are required to follow them.

[redacted] completed an application for membership in NAPW. As our material states, there is no fee toapply for membership, and we do offer a free listing for those applicants whochoose not to purchase a full membership, as well as email delivery of ourmonthly newsletter. However, a password is required to access benefits likeseminars, local chapter meetings, other events and resources, which is issuedwhen an applicant purchases a membership. On October**, 2014, NAPW contacted her and conducted its initial enrollmentinterview. During this telephone callour representative explained the annual costs and benefits associated with membership.We do begin by offering the most comprehensive packages and work with the applicantto provide as many of the resources she seeks while staying within her budget. [redacted] selectedan Introductory Membership. BecauseNAPW is a membership-based networking organization, the primary benefits at alllevels are found through our membership portal ([redacted]) as well as through ourface-to-face networking at our over 300 Local Chapters nationwide. Additionally, through our online portal,members are able to access ancillary benefits provided by our businesspartners. Because NAPW incurs costs uponenrollment with those partners, we maintain a final sale policy. Please be aware that membership aloneincludes no tangible product to be shipped to the member. Ourrepresentative explained that [redacted] would receive an email (within 24hours) containing login information for our members’ portal through which she isable access all of the online benefits and enroll in Local Chapters. [redacted] claims that she did not get thisemail – and we suspect that it is because the security protocols on her workemail – the only one which she provided to us – prevented the email from goingto her inbox. Within 10 days of enrollment, NAPW physically mailed a welcomepackage to the member containing a paid statement, a membership card and awelcome letter. [redacted] did contact us on November **, 2014and we began playing telephone tag. It is our policy – in place to protect theprivate information of our members and to meet PCI compliance regulations –that we speak with all members before making any changes to their account. We did understand that it was difficult for [redacted] to speak during working hours, however, there is a two hour timedifference between Arizona, where she is, and the East Coast, where our officesare located and we hoped to be able to reach her when she was not at work. A credit was issued to [redacted] for her full fee– and we have been trying to reach her to confirm this.

Review: I signed up last year for a membership and paid $99 dollars. I logged on a few times to the site and did not see the value add because most of the offerings/events, etc costs so much more to join. A few weeks ago I received a membership renewal notice that DID NOT STATE that my credit card would be charged automatically. It simply said that it was time to renew. Today I was hit with a $199 dollar charge. I called twice and spoke to the same billing person who mentioned that I had not logged on for quite some time and I explained to her my frustration with the site as well as my need for a credit. I explained how I wanted a a full credit for the site and she first gave me a credit for $99 dollars. I double checked my records to confirm that I initially paid only $99 for the membership and when I called back, the billing person went on to tell me that I signed up for an introductory offer at $99 and now it was $199. Needless to say 20 minutes of explaining my case to her she did not fully refund the fee. She informed me that she could give me another $50 credit. She insisted that they had to pay providers up front for services I can take advantage of... I signed up 6/**/13 so I should receive a full credit since it's June *, 2014 - not even my full year anniversary for renewal!!! Not happy with the site, not happy with the service, not happy that I feel like they are scamming women!!!Desired Settlement: I'd like to receive a full credit for the membership fee which would be an additional $50 credit.

Business

Response:

The balance of the fee was credited back to this member's card as a courtesy.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: A couple weeks ago, I click on an NAPW Ad on my [redacted] profile and signed up to receive info and emails.

They started to call me LIKE CRAZY, MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY and many times with an ''UNKNOWN NUMBER" funny that I "[redacted]"

and I found out their same business practices with other costumers. Today, they went far. THEY CALLED MY BOYFRIEND'S PHONE NUMBER!!!1 I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW THOSE PEOPLE HAD ACCESS TO IT

SINCE I NEVER MENTION WHEN I CREATED AN ACCOUNT WITH THEM.Desired Settlement: I want them to stop contact me and DEF. stop contacting my boyfriend. If he receives any other call from you, I am bringing you guys to court. :)

Business

Response:

The incorrect response was given in complaint [redacted]. This complainant is not a member; we removed her information from our contact database and will not contact her. The response was for a different complaint.

Business

Response:

The balance of the renewal fee was refunded. The transaction IDs are [redacted] and [redacted].

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,