Complaint Review: Heartland America - Nationwide

Heartland America Experience and Sequence of Events Delineated Scam Methods and what you can do. The typed events are taken from part of my written log. I made more calls than I listed below. Heartland America Manager, Tony, informed me ALL calls are recorded, therefore, they should be able to offer the recorded calls in their entirety. 1/15/2016 My elderly mother lives near Austin and I live in Houston. She called to say she wanted a Panasonic phone set from Heartland America. She was looking at a catalog and gave me a product number. I went online to look up the Heartland America website and saw an ad for Panasonic phones and the ad showed $10.00 off a member’s first order and a $20.00 rebate on the Panasonic phone set. My mother gave me an item # which I used to place an order (by phone) when I called Heartland America. I ordered two sets of Panasonic phones. Rick at Heartland America told me I would get the $10.00 off credit as a new Heartland America member if I paid the membership fee and would get the $20.00 rebate for each phone set ordered, I would receive an extended warranty for a specified amount of money, and I could receive the $20.00 rebates for both phones by calling Heartland America after receiving my products. I was told I would also receive 3 ten dollar Heartland America gift cards in the mail which would practically pay for my membership, and one set of phones could be shipped to my mother’s address and the other set shipped to my home address. The phones were on back order until 1/20/16 or 1/21/2016. I created my sign in/log in for my online Heartland America account. 1/16/2016 A.M. My mother called to say she wanted the “Panasonic Big Button Phone set” and I called Heartland America to correct the order # for one set of the Panasonic phones. I ordered two sets of the Panasonic Big Button phones, item #90852. Again, I was told I would receive 3 ten dollar Heartland America gift cards in the mail. I was told I could have the rebates credited back to my credit card and the invoice and the rebate information would be in the box with my set of phones. I kept checking my emails and Heartland America online account and there was no order info, no info/itemized statement. There was no information of any kind showing exactly what Heartland America was charging against my credit card. 1/16/2016 thru 1/21/2016 Even though Heartland America had my email address I didn’t receive any confirmation of my order showing the items ordered, charges for extended warranty ordered, charges for membership fees or rebate information. I kept checking my email for the order information and nothing was sent. I called Heartland America and spoke with Patience(sp?) and was told an invoice would be in the shipped box and I could access the order and charge information at my Heartland America online account when the order shipped. 1/20/2016 I was upset and called Heartland America and spoke with Shawn(sp?) who claimed to be a Manager. I told her I couldn’t get any order information or an itemized bill showing exactly what Heartland America was charging me. I explained when I order from Walmart, Amazon or Ebay I always receive a confirmation email which shows what was ordered, the date the order was made, the cost of the items, warranty, membership information (if any), shipping addresses, and estimated delivery date or dates. Shawn said she corrected an error made on the shipping instructions because she found both phone sets were shipping to my home address. I was told the invoice and rebate information would be in the shipped box containing the phones. 1/27/2016 I received my phones, but there was an invoice in the box that didn’t show any charges or costs. I called my mother long distance and she didn’t get any costs/charges information on her invoice either. There was a website given on the form/invoice (without prices) where I could go and submit my rebate. When I went to Heartland America’s rebate site I discovered they were only offering me one rebate of $20.00 for one set of the phones, even though it is advertised as $20.00 rebate for a phone set. On the rebate website they didn’t offer an option to have any rebates credited to my credit card by calling Heartland America. Since I wasn’t going to receive my credit card statement until after February 15th I checked the “recent activity” on my credit card. To my dismay my credit card company paid Heartland America for “merchandise” without any description given other than “Heartland America”. There were three Heartland America charges paid and if my credit card company had required appropriate descriptions for products, member’s first order credit of $10.00 (as advertised), $89.99 each for 2 Panasonic Phones- item #90852 (before the $20.00 x 2 = $40.00 Rebates) and credits as advertised, warranties for two phones, and membership fees it would have been obvious they overcharged me and the $10.00 credit shown on my credit card recent activity on 1/22/2016 was not for the $10.00 off for orders from new members because Heartland America was saying the $10.00 credit was for the overcharge for both sets of Panasonic phones. 2/2/2016 I called to speak with a Heartland America Manager, Tony (who is also called Anthony), who told me Heartland America only gives the $20.00 Rebate “per order”, even if a customer orders two sets of the phones in one order, and the $10.00 credit was for the overcharge of $10.00 for the phones. Tony also said that if I had read the small print on the catalog order card I would know that. When I told him I did not order using a catalog order card and my mother who has a paper catalog called me long distance to let me know about the phones, Tony said the same information is found when I make an online order. I let Tony know I did not make an online order and I had called Heartland America after I saw the online catalog ad for the phones which showed $10.00 off the first order for new members, and a $20.00 Rebate on the phone set. I explained it was a phone order and I was not told I could only get one rebate per order (otherwise, I wouldn’t have ordered two phone sets in my first order). I became so upset I raised my voice a couple of times. Since Tony said all calls are recorded I ask that he listens to the full/complete recording for the phone order I made on 1/15/2016 with Rick. I let him know this is not good business and it sounds like a scam. I couldn’t believe what Tony was saying to me. I told him when I get to my mother’s home near Austin I plan to check her credit card statements with charges from Heartland America going back two years to find out if she has been overcharged for any orders. Tony told me it didn’t matter because she wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. I replied with, “It could be publicized!”Tony made a few more inappropriate statements before I finally told him I wanted the advertisement new member’s first order credit of $10.00 because the $10.00 credit on my card is for their overcharge. I asked that the warranties and my membership fees be cancelled and refunded/credited back to my credit card. I will not do business with this company again. Tony said he would probably lose his job, but as a courtesy he would do a one time credit to my card for: The new member’s $10.00 off for their first order from Heartland America, The two $20.00 rebates for both sets of phones, Credit/refund my card for the warranties I cancelled, Membership fees charged against my credit card, And Tony said he would send a confirmation email showing what credits and the amounts he credited/refunded to my card. Tony said I would get the email in 2 to 4 hours. I never received the email. I contacted my credit card company. Meanwhile, since my 1/15/2016 phone order Heartland America has been sending me emails one and two times daily advertising their products. 2/3/2016 By this time I am in tears. I don’t feel well. There is no way I can ask my elderly mother to return the big button phones she is already using and I just didn’t know what to do. It gets worse. I called Heartland America again and spoke with yet another manager, Joshua, who said something was wrong with their internet support and he won’t get into that or find out what the problem was. He said he would send a confirmation email showing the list of credits Heartland America credited back to my credit card. Again, I mention that since 1/15/2016 sends me two to three emails advertising their products daily and to this day they still send. 2/3/2016 On this day my credit card did receive a refund of for the warranties I canceled, the membership fees, the two rebates they advertised, but not the advertised $10.00 off new members’ first order. IN CONCLUSION I am alarmed at the way this company does business. It appears they have done business this way for so long they could care less. Even though I mentioned to Tony that Heartland America’s ordering and charging process seemed like a scam, there was no concern at all. They don’t honor what they advertise and when called on it they make excuses like “you should have read the small print or you should have read the order card or the print on the order card, the customer service reps were wrong when they told you about getting the advertised $10.00 off the first order with membership, and/or get $20.00 Rebate for each phone set, and/or that rebates could be credited back to my charge card by calling Heartland America on the phone, and “Customer Service Reps don’t know what we (managers) know, “…etc. When I mentioned that Heartland America should train their Customer Representatives and teach them correctly I could not believe the Manager, Tony (also known as Anthony), had remarked with a response, “Customer representatives don’t know what we know.” The fact that Heartland America wouldn’t send confirmation order emails with prices and charges they were going to make on my credit card or put prices on my new Heartland America account online or have prices on the invoices in the shipped boxes, especially when I repeatedly asked for confirmation of items ordered and the prices, as well as, the other prices for warranty, membership, in writing and /or email..etc., their methods enable Heartland America to take advantage of unsuspecting and vulnerable customers. How many elderly people are receiving these catalogs and making phone orders not realizing exactly what they are being charged and for what? Family members, guardians, executors of the elderly parents or relatives, as well as, those caring for the elderly or disabled, would be advised to follow up on any of the orders from this company, Heartland America. They need to check their bank accounts and credit cards. If the credit card company (in this case, Discover) does not offer a description other than “Heartland America” on the statement, then the customer would need to “initiate a dispute” before the credit card company will get detailed descriptions for the charges. Unfortunately, if the customer does not have the actual ad, catalog, or online advertisement Heartland America can deny such advertisement even existed. I am so worried that Heartland America has my credit card information that I am going to either cancel it and/or apply for a new account number. I don’t know yet. The fact my credit card company would pay for items without a description is very concerning. My credit card company informed me they don’t ask for descriptions unless the credit card customer initiates a dispute. That is yet another issue I need to address when I have the time. Thank you for your time.