Saturday, August 16, 2014

Nuva Lift -BellaLabs, La Creme - Scam Alert - BBB doesn't even recognize them.

So, I fell for what I thought was a legitimate offer from Amazon.com.  I don't know if it was Phishing or Spoofing but it worked.

(Please be sure to research Nuva Lift, BellaLabs and La Creme on the BBB, they are a scam)

I had just placed an order with Amazon and the following day I received an e-mail that they were giving me $100 gift card for being such a long-time customer.  They gave me a coupon code.  Then I was asked to do a quick survey; which I did.  After the survey I was given several offers, one was an offer to try a product called Nuva Lift, "Risk Free".

I ordered it.

After I ordered it, I noticed the words "trial".  And I thought, wait, if this is a trial, that means that I probably have to cancel this or my card will be charged.  You know those free trials that you do where the first time is free and then after that, you're charged every month until you cancel?

So, I hit the back button and found the Nuva Lift Terms and Conditions.  What I had agreed to was to try an $85 beauty product for 14 days.  All I had to do was pay shipping.  If I returned the product within the 14 day trial, I would not be charged $85.  And the Nuva Lift Terms and Condition are very clear when they say that there has to be a "Substantial" amount of product left in the bottle when you send it back. When I realized what I had done, I immediately called Nuva-Lift to cancel the order.

Those clever bastards, this all occured while their offices were not yet opened.  So that meant I would have to wait for a Customer Service rep to get in to help me cancel my order.  Immediately, I called my credit card company.  The $4.57 for shipping had been charged.  The only way I could prevent the rest was to block my credit card.  I will be without my credit card for 7 days and once I get it, I will have to update all my services that bill against that card automatically.  This was the most inconvenient part.

So I waited for the office in California to open and got hold of a Customer Service Representative.  She could not find my order anywhere in the system.  Couldn't find it.  I told her I wanted to cancel the order but she said there was no order to cancel, which really confused me because my credit card company confirmed the initial charged.  I brought up the terms and conditions and made sure I had the right company.  But what I found the MOST interesting about our conversation is when she said that they couldn't accept the product if it was return used because it's a beauty product.  This made no sense to me since within Nuva Lift's terms and conditions, they clearly expect you to use/try the product for 14 days and if not satisfied, expect it returned if you want he $85 refunded.

So, this is how this is supposed to go.  You think you're getting to try a product for 30 days and that you have 14 days to let them know you don't want anymore product.  But really, you get to have the product in your POSSESSION for 14 days.  If you don't use the product, you'll be able to get your money back if you return it.  If you DO use the product, they won't accept it.  So, you'll spend $4.57 having it shipped to you and then you'll spend $11 sending it back. 

I then followed up with an e-mail and indicated that I blocked my card and did not want the product and to cancel my order.  I told them, they could keep the $4.57.  I got an automated response and then about an hour later they asked me the same information the CS asked me when trying to find the order.  I gave it to them, and then silence.

(Please be sure to research Nuva Lift, BellaLabs and La Creme on the BBB, they are a scam)

Two days later,  at 1:22 the product arrives in the mail.  Interestingly, the box was Nuva-lift but the product inside the box was just a plain jar with white cream in it.  I didn't open it as I had decided to return the product.  Even though they are scammers and are more than likely peddling some cheap product, doesn't mean I don't have to do the right thing.

My research on Nuva Lift on the BBB indicated to me that more than likely, even if I return the product, they would probably claim they didn't get it.  I thought about claiming that I did not receive it since no one signed for it but I didn't want to play that game.  I went straight way to UPS and sent the product back to them at 4:09 p.m.  The product was in my possession not even 3 hours. 

Here's the timeline:

I received the e-mail at 8:50 (6:50 PST) and probably placed my order 20 minutes later. Curiously, they indicate on the product tracker that the shipping label was created at 6:33 a.m.  That right there was not possible.   I called the 877 number within about 5 minutes of placing the order but their offices didn't open until 8:00 PST (10:00 CST).  At exactly 10:01 I spent 8 minutes with a CS rep who claimed she could not find the order.  The tracker indicates that the package was picked up from Nuva Lift at 12:18 PST - that would have been 2:18 CST. 

I hope that if you purchased Nuva Lift product thinking you were getting a 14-day free trial that you are able to  read this in time to learn something.  Unfortunately, even though what they do is pretty nasty, it's legal.  The only way you can come out slightly ahead is to block your credit card before the 14-day trial ends.  I don't know what recourse they have if you do take this path but you should return the product, even if you've used it.

I'm angry because they duped me but doing the right thing by sending it back makes me the better person, for sure.

One more thing, the address you are given is not their location but a UPS store.    

9187 CLAIREMONT MESA BLVD # 6  SAN DIEGO, CA 92123