When Guthy Renker was a smaller company just starting out, they were very reasonable and there was no deceit in their dealings with their customers. As their business grew, so did their appetite for their customer's purses and sanity. In direct contrast, customer service levels and respect for their customers have decreased.
Let me give you an example. Six months ago in late June, I received a Proactiv pack in the mail (which is supplied recurringly as per the instructions on your account - note there is no option to buy these packs one off). As I was receiving these too often, I decided to cancel my Proactiv account. So I called customer service to cancel all future orders. It took 15 minutes before my call could be answered. I spoke to the representative (they are not Australia-based so can be difficult to understand) and he assured me that my account had been cancelled. The next thing I know - poof! Another order, which I had not authorised, had been placed, and the amount debited from my credit card when I checked my online banking the next day. I was not happy at all, and I was not about to call Guthy Renker and be made to wait to complain about it. I called my bank instead to dispute the transaction. My bank immediately closed the credit card account which had the unauthorised transaction and requested that I write a letter detailing all occurrences which led me to close my account. After sending off the letter, the matter was settled within two weeks. Or so I thought.
Following this, I received four letters from Guthy Renker demanding that I pay the amount that I apparently owed for the unauthorised order (which, funny enough, never arrived on my doorstep). I choose the word 'demand', because on their letter, I had two options - 1) pay up or 2) do not pay up or we turn you over to a collection agency. Nowhere on the letter did it state that if I must raise a dispute or have any sort of grievances, please contact... (no number supplied!). I found this quite rude. Of course, I refused to pay what I did not owe and was turned over to a collection agency six months later.
I value my time a lot more than money so I ended up paying what they thought I owed. In saying that, I was still very angry and frustrated about the whole thing, which should never have happened in the first place. Guthy Renker are only growing larger everyday because of their celebrity endorsements, not because of their exceptional customer service, or their high quality products, or honesty in dealing with the public. Bottom line from my experience: pay the extra dollar to buy these products elsewhere if you can, do not bother with Guthy Renker or you will end up with a massive headache, and a lighter purse.
0 comments