Smart Living Company

Review: The issue at hand is blatant theft. I joined SMC, aka Smart Living Company years ago, using my bank account as payment because at that time I did not have a credit card. I never did purchase anything from them but continued to allow them to withdraw money for the annual fee. On September 11 2013 I decided I would never end up making any purchases from them. After all they quit sending me catalogs a few years ago. I gave them a call on that day, explaining that I had decided to cancel my membership. They guaranteed that the $49.95 would not be withdrawn. I then went to the bank and paid $30 for a stop on ach withdraws to this company, after reading a few issues others have had with them on the Rippoff Report site. The name of the company changed from Specialty Merchandise Corp. (SMC) to Smart Living Company some time ago. I put the block on Smart Living Company. When they were not able to steal my money using their current name they then successfully withdrew $49.95 under their old title! I am livid to say the least. I have just discovered this after checking my account. It's too late in the day to call the bank or the company at this time.Desired Settlement: I would like for Smart Living Corp. to refund my account the $49.95 that they did not have permission to take on 11/21.

Business

Response:

Mrs C[redacted]'s complaint has been reviewed and a refund was submitted. She can expect to see the funds within the next 30 days (statement cycle).

Smart Living Company will contact Mrs C[redacted] to discuss the matter in further detail. Member may also contact Fairelynn Villa at ###-###-#### Monday - Friday from 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time.

Review: SLC relocated the warehouse facility in October which was to be completed the 1st week of November. Their lack of planning/testing systems etc. has created a major delay in shipping orders. Orders that normally shipped within one business day have been delayed for weeks or not shipped at all. Tracking numbers remain invalid after several business days, indicating non-shipment. My customers request refunds but since I pay SLC to dropship the orders, no longer have those funds and requesting to cancel orders that are weeks old and/or the tracking numbers provided are invalid, have been told shipped/not cancelled. Huge drops in the daily inventory indicate items being shipped out for big orders depleting all the stock available. I've sent requests to address this issue with the company over the past year without resolution. This recently occurred and an order entered on October 14th has still not shipped and was available in plenty when placed. In my opinion, the order was not shipped due to the depletion of all the stock that occurred in one day. Again today, yet another order needs to be cancelled because over 800 of the item was depleted. My requests sent to the company to provide updates for the status of orders and warehouse issues causing the shipping delay problems. Unfortunately, none have been responded to nor have their cs reps been provided with any answers or help in dealing with this ongoing situation. For over a month, cs has dealing with hundreds of angry members wrath to which they can not provide any satisfactory answers. This is not healthy for any individual to deal with.My business has suffered greatly and could be shut down by ebay. I'm not able to provide my customers with answers or have orders shipped. Because SLC chose to ship preferred (large orders) stock gets depleted that should have fulfilled my order. The new ownership has changed from what SMC was and caters to big orders not their drop ship members.We the members of SLC deserve answers from the company.Desired Settlement: The members need to be provided updates: When orders will ship. When shipping will return to normal. Why November orders aren't going out. Why stock that was available in the hundreds or thousands is pulled for large orders, not ours. No hassle refunds, not credit, for orders that tracking numbers are invalid or haven't shipped in weeks. An avenue within their company to find out the status of orders, no more in process responses.

Business

Response:

First we would like to apologize for the inconvenience and frustrations this has caused. We know it’s not easy to deal with these challenges, but rest assured each one of us is doing our absolute best. Here is the latest information on our shipping times. Please keep in mind this information is based on if there are no issues with the order. Some orders may have inventory issues and may be cancelled - we apologize in advance if this happens to your orders and will do whatever we can to rectify the situation. Smaller orders are going out within 2 - 5 days and larger orders are taking up to 5 - 8 days. Again this is if there are no issues with the order itself. We want to thank you for your patience and understanding. We know it has been a very frustrating time and there are still some bumps ahead. We are pulling double-shifts and working weekends to get through this. Please use extended handling times if you are keeping your items listed on eBay, Amazon or other time-sensitive marketplaces. We do NOT want you getting negative feedback and risking your seller status. It's not worth it. Smart Living Company will contact the member to discuss the matter in further detail. Member may also contact Fairelynn Villa at ###-###-#### Monday - Friday from 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time. We sincerely appreciate your business.

Review: Smart Living is Really SMC with a name Change!I had discontinued my membership with SMC years ago yet now I see a membership charge of $49.95 on my credit card from the same outfit that now calls themselves SLC - SMARTLIVINGCORP.COM or Smart Living Company. Don't give them your credit card number and don't believe anything they say. FYI I talked to one [redacted]. I had to eliminate my credit card account that I had for 18 years and replace it with a new one to get them from charging me again. They refuse to refund past memberships that I did not have to pay because of my cancellation going back to 2005. They only said they would refund the current charge.Desired Settlement: I want a refund of the years after my cancellation that I was charged for and paid.

Business

Response:

The complaint has been reviewed and based on our findings we feel Mrs. [redacted] in not valid. Per the notes on her account she had not called in to cancel until May 27th 2014 at that time it was explained to her in great detail the changes from SMC to SLC and that she was an active member when these changes were taking place. It was also explained to her that she had called in placed orders, asked questions, etc till July of 2012. We will not honor Mrs [redacted]s request for a refund going back to 2005 since she in fact used her membership well past that year. We have however refunded her this years payment as a courtesy and canceled her account as requested. If Mrs [redacted] should have any questions she can contact [redacted] at ###-###-#### Monday - Friday from 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time to discuss the matter in detail.

Review: Bought website for $7,000.00 + dollars, made $200.00 never got that money. They turned my website off and found out Bomain sale (man) said it was sold.Desired Settlement: Refund $4,000.00

Business

Response:

The members complaint was reviewed and per our findings Mrs S[redacted]'s website was shut down due to a balance owed for back hosting fee's totaling $383.02 When Mrs S[redacted] was sold the website it was explained to her that the purchase is non refundable and that there is a 29.95 monthly hosting fee that come out thd 2nd of every month. Her domain name expired as well for this reason. A representative from EMC left a message for the member regarding this matter on 02/20/14. As for the 200.00 made the member sets up a merchant account i.e PayPal and that is how they get paid. She would have had to contact the Co that they had set up to take payments. The consumer can contact Fairelynn Villa at ###-###-#### Monday - Friday from 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time to discuss the matter further; however we will not be issuing any refund based off the information we have provided.

Review: Starting November orders placed had taken 3-4 weeks to ship, some never shipping at all. I was given UPS Tracking numbers in which packages were never shipped & tracking numbers were invalid. This has caused many problems in which my business has suffered. I have made supervisor requests twice & never received a return call as promised. I sell SLC items on eBay. I had a 100% satisfaction rating with my customers until this issue. In December 2014 my rating dropped to 96% & then ultimately my selling privileges were revoked by eBay due to orders having to be cancelled due to non shipment by SLC & too many orders with shipping delays. I can no longer sell on eBay. I no longer have the opportunity to continue my online business. I have sold on eBay for 9 years as a top rated seller & can no longer do so, due to the negligence of Smart Living Company. SLC is a great company but has caused my company, along with many others, damages that will be near impossible to recover from. I have lost over $400 in the last 2 months having to refund customers. I have lost my 100% customer satisfaction rating, my top rated seller status & due to SLC shipping issues, I have lost all privileges to sell on eBay, forcing me to close my business. Smart Living Company has made no effort to make this right. Their employees are suffering with us as well. The stress and depression I and their staff has had to endure is a shame & misfortune to say the least. SLC has tarnished the reputation of my company & caused me to lose my ability to sell products using the venue in which 90% of my sales were made, on eBay. As of 1/13/2015 the issue is still ongoing & unresolved. For the sake of your employees & to prevent further damage to your members companies, please STOP taking new orders until you catch up with the old ones. If you don't more companies like mine will be destroyed, you will lose us as members & ultimately your employees will lose their jobs as Smart Living Company will crumble. Help us by helping yourself. FIX THISDesired Settlement: I would like Smart Living Company to stop taking new orders until it has caught up with & shipped all its back orders -SLC to contact eBay on behalf of its members who have lost their selling abilities & explain the situation in order to help us get our restrictions lifted. If we cant sell your products we cant buy your products -Compensation for losses. I have lost $400, lost selling privileges on eBay & my company reputation tarnished -Together we succeed, divided we fail. *STOP ORDERS & FIX

Business

Response:

We deeply apologize for the issues encountered and look forward to rectifying the situation as quickly as we can. We initiated our warehouse move last year and intended to launch our new warehouse in August, latest early September. We planned it that way to leave enough time for our team to de-bug, learn, and optimize the new system. However, our team sustained a series of external challenges beyond our control. These issues caused a significant back log as well as longer hold times that are diligently being worked on. Mrs [redacted] has been working with one of our Senior representatives and to date Mrs [redacted]'s orders have been sent out or deleted. The warehouse is just about caught up and orders are going out a lot quicker than before. We will reach out to Mrs [redacted] to go over her complaint in detail and Mrs [redacted] may also contact Fairelynn Villa Monday through Friday from 6:00am to 3:00pm PST if needed.

Consumer

Response:

Review: 10400309

I am rejecting this response because: I have read Smart Living Companies response to my complaint but I do not see any resolve for the damages that were caused to me and my business by them. I understand they are working on fixing their companies technical issues but they have not addressed or helped me with the damages their company has caused to me and my business. Nor has anyone at SLC reached out to me or contacted me since I opened this case with the Revdex.com. Again, I have permanently lost all privileges to sell on eBay because the tracking numbers that were provided to me by SLC were not valid and/or never shipped. I have also lost many of my customers, my business reputation is tarnished and I was left with a loss of over $400 due to their poor business practices/decisions.

I have been a part of this company since 2011, prior to the name change and after. I have had nothing but positive experiences. The customer service is great and the coaches are so helpful they walk you though you step by step. They have very good products at wholesale prices. I would recommend them to anyone that want's to get in the industry.

Review: On Nov.03, 14 I ordered items from Smart Living Company, known prior as SMC. I had items missing when I got the order. Totaling $67.00 plus shipping and fuel difference. I called after I got the order and told the company. I was told the items are out of stock. I had already paid the bill at time of ordering. So I requested a refund. During this time, I was going thru a lot of problems with my work injury. While working on my 2014 taxes, I noticed this is still outstanding. I checked my bank account records and did not find any refund. I checked my account with the company, and found no refund or credit. I called Smart Living Company on 3-6-15 and spoke to [redacted]. She was VERY RUDE from the start of answering the call and got worst as the call went on. She figured product plus shipping, but no fuel, for a refund of $86.43. She offered a credit. I requested a check as the bank card used and account has since been closed. She refused and demanded proof of the account closed and said they only refund to the card used. I told her it is closed and I do not have to provide proof. I have the right to a check upon request. I requested a supervisor and at first she refused saying they could not help me. She finally took my number and said she will have one call me. I never spoke to a supervisor at the time this was filed. This is fraud. I requested a refund over five (05 ) months ago. I should not have to jump through hoops to get my money back. Its my money and they have to refund it to me. They also owe me interest for 5 months. I was told in Nov. 2014 it will be refunded and it never was. Now in March 2015, they refuse to issue me a check. They are stealing my money. I do not see me renewing my membership at this rate. Why would I stay with a place that steals from people.Desired Settlement: Demand refund for product, shipping, fuel and demand to be paid interest,etc.

Business

Response:

First we would like to apologize for the inconvenience this might have caused. As a company, we have encountered some hurdles in the last few months. These are growing pains that have resulted in some unforeseen shipping and packing issues, which of course as a thriving business, weren't intentional or planned. Mr. [redacted] placed his order right height of when these issues had started occurring and unfortunately experienced a shortage. We will definitely be reviewing the calls that took place with the 2 representatives he had spoken to regarding this issue to make sure that our team is not only providing the best service possible, but at the same time following our policy and procedures. We have a zero tolerance for any kind of disrespectful behavior by our team members and take action accordingly. It is our policy to refund the original method of payment for not only our protection, but as well as for the protection of our members. If the payment method used is no longer accessible then the funds get rejected and issued back to us with a letter from the financial institution. At that point we issue a check out. It maybe that Mr. [redacted] didn’t want to wait for that process being that some time had passed from the original call made therefore the representative that he was speaking to advised him to provide that information and we can move forward. Mr. [redacted] was contacted by the SLC’s escalations manager where all the above information was explained. Mr. [redacted] was also told that a physical check will be mailed out as a courtesy due to the time that had passed. That check was processed on 03/20/15. We will be taking care of Mr. [redacted]’s yearly renewal for 2015 as well. We feel that we have taken care of Mr. [redacted]’s issues and concerns and wish him the very best.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 10517464, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Regards,

I have been a part of this company for many years, prior to the name change and after. I have had nothing but positive experiences. The customer service is great and having the ability to drop ship to customers is so helpful. They do the work for you; all you have to do is put in your order. Such an easy way to run your own personal business. I also appreciate that there are no set expectations for me. I can use this company as much or as little as I wish.

Review: My problem is they fail to recognize they are charged my card in error, and they refuse to resolve it by refunding my debit card. The company is a liar and they stole my money.Desired Settlement: Admit they made a mistake and issue a refund for the dollar amount of $301. I never verbal gave my constant, last rep I spoke with saw the error, but could not fix it. I was told I need to speak with a supervisor,I left my name and direct number, never received a return call. The sad thing is I was a member with SMC less than 30 days.

Business

Response:

The tape recorded conversation between the consumer and the Account Executive has been listened to, which took place on July 21, 2009. It has been confirmed that at 33:13 minutes into the call the Account Executive advised the consumer that he would set up a post date for Friday (July 24, 2009) to set up the Custom Package. At 33:23 minutes into the call the Account Executive tells the consumer that he will be billing her $370.85 and is non-refundable. He also tells her that they will talk on Friday to get an appointment with the Web Technician and everything will be shipped out. The consumer states “ok”.On Monday July 27, 2009 the Custom Package was processed therefore we charged the consumer’s credit card $301.00. Since the consumeragreed to the post date she is not entitled to a refund. Per the consumer’s request her SMC account has been cancelled as she was issued a refund of $64.90 for the return of the Membership Kit.

Review: Not timely on shipping, Rush shipping on an order costs me roughly 25.00 and it actually took longer than regular shipping. I have called everyday since the incident and sat on hold for 1hour or better, then one time I was on hold for a total of 2 hours and 12 minutes??? Is this even considerable when running a business? I mean I am working hard to make sales, and not getting any help, im making you money. Your taking mine. After multiple attempts of contacting them via telephone, I decided to send an urgent email. I got a response 2 weeks later, asking "How may I help you?" In the email I asked them to please have someone call me..... Not email me back. In the middle of this I went back to trying to contact them over the phone, after being on hold for 1 hour and 22 minutes, someone answers. I WAS SHOCKED. After running through everything that happened, the woman who answers the phone said "our system is down, we will have to call you back." Never asked for my membership number or phone number. Just hung up.????? I have invested a lot of money in this company trying to get my own company up and running, I have lost several excellent customers because I was unable to fill orders in time, I have had to turn down several orders because I knew they wouldn't be here in time for Christmas. I have even more money invested in my website with their other company emerchant..... I spent 2,195.00 plus dollars to start a website to do online sales, which was made out to be "my best option" every order placed on the website has gotten negative reviews because of shipping. The people at emerchant have been great, always answer, always helpful, but I have no need for a website linked to a company (smart living) that will not answer, is never helpful, and is unable to guarantee rush shipping. I am completely fed up. My next step will be to get a lawyer, but being married to a business owner, I would like to give them the chance to make this right.Desired Settlement: I would like a complete refund from the website, and these 70 25.00 gift cards I have for my website. I would like to be able to cancel my website, membership with both companies and be refunded for the entire month of December as I was unable to fill any orders.

Business

Response:

We would like to extend our deepest apologies for the issues Mrs [redacted] has encountered and look forward to rectifying the situation as quickly as we can. We initiated our warehouse move last year and intended to launch our new warehouse in August, latest early September. We planned it that way to leave enough time for our team to de-bug, learn, and optimize the new system. However, our team sustained a series of external challenges beyond our control. These issues caused a significant back log as well as longer hold times that are diligently being worked on. After reviewing Mrs [redacted]‘s account we see all orders were shipped and delivered. We would like the opportunity to speak with Mrs [redacted] to make sure nothing is being missed. Smart Living Company will contact Mrs [redacted] to discuss the matter in detail. Mrs [redacted] may contact Smart Living Companies Escalation Manager as well at [redacted] Monday– Friday from 6:00am to 2.30pm PST.

Business

Response:

Smart Living companies Escalation Manager tried contacting Mrs [redacted] by phone as well as by email on 01/12/15 with no success. Attached is a copy of the email sent. Unfortunately a voice-mail wasn't able to be left. We also show that Mrs [redacted] called and left a message with the Escalations Manager on 01/22/15. We do understand Mrs [redacted] is requesting for a full refund for her website and gift cards purchased etc, however we do need to speak with Mrs [redacted] regarding this matter. We will attempt to contact Mrs [redacted] again. Mrs [redacted] may also contact Fairelynn Villa Smart Living Companies Escalation Manager at [redacted] Monday - Friday from 6:00 am to 2:30 pm PST. We look forward to resolving this matter.

Review: I told them I didn't want to do business with them and returned all their information that was sent. The rep told me I would not be charged and that was back in August. Now in November they took out two withdrawls totalling $119.95. The first withdrawl is under the Smart Living Concepts Corporation for $79.95 and the second withdrawl was for $29.95 under EMerchantClub, LLC which is listed as part of the SMC Corporations The email for the EMerchantClub is to a personal email [email protected]. These people are scam artists and should be completely shut down. They prey on people that have little income to make it sound like you can make good money with their company. After looking at their information I was not interested and returned it. Called the company also and told them I cancelled. Supposedly they had no record of me when I called to complain yesterday and did eventually find me in a "closed file" according to the man on the phone. If I am a "closed file" then why are they charging me?????Desired Settlement: See Complaint Text

Review: I had two huge boxes that never got shipped from Smart Living Company. I have written to them numerous times trying to get them to either replace the lost items (which they never shipped - this can be verified with UPS tracking) or to issue me a store credit. I have had nothing but problem after problem with them. They have written me rude letters and offered no help. I am still owed over $74, and they are not sending my missing merchandise or giving me a store credit for it. They DELETED the last of the items that I am still due with no explanation at all. I have been a member with them for 15 years, (which should mean something to them), but this past year has been the worst I've ever been treated by them. They opened up a new warehouse, and this has caused them to lose my two huge boxes - which was most of my order. I have spent a lot of time trying to complete this order, but they are refusing to send me what I have already paid for a long time ago.Desired Settlement: I would like the remainder of my order to get sent to me. It is over $74 worth. This was for merchandise I paid for but never got shipped to me. This is verifiable by looking at the UPS tracking from my original order.

Business

Response:

We are deeply sorry for the issues caused and that Mrs G[redacted] has encountered. Mrs G[redacted] has been a member with us for many years and we do look forward to rectifying the situation as quickly as we can. We initiated our warehouse move in 2013 and intended to launch our new warehouse in August of 2014, latest early September. We planned it that way to leave enough time for our team to de-bug, learn, and optimize the new system. However, our team sustained a series of external challenges beyond our control. These are growing pains that have resulted in some unforeseen shipping and packing delays, as well as inventory issues which of course as a thriving business, weren't intentional or planned. We will be reviewing Mrs G[redacted] dealings with our member support team and have a zero tolerance for any kind of disrespectful behavior by our team members. Once we have further details, we will immediately investigate this and take action. Smart Living Company will contact the Mrs G[redacted] to discuss the matter in further detail. Member may also contact [redacted] at ###-###-#### Monday - Friday from 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:

I had a huge amount of problems from this company recently. Several ordes I had placed for customers got cancelled without notifying me resulting in those customers leaving me negative feedback and almost getting me suspended from Amazon (where I sell this merchandise).

Review: I paid for my membership twice now. The site can not even be accessed anymore. I paid, and got nothing in return.

I paid for my membership twice now. The site can not even be accessed anymore. I paid, and got nothing in return. I paid, making monthly payments. I paid for one membership for my first married name; [redacted] and then one for my new married name, [redacted], because they said ,"they couldn't find me." Each membership was almost $400.00, plus yearly payments of $40.00.Desired Settlement: Refund of TWO memberships. One for [redacted] and one for my name now, [redacted]. I paid twice, plus my yearly payments, and now the site can not even be accessed. I paid for the privilege of buying at deep discounts, and have no benefits, since the site doesn't even exist now. I expect at least $980.00 in a refund!

Business

Response:

We were able to contact Mrs [redacted] and go over her issues and concerns. After explaining to Mrs [redacted] that our Company changed from Specialty Merchandise Corp to Smart Living Company it became clear to why she wasn't able to reach us. Unfortunately we had outdated information for her as well. Mrs [redacted] has provided us with more information that will help us try to locate the original account. In the mean time we have reactivated Mrs [redacted]'s membership last used and provided her with the information needed to access that account. Being that membership hadn't been used for several years and the situation we have taken care of the yearly renewal and sent out updated material for Mrs. [redacted]. We will follow up with Mrs [redacted] once we have further information and Mrs [redacted] was given Smart Living Companies contact information as well.

Review: I'm the owner of "gruber products",We've been with this company since may of 2013,and just started in december 2013 a internet site.Neither of which brought us much money,regarless of advertising,etc.We've decided to close the business,as we're only getting further into debt(money going out to it = none coming in).I feel that because of GOD's hatred for me,we didn't get any business/money.Desired Settlement: To close our account,so we can get caught up and pay off balance and be square with them.

Business

Response:

The consumer will need to contact [redacted] at ###-###-#### Monday

- Friday from 6:00 AM to 2:30 PM Pacific Standard Time to resolve this matter.

Consumer

Response:

Review: 9979239

I am rejecting this response because:

All they have to do is to close the account / membership,then we'll pay off any balance.But NOT interested in continuing with them, as we're unable to acquire any sales (regardless of what we do to get the word out). I also ask that they quit emailing me for more money, until the business is completely closed out.

Regards,

Business

Response:

We ask the member to call so that the conversation is recorded. That way there is no way that anything can be misinterpreted. We are willing to work with the member and again we ask that the member call Smart Living Companies Escalation Manager [redacted] at ###-###-#### Monday - Fridayfrom 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time to discuss the matter in detail.

great company I been successful so far so good love having my own business that's how good in doing... love you guys. (thanks for making my life easier ) fun fun fun...

Review: In 2012 I did have a membership with Smart Living Company and associated company eMerchant. I was charged the renewal fee in 9/2012 on my debit card with an expiration of 8/2014. In 2013 I called and cancelled this membership as well as my eMerchant membership but was still charged the renewal fee in 9/2013 by Smart Living. I called again at that time and was told that I would be refunded. I never was. I just received another charge today for the renewal membership from Smart Living even though the debit card expiration they have on file showed the card expired. I called AGAIN. Was told again that this year's charge would be refunded by Escalation Mgr Fairelynn but cannot refund last years because they have no documentation of either call in 2013. Of course there is no documentation and when this year's refund doesn't happen again, I am sure there will be no documentation of today's call either. Since it was not refunded last year, I expect the same treatment this year.Desired Settlement: I require a refund at minimum of this year's $49.95 charge, my card information removed from their system, and want a refund of last year's charge of $49.95 also.

Business

Response:

We first would like to apologize for the delayed response. Mrs. [redacted]'s complaint has been reviewed and per our records her account was canceled on 09/19/2014. It was explained to her that nothing was on file nor recorded showing she called in prior and therefore we could not refund her for 2013. We did process a refund for 49.95 on 09/26/2014 back to the card that was charged. Her account remains inactive and all cards on file have been removed. If there are any questions or concerns please contact the escalations manager [redacted] at 805 306 3526 or 800 345 4762 ask to be transferred to ext 3526.

Review: Join for Bonram Marketing Network business #195 lifetime membership, coach will going to call me & discuss about business 40% to 80%. They send package of $700 gift card charge on discover card other option cancel service prior 30 day.Desired Settlement: Full refund

Business

Response:

The consumer will need to contact [redacted] at ###-###-#### Monday - Friday from 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time to discuss the matter in detail.

Review: I got my first large order since joining this company many years ago. I placed my order thru the ordering system on March 15. I was looking for the shipping number on Monday then Tuesday and nothing. I sent them an email and they said their ETA is 3 days on shipping. Then on March 20 (Friday) I get a cancellation email with no explanation.I then wrote another email asking why the cancellation and no explanation. Another weekend went by - no response so I called. The guy said there was a glitch in the warehouse records and the product was actually not in stock. He said he would check on the re-order and call me the next day. Day came and went and still (3 days later) no call. But in the meantime -- my largest order 'ever' cancelled. This is not the first time this has happened since joining this company. Now on top of all this they want another $49.99 to update my membership!Desired Settlement: This was the largest order I've had since joining. This company lost me an $119 order. And now they want another $49.99 for membership fee. If I was getting the service I required from this membership then I would gladly renew. I checked the catalog and it still isn't fixed - still shows it's in stock -- never adjusted.... #10016776

Business

Response:

We have contacted Mrs M[redacted] regarding the complaint filed and went over all her issues and concerns. In short there was an issue with the item size going to a Po Box. Everything seems to be resolved and we will be taking care of this years renewal for the issues caused. Ms M[redacted] also has direct contact with our escalations manager if needed.

Consumer

Response:

Review: 10550945

I am rejecting this response because:First of all, no one told me that the product could not go to a PO Box for my client. MY PO can take in large boxes -- they just leave me a card on my front door that a package is waiting for me to pick up at the local post office. No one ever communicated with me that it was imperative they have a street address -- they just cancelled the order.Yes we discussed items but doesn't mean my dispute is resolved. I felt I was robbed out of this large sale and talking to me about why their warehouse records moved to another location doesn't help my situation of losing a sale because their records were incorrect. How do I confirm that their warehouse records are accurate. This happened to me twice now and the response was 'oh well'!She agreed to pay my yearly renewal fee of $50 -- sounded like a bribe to me; but I'll take it as a good-will offering. But how does that get my sale back!!!!

Regards,

K[redacted]

Review: I felt compelled to contact Revdex.com to reach the management of SLC after several attempts to ask for help from its representatives.SLC advertised and still in its website that processing and handling is 2 business days. SLC announced its relocation in middle of October, 2014 that might caused only "some" delays and "incomplete" or partial shipment. SLC advertised that this are expected to last and will be completed on the first week of November, 2014.Hence, a lot of my orders in December were deleted 'without" notification, other orders were cancelled to abnormal length of delays, a lot of orders in quantity such as 15 or 20 pcs, only received 3 and the rest were never shipped out.Up to now, I still have orders still In Process since Dec. 8. Some of them, SLC claimed to have shipped on January 6 and issued me tracking numbers that up to now, January 9 have no movement and UPS claim no possession of the packages. I contacted the person in charged in shipping, and someone named Bernice, stated that it takes 2-3 business days for the tracking to update once picked up. I contacted UPS and they denied its truthfulness, as they scan the items upon picked up. I have had a couple of invoices that were marked shipped in SLC's site Dec 22, but up to now, are not received by UPS and still not showing any movement. I would be happy to provide these invoices, if needed as well as number of invoices that were deleted, cancelled, shipped incomplete, marked shipped without movement and are still pending more than the SLC's advertised processing days.I am sorry, I had to bring this to the attention of Revdex.com, but I very very frustrated to all the damages it caused us and my customers. Most of my quantity lantern orders were for my customers' special events. However, after SLC marked in In Process for a very long time, they finally shipped only a fraction of the quantity and never followed through with the rest. My customers had to cancel and ended up with nothing to use for the eventsDesired Settlement: I need the confirmation and valid tracking numbers of all the orders of Dec. 8, 9 that were marked shipped on January 6 and 7.I need all the other orders on Dec. 8 to Dec. 10, Dec. 22, Dec. 23, Dec. 29, Jan. 5 and January 6 to ship immediately with 'valid' tracking numbers.

Business

Response:

First and foremost we would like to extend our sincere apologies to Mrs [redacted] for the issues she has endured during ourwarehouse transition. Mrs [redacted] has a VIP representative that she works directly with and who has been keeping Mrs [redacted] as up to date as possible with the orders she has pending. The shipping dates that Mrs. [redacted] has mentioned were estimated and unfortunately were subject to change in the event there was an issue with the order and or inventory etc. We asked members to use extended handling times if keeping items listed on eBay, Amazon or other time-sensitive marketplaces. We do NOT want anyone getting negative feedback and risking member’s seller status. Mrs [redacted] is aware that some orders may have issues and would be canceled. Mrs [redacted] has been contacted by the Escalations Manager to go over her orders in question and an agreement to follow up next week has been set as we are seeing more and more progress everyday with back orders being reduced steadily.

Business

Response:

As a company, we have encountered some hurdles in the last few months. These are growing pains that have unfortunately resulted in some unforeseen shipping and packing delays, which of course as a thriving business, weren't intentional or planned. After reviewing the rejection we want to point out that everything Mrs [redacted] has mentioned was gone over by the companies escalations manager, her VIP account rep and member services. We do take responsibility for what happened and doing what we can to make it 100% Mrs [redacted]s account rep increased her line of credit due to the issues caused. Mrs [redacted] will also be getting credit applied to her account as promised. Furthermore it was explained to Mrs [redacted] by her account rep that since her concerns were being addressed and already being looked into that the Escalations manager was not going follow up directly with her. This was so that other members with the same issues can be taken care of that don't have access to their own account representative.The warehouse and shipping issues the last few months have been a challenge for the whole Smart Living Company staff and we have posted as much information as we could -- we didn't want to over promise or say too much in case another glitch presented itself. Our shipping time is getting better every day and just this week in fact orders have been going out within 1 - 2 days with some exceptions of course. The escalations manager will contact Mrs [redacted] next week as requested and originally promised.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 10374084, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: I am penning this letter to enlist the assistance of your department relative to violation of anti- fraud, registration and disclosure provisions of the Maryland Business Opportunity in relation to offers and sales of business opportunities in Maryland from a company: Smart Living Company at [redacted] Street, Simi Valley, CA 93063; phone: ###-###-####. The companys former name was Specialty Merchandise Corporation. I am lodging a complaint against Specialty Merchandise Corporation, eMerchantClub, LLC and most recent moniker Smart Living Company. I contacted the aforementioned company in September 2011 to get my membership number. Ms. [redacted], Escalation Manager mentioned the unlimited profits I could obtain if I had a website to showcase their gifts items. She stated that eMerchantClub, LLC would build such website and there was unlimited contact with the technical department (build into the cost) should I encounter any issues. I tendered $3,750.20 for the cost to have the website built and pay a monthly hosting fee of $29.99. I contacted her again on Monday and stated I did not think this was a sound investment and was told "no refunds." I spent another $1,250.00 for Rodney Abrams to conduct 14 trainings (Tuesdays and Thursday) which were mandatory. These sessions were to explain how to manage the website. The name I chose for my business was Wares the Gifts, LLC at www.waresthegifts.net. I have yet to make any money with this venture and if you solicit any assistance relative to marketing the quoted cost is $300.00 for a SEO optimization packet. This is for visibility, which is to drive traffic to your website. Please help me; I have enclosed the invoice from the company citing the monies for having the website built; it does not show the monies spent for the instructions.I was just looking for an opportunity to supplement my income as my husband is a 100% service-connected disable veteran. I believed this to be a legitimate venture, but Im seeing now that I was scammed.Desired Settlement: I want to recover the monies I have spent on this venture, that has netted no return at all.

Business

Response:

Smart Living Company will contact the Mrs Harrison to discuss the matter

in further detail. Member may also contact [redacted] at ###-###-####

Monday - Friday from 6:00AM to 2:30PM Pacific Standard Time.

Consumer

Response:

Review: 10281460

I am rejecting this response because:I spoke to Ms. [redacted] on Monday, November 10, 2014 and she stated I was not doing anything on my website and would not be getting a refund. I deny the implications made by her, it is just a ploy to not refund monies I have paid to this company, I have managed this business but I can't make people buy from the site. You have to pay eMerchant Club for assistance with SEO, which is to garner better position on Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. I am not making any money from this venture, so I can not pay to better position my site. I am sure there is an organization that can help citizens who have been wronged by companies that just refuse to offer refund, please help me.

Regards,

Business

Response:

It’s unfortunate that Ms.[redacted] is not getting the results that she wants from her online business. Web marketing is a great opportunity and when used correctly can be very profitable, but an online business is like any other type of business in that the owner must put time and effort into marketing and “getting the word out” to see profitable results. Websites do not market themselves, people do. Ms. [redacted] was a member of Smart Living Company (formerly Specialty Merchandise Corporation) for 20 years before purchasing a website with eMerchantClub. In that first 20 years, Ms. [redacted] had $0 in sales but continued to pay yearly membership fees. In 2011, Ms. [redacted] bought a website from eMerchantClub to help her sell these Smart Living Company products online. Her website has been Google verified and has been in full working order since it was built and released to her. This website is just like any other business, whether online or a brick-and-mortar store: it’s the business owner’s duty to make every effort to attract customers and make sales. We have reviewed Ms. [redacted]’s website, which is live and available for viewing at www.waresthegifts.net. We noticed many discrepancies and Ms. [redacted]’s failure to complete basic actions that need to be done daily, weekly and monthly to keep her online business viable and visible. Ms. [redacted] did purchase and complete multiple Advanced Website Training Courses, a paid-for service we provide that gives members one-on-one training with step-by-step instructions and advice on how to work and market web-based businesses. In these courses, Ms. [redacted] was givenvery specific directions on the necessary actions she needed to take to make her website more visible to potential customers, how often she should complete these actions, as well as tips and advice on how to best run her online business. After completion of these courses, Ms. [redacted] was given full access to the training syllabi so that she could review the information as needed, and she also had access to our how-to video library with on-screen step-by-step instructions to guide her. We also provide free technical support to help members like Ms. [redacted] who need assistance making changes or updating their website. According to our detailed records, Ms. [redacted] has only contacted our Technical Support team 3 times in 3 years: Two of the calls were simply to pay missed monthly hosting payments, and the third call, in July 2013, was to request having the link to her training syllabi resent to her. Delving deeper into her account, we also see that Ms. [redacted] has not logged into or accessed her website on a consistent basis, based on what we see she has logged in only once in 2014. Due to this egregious lack of attention, Ms. [redacted]’s website currently displays more than 300 out-of-stock products. Updating products, as she was informed in her training courses, must be done on a weekly basis to ensure that the website displays current, newly added in-stock products for customers to purchase and to remove out of stock products. eMerchantClub is the only web builder with a direct link to Smart Living Company inventory, which means that updating Ms. [redacted]’s website to include the nearly 1,000 new products that Smart living Company has added in 2014 takes a total of 4 clicks of her mouse from her Site Manager. Ms. [redacted] also has no special offers or promotions to encourage shoppers to buy, has not made any changes to her website since 2011, has not added RSS feeds or added any of her own products(she has the ability to add 1,250), updated meta tags, or create any sort of linking programs on her website. All of these are important to Search Engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo search engines (which we cannot control). Lastly, eMerchantClub gives members access to more than 100 website layouts that they can change any time, as many times as they’d like, to keep their website looking current and attractive. Mr. [redacted]’s website is using a layout that was launched in 2011, even though she has access to the newest 2014 layouts with the latest features that include major updates to the meta tag coding to help sites rank higher in search results. Ms. [redacted] also received in her original purchase 6 doorway pages that she can use to create promotions on her website; she has yet to fill out the simple form for us to build any of these for her. On 7/30/2012 she made an additional purchase of our Basic SEO package, but after sending numerous emails and requests for her to fill out the simple form to inform us which keywords, phrases or content she wished to use for her website, we have yet to receive the completed form.Ms. [redacted] was informed during her purchase verification that all sales are final, because work begins almost immediately on all website purchases. Once the website and these additional features are built, there’s no way to “return” the work. As in all of our recorded verifications, Ms. [redacted] was told, “neither Smart Living Company nor eMerchantClub guarantee sales, web traffic, or profit, and we always recommend using one or more marketing methods along with the website (such as catalog sales, home parties, flea markets, etc.) because web marketing is not magic. A website is just a really important tool in your business toolbox, but the you have to put it to work to achieve success. Do you understand that?” We have voice verification that Ms. [redacted] agreed and understood; she has been recorded on every purchase she has made.Based on our research into Ms. [redacted]’s online business activity, it’s evident that she has not followed through on the instructions, advice and training she was provided. Unfortunately, this is having a significant negative effect on her business, and because she is not keeping her website active and updated, the major search engines see her website as “stale” and will not rank the website at all.Due to the work we’ve already performed and because we have continually kept our end of these business transactions by following through to the best of our ability for Ms. [redacted], we are unable to offer a refund. However, we are more than happy to update Ms. [redacted]’s stagnant website to current, 2014 standards and give Ms. [redacted] any additional support she needs. We are also willing to provide additional, one-on-one training sessions with one of our skilled mentors to help Ms. [redacted] market her online business. Furthermore, we are happy to reinstate and extend the SEO package for one year that Ms. [redacted] purchased for her website but never activated, as long as Ms. [redacted] agrees to fill outthe simple form and return it to us. If Ms [redacted] has any questions regading our offers she can contact [redacted] at [redacted] and or E Merchant at [redacted].