CJQ
DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE
DO NOT ORDER FROM HERE. I placed an order with this company after seeing a very slick ad on Facebook or Instagram. I usually don’t order through companies that advertise on social media, but the website looked legit and the name, Hotel Collection, made me think it was affiliated with a home product company I’ve seen. The order process was simple, but the next day I attempted to log on to the site to check my order. I could not log-in with the password I know I used; after multiples attempts, with other possible passwords, I used the “reset password” link. I never received a response. I checked spam and there was nothing there. I tried multiple times to use the same reset password link over the course of the next two days (and subsequently since); not being able to log in, and not receiving a reset password email response, made me very suspicious. At that point I looked the company up online and sure enough, both Yelp and the Better Business Bureau have multiple customer reviews/complaints about this company similar to mine. I sent multiple emails to “support” asking for assistance, from resetting my password to attempting to cancel the order before it shipped. The only response I received was a generic “thank you for contacting us”, “we’ll be in touch…” I even found a telephone number for the company, but of course it is just a recording that says they do not have phone support and to contact them using the email address I was already using. To my surprise, I did receive emails that the product had shipped, and also when it was delivered. I didn’t want the product or anything to do with this company, so I never opened the box. At that point, I used the “return portal” on the website to try and send the order back, but, even that was a bit suspicious as it states you’ll receive a shipping label once you process the return. I did not. Instead, I got a message along the lines of “items in your order need to be reviewed before the return can be processed” – at that point I was very skeptical of ever hearing from the company since my previous attempts to reach them were fruitless. I noticed the box I received had a different company listed as the sender; Aroma360 – I also looked up the address to Hotel Collection, on the map the business associated with that address was listed as Aroma360 and there was a telephone number. I called that number and after about 30 minutes of being on hold someone finally answered, however their response to me was “we are no longer affiliated with Hotel Collection” and that they are a “sister company” that no longer shares space with them… not even pointing out that my package actually said “Aroma360” she didn’t budge and just repeating herself. Because of that consistent lack of communication and by having no luck with the representative at Aroma360 and the many many customer reviews that were very similar to my experience, I decided to dispute the charge with my credit card company. They said they will dispute the charge with the company and block them from being able to charge me for the monthly subscription I had also signed up for, which was my initial primary concern continuing to deal with this company – if their customer service was this bad already, what could I expect in the future? That was also one of the reasons I was making so many attempts to log in to my account – that is how you “manage” or cancel your subscription. My credit card company encouraged me to return the unopened box with “Refused – return to sender” written on it. I did finally receive the return label, but it was too late, the process was already started with my credit card company (and none of my other emails or attempts to reset my password had been returned) – and definitely the only way I could have peace of mind. Please save yourself the same hassle. The uncertainty and lack of respect for their customers is unacceptable and not worth it. It’s a shame too, I was very excited to give my wife the item as an anniversary gift.