Acai Berry Samples from viv3 Labs
My name is Sandra Lees and this is my story – it started on the 20th June when I ordered two samples of Acai Berry and Life Cleanse from viv3Labs and agreed to pay £3.95 each post and packing.
The samples arrived (while I was on holiday) and my Bank Account was debited £150 on the 8th July.
The Bank contacted us – we cancelled our card. The Bank could not refund our money – and so the fight to get a refund commenced. All the details are below from the 1st Step to the 7th and last step which resulted in my money being refunded into my Bank account on the 21st July.
This was a traumatic experience, and I tried to find out more about this scam on the Internet. I posted a note on the Complaints Board and got contacted by Cheryl and Mary who had a similar experience. Their support and the knowledge that other people were being ripped off made me carry on to the finish, and determined to get my money back.
This web site has been set up with two objectives:
1.To tell the story to try and help other people get their own refund
2.To spread the word as far as possible and make so much noise that the media pick up this story and run with it – that will be the end of Viv3 Labs – at least in this country.
Although I am happy to support and help anyone with the fight to get a refund, and to achieve the second objective – I cannot guarantee that a refund will occur for any other person.
These are my observations that may help you get a refund.
1.Do not be put off by the Customer Service person on the freephone 0808 238 8981.
2.Make sure you email to support@viv3labs to put your complaint in writing
3.Understand that the email response you get is not final, or specific to you – it is an automated response
4.When you get the next response, although specific because it quotes your order date and other details, it is still an “automatic” response designed to shut you up and make you give up and go away defeated
5.Fight on – email back saying this is unacceptable and that you demand a refund – be firm but polite in your emails and do not swear – these emails could become a legal matter.
6.Make a call to the International number – it is not really international – the call centre is based in West Lothian and the number is 0203 139 9027. Please remember that the people that answer the phone there are just employees of a call centre that takes messages for Viv3Labs – they are not connected to them in any other way. Have a heart – be calm, be kind, it’s not their fault and you need them to be your friend – so don’t shout, don’t swear – the objective is to get them to help you get your money back. Give them your name and postcode so they can find you and then ask them for your order number and your account number, tell them you are waiting for a refund and can they check their screen to see if the refund has been agreed yet. Ask them to escalate your query as you are waiting for a confirmation of refund email.
7.Now send your final email to Viv3Labs with your order details and demand that refund.
8.Keep checking with your bank to see if the refund has come through – I never got a confirmation email.
Here’s my story in full – I hope it gives you some help in writing your own emails and making those all important phone calls to the call centre on 0203 139 9027 to get your order numbers which you must quote in order to get your refund.
Once you’ve got your refund, you might try telling your story to as many people as you can to stop others being caught and if you belong to any social networks – let them know about Viv3 Labs as the more noise we all make, the fewer people will be caught and the more likely it will be that the media will pick this scam up and run a story on it.
This is a scam……there is no doubt about it.
The whole ethos of the Viv3 labs website is to reassure you that you are only paying for post and packing and this is blatant and repeated. It lulls you into a false sense of trust that this is all you are paying for.
The Terms and Conditions are not clearly visible and at no point when you make an order for the trial are you informed that by purchasing the trial, you are committing to pay £75 for each product you receive and that this is an ongoing subscription.
You are not in the wrong – you have been conned.
You are not silly for not having read the Terms and Conditions before making the purchase.
You did not wittingly or willingly agree to pay for product.
You must make the right moves to get your money refunded.
Good Luck and best wishes,
Sandra
1st Step
The Bank rang us on the 10th July to check two debits from our account of £75.13 on the 8th July that had originated in Cyprus. We had just returned from holiday and said we made no such purchase, not realizing it was Viv3Labs. The bank cancelled our card and said they would investigate. They subsequently wrote to us and said that it wasn’t a scam in the normal sense of that word and as such, they couldn’t do anything to refund our money. We felt sick, and decided to fight this company and took the following action.
2nd Step
We rang the “so-called” Customer Service department on this number (0808 238 9891) and got a drip of a chap who simply said we needed to send an email to
[email protected] asking for a refund. This we did.
3rd Step
Tuesday 14th July 2.49pm first email to
[email protected]
Sirs,
I have been advised today to contact you regarding a wrongful debit of two lots of £75.13 from my bank account. Your free sample of Acai Berry and Life Cleanse was paid for as a sample and the goods arrived whilst we were on holiday in France. We arrived back on Saturday 4th July.
We then found that on the 8th July you took two unauthorised payments of £75.13 from our bank account - a total of £150.26, which was never agreed. The only goods that have arrived from you have been the free samples - no further product has arrived and no further goods have been ordered.
Today, my wife has telephoned and spoken to your customer service department who has said that we needed to send you this email in order for this unauthorised payment of £150.26 to be returned to our account. Your customer service representative said the refund would show up on our Bank Statement within 30 days. This is totally unacceptable as we have not ordered additional goods, and have only just received the free samples, for which we paid postage and packing only. No further goods have been delivered or requested.
We are very upset about this unauthorised debit from our account and would expect an immediate confirmation that this amount will be returned to our account immediately.
Do not take anything further from this account.
Do not deliver any further product as it has not been ordered. At no point have we agreed that you can take funds from our account, beyond the postage and packing of the free samples.
Please respond to this email within 48 hours - we have advised our Bank about this unauthorised debit from our account.
3rd step
Response from Viv3 Labs – automated response
From:
[email protected]
Subject: [#CEL-176125]: Fraudulent charges taken from Bank account
Date: 14 July 2009 15:00:05 BST
To:
[email protected]
Reply-To:
[email protected]
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for contacting our Customer Service Department. Your query is currently being investigated by one of our Customer Service representatives. You can expect to receive a response from us within one working day. Please note that in some exceptional cases it may take up to two working days when we need to investigate the matter carefully before getting back to you with an answer.
To help track your inquiry we have generated a reference number. When replying, please keep this reference number: CEL-176125 in the subject to ensure that your replies are tracked correctly.
Ticket ID: CEL-176125
Subject: Fraudulent charges taken from Bank account
Department: General
Priority: Medium
Status: Open
You can check the status of or reply to this ticket online at: http://viv3labs.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=tickets&_a=viewticket&ticketid=44684
Email:
[email protected]
Password: 442b36c2
Our policy is to respond to all queries. Repeated contacts on the same query may delay our response to you.
Best Regards,
viv3 Labs Customer Service
Toll-free UK 08082389891
International Contact Number +44 2031399027
3rd Step
Response from Viv3 Labs – specific response
To:
[email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, 15 July, 2009 4:27:59 PM
Subject: [#CEL-176125]: Fraudulent charges taken from Bank account
Dear Customer,
Thank you very much for contacting our customer service at Viv3 Labs.
We would like to inform you that on 2009-06-20 you were charged for the shipping and handling cost on your free trial AcaiBerry and Life Cleanse. The 15 days free trial starts from the day of the shipment of the order and implies that you have 15 days to test your order for free.
As stated in the terms and conditions of the purchase that you accepted during the purchase process, if you do not cancel your account during the 15 days trial period, you will be charged for the product separately and thus the free trial converts into a regular subscription. We confirm that on 2009-07-07 you were charged for the product for the amount of 118.63 USD.
Best regards,
Viv3 Labs
Customer Service
Toll-free UK 08082389891
International Contact Number +44 2031399027
Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: CEL-176125
Department: General
Priority: Medium
Status: Closed
4th Step
Reply to the 3rd Step specific response
Reply to support@viv3labs Thu 16th 1.42pm
I did not accept that I would pay for this product - I only agreed to the free sample which I paid for in full in regards to Postage and Packing. This is fraud and you know it which is why you do not have my agreement and at no time in the process did I agree.
I expect my money to be refunded - you can of course, show where I agreed by signing my consent to the payment for more product and I will accept that, but I did nothing except complete my name and address and bank details - I did not tick a box or sign anything which said that I wanted to receive your products.
If you are a reputable company you will reimburse this payment - as any reputable company would do - especially as product has not been delivered. You do not respond to your customers in this way unless you are fraudulent.
Please confirm that you will be refunding my money.
This is not a Closed Status - this is an ongoing Status
5th Step
No reply received to email sent 16th July so sent this email
Subject: Refund please
From:
[email protected]
Date: 20 July 2009 09:20:21 BST
To:
[email protected]
Sirs,
Further to my previous email requesting a refund of the two amounts taken from my bank account - I refer to your Terms and Conditions that say that you will refund if you are contacted within 30 days of the order being placed. I ordered a trial sample from you of the Acai Berry and the Life Cleanse on the 20th June and emailed you on the 15th July to say that I wanted a refund - you wrote back to me and said that I could not have the refund because I had accepted to pay £75 for each product in your Terms and Conditions.
Your Terms and Conditions say that you want me to be satisfied with your products and your services and I am not. I would like my money refunded please.
C. Refunds. We want You to be satisfied with Our Products and Our services; therefore, if You are ever not satisfied with any Product that You ordered, You may call Our Customer Service Department toll-free at 080 8238 9891 or (+44) 2031399027 outside of the UK and request a refund. Our refund policy is as follows:
* 1. You may receive a refund of any Product that You ordered up to thirty (30) days after Your order is placed.
I am expecting this refund to be made to me - please confirm that I have asked for a refund within the 30 days period as we are not happy with your products, or your service.
Thank you
Sandra and Tony Lees
5th Step
Response from Viv3 Labs – automated response
From:
[email protected]
Subject: [#MTZ-451521]: Refund please
Date: 20 July 2009 09:31:09 BST
To:
[email protected]
Reply-To:
[email protected]
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for contacting our Customer Service Department. Your query is currently being investigated by one of our Customer Service representatives. You can expect to receive a response from us within one working day. Please note that in some exceptional cases it may take up to two working days when we need to investigate the matter carefully before getting back to you with an answer.
To help track your inquiry we have generated a reference number. When replying, please keep this reference number: MTZ-451521 in the subject to ensure that your replies are tracked correctly.
Ticket ID: MTZ-451521
Subject: Refund please
Department: General
Priority: Medium
Status: Open
You can check the status of or reply to this ticket online at: http://viv3labs.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=tickets&_a=viewticket&ticketid=52232
Email:
[email protected]
Password: 442b36c2
Our policy is to respond to all queries. Repeated contacts on the same query may delay our response to you.
Best Regards,
viv3 Labs Customer Service
Toll-free UK 08082389891
International Contact Number +44 2031399027
6th Step
Make a call to International Customer Service on
0203 139 9027
Frustrated by receiving these automated response emails, I now ring the International Contact Number, having spoken twice to the freephone and got the same drip of a chap. This time, I strike lucky and get a really pleasant young lady called Lynne, who has been with the call centre for a week and comes from Sweden. As I have call centre experience, I speak to her very pleasantly and she tells me that the call centre is based in West Lothian, they are not connected with Viv3 Labs, only answering their calls, and tells me her name and other details like that. She is very courteous, I explain very calmly that I have not had specific replies about the refund that I am expecting and she tells me that on her screen she can see that my account with viv3Labs has been closed and that a refund has been granted. Now this is good news – if it is true – so I ask her to see if she can contact them and get them to send me a confirmation of refund email – Lynne says she will escalate the problem and I can hear her typing the email to them as we speak. Most important of all, she gives me the order numbers for both products and I think this is the key to it all. A good call, which I followed up with this Step 7
7th Step
Now able to quote order numbers in the email
Subject: Refund of order 40134483 and 40134487
From:
[email protected]
Date: 20 July 2009 09:49:54 BST
To:
[email protected] Contact Number +44 2031399027
Sirs,
CEL 176125
Following a conversation with Lynn at your call centre in West Lothian today, I have been advised by her that she can see that a refund has been granted on her screen for the two amounts of £75 each taken from my bank account.
I am writing to you to ask for a confirmation email that you a refund of £75 for the Acai Berry order 40134483 and a refund of £75 for the Life Cleanse order 40134487 has been made. I accept that I will pay for the original postage and packing of £3.95 per product.
The order was placed on the 20th June and a refund was requested on the 14th July.
I look forward to receiving a confirmation email that a refund has been made.
7th Step
Response from Viv3 Labs – automated response
[email protected]
Subject: [#XEC-218769]: Refund of order 40134483 and 40134487
Date: 20 July 2009 09:50:49 BST
To:
[email protected]
Reply-To:
[email protected]
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for contacting our Customer Service Department. Your query is currently being investigated by one of our Customer Service representatives. You can expect to receive a response from us within one working day. Please note that in some exceptional cases it may take up to two working days when we need to investigate the matter carefully before getting back to you with an answer.
To help track your inquiry we have generated a reference number. When replying, please keep this reference number: XEC-218769 in the subject to ensure that your replies are tracked correctly.
Ticket ID: XEC-218769
Subject: Refund of order 40134483 and 40134487
Department: General
Priority: Medium
Status: Open
You can check the status of or reply to this ticket online at: http://viv3labs.helpserve.com/index.php?_m=tickets&_a=viewticket&ticketid=52268
Email:
[email protected]
Password: 442b36c2
Our policy is to respond to all queries. Repeated contacts on the same query may delay our response to you.
Best Regards,
viv3 Labs Customer Service
Toll-free UK 08082389891
7th Step
Response from Viv3 Labs – specific response
From:
[email protected]
Subject: [#MTZ-451521]: Refund please
Date: 20 July 2009 19:32:06 BST
To:
[email protected]
Reply-To:
[email protected]
Dear Customer,
Thank you very much for contacting our customer service at Viv3 Labs.
Your query is being processed and the corresponding department is reviewing your claim. You will be contacted with the results of this revision as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Viv3 Labs
Customer Service
Toll-free UK 08082389891
International Contact Number +44 2031399027
Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: MTZ-451521
Department: General
Priority: Medium
Status: Closed
Following this email, I contacted the call centre again, got another very pleasant young lady and we got chatting – I could hear a great deal of noise in the background and suggested to her that she might be getting a lot of calls from people like me – she said she hated answering the phone now as so many people were swearing at them. I was very calm, and complimented her on the way she continued to handle herself despite the difficult situation and she responded well to this and again, checked her screen, confirmed a refund had been granted and sent another email to Viv3 Labs.
Two refunds for £72.13 each were paid into my account the following day – the 21st July, by Viv3 Labs. A total of £144.26 so in total I lost just under £6 – and not the £150 I was originally debited.
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