Menu
CB Web Design and Development Value Plus Telemarketer promised $40 in gas rebates for trial membership
Value Plus

Value Plus review: Telemarketer promised $40 in gas rebates for trial membership 20

L
Author of the review
12:00 am EST
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I received a call about trying a shopping discount membership for $1 for a month and i would receive $40 in gasoline rebates. When the information arrived in the mail and i tried to go to the web site, i found only complaints referred to that site and could not find valueplusonline.com at all. After reading the complaints, i immediately called the cancellation number and cancelled the membership. I'll be watching my credit card to make certain that i do not receive any charges for that ripoff!

20 comments
B
B
BatSqueezer
Tujunga, US
Jan 28, 2012 10:59 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

How to cut this sh...tuff off at the ROOTS? Complain. To the AG, to Sempris, Provell whoever but... and this is KEY... *Complain to the ORIGINAL Company you called* ! If you called in for a weight loss product... a facial cleanser... a cosmetic... a fat reducing belt... a chainsaw... doesn't MATTER... remember WHO you called to get whatever it was you called for... and YELL AT THEM! If you called for a tribute coin, a vacuum cleaner, a pet bed, a closet organizer WHATEVER... those companies are getting KICKBACKS from these rat-b*st**ds!

How do I know/ Trust me. MOST (if not ALL) people pitching ValuePlus, Savings2Go, Shopping Essentioans, AtHome etc etc etc etc ad nauseam... DON'T WORK FOR THEM! They work for a call center hired by the company YOU called to get that magic slushy cut or dust broom or home exercise program or fat loss hypnosis system! But... (and here is where the rubber meets the road) the work-at-home agents are FORCED (on pain of losing their jobs, folks!) to add ON the "affinities" as they are called in the trade. YES we... COUGH! er... I mean... *they* are required BY the FCC to stay compliant with the law (on pain of losing their jobs) BUT... the PRESSURE to sell this ... (words fail me) is ENORMOUS!

IF the companies SELLING the weight loss or slushy cup or exercise thingy or home appliance or whatevertheHell it is THEMSELVES got [censored]ed at... they would STOP! Because it is HELL to get a $300 air-purifier sale... only to have it CANCELLED by a ticked off caller who doesn't want the *^$#! VALUE PLUS ADD ON! Yes, go after sempris, or Provell or whatever these creeps are calling themselves now! Hit them where it HURTS... but ALSO WHACK the companies that ADD these weasels' offers to THEIR, perfectly legitimate products for the bloody KICKBACK! Until THEY stop... the OFFERS won't stop and the phone people who call you CANNOT stop!

Also... if you want to buy something off the TV... your MAGIC WORD (to halt the batsqueeze coming from the poor phone agent) is "CANCEL". Be polite. Be FIRM. Tell the agent "I want to buy the whizzbang slushy-maker. If you offer me aNYTHING MORE, I will *cancel* the order. " You'll be STUNNED by how FAST they get you to the LAST PAGE! Trust me... telephone agents do NOT WANT TO BILK YOU! ... but they are between a rock and a hard place. Time to shut these sons of riches DOWN!

W
W
whatevsorz
Jacksonville, US
Jul 04, 2011 2:15 am EDT

I sell these programs to people like you...tehehehe. You should all know better than not to listen to the people you just gave your cc # to over the phone. No matter how convincing I sound, if I ask you to repeat your cc # again AFTER we've gone through an order confirmation...just don't do it. Duh. Also, I work for a reputable phone sales company...some people don't, their conversations with you are selectively recorded and they don't care if you say no as long as they catch you on recording saying yes. Don't buy stuff over the phone, dumdums! Unless it's from me

C
C
ctmom266
Fairfield, US
Nov 19, 2010 3:18 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have had the same problem. They say I signed up for their membership when I purchased something on "As seen on TV" website. I cancelled my order and was never charged for the product but was charged for a membership by Provell/Value Plus for a year. Provell has been very difficult to deal with and are quite smug. Warn everyone you know not us "As seen on TV"

J
J
John L. Cameron
Smith River, US
Nov 09, 2010 3:55 am EST

Got my credit card statement with a $29.00 charge on it never heard of co. Called phone # on statement asked woman who answered what co. name was & what they sold she stated they were a "Discount Club" I advised her I did not belong to and discount club so she canceled my membership when asked about refund she said a refund form would be sent, form came with letter stating I did not qualify for a refund, still waiting for refund. This Co. is an out & out rip off Co.

S
S
StephanieRenee
Vacaville, US
Aug 31, 2010 7:22 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I just placed a call to this company to see if i could resolve this "membership" issue. I spoke to a rep. who automatically knew who he was speaking to without me giving him any information whatsoever, not even my name. I told him I would like to cancel a membership, that I wasn't aware I had. He informed me that he had cancelled it in his computer, and then hung up on me! I immediately called back and spoke to a rep named April. She asked who she was speaking with, and then told me their computer system was down, so she could not pull up any account info and asked me to call back in 10 minutes. I called back 2 minutes later, and spoke to another lady, who informed me that I had signed up for something on June 9th (which I am SURE I did not.), and should have received my "membership package" in the mail, and been charged $19.95, 30 days from then. I told her that the first charge i received was on august 13th and was for $21.95, but reguardless of the date/price, I had not agreed to any membership from them, nor had i ever heard of their company! she asked what I would like to have done about this, and I told her I would like my money put back into my account! She said ok, and reversed the charges, which should show in my bank account in 3-5 days. We'll see. If not Provel will be getting a NASTY phone call from me. I was polite the first time, I definitely wont be if i have to call again.

S
S
StephanieRenee
Vacaville, US
Aug 31, 2010 6:54 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I just came across this post... I'm not sure if it will help anyone out, but i figure its worth a try. He says he might be able to help and wants to bring this company down! Sounds good to me! Maybe if he gets enough emails he can actually get them to someone who can do something about this scam! CHECK IT OUT! http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Misc/misc.consumers/2007-01/msg00487.html

S
S
StephanieRenee
Vacaville, US
Aug 31, 2010 6:27 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I just checked my bank statment, after trying to use my card and it being declined for lack of funds, because "WC Essentials for home" (aka, provel, vlaue plus... ect.) charged my bank account $21.95 twice. I have never heard of this company before this, nor did I sign up for any "discount coupons" or cards or anything like that. In fact, I have not purchased or signed up for anything online (including trials or what-have you) in well over 3 months. I now have to pay an overdraft fee of $28.00, PLUS I'm out the $43.90 that they charged my account. I understand this isn't a HUGE amount of money, but it is MY money that I worked for, and did not authorize to be taken out of my account. Not to mention the embarassment of having my card declined in public, and the other 3 payments that were supposed to go through, get rejected because of this. I have no idea how they got my information to begin with. I've never received a phone call asking me to sign up for anything, or receive anything by mail or e-mail, and I certainly did not voluntarily give them my information. I am so livid right now. I want my money back and I want them to pay the 28$ over draft fee! I don't know how they are getting away with this complete scam but i DO know that I hope something is done about it, ASAP! before they continue to steal people's money and personal information. Is this not HIGHLY illegal?

P
P
Paulette Hruska
,
Nov 08, 2008 2:12 pm EST

I just received my AMEX bill with a $19.95 charge from Value Plus Monthly. I never authorized anything on my credit card and don't have a clue as to how they got my information. I cannot reach Value Plus as today is Saturday and they supposedly are closed. Did contact AMEX.

M
M
Mel
,
Sep 08, 2008 4:05 am EDT

Provell Inc scam just got me. They charged my credit card $19.95 for FUNSOURCE MONTHLY & another $19.95 for VALUE PLUS MONTHLY at same date, transactions which I did not recognized. They become $39.90 richer again. Maybe they have not heard about the "GOLDEN RULE".

E
E
Elwee19
,
Aug 26, 2008 10:11 pm EDT

Heres what you do if you want to try this program. (you can only do this if you have onlinne access to your credit card) Go ahead and accept their offer and then start looking at your credit card charges everyday. Once the charge for the trial goes through, call your card company and tell them that you lost your credit card. They will issue you one with a new #. Then if the company tries to charge your card it will be the old # and the charge will not go through. But if you recieve the packets and they follow through with their end of the bargain and if it is something you would actually like to participate in, call them and give them the new #

This method puts ALL the power in your hands, which is where it belongs...

J
J
junk123
Mobile, US
Jul 31, 2008 1:26 pm EDT

you guys are just upset because you should have said "No" when you said "Yes". the trick is to know it's a scam from the get go. no upstanding company talks that fast on the phone and gets irritated when asked to repeat itself. it's just a lesson to be learned in not "being had". tips on this scheme: 1. they cannot take the money out of your bank account if you notify your bank that this organization is fraudulent and you did not authorize the transaction. 2. keep a reminder so you can cancel the whole thing by phone even if you don't receive the pamphlets in the mail. 3. Don't be haggled. that's the big one. you don't have to agree with anything! and if they want your business they will repeat and slow down their speech as often as you insist. Own your personal power guys!

D
D
default
,
Jul 01, 2008 5:14 pm EDT

My biggest question about this dirty corporation is: how did they get my personal information - including my debit card information? I agree with every complaint that has been posted on this site. I'm definitely looking into the privacy violation that has been perpetrated on me. When asked the question "how did you gain access to my payment information?", their casual answer was that they got the information from a merchant. I'm definitely looking into this matter because I believe that such sensitive information is meant only for the merchant you do business with rather than some third-party con-artists.

So BEWARE DOING BUSINESS WITH PROVELL/etc.

J
J
Jeffrey Belzer
,
May 22, 2008 11:27 am EDT

I am not certain that value plus is a scam or not, but I am sure that it is no good. The Promises and disclosures in the "script or pitch?" that they use are FALSE! They specifically say gas voucher, which suggests a type of coupon not a rebait that you have to mail in, to then receive, to then mail in, and then somewhere down the line get a reembersmant. Number 2, in all the seneriose I have read, we agreed for a 30 day trial period, to get the value pus card, to try it to see if we like it. The Problem is they don't send you the letter until more then 20 days. Not a true thirty day trial. Number 3, you don't even get the card, you have to sign up online to receive it and probably won't get it until after your fake thirty day trial is up! Then resulting in a faulty authorized charge of $19.99. That is so wrong!
They consumer at this point hasn't received anything of real value, discount card or gas voucher, and has been taken for $21.00 dollar sale. Its embarassing!
And, to think their sales and marketing teams are standing around crunching #s giving each other high fives, like the did some impressive job at work today. It makes me sick!
They didn't accomplish anything, but rip people off!
Sure They love themselves for there numbers but they don't deserve the CREDIT, because they won't hold themselves accountable for the complaints!
They aren't reachable and they continue to divide there business, amongst a cancel company a sales team, and a corporation. Non of which are accountable!

How the frick did they get my information!

THESE GUYS ARE ON THE SAME LEVEL AS IDENTITY THIEVES!

Provel, Damark, Value whoever you are or aren't I will lead the crusade against you By taking action
I will encourage every one who reads this not to do business with any Of the companies on your discount list. Olive garden, wendy's, HertZ all of them
I will blog and voice my opinion to every one of my cyber net works, Myspace, youtube, faceook.
Between all of the people on my lists its in the hundreds of thousands and all the people the know turns into million
PROTESTING THE COMPANIES THAT VALIDATE YOU AND YOU WILL HEAR FROM THEM.

UNETHICAL BUSINESS PRACTICE WILL ALWAYS HURT YOU IN THE END. PROVEL PREPARE FOR THE CYBER WAR!

IT IS A NEW ERA OF CONSUMERISM AND THE CONSUMERS OUT THERE WHO STAND TOGETHER AND TAKE ACTION LIKE I SUGGESTED WILL RUN YOU OUT!

O
O
Ora Pena
,
May 02, 2008 9:59 am EDT

VAlue Plus is the biggest scam I have ever seen! I agreed to the trial membership because the B!@#$ on the phone kept talking about who doesn't want $40 in gas vouchers. The third time they called, I agreed. I accepted on 4/8/08 and got my membership packet on 5/2/08. I couldn't believe it! To make it even better there were no gas vouchers! I tried to call the 1800 number and there has been no answer. How do you cancel this crap!?!? There is obviously no one there to answer the phone but you can bet your bottom dollar there will be someone there to charge my account on the 7th. What a bunch of con artists. Value plus emloyees: GET A REAL JOB!

P
P
Paige C.
,
Apr 02, 2008 2:28 pm EDT

This company is doing something so underhanded and misleading. They are very direct and quick to say that they can prove that it was your voice on the phone and your confirmation on file, but are very negligent in providing any sort of material (vouchers, coupons, etc) as promised. When questioned the Director of Consumer Affairs, Michael Murphy, indicated that he didn't care if I received the materials promised or not. He further inserted his foot into his mouth by saying they cannot be responsible for the USPS because he knows "for certain" that the materials were sent to my address... all of these frauds and scams are absoultely delporable and I intend to pursue a complaint with the bbb as well as with the attorney general's office. Until people learn to stand up for themselves and not to be bullied by these smug individuals/corporations they will persist!

K
K
kimmee
,
Jan 16, 2008 9:10 pm EST

The phone number is on your statement from your credit card company, right next to the charge and the name of the company.

J
J
James Street
,
Nov 27, 2007 9:27 am EST

Value plus has withdrawn $19.95 from my account unknown to me. When I try to contact them online I cannot contact them or get a phone number to call to cancell my membership to keep this from happening again.

James street

A
A
Average Joe
,
Sep 16, 2007 11:11 pm EDT

Nice try on the cover. This post above is most certainly an employee of Provell, Inc. (aka Value Plus, aka Home Plus), formerly known as DAMARK International. This is a very fraudulent service. Why do you think they keep changing their name so much and send out people like Kenneth to try and bury the truth. No information is sent for you to access this service and it's all just a big pile of dung anyways.

K
K
kenneth coffey III
,
May 11, 2007 1:43 pm EDT

If you listen to what the sales person is saying they tell you numerous times during the call that the gas vouchers are a gift as a preferred customer. And the valueplus is a 30 day trial membership for $1 and they also tell you that you will be charged $19.95 each month automatically if you don't call the 1800 number to cancel before the 1st 30 days have passed. You are trying the program out for 30 days for $1 you must call to cancel if you don't want it! Also the www.valueplusonline.com website is real and i just visited the website a few minuets ago just to be certain before sending this comment. You have to enter your customer id# that you received in the package to enter the website. Also www.valueplus.com/gcform is there as well check for yourself. You can download the form from there. So please people. Also with the gas vouchers you simply purchase your gasoline where ever you want and staple the receipt to the voucher and send it in for reimbursement. Very simple. I'm not trying to be rude but this is all true. Also i checked the better business bureau most of the complaints were resolved and satisfactory with the bbb. Most of the unresolved complaints were because the complainer didn't acknowledge or respond so they could be remedied. Goto www.bbb.com and look for yourself. It's under quality resources. Please don't make something look bad that really isn't. I know people that actually use the savings program and are happy with it.

L
L
Leslie Rochester
,
Mar 12, 2007 1:51 am EDT

I am ready to complain.