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Paradise Galleries

Paradise Galleries review: Fraudulent charges 26

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12:00 am EDT
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I placed an internet order for 2 dolls with a company called Paradise Galleries (www.paradisegalleries.com), who sells dolls. Within 5 minutes of clicking the purchase button, a friend alerted me that they are not reputable and don't always deliver the product. I called them and canceled the order immediately. They refused to cancel and shipped the package anyway. I did not accept the package from my mail carrier and Paradise Galleries said they would not credit my credit card account until they received the dolls back. They took weeks, so I filed a complaint with my credit card who decided in my favor and charged the amount back to Paradise Galleries. Then Paradise Galleries charged me again for the amount of shipping when they were told not to ship it in the first place. I spent many hours calling them to attempt to clear this up, but they talked in circles and did not listen. They kept saying I need to pay my bill, etc. In October, 2005, I began receiving bills from a supposed bill collector, called

Retrieval Masters Creditors Bureau, Inc.
2269 South Saw Mill River Road, Building 3
Elmsford, NY, 10523
[protected]

When I attempt to call the number above, it is answered by Paradise Galleries answering machine. I am kept on hold for a very long time. Once I was on hold for an hour. When I finally get a person, she talks in circles and we are right back where we started. I refuse to pay this fraudulent charge and I have been ignoring these bills, thinking the collector was bogus Paradise Galleries answered the phone. Now I see on your web site that this bill collector works for many other disreputable companies. Are you able to help or give any advice?

Company details:

Paradise Galleries
11696 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite A
San Diego, CA 92121
http://www.paradisegalleries.com/
[protected]

26 comments
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benthomas
, US
Nov 23, 2016 9:58 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I placed an order for a SOCK MONKEY and received a order number and, the total amount plus shipping cost was deducted from my dept. card. I have never received a email confirmation or information concerning tracking...Please, provide me with this information as the doll is a gift for my granddaughter and I want to be sure of it's arrival date...THANK YOU

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nicolethompson
New York, US
Jan 15, 2013 11:02 pm EST

I'm happy wtih paradise galleries. Ive been ordering from them for how many years. They give great customer service!

They are LEGIT! and the dolls are all more BEAUTIFUL than the pictures!

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notsohappynow
Tracy, US
Sep 05, 2012 11:08 am EDT

to the person who use to work for the company paradise galleries? i ordered a doll, did payments, instead of them charging just the first payment 31 dollars, they also charged 96.00, which they said was a glitch in there system and is being refunded right away. the person handling my calls named mildred! do you know her? she sounds sincere, but its been over a week and still no refund! she keeps reassuring me its being processed! should i worry they will charge more to my acount also!? or what exactly do they do that makes them snakes? will it end at this?

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cordon bleu
, US
Apr 21, 2009 5:41 pm EDT

I used to work for Paradise Galleries, and if you knew the kind of people behind this company, you'd lock your credit card up and never place another order with them. Disreputable is too kind a word for the Brownlees.

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Laura
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Aug 12, 2008 11:05 am EDT

I have ordered several beautiful dolls from them and had NOT one issue till about 4 months ago when I ordered one and was sent an email that it was out of stock. Thank GOD I didn't pay for it, I always hit the "BILL ME LATER" bullet, and then when I went to check on the status of this doll I found an email in my inbox from them that they were "GOING OUT OF BUSINESS" and were having a major "clearance" sale to get rid of all their left over stock!
I never did order anything cause I thought it sounded rather "phishy" but everytime I go to their site I get either "Sorry there are no products available at this time" or I get a "PAGE NOT FOUND" error, so in conclusion, I do honestly believe that they HAVE gone out of business due to all the "problems & issues" they have against them!
Hope this helps anyone who has questions about Paradise Galleries.

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neutral
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Aug 09, 2008 4:30 pm EDT

customer service is in P.I. and they try to fix what they can. based on how well they speak english. warehouse, cs, shipping, returns, data entry and marketing are all in different states and sometimes in different countries. and if one person writes the wrong number or pushes the wrong button. the problem just trickles on down the line.

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Former ICG
nyc, US
Aug 04, 2008 7:27 pm EDT

I ordered dolls awhile back and did not like the way the doll looked and also the doll I wanted was never instock or there was always a problem so I agree with the compalint and I just recently looked up the website and there were no products.

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Carolyn P
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Jul 20, 2008 3:01 pm EDT

Have been dealing with Paradise Galleries for many years, though I have had about as many dissatisfactions as I have beautiful dolls from them.
I just stay on top of them and keep complaining, never talk to the person answering the phone, especially if you've already tried them once and got nowhere! I have had one incident where I had to call the company and only would talk to the manager Pat Anderson (look at your paperwork) and threatened a lawsuit for them holding my money for a doll that I hadn't received in over a year! They actually DID sent the doll, a blonde haired-blue eyed doll they sent a dark skinned dark eyed doll! OMG how bad is THAT? I blew up at them and told the girl I would not leave the line and would keep calling again and again if they did not let me talk to the manager. Supposedly she was busy, I told her I would hold and finally, after several moments and this girl going around and around, I told her I would call back if Pat did NOT contact me and low and behold she DID. I blew up at HER and told her that I was tired of the run-around to send me the doll or my $$$ and, oddly enough? They 'dug up' my doll and sent it to me!
The people I've talked to there sound like they haven't a clue, but the dolls are really beautiful. I have ordered many, have received most and have figured out small ways around their irritating business sense, don't order more than one at a time and don't pay before receiving EVER!
At the end of each order, press the 'bill me later' button, there is never a need to pay up front for a doll you might never see.
My last order was for 3 dolls, I ordered 3 because of the supposed sale they had, but only got 2. Thankfully I only paid for 2.
My question now is? Where IS Paradise Galleries? I was hoping to order this one doll again and can't find them on-line anymore and just realized I haven't gotten e-mails or snail mail from them in the past few months either!
Hope some of this helps. I know it's silly to go back again and again, but the dolls are really great and I can't find them anywhere else!

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Julie
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Jul 05, 2008 9:03 pm EDT

I have been a long time customer of Paradise Galleries and have never had any problems with the dolls I have ordered. My sister, ordered one for her daughter's birthday, it was backordered, but came in without any problem. I have over 10 dolls. I would order more, but I have run out of room in my curio cabinet and need to buy another one to display them in. Every company has problems. You take the Good and the Bad. Things happen. But for 95 % of the time, Paradise Galleries, is the BEST ...

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EGTX
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Apr 16, 2008 3:44 pm EDT

I completely disagree with complaint. I love Paradise Galleries. I've really enjoyed shopping with them for years. I've placed several orders, only had problems 2xs, both resolved. One time one of the dolls was backordered, & they billed me but I didn't pay until the doll was received. Another time I didn't receive the doll and they claimed they had shipped it. They asked me to wait a few weeks see if it showed. It didn't show, so they shipped me another one. All the dolls are on sale right now, and I ordered 2 dolls on Apr 4th, I received them on the 11th.

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Donna Mason
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Feb 16, 2008 7:37 pm EST

Their customer service is awful! They shipped me the wrong doll for Christmas, then told me the doll I ordered would not be available until May 30th and of course for an increased cost! They will not honor the origianal price or give me reduced shipping costs. I've made many calls and get a different person each time, usually this person is very difficult to understand. I've asked to speak to a supervisor, but they are never available, and will not return my calls. I'm very frustrated with this company and don't know what else to do. I'm considering cancelling my order, if I can, but they do have my credit card number! Any suggestions?

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LAURIE HARRIS
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Feb 09, 2008 1:14 pm EST

I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH PARADISE GALLERIES FOR OVER 9 YEARS AND I HAVE NEVER SENT ANYTHING BACK. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN SATISFIED WITH THEIR PRODUCTS. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH SANDY'S COMMENT.

YES THE SHIPPING AND HANDLING CHARGES ARE HIGH, BUT THAY ISN'T PARADISE'S FAULT.CALL OR COMPLAIN TO THE SHIPPERS.

GO TO A PLACE THAT SELLS DOLLS LIKE THESE AND YOU WILL PAY A PRICE EQUAL OR HIGHER THAN YOU PAY AT PARADISE WITH THE SHIPPING.

I will continue to buy my dolls from paradise. If you don't deal with them, it's your loss.

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sandy
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Jan 29, 2008 5:53 pm EST

probably your fault. i think they mentioned that available items ship right away. if you cancel it on the same day you made the order, you probably won't have a problem. like me. the difference is i canceled the order coz my budget got tight not because i listened to some groundless rumor. i would have liked to see the product with my own eyes and decide on my own if the company is reputable or not.
of course you have to pay the shipping, you did place the order you know and the dolls did get shipped. even if you returned them, i think they were already charged by the shipping company to send the dolls to you.
don't act so much like a victim. it's partly your fault.

ps. the dolls are beautiful and cheap compared to other companies. the shipping is worth it.

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janice
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Jan 29, 2008 5:39 pm EST

some of the problems, i think, probably lies with the other customers. a friend of mine ordered and complained on back order when it was clearly stated online that the doll is indeed on back order. sometimes, we need to read and understand something before we dish out any complaints. right?

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Laddie Spruill
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Nov 29, 2007 7:02 pm EST

I have had several negative complaints against this company. For some reason, they can't seem to fulfill their orders. They are especially bad about back ordering dolls. They seem to put dolls on sale, sell out, then charge a higher price after the doll arrives. It's hard to say who's at fault, but they seem to have some really serious customer service issues. (JMHO!)

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vickey wrigt
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Nov 28, 2007 9:03 pm EST

i have ordered dolls from them,never recieving them. they tell me they cant fill my order until after the first of the year i have been waiting for my dolls since september. they sent me a doll i never ordered but they took my money i sent them for my other doll. and now they are trying to get money for a doll i never ordered. i tryed to send it back never getting threw to them the box was damaged when it was left in my yard. sincerely angry customer vickey

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Ursula
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Oct 21, 2007 5:59 pm EDT

I ordered two dolls on September the 10. I called the company, because they charged me for them and I never received the dolls.
When I called the rep, she told me that the order was shipped out on the 17th of September and would get here by October 3rd. I never did receive that order. I called them the second and third time, they told me the same thing. The fourth time I called, the rep told me that the dolls were all sold out. So, I asked the rep to credit my account and cancelled out my other orders. They never credit my account and now I'm taking them to small claims court.

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Rachael Miller
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Oct 11, 2007 2:33 am EDT

I tried to get an invoice from them for overseas shipping, and they gave me the runaround, and now have me blacklisted and will not reply to my communications at all. They are very difficult to deal with.

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P. Bryant
,
Oct 10, 2007 7:18 am EDT

It has been my experience that however reputable a company is, at some point, there will always be dissatisfied customers, justified or not. You're dealing with people and people make mistakes. Also, no matter how justified, whenever something is returned, your fault or the vendor, you are always charged for shipping again if an exchange is made. I just experienced that with another company who before this error I was perfectly satisfied with their service. Apparently, these are the pitfalls of dealing with mail order products. If I were the complainant, I would just not pay the shipping charge and ignore them. It's not worth the frustration to try and get them to remove the charge. It's in the collection process and that is never ending if you don't pay.

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jessica arnold
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Sep 30, 2007 12:00 pm EDT

dear paradise galleries I ordered the doll layla in july I was wondering why its taking so long to get it will it still come

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Christina
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Sep 23, 2007 10:44 am EDT

I have 3 separate collections of paradise galleries dolls and they have all always been delivered on time with no problems. I purchased one doll that I did not like once I took her out of the box I called the number you have listed above I got right through and they let me exchange my doll for one with a greater value for no extra charge. I think you made a big deal out of hear say and did not give them a chance to prove you wrong.

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Carissa Parsons
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Sep 05, 2007 7:42 am EDT

I have puchased 2 dolls and never had a problem on either of them. There was one back ordered but they did let me know about it and had it delivered before Christmas. I will purchase again from them.

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Linda Hager
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Jul 24, 2007 7:04 pm EDT

My best friend... Rita Walker... has been going around and around with this company... they sent the wrong merchandise... had her keep it until they supposedly got the order straight... after a month they told her to send it back to them... although she never did get her order... and she ended up paying out an extra $40 for shipping, etc etc etc... and still has nothing to show for it... Every phone call was a run-around, or she was cut off.. and if she did talk to someone... they made no sense... and acted like she was crazy or something... and still has not gotten her order which was placed back 09/12/2006... I will certainly not do business with them...

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Mona Cafone
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Apr 13, 2007 4:06 pm EDT

I have bought two dolls with no problems. They were unable to get two others that I asked about... (no money paid)... and they gave me free shipping on my next order. Also, in fairness to the company, they do state somewhere that they do not reimburse any shipping. I assume that the dolls have been returned and the complainer is only fighting about shipping costs. Personally, I will buy again if I see anything I want. Peace.

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Judy Fink
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Mar 06, 2007 2:13 pm EST

I have ordered dolls from Paradise Galleries for quite a few years. I have over 37 of them. I have always received my beautiful dolls and, if they were going to be late in delivery, I always got a letter advising me of later delivery. I find them to be a very honest company and have referred many of my friends to them.

They have some of the most talented doll makers around and I will continue to deal with them.

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Phillis Doggett
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Feb 28, 2007 7:02 pm EST

I've bought several dolls from them and have a friends that has bought several dolls for years with absolutely no problem. I can't agree with the complaint. Thanks

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