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

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Texas girl. I just wrote an in depth article about the nuvalift and puravol scam. Hopefully we can spread the word!
http://www.womensblogtalk.com/nuvalift-and-puravol-review-buyer-beware

Unknown said...

Nuva lift has specifically constructed their returns policy to mislead the customer with regards to the return of Nuva Lift product. Their sales process has completely been orchestrated as a fraudulent approach to selling the customer to rip off the customer due to the misleading return policy.
What they do is state we are sending you a 30 day supply and providing a 14 day trial except it is not a 14 day trial because it requires 3 to 5 days to ship the product. Thus the customer only receives 9 to 10 days which is a completely misleading return policy that they state is based on a 14 day trial and return. This is not an adequate trial of the product or at least they should state this up front! If it is a 14 day trial then it should be a 14 day trial. Not miss lead the customer. They then state you should have read the small print.
In fact I never received the product, and called them 11 days after I was to receive the product but had not received the product and tried to cancel. Instead of providing me a refund or sending me new product and then giving me 14 day trial they stated I would still have to pay without any trial. When I stated I had not received the product they stated that my PO box had the product but when I went to the PO box they did not have anything. My PO box has no proof of anyone ever receiving this product. They stated that they had a record that the product had been delivered. Yet they also asked if I would like to still receive the product and they would be willing to resend the product to me and I stated no. I stated I just wanted a refund and that their business practices where without integrity!
I stated to them that I had not received the product, and they stated I missed the cancellation date by 1 day and that regardless of my trial of the product I still owed them for the product even though it was supposed to be free and as importantly I had not received the product or had a chance at a trial which seemed to be the essence of their sales pitch. So if you are calculating a return policy even though the customer never receives the product or if you provide a 14 day trial it should be a trial of 14 days where the customer has a chance to use the product. If your return policy is only so you can scam the customer then this is essentially fraud without any good faith on the vendors part (NuvaLift). These guys have perpetrated fraud and that is why everyone is upset. I would like them to provide me a complete refund and ask them to clarify their return policy.

Unknown said...

I received an email approximately 9/12/14 stating that it was from amazon and after completing a short survey, I would be eligible to receive a free trial size product of face cream from Nuvalift for the cost of shipping and handling............$4.95. Being very familiar with and trusting amazon, I completed the survey and gave nuvalift my checking/debit information to charge $4.95 to my account and receive a free trial size bottle of nuvalift. On 9/15/14, enclosed with the box of face cream was a receipt for the $4.95 charge and payment deducted from my checking account. There was no additional information enclosed about any future charges to my account. There was also no mention of receiving monthly nuvalift products with an automatic monthly deduction to my account. Meanwhile, it was brought to my attention that this Nuvalift product/company was a potential scam. I first called Amazon and was told that there was no affiliation between amazon and nuvalift. Amazon confirmed that the email which I received did not come from Amazon and this was a scam. I called Nuvalift and discussed everything that I have just mentioned above. This call was placed before 9/20/14. Nuvalift assured me that their company was legitimate and my only cost was the $4.95 for shipping and handling. I was still very concerned and wanted to return the product. I was told that since I had opened the jar it was not able to be returned. If you don't open the jar, how do you know if you are satisfied with the product. On 9/29/14, $84.87 was charged to my checking account by Nuvalift. I called Nuvalift and they denied receiving any previous call from me. They claimed that if I had called, their customer service department would have documented it. They also would not respond to the affiliation that nuvalift claimed to have with amazon. Luckily my bank gave me a temporary courtesy refund while this is in dispute. This was my parking money for chemotherapy!! How sick!! FYI the BBB has given Nuvalift a "F" rating. The BBB also states on their website that they have no FDA filing on record by Nuvalift. This product should have FDA approval. Nuvalift will not respond to the BBB request for FDA substantiation. I have also filed a complaint with the BBB as well.

TGKB said...

My husband initially purchased a "sample" of NuvaLift from a an internet pop up advertisement. Shortley thereafter, he received his credit card bill and there were two charges on it from NuvaLift. The first charge dated 11/19/14 was for $4.95. The second charge dated 12/03/14 was for $84.87. He did not purchase or agree to purchase anything after buying the sample. He reported the second charge to his credit card company advising that the felt the $84.87 charge was fraudulent and asked that it be removed. He attempted to contact NuvaLift on several occasions. When a representative finally answered she told him that the $4.95 was a trial offer and that he was required to contact them and cancel if he chose to do so. He did not remember any such requirement on the internet. He told the woman this and asked for the last charge to be canceled. She said she couldn't do that. He then asked to speak to a supervisor and she said she couldn't connect him to a supervisor because it would take at least forty-five minutes. He then left his phone number and asked her to have a supervisor call him.

My husband then filed a complaint with the Office of the Attorny General for the State of California (since this was the only address we had at the time for NuvaLift), both online and in writing, as well as with the Virginia Office of the Attorny General. Had we had the Las Vegas, NV address he would have filed with that state's Office of Attorney General as well. This is very easy to do and it turned out to be effective for us. We received a letter from the CA Attorney General's office advising that they would contact NuvaLift and let them know that he had filed a complaint against them and requested a response from them regarding my husband's concerns. Today I received a call from NuvaLift. They said they had credited my husband's credit card for the $84.87 charge and cancelled the membership. This is truly a scam! Don't fall for it!

Annie Mous said...

Hi!! I used to work for them!! EMAIL ME! I can help you get as much of your money back as possible! anniemousclyde@gmail.com They're all the same company along with some diet pills. I was fired because I refused to keep putting up with it.

Martha Beaudry said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
A Girl From Texas said...

Good for you Annie!

jerilyn.capaccione@yahoo.com said...

I also fell for this scam. The only thing I received so far is the trial size for $3.95. I haven't received anything else and was told via phone at the time of purchasing the trial size that they would charge my charge card on the 1st or 2nd of September. I was ok with that but have since decided to not purchase the full bottle--so glad I got on here to see that it is a scam and I won't use anything that isn't natural and I feel maybe this could have side effects that they are not telling anyone about. That is why they were willing to drop the price from $89 to $50 for me--no wonder! So, I guess now I have to have my debit card blocked so they can't take this off of it, right? Please respond if someone, especially Annie who said she had worked for them, sees this comment from me. I need to know what to do because the 1st of the month is coming up this next Thursday. Thank you. Jerilyn Capaccione