This is a complaint regarding IdeaVillage Products Corp. and their improper, and perhaps illegal Internet e-commerce practices I encountered while purchasing “HD Wraparounds” sunglasses via their website at:

https://www.hdwraparounds.com/ver18/index.asp?refcode=hdwrap18&did=&aid=

AND AT:
https://www.tvproductscentral.com/hdwraparounds/ver2/index.asp?did=644&refcode=hdwrap2

OR AT:
https://www.gethdwraparounds.com/

The website’s design and sales tactics never – not even once – allowed me to see in advance the actual shipping charges, and did not permit me to see and verify my order. A series of “Special Offer” pop-up windows (even though my “pop-up blocker” was and is “ON”) kept offering either a better bargain, or a warranty, or – finally (the pop-up that blocked my view of my actual order page) – a “$10 Rebate” offer which was worded to imply I could get $10 off of that order immediately. Once I clicked on that offer, the next webpage was a $10 rebate off of a direct-buy buyer’s club service only after trying that service for 30 days. I tried the browser “back” button to go back to my order page, but never could, and clicking out of that $10 rebate page just closed the whole window, so I never once had an opportunity to actually preview and verify my order, and never got to see the absolutely OUTRAGEOUS shipping charges for two pairs of sunglasses.

During the preceding order process, I had selected the standard shipping, 5-10 business days, but no dollar amount was shown on that shipping-selection page, so I kept expecting to see an “Order Preview” page at the next step, where I could also see the actual shipping charges; but that page and “step” never appeared. So I never had an opportunity to review the order and exercise any option to cancel it, and I was prevented from seeing the FINAL order page AFTER I (foolishly) opted to go ahead and place the order.

Plus: I was never sent an email verifying my order! Had I received an order verification email and seen the outrageous shipping charge of $12.98 for two pair of sunglasses, I would have called and cancelled my order; but I just kept “hoping” I had not been ripped off. The ONLY time I ever saw my order and the shipping charge was when I received the automated shipping notification (3-24-2010).

Yes: I was sucked in and played the “sucker” perfectly. EVEN IF the product (sold via the above website) is shipped from the manufacturer in CHINA
http://lustertv.en.hisupplier.com/product-270031-HD-Vision-Wrap-Arounds.html
and therefore costs $12.98 to ship, the extremely anti-consumer and deceptive practices implemented by this website should not be allowed.
Their tactics worked; but surely there must be some basic standards or codes regulating e-commerce that at least require merchants to:

1) plainly state shipping charges when the customer is selecting their shipping options;
2) allow the customer to preview and verify their order BEFORE placing the order;
3) avoid using any HTML or Java script codes in their website design that override or partially disable
“pop-up” blocker functions
4) allow the customer to “BACK OUT” from investigating any additional “special offers” that appear
during the ordering process so they can return to their order page;
5) verify orders promptly via e-mail and grant a clearly stated timeframe for customers to cancel orders.

This “HD Wraparounds” IdeaVillage Products Corp. website fails on all of these points. The extent of their “Customer Service” via the sales websites includes the following information:

CUSTOMER SERVICE INFORMATION:

To check the status of your order online, please click on the link below.

Order Status: www.HDVisionorderstatus.com

HD Vision WrapArounds is committed to providing the best products and friendliest customer service. If you should have any questions about ordering or a question about any of our great products, please feel free to contact us via the information provided below.

Customer Service:
Phone: 1-866-262-2403
Monday-Friday, 6:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Pacific Time

Needless to say, IdeaVillage Products Corp. customer service representative was not responsive to my complaints about their website sales tactics as outlined in my complaint above. I did not call to cancel the order promptly because I wanted the product, but was extremely dissatisfied with and leery of the merchant’s website sales tactics.

The so-called “Customer Service” email verifying that the order shipped came from:
[email protected]
which is an automated notification / no reply email address.

Finally: the link provided in that email to “track” my order shipment does not work (as of this complaint – 03-24-2010):
“Click here to track your order.”

I would appreciate this complaint being registered for reference with the Better Business Bureau and / or Federal Trade Commission (or Federal Communications Commission if applicable). Any contact with the merchant via these agencies would also be appreciated.