WW'g DVD Scam

[Gotcha6]

I remember hearing something years ago about the NC Attorney General saying that consumers were not liable for payment on unsolicited items deivered to them. One of the biggest scams I got into with this sort of thing was Handyman Clubs of America & their video & book series. They just kept on a' comin'. I sent them a letter to the above effect & they dropped me.

[junquecol]

Got mine today. If you really want to PO them, put a few bricks in a box, and send back using their envelope as mailing label. In order to keep their account with USPS, they have to pay for ALL mail, by the ounce. That is why they wanted DVD only, and not the case. My administrative fee is a little higher than BAS's. I charge a minimum of $50.

[DaveO]

Originally Posted by Gotcha6

One of the biggest scams I got into with this sort of thing was Handyman Clubs of America & their video & book series. They just kept on a' comin'.

So true, they are quite persistent

Dave

[tom hintz]

Originally Posted by AndyBarnhart

You have to be sure you didn't "ask" before just ignoring it. It could be fine print on a contest you entered or some other offer you did take advantage of.

This is exactly one of the big reasons I do not keep any information on or email addresses for the people who visit my site. I have had several offers from companies willing to pay large amounts of money for peoples information, especially if they could put a link on my site that "would indicate your viewers interest in our product". I also refuse general advertising from all but a very select few companies that I trust because of this very same thing.

[DIYGUY]

Instead of putting bricks in the mail with their return slip, I would put a nice cutoff from a recent project. Enclose it with a letter inviting them to join the "Cutoff of the Month Club." Explain in your letter that every month you will be sending them a superb cutoff (of your choosing) good for use with any number of projects (of their choosing). For the modest fee of only $19.95 per month, plus S&H they can be one of the chosen, select few to be the proud owner of one of your very best cutoffs.

[Bas]

Originally Posted by DIYGUY

join the "Cutoff of the Month Club."

[sediener]

Guess what I got yesterday when I went home? Can you guess where it went?

I do like the bricks in a box idea... I have a John Deere spreader box still in my garage and a few leftover bags of mortar are in the vacant lot a few over...

I wonder how many people are guilted into pay for this?

- Steve

[rcorne01]

Originally Posted by sediener

I wonder how many people are guilted into pay for this?
- Steve

The kicker is - let your product stand (or fall) on its own merit. The guilt trip approach is unnecessary and just irritates people. This thread is a perfect example. I think ONE person said the video was pretty good. However, the impression left with the vast majority of us is one of irritation at the marketing approach and the wasting of our time. Now to steal Tom Peter's thought -Isn't that an interesting form of "branding" your product?

[TracyP]

Got mine today, I did not solicit it, I am not paying for it, and I ain't paying to send it back to them. I hope it did not cost them too much. If I choose to watch it, that is their loss, and all I lose is time. But I do agree that there will be people that are guilted, shamed, or whatever you call it; into paying for it Marketing takes many different avenues.

[Gofor]

One of the fellows on another forum thought the DVD was good enough that he wanted to order some others, provided the S&H wasn't too steep. The company replied telling him the $12.95 was an "Introductory price". The others will cost $21.95 + $5.49 S&H. IMHO, you can add "Bait & Switch" to the promotion technique.

Go

[Gofor]

I feel as I need to make a bit of retraction here to my previous post. The paper work does say it is a special price and the rest will be at regular price (altho the amount is not stated).

After watching the DVD, I thought it was well presented, had a lot of useful info, and a lot of good tips to make the job easier. It also presented alternate ways of doing things. I guess a 3 hour video covering building a cabinet should (and does) present a lot more detail than a 1/2 hr show (20+ minutes of actual video), and as such would cost more than a copy of the 1/2 hour show.

Can anyone who has purchased one of the NYW shows and has also received the WWGOA DVD promo make a comparison of bang for buck??

Go

[cliff56]

i too got this free book didnt send it back either , few weeks later got a letter saying could return it or keep it if that was too much trouble . hope that didnt open the floodgate for more unsolicited material .

[Badabing]

Got my DVD in the mail this week. However, I was expecting it after reading this post! I haven't watched the video yet, but I gotta say, I really don't mind that they sent it. I read the letter that came in the package and it clearly states the following:

"If you decide to return this DVD, you can do so (at our expense) using the attached DVD return envelope (see return instructions). There is no cost to you and no questions asked. Because you didn't ask for this special DVD, you're under no obligation to do anything and could consider it a free gift, but returning it will give another craftsman the same opportunity to increase their success in the shop!"

They're just trying to stir up business and this is really not that bad of an offer. I won't be taking them up on it, and I won't even waste my time sending it back, but it seems like a decent enough deal. As long as you read the information and know what to expect, it's pretty much up front. At least it isn't like all the other unsolicited junk mail I get that just adds to the landfill and doesn't include anything useful at all!

[merrill77]

Originally Posted by MikeH

Maybe Doug can pipe in on this. I would think if you didn't ask for it and they keep sending DVD's then in my opinion they are gifts!

I ran across some definitive information on this. There is are similar scams targeting office supplies for businesses - typically printer cartridges. A recent article is here.

It references the FTC Talking Points and Tips on Office Supply Scams which, among other things, specifically states:

• If you receive supplies or bills for services you didn’t order, don’t pay, and don’t return the unordered merchandise.
• Treat any unordered merchandise you receive as a gift.
• It’s illegal for a seller to send you bills or dunning notices for merchandise you didn’t order or ask you to send back the merchandise, even if the seller offers to pay the shipping costs.

I'm not a lawyer, but I think the appearance of this information on the FTC website is pretty definitive.

Hope this helps,
Chris