posted 12-17-2002 10:02 AM               

In the summer of 2001, I was telemarketed by Complete Home for a free trial offer. This was the biggest mistake of my life, for you see, when I called them a month later to cancel before the trial was up, they charged my account, anyway, the following month. I called them the following month to ask them what happened, and they claimed that they had NO RECORD of me calling. So I went to my credit card company to settle the dispute and Complete Home refunded the membership fee, saying it was sorry for any inconvenience it may have caused.

Well, I thought I was done with them, right? Wrong. In the Summer of 2002 I got a very obnoxious telemarketing call from Complete Home again practically demanding that I sign up for a trial offer again. When I kept saying I didn't want it, the telemarketer said, "How do you know you don't want it if you don't try it?" I hung up.

September of this year, the whole thing started again. I suddenly had the charge of 69.99 to my credit card account. I called Complete Home telling them that I had never signed up for their service. (this is because at this point, I haven't put two and two together yet. I'm not realizing what the charge was about-- that it was really Complete Home, in effect, renewing a membership that had been cancelled the previous year. I'm thinking that they've just signed me up for a new membership.) Complete Home claimed that I DID sign up. What proof? The representative actually LIED and told me that they had proof that I had, because I had *redeemed a coupon of theirs* for a CAR-RELATED SERVICE, even though I don't own a car and don't even drive.

So now I go back to my credit card company to settle this dispute, and Complete Home agrees to give me a refund in October. Well, come December, Complete Home decides not to give me a full refund, claiming that I am really a member from wayyy back when, and only decided just to cancel now, so I am being charged a pro-rated credit. When my credit card company contacts them, Complete Home actually lies to it and tells it that I am really a person who has signed up as a member and waited until now to cancel.

Ah, but maybe this mark isn't such a mark after all. I have proof that Complete Home is lying-- I have the actual statement from last year showing the money Complete Home refunded to me when it cancelled my account.

But it gets better-- when you pull up a search on Complete Home (Trilegiant), look at the interesting information that pops up:

quote:

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Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the Bureau due to a pattern of complaints concerning deceptive selling practices, unauthorized charges to consumers' credit cards, and non-cancellation of memberships following cancellation requests. The company has resolved most complaints presented by the Bureau, however some complaints remain unresolved or unanswered.

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The original URL can be found here: http://www.connecticut.bbb.org/commonreport.html?compid=41001179&national=Y

So I'm telling you now, folks, beware of Complete Home, and if you ever have to deal with them, RECORD YOUR PHONE CONVERSATIONS. Their representatives will blatantly lie at the drop of a dime without question and Complete Home will change its story from phone call to phome call.

Thank you.