Piping Rock Health Products

I bought a bottle of flaxseed oil that expires in 2018. I opened it in 2016 and it was rancid. Piping Rock refused to replace or compensate me.

I've been ordering supplements from Piping Rock for quite some time now and I've not been disappointed with their products or their customer service. Their shipping cost is the best I've found and I receive my orders promptly and in good condition. They have good prices especially on their Crazy Deals sales and this enables me to stock up on products that I use the most. I use their supplements for both me and my pets.

Revdex.com:At this time, I have not been contacted by Piping Rock Health Products regarding complaint ID [redacted].Sincerely,[redacted]

I must rate the company's order response rate "Outstanding". I receive my online orders complete and quickly, generally four or five days after placing them with what I consider minimal shipping charges, from New York to my USPS box in Hawaii. Once I received my order in three days! The one time I received items in error they apologized, sent the correct items, and declined return of the misspent items. I would work in their warehouse if it would not involve living in New York!

Review: I ordered several bottles of Essential Oils from them since they seemed cheaper than other companies. When I got the products, every bottle had a message on the side - "Warning: For external use only". If you don't know anything about essential oils, if they are 100% pure they can be taken internally and are 100% safe. So I contacted the company and told them I had ordered quite a few bottles of essential oil from their company. and that I read do not take this internally on the side of the bottle. I explained that I take several of my essential oils internally with no problem and I asked them for reassurance that their products are pure essential oils and that they can be taken internally like I do my other oils.

This is their response: Thank you for contacting Piping Rock Health Products. Unless otherwise noted, our essential oils are 100% pure, and not diluted with other oils. We do have a few exceptions - but they are clearly labeled 'blend' or "absolute" Unless noted as such, our essential oils are 100% pure oil with no additives to enhance anything.

Our oils are for topical use only. They are not re-distilled, and as such they should not be taken internally.

This means that "if I had taken any of these products listed as 100% pure", it could have killed me. Without these oils being re-distilled they are poisonous. This should be put on their label in big letters. I am glad I wrote to the company but this is very important.Desired Settlement: I want a full refund of all essential oils that I purchased from them including shipping and handling and I want them to sent me postage to send these bottles back to them.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Piping Rock Health Products regarding complaint ID [redacted].Sincerely,[redacted]

Review: The company advertised promotional shipping but during the process of checking out a a $3.95 shipping charge was added on. The order was processed before I had the chance to approve of the order. Attempts were made to resolve this with the merchant without success. I tried to cancel the order but the merchant refused.Desired Settlement: Refund of shipping charges or full refund of order.

Business

Response:

Please see attached documentation which shows correspondence between our company and the customer explaining the reason for the shipping charge and also explaining that they were going to be refunded for the shipping charge as a courtesy this time. A refund was given to the customers [redacted] account which is how the order was initially paid for and our procedure is to refund the same account used for the order purchase. We did honor the customers request.If you need any further information, please let us know.Kind Regards,[redacted]Piping Rock Health Products

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 purchased Organic Maca root powder. supplement. Which was not organic, falsely labeled. talked to manager after several attempts, also customer service told me around 4/**/15 that they arranged for [redacted] to pick up no signs of [redacted] and I still have the product. The company is very dishonest . I Have emails to confirm whats been statedDesired Settlement: I would like a full refund please.

Business

Response:

Hello,Please see all the notes documented on this customer's history since the beginning of April, we have made attempts to pick up the product so we can refund his account, at no time have we stated that we will not refund him we just need the pick up to be scanned so we can refund him, for that is our policy and he has been informed of this matter. As for him speaking with higher management that has never happened because the reps have done everything to accommodate the return of this product I have however just informed higher management about this due to the fact that we were under the impression that this was taken care of as far as the understanding that we are just waiting for the [redacted] Scan to refund but see attached for this customer refused to send us back the product.[redacted] - 04-**-2015 DOCUMENTED ON CUSTOMERS ACCOUNT:Customer emailed asking if [redacted] will pick up the package. Informed as per [redacted] tracking that on 4/**/15 the received refused the label. I took a snapshot and sent it to the customer with tracking info. [redacted] - 04-**-2015 DOCUMENTED ON CUSTOMERS ACCOUNT:customer said he wants to return the items but don't want to pay for the returning label. [redacted] - 04-**-2015 DOCUMENTED ON CUSTOMERS ACCOUNT: Customer responded to email stating that he was not going to pay to have the items returned / customer claims it was false advertising for labeling a product organic when it was not. / I have prepared a call tag to pick up the order from customer because first it was our error and second because of the amount of the order (125.00) / I informed the customer that once we received the return we would then issue him a refund / Tracking Number: [redacted] Service: [redacted] Ground Service Label Delivery Method: 3 [redacted] Pickup Attempts [redacted] - 04-**-2015 DOCUMENTED ON CUSTOMERS ACCOUNT:Received customers email stating that he would like a full refund / I informed the customer that he can return the product to receive a full refund. [redacted] - 04-**-2015 DOCUMENTED ON CUSTOMERS ACCOUNT:Customer called to cancel but the order has been shipped. Informed that he will need to refuse the package for refund. If you have any further questions regarding this matter please feel free to contact us - [redacted]Kind Regards[redacted]

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:

As to pick up there was no notices left so there so I wasn't aware of any attempts to pick [redacted] product also [redacted] is telling a blatant lie about the product not being labeled Organic. Attached is proof. Look at the labels and the truth will manifest itself. All o need is this package retrieved. If [redacted] left a notice I would have made sure the package was available. If the product was properly labeled I wouldn't have been confused thus there would have been no issues.

Sincerely,

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:

On 5/**/15 [redacted] picked up package according to tracking package received 5/** by piping rock. When I receive payment that will close the complaint.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

This customer has been refunded 125.93 back to visa ending in [redacted]Sincerely,[redacted]

Review: I returned 8 bottles of 5-HTP and should have received a credit on my credit card charge for 62.80. I emailed Piping Rock and told them I never received my 62.80 credit. I received an email from piping rock that they had processed the credit of 62.80 on my credit card account ending in [redacted]. I emailed Piping Rock and told them that they could not have applied the credit of 62.80 to the account ending in [redacted] because that account was closed 18 month ago. I sent Piping the new credit card info so that they can credit back the 62.80 credit to this new card. TO date, I have not received the credit of 62.80 that should be credited to account ending in [redacted]. Piping Rock has my new credit card info.Desired Settlement: Credit back to my new credit card ending in # [redacted] for 62.80.

Business

Response:

A credit has been applied to Credit Card ending in [redacted] for the amount of $62.80 on 12/*/13 as per the customers request.

Thank You

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: MY ISSUE:

I have major health issues, and with my doctor's approval, I decided to look into natural forms of healthcare, including pure essential oils. This company swears on their website that their essential oils are pure, 100%, undiluted, all natural etc. It turns out, in February of 2015, seven of their oils were tested by a 3rd party source and found to be fake or some other, cheaper oil entirely. You can see these findings and the actual chemical analysis reports in pdf form at by typing in "Blue Tansy Report" at [redacted].

Along with Piping Rock's Blue Tansy Oil failing the chemical analysis test (this was the first oil to garner attention regarding its authenticity), the following results were also reported later in the month for six other oils: Piping Rock - FAILED for Tuberose (synthetics), Peppermint (cornmint oil), Myrrh (synthetics), Melissa, and Cistus (synthetics).. PASSED for Elemi. So, 6 out 7 of their oils were not what they were supposed to be. I have contacted them several times asking them to agree to refund the money I paid on all the oils I've bought from them along with the shipping costs I will incur in sending them back. The response from "Silma" at Piping Rock has been consistently vague, so I finally spelled it out in my last few emails to her (all ignored) that I was sending back all the oils I ever bought and expected a refund along with shipping costs. I explained to her my medical concerns, how 6 of the 7 oils tested were fake (which she finally acknowledged), and that I cannot risk using any of their oils not only on myself (especially with my medical issues) but also on my kids and dog. It could be very dangerous using unknown substances on one's bodies that were promised to be pure essential oils. I cannot trust a company with a 6 out of 7 (85%) failure rate! She said I could return the oils and included a link to their return policy. The return policy is only for products bought within the last year and they don't refund shipping costs. Many of the oils I bought were bought over a year ago, which she knows. Due to the fact that the products just can't be trusted or used safely, I wrote again, telling Silma that I was sending them ALL back due to the circumstances, as they were untrustworthy and unusable to me, that they pretty much lied, particularly when they wrote multiple times on their [redacted] page the following, "We currently do not certify a country of origin; Sometimes due to climate or other issues beyond our control, we need obtain our materials from different sources or countries. Please be assured that all of our raw materials, regardless of the country of origin go through rigorous quality control checks for identity, potency and purity, including being checked for contamination, adulterations, and heavy metal content."

An example of their deceitfulness: After the blue tansy oil was found to be fake in early February (which they did send me a refund check for), I wrote to them asking if the other oils were okay, and my response was on 4/**/15: "I apologize, our Blue Tansy has been the only oil that has been in major question. Afterwards, due to concerns (of course) other 'reports' were made for other oils. However, I can assure you that our Essential oils are 100% pure." This was very deceitful because after the blue tansy results were made public, other consumers who had bought from Piping Rock supplied the 3rd-party tester with samples of six more oils to be tested as I mentioned in February also (shortly after the blue tansy oil test). The results of these other oil tests (as I mentioned above) had already been made public (with the actual chemical analysis test results made available in pdf format) well before April of 2015, although I hadn't seen these yet, but Piping Rock certainly had. So, in April she knew that there were six other oils that had also been tested, five of them failing, yet she lied to me and said the only oil they had had a problem with was the blue tansy.

Piping Rock also refuses to offer any sort of proof that the oils they still sell are legitimate. They just won't share the proof of chemical analysis/testing data they claim they do on each oil, which a reputable oil company would do. I also noted that the tuberose oil that they used to sell for over $200 for a 15 ml bottle had been drastically reduced to $65 for the same amount. When I asked Silma in the last three emails that I sent if this was the synthetic (fake) turberose, she would not answer me. A few days later, it was removed from their list of products. Also, the cistus oil that failed went from $18.55 for 15 ml down to $19.89 for TWO 15 ml bottles. This is fishy to me also, especially since normal (real) cistus oil doesn't sell for so cheap. I basically wanted her to confirm that once I returned all the oils (junk to me) that I would be fully refunded and that my shipping costs would be refunded.

I emailed Silma these reasons:

1. The results of said tests.

2. Your blatant misinformation -telling me in April 2015 that all your oils are 100% when in February 2015 these tests had been done. Six out of seven fails is NOT GOOD. I highly doubt the results of these tests were not known to you by April when they were done in February and discussed online.

3. Your vague reply yesterday. If you took these matters "seriously," then why aren't you posting anything about it on your website [letting people know about the findings of said oils], why don't you defend your products with proof of their authenticity, and why are five of the oils still being sold?

4. The fact that I have severe health issues and cannot take chances using products that are not what they are promised to be. I feel as if your company may have/could have put my health at risk.Desired Settlement: Full refund for all oils bought from this company along with shipping charges refunded. These are products that are used on the body and inhaled; therefore, with an 85% failure rate, the testers advise consumers to assume that all their oils are fake at this point, mainly for safety precautions. It's not like I suddenly just didn't like them or lost interest. I still buy essential oils from other companies, but with the fraudulent nature of this company, the fact that 6 out of 7 oils tested were fakes, there lack of response or concern, and the possible HEALTH RISK implications, I feel my requests supersede any return policy they may have.

This is our email correspondence below, & I also have the pdf files that show the oils to be fake, which I can supply.

This is the third time I've sent this email. Please respond.

Silma,

Your vagueness and lack of much of a response is truly becoming tedious. I am returning all the oils I ever bought from you, some of which are over a year old. Under the circumstances, I don't care what your return policy says about them having to have been ordered within a year. I also think you should refund the cost of shipping that I will have to spend. Why? For all the reasons I've already stated, which you basically seem to ignore or seem to not take very seriously. I've included a copy of my original email below in case you want to refresh your memory as to why I am doing this.

Also, I can add that's it's quite interesting that you give as an answer over and over again to questions asked on your [redacted] page under the Q&A section as recent as a month ago the following:

"We currently do not certify a country of origin; Sometimes due to climate or other issues beyond our control, we need obtain our materials from different sources or countries. Please be assured that all of our raw materials, regardless of the country of origin go through rigorous quality control checks for identity, potency and purity, including being checked for contamination, adulterations, and heavy metal content."

This just seems like a boldfaced lie considering out of blue tansy, tuberose absolute, myrrh, peppermint, melissa, cistus, and elemi, only one of these oils passed testing. Six out of seven FAILED. That's over an 85% failure rate. How does this happen with "rigorous quality control checks for identity . . . "? That's why I'm sending all oils ever purchased back because I'm not sure what any of them are at this point, and apparently you have no desire to prove the authenticity of your products. That is messed up. Is the tubersose absolute that you've now drastically lowered in price the synthetic?? This is the second time I've asked you this question. The first time you didn't answer me.

I would like assurance from you that you are going to refund the price I paid for ALL the oils regardless of purchase date that I am returning to you, and that you will also refund the shipping cost.

This isn't a matter of me simply not liking something and wanting to return it. This is tampering with someone's health, sending completely wrong products (synthetics!), and basically lying and acting vague and shady. I don't know how else to say it. If you can't agree to the above written in bold and italicized, I will take this matter up with outside sources.

ORIGINAL EMAIL:

Hello Silma,

Thank you for your reply on June [redacted], stating, "If you would prefer to return our oils, we will gladly provide you with a refund of your purchase price." I have decided to do so and this is why . . .

I became aware of the Blue Tansy issue via online web forums, which you refunded the purchase cost to me via check (thank you). I asked you if this was the only oil that had a problem, to which you ("SL") replied on 4/**/15:

"I apologize, our Blue Tansy has been the only oil that has been in major question. Afterwards, due to concerns (of course) other 'reports' were made for other oils. However, I can assure you that our Essential oils are 100% pure."

I recently discovered that six of your other essential oils were actually tested (see document attached) in FEBRUARY OF 2015, of which five of the six tested, came back as failing. One was the wrong oil while the other four were synthetics! Tuberose, which cost quite a bit, was nothing more than a synthetic. Melissa also! Again, you can see the test results yourself in the attached document, although I'm sure at this point that you've already seen this report. In summary, the report indicates the following: FAILED for Tuberose (synthetics), Peppermint (cornmint oil), Myrrh (synthetics), Melissa, and Cistus (synthetics).. PASSED for Elemi.

As the documentation shows, your oils have repeatedly been found to be adulterated and/or entirely fraudulent. The testers advise consumers to assume that all your oils are fake at this point, mainly for safety precautions.

Therefore, for the following reasons:

1. The results of said tests.

2. Your blatant misinformation -telling me in April 2015 that all your oils are 100% when in February 2015 these tests had been done. Five out of six fails is NOT GOOD. I highly doubt the results of these tests were not known to you by April when they were done in February and discussed online.

3. Your vague reply yesterday. If you took these matters "seriously," then why aren't you posting anything about it on your website, why don't you defend your products with proof of their authenticity, and why are four of the five oils still being sold?

4. The fact that I have severe health issues and cannot take chances using products that are not what they are promised to be.

I am sending back all the oils I've purchased from you and expect a full refund including the shipping cost, money I have to waste (and time actually) in order to get rid of this junk. Of the four reasons I listed above, #4 is the one that makes me the most upset believe it or not. I struggle to stay alive -literally- my doctor having given me the green light to try/use essential oils on the condition that they are from a trusted source (are indeed 100%, which your company promises) and that I use them properly.

I feel lied to, deceived, and put in harm's way from a company that I actually championed online in the past and told friends about. I guess I was a fool. I am extremely disappointed and angry about all this as both a consumer and a human being. I feel you have been extremely irresponsible &/or just flat out frauds, which makes me consider legal recourse (my brother-in-law is a lawyer) or reporting my experience to the Revdex.com. I really tried to believe in the promises your company made, the assurances of quality made on your web page and [redacted] pages. But at this point, I have had enough.

This is the list of the items that I will be returning, all of which have partial amounts left in the bottle. The empty bottles (the ones with just a few drops left) I've been kind enough to not include and will simply throw away.

Please advise ASAP.

[redacted]cCreary

5 ml:

Rose Asolute

Tuberose Absolute

1/2 oz bottles:

2 of Sandalwood (not the blend)

2 of Neroli

2 Cedarwood

2 of Tea Tree

2 of Lemongrass

2 of Spruce

2 of Ravensara

Jasmine Absolute

Melissa

Rose (blend)

Amyris

Dill Seed

Ylang Ylang I, II, III

Citronella

Basil

Anise

Peru Balsam

Lavender Spike

Niaouli

Clove

Birch Tar

Geranium

Myrrh

Sage

Bay

Lemon

Coriander Seed

Lime

Catnip

Pine Needle

Pink Grapefruit

Bergamot

Calamus Root Benzoin

Sweet Orange

May Chang

Sandalwood (blended)

Mandarin

Carrot Seed

Tagete

Caraway

Wintergreen

Petitgrain

Fennel Seed

Patchouli Dark

Clary Sage

Fir Needle

White Thyme

Coffee

Turmeric

Calendula

Sea Buckthorn Berry

Cistus

Rosemary

Eucalyptus

Black Pepper

Vanilla (blended)

Ylang Ylang Extra

Vetiver

Rosehip

Cajeput

Rose Geranium

Galbanum

Frankincense

Spearmint

Cypress

Elemi

Thyme Red

Rosewood

Juniper Berry Himalayan

Oregano

Yarrow

Tuberose (blended)

Calming

Arnica

Cinnamon Leaf

Cardamom

Ginger

Ambrette Seed

Tangerine

Lovage Root

Oakmoss

2 oz bottles:

Peppermint

Sweet Orange

Lavender

FOs 1/2 oz bottles:

Linden Blossom Oil

Musk

Violet

Honeysuckle

Business

Response:

Good Afternoon,We do apologize for any miscommunication that may have happened in this matter, for it is not in our nature to have our customer's feel we are in any way committing fraud with any of Our products. There seemed to be an issue with a vendor and that was immediately taken care of. Once we have received this return you will be returning we will be more than happy to refund your account.Sincerely,PipingRock Customer Service Dept

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory as long as they follow through per the expected outcome of my original complaint and refund the cost of all the oils I've sent back (regardless of purchase date) along with shipping cost. I included receipts for all oils purchased and mailed them today (8/*/15). The tracking # is [redacted]. It was actually cheaper to send Priority Mail. Shipping was $14.50.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

Good Day,We have spoken with [redacted] and have informed him of the outcome on his claim, We had sent him an email stating he could send back the oil he was unsatisfied with In this case the Blue tansy and we would refund him for the return at no time did we ever tell this customer to send back every oil he has purchase past the refund period for a refund. [redacted] took that upon himself to send back oils that passed the refund period and expect us to refund him for all the old order's that we do not do we refund up to a year and that was advised to the customer and it is clearly on our return policy tab on our website. He was how ever refunded for the oils that fall into the year and I have also refunded his shipping fee as a courtesy as we do not refund shipping cost for returns. [redacted] called us several time after his first Revdex.com complaint and we explained this to him a few times before he made the decision to complain again about the same matter that has already been explained. This is our company policy and everyone who has spoken to [redacted] has been very clear with the return policy.Sincerely,Customer Service Dept.[redacted]

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]Nope. Not true. For one thing, this was not originally about the blue tansy oil because Piping Rock had already refunded this in the past and didn't require me to return it. Apparently, they haven't read my followup complaint at all because they would know this. I have also never, ever in my life, called Piping Rock on the phone, nor have they called me. I have never spoken to anyone. Ever. The only communication I've had with Piping Rock has been through emails. My original complaint stated that I was returning all oils regardless of their return policy. I said this plainly and clearly. They can easily re-read it on the Revdex.com website. I made an entire list of the oils I was sending back and emailed it to Silma three times. This email you can also see copied in my original complaint under expected outcome -complete with the list of oils. I expressed in detail why I was doing this. Through the Revdex.com, Piping Rock read this complaint with my reasons and my clear stipulations regarding purchase dates along with the email to Silma with the complete list of oils I was returning and replied to my complaint with, "Once we have received this return you will be returning we will be more than happy to refund your account." "This return you will be returning" would mean to me the return I list and discuss in detail in my original complaint that they were now replying to! This is the truth. It's in writing. That's why I packed up all the oils and mailed them to Piping Rock. Why else would I do so? Why would I waste my time and money if they hadn't agreed? They simply reneged on their agreement.

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

Sincerely,

Review: I placed a large order with [redacted] on 11/**/2015 and subsequently received the order. After taking several of the supplements that I ordered from the company, I noticed that I was not experiencing the same benefits from the products that I normally purchase through other retailers. This made me question the legitimacy of the products that I had ordered and as a result returned the products. According to the company's website a "100% money-back" guarantee is entitled to all persons who return their order, regardless of whether or not the product was used. After a week had passed since returning the order, I contacted the company as to the whereabouts of my refund. The representative told me that the refund had been processed. It is now January of 2016 and I have yet to receive a refund from the company.Desired Settlement: I would like an immediate, full refund ($63.15) by check mailed to my home address.

Business

Response:

Hello,This customer was refunded on Dec [redacted] back to his [redacted] card ending in [redacted]. His refund was for 53.15 because he received a 10.00 discount so he is not entitled to that because we only charged him the 53.15. Please see attached shot of refund proof [redacted]

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]

I never received the refund, and when I asked my bank [[redacted]] about the refund they claim that it never transpired.

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

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

We have submitted proof of the refund from our database so this is something this customer must take up with their bank Institution, she can always feel free to contact us with her bank and we will be more than happy to submit the proof to them as well. We can not resubmit another refund for this has already been done and logged.

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,

This morning, 10/**/15, I saw in the website of Piping Rock that says " [redacted]". When I was placing my order, I also saw on the right side of the page where it shows the total of the order, saying Rewards Point -$10. After I have selected the items totaling to more than $50. even after the Rewards Point taken out, I went to checkout. Lo and Behold - the $10. Rewards Point was removed and the Shipping Cost was added in. THIS IS TERRIBLE!! I complained to a Customer Service who told me that the Rewards Point was for a new customer only and there should be a code I applied to give me that and also that the Free Shipping was for web orders only - she thinks I am a [redacted].
I did not apply any code!!! I am ordering from the website!!! SO, why did they remove the $10. and the Free Shipping. This is a all a hoax - to attract customers!!!