Purple Communications

Review: Deceitful and unethical Business Practice:

Product was offered for free on condition that professional certification be sent within 30 days.

SCAM BY PURPLE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

On 07/05/2013, the above company made an offer to me by email a 'ClearCaptions' telephone set for free. I have a history of hearing loss and captioned-telephone service would assist me in communicating better by phone. The only condition attached to this offer is "This $75 (plus tax) will ONLY be charged if you do not provide a certification form within 30 days" of receipt of the telephone set. My billing information was sought, for the purpose of billing the $75 if I fail or neglect to provide the required professional certification of hearing loss within 30 days of delivery of the phone. I accepted the offer, provided my debit card information and the subsequent order confirmation stated that the phone is free with the required Certification form.

Contrary to the terms of this offer, Purple Communications while still stating in black and white that the phone is free, clandestinely charged $75.00 to my checking account thereby depleting funds set aside for my 07/2013 rent.

I sensed an act of bad faith and immediately cancelled my order and demanded an immediate refund of the sum of $75 and the company has not responded. Calls placed to their offices as well as fax, and emails were not responded to. They have succeeded in upsetting my financial plan for the period and exposed me to the risk of bank overdraft fees and charges.

I hereby enlist the help of the Revdex.com in recovering my funds plus any bank overdraft charges that might arise from this.

Desired Settlement: A refund of the sum of $75.00 charged to my checking account, contrary to the terms of their offer plus any losses incurred by way of bank overdraft fees.

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

Dear [redacted] -- RE: Case # XXXXXXXX. Thank you for your letter regarding the complaint filed.

In responding to Purple Communications offer of a free phone with a certification of hearing loss from a hearing professional, the complainant says that their credit card was charged and that he / she did not receive a refund after cancelling his / her order.

For clarity, the customer's credit card was never charged. A credit card hold was placed on his account to secure the payment in the event he failed to deliver the certification required by the FCC within the 30 day time period imposed by federal regulations. The same day, the customer cancelled his order, and we processed a release of the hold on the credit card account.

To avoid any chance of future customer confusion, we have also reviewed our marketing materials to ensure transparent communication as to the payment mechanics of our sales process.

Finally, we contacted the customer at the time of his order, but have not heard back from him. We would welcome the opportunity to assist him with his telecommunication needs in the future. If he is able to deliver a certification from an audiologist (or similar professional) that will confirm his eligibility for a free caption-enabled phone, we would be able to deliver the phone to him at no charge at the time of his order.

Best regards,

Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales

Purple Communications, Inc.