Please be aware of this store sa PARKMALL

[chabby_whamby]

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TipidPC.com | Home Sonic Appliance Center - Scam or Not?

ARYSTA MARKETING ang name sa store naa sa parkmall and emall...

mao ni ang sa link above that i want u all to read... This is wat happen also to me with this store here in cebu

my friend just got scammed by this, kindly read below. Please decimate this so everyone can be aware and hopefully authorities can look into this.

Written by Paul:

I'm not very diligent when it comes to writing email but I feel that I should share what my wife Mia and I have experienced. By sharing our story with you, I hope to take a step towards ensuring that what happened to us will not happen to you or to others.

In a nutshell, we've recently been victims of a sales scam.

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Part I: The Call

It all started last Saturday, August 9. We were relaxing at home watching television when the phone rang. When I answered the phone, a customer service lady informed us that they were a home appliance import corporation and that they got our number from the warranty cards with their tie-ups. The lady told us that our number was one of those randomly selected and being selected entitled us to receive a free gift. She then assured us that we should not shell out any money and that we should just drop by their store, Home Sonic, basement 1, Robinson's Galleria, to pick up our free gift. She then gave us a control number that we could use to claim our prize no later than Monday, August 11.

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Part II: The Day of the Sale

We were a bit suspicious about the situation but because we were given assurance about having no financial obligation, we decided to drop by their shop after work last Monday, August 11. Their shop looked like a small home appliance showroom and all the employees were in formal business attire. Mia noticed that the men in suits and the women in office wear had the look of Family First salespeople and in retrospect, this proved to be an early warning sign.

We gave them the control number we received 2 days ago and our prize turned out to be a battery-operated door alarm. Everything would have been fine if it all ended there. After all, we planned to drop by their shop for a only few minutes to claim our prize and after that, we intended to have dinner, maybe shop a little and then go home. While we believed our business at their showroom was finished, they were just beginning to do their work.

They told us that we could possibly win more prizes if we were using any of their tie-ups. They then asked us if we were subscribing to PLDT, BayanTel, Globe or Smart. When we said yes, they informed us that we got 1 point. We got a second point for subscribing to SkyCable and a third for having credit cards. With our 3 points, we were entitled to a chance to win an extra prize. So, they asked us to pick one sealed envelope from a bunch that they fanned out to us. I picked one at random and when they opened it, a gift certificate worth 2000 pesos was revealed. That was when all the hooplah began.

All of a sudden, all the Home Sonic employees in that branch were screaming, clapping, cheering or shaking our hands. They were congratulating us because we supposedly won the jackpot prize. Naturally, we were wondering how a 2000-peso gift certificate could be considered a grand prize so they directed our attention to the text at the back of the certificate. From what I remember, the back of the gift certificate had the following details.

* This gift certificate may be used to purchase any of the participating products of Home Sonic
* This gift certificate is not convertible to cash
* After use, the purchaser is entitled to the following free samples
- InexHealth Kiyoshi Massage Chair
- InexBeauty Facial Massager
* This gift certificate is valid on this day only

They then proceeded to inform us that we hit the jackpot because the massage chair was worth P81,900 while the facial massager was worth more than P11,000. They made an effort to make us feel like lucky winners by telling us that in their 33 branches, no one had previously gotten the jackpot gift certificate. One of them went to the back part of the shop to receive confirmation from their sponsors and after a short while, emerged screaming lines like "It's confirmed! You're the first jackpot winner of our 33 branches." More hooplah ensued.

Next came the phone call from the sponsor. They handed me their phone and a lady on the other end asked me several questions. Were the envelopes all sealed when presented to us? Was I the one who performed the random pick? To these 2 questions, I answered yes. More questions followed. Do we know any of the present Home Sonic employees? Are we related to any of their employees? To both these questions, I answered no. After answering those questions, the sponsor then congratulated us.

Admittedly, all the hooplah was confusing us. There were many Home Sonic employees surrounding us and they were all cheering, clapping, screaming, acting excited and congratulating us. When Mia and I eventually got down to reading the stipulations of the gift certificate in detail, we realized what we had been suspecting all along. They weren't going to give away all that stuff for nothing. We had to use the gift certificate in buying one of their participating products.

So, we inquired about the participaring products. They showed us a price list that had the following items.

- Inextron ionizing air purifier (P48,900)
- Inex water purifier (P48,900)
- Inex home theater system (P50,900)
- Inextron induction cooker (P53,900)
- InexHealth massage chair (P81,900)
- one or more other items I can't recall (nothing less than P48,900)

To get the 2 free sample items, we had to shell out at least P46,900 (which is P48,900 minus the P2,000 gift certificate). That was the catch. We weren't up-to-date with the prices of such appliances so we couldn't really tell if any item was overpriced. What made things more difficult for us was the fact that they claimed that most of the items were imported from Osaka, Japan. And being aware that Japan-made items have the tendency to be on the expensive-side contributed to our difficulty in discerning whether or not product pricing was okay.

We were hesitating in making a purchase and they could probably tell because later on, they said that they'll have to check if we were qualified for any bonus prizes because I was using mastercard. So, they sent someone to the back part of the shop again and not long after, that person came back bringing a set of stainless steel flatware supposedly worth more than P15,000. They said that the flatware set was our bonus freebie for using mastercard.

In an effort to further bring down our guards, they gave us an explanation behind their giveaway strategies. They said that in the past, they relied on TV ads. They spent money on home TV shopping but that didn't net them much sales. So, they shifted to customer-based endorsement. They would select customers who would endorse their products by means of testimonials and in return for the testimonials and other endorsement efforts, they would reward their customer endorsers with free samples of their products. They told us that because we got the jackpot, we would become one of their customer endorsers. They informed us that after 2 months of using one of their products, they would contact us to get our feedback regarding their product and they would print our feedback in an upcoming issue of Malaysian Women's Weekly Magazine. They also told us that we would become VIP customers and they would invite us to their company parties and other events. I can't
remember the other stuff they said but I recall that they really put a lot of effort in softening us up.

They even made small talk during the process. They asked where we worked, what we did for a living, and where we got our education. They would give flattering comments like maybe we were scholars and we were very smart, we looked very young for our ages, etc. They were working to disarm us.

The combination of hunger (because we hadn't had our dinner yet), hooplah, freebie offers and all that talk of endorsing affected us. At the very least, those factors kept us interested and we ended up inquiring more about their products. They showed us the induction cooker, the air purifier and a bit of the water purifier. Each time, they would say stuff like "It's very saleable" or "It can be used for business".

To be truthful, we didn't have a need for any of the items they were selling but the thought of getting freebies amounting to around 3 times the value of an item we would purchase had an enticing effect on us. We diverted our attention to items we could consider buying in the wants category and the item we zeroed in on was the air purifier.

The situation was this. We didn't have any air conditioning in our condo unit and we relied on electric fans for cooling the place. They claimed that their air purifier was a very good product from Osaka, Japan because it was an ionizer that killed airborne bacteria, a filter that reduced the dust in the air, an aromatherapy device, and an air cooler that could substitute for an air conditioner. We told them about not having aircon and they said that their Inextron air purifier could address our cooling problems. According to them, to get better cooling, all we had to do was take the freezing tube from the back of the unit, place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours, and afterwards reconnect the freezing tube to the unit to get several hours of cool air. They also said that their unit operated at a mere 80 watts so it was a real energy saver compared to an air conditioner.

We also mentioned to them that we couldn't transport all the big boxes because we only brought along a sedan. To our concern, they responded by saying that the stuff would fit into a small car. They even went as far as claiming that the boxes would fit in a Volkswagen beatle and 2 people would still be able to sit in front. All to make a sale, I suppose.

The whole time, we were hesitant about buying because their products came across as expensive. We actually asked them if we could step out and talk about it for a while but they said that they were already closing so there wasn't time. They clearly wanted us to make a decision right then and there.

In the end, we decided to go ahead and get the cooling air purifier because it would be able to address our condo cooling needs. I used my credit card and settled the P46,900 amount using 0% interest 6-month installment plan.

We hadn't even left the mall parking lot when we learned that they lied to us about transportations issues. The massage chair couldn't fit in the car. Even when taken out of its box, it couldn't fit in the trunk and it couldn't even pass through any car door. Either they lied to us or their notion of fitting in the car meant popping the trunk, leaving it open, and just tying down the package so it doesn't fall off in transit. We had a hard time securing the packages for transport and we had quite a difficult time bringing the packages up to our 4th floor condo unit.

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Part III: The First Night of Actual Product Use

We were raring to try out our new purchases so among the first things we did upon coming home were to unpack the air purifier and to place its freezing tube in the freezer. We then had dinner and relaxed while watching television.

We decided to turn in for the night close to midnight. By then, the freezing tube had enjoyed nearly 3 hours of time in the freezer. It should be fine because after all, it was as the merchant instructed. So, we took the freezing tube out of the freezer, popped it back in the cooling air purifier and started the device.

Even at the highest setting, its fan was weak. It also wasn't spewing out cool air. At that point, we were really starting to doubt the product. But we decided to give it a try anyway thinking that maybe the cooling part would come a little later. Using only the cooling air purifier to cool our small bedroom, we decided to go to sleep.

Around 3am, we were awoken by the heat. We were both sweating even though the cooling air purifier was running. Clearly, it wasn't doing a good job cooling our small bedroom. To test our suspicions, we turned off the cooling air purifier and turned on our electric fan instead. The breeze we felt from the electric fan was way cooler than the output of the cooling air purifier. It turned out that the supposed energy-saving wonder device that could act as a good aircon substitute wasn't even as good as an electric fan when it came to cooling. Adding the fact that we even placed one of its components in the freezer for around 3 hours and it still couldn't cool further proved that what we bought was probably a lemon.

We found it difficult to go back to sleep after that realization. So, we made a joint decision to surf the net a bit to find out some information about the product and the company that sold it to us. What we found out was good enough to weaken us at the knees.

About the product brand Inextron, we found telltale signs that made us doubt its legitimacy. First of all, Google search yielded no product brand websites in the first several result pages. Also, the many result pages that were returned by Google search indicated that there were no known local or international distributors carrying that brand. Nearly all the hits we got had a common theme. People were trying to sell their units. We saw a few eBay postings and none of the Inextron cooling air purifiers put up for auction got any bids. Those posted in websites with the names "sulit" or "tipid" didn't fare well either. All postings we saw got 0 offers. Many were trying to sell, no one wanted to buy and all those who wanted to sell had Philippine addresses.

What we found out about Home Sonic was even worse. Many search results yielded forum pages having titles like "Home Sonic: Scam or Not?" When we read what people had to say, we found out more truths behind the lies we heard from the Home Sonic salespeople. When they told us that among their 33 branches nationwide, the 2000-peso jackpot gift certificate had never before been won and that we were the first to get it, they were lying. A person who posted last May went through the same thing. There was even a posting made more than a year ago and in that forum posting, the person described the same jackpot scenario. We read postings from a few forum sites and nearly everyone believed that Home Sonic's tactic was either an outright scam or an elaborate and likely unethical sales stunt. A majority of respondents also believed that Home Sonic's products were grossly overpriced.

After trying out the cooling air purifier and confirming that it didn't cool, we knew that it was no good. And after finding out about Inextron and Home Sonic, we knew exactly what we had to do. Never mind all the freebies. We didn't need them anyway. We had to return all the items and get a complete refund. After all, the very item we paid for didn't even come close to working according to the merchant's claims.

We didn't get much sleep but we were already awake so we used our energies to repack the items and prepare them for complete product return.

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continuation sa ubos

[missy21]

nganu diay sis? naunsa diay ka ani nila?
la pako adto parkmall kay perti ka tuyu-onon..
hehehe..
chika sad aron naa mi heads up ani nga store..

[chabby_whamby]

Part IV: The Day After

The next day, August 12, was a work day. We really needed to get the product return over with in the soonest possible opportunity so we each obtained a half day leave from work to attend to the urgent matter. Our managers supported our decision so we had the morning to settle the product return with the merchant.

Knowing that we had a very hard time transporting the large items the night before, we decided to get some needed help. We called up Dad and told him about our transportation situation. His much bigger vehicle would be really helpful in transporting the packages securely so we decided to ask for his help. Dad agreed to help us transport the packages and he even helped me carry some of the heavy stuff. His being there for us was truly a blessing because not only did he help us transport the items, he also helped us transact with the merchant regarding the product return.

We were confident about returning the items. We got the items close to the mall's closing time and we were returning them at the mall's opening time the next day. In effect, we were in possession of the items for a lot less than 24 hours. Plus, we had valid grounds for returning the items and we even repacked them to the best of our abilities. We believed that there was no reason we wouldn't be able to get our money back.

The kind of treatment we got from Home Sonic was the opposite of what we got the evening before. When Dad told them that we came to return the products, they refused to receive the products. They said that we had to file a complaint form and wait 2-3 days while their customer service department processes our complaint. When asked why that was the case, they merely explained that that was their standard procedure. They even said something equivalent to leaving the items at home and waiting 2-3 days for processing and eventual pick-up by Home Sonic personnel. Dad asked them if they could accommodate us because we already brought all the items with us and because we were the customers. They insisted on following the procedure so at that point, Dad became angry.

What followed was a heated exchange of words between Dad and the store manager. Dad told them that we had every right to return products we were not satisfied with. He also told them that it was against the law to refuse product return especially in our circumstance where we only had the items overnight. He then told them that we didn't want any delayed product return procedure because they might just choose to delay the procedure to a point where we wouldn't be able to return the items due to grace period expiration. Dad, in angry tones, told them about our rights as customers and about what they're doing wrong in their operations. The store manager, on the other end, refused to be outdone. He also spoke to Dad in angry tones. In his defense, he merely claimed that they were doing nothing wrong and they were just following procedure. He showed utter disrespect for Dad, an accomplished and well-respected senior citizen, by going as far as saying words
like "I refuse to talk to you" and "I will talk to the buyers and not to you because you didn't buy the items".

The manager also made an attempt to make us reconsider our decision of returning the items. He implied that we probably didn't use the product properly and that was the reason we didn't get the desired cooling effects. He went as far as asking us if we left the freezing tube in the freezer until its contents froze solid. In response to his line of questioning, we asked how long it would take to completely freeze the contents of the freezing tube. His reply was not a number of hours but something in the line of "for as long as it took". We then asked how much cooling time we would get out of doing that freezing procedure and he replied 12 hours. At any rate, we didn't let him convince us because having made 2 conflicting statements about the freezing tube, he was obviously lying in 1 or both of those statements. He probably lied to make the sale so we believed that he was lying again to keep the sale.

To defuse the situation, Mia stepped in and resumed transactions. In a much calmer fashion, she delivered essentially the same message. She told them that the product we purchased didn't function as claimed and that we were totally dissatisfied with it. She also made it clear that we weren't interested in product replacement or in swapping with a different product of comparable value. She gave them the definitive stand that we just want to return all the items and we just want our money back.

A compromise was reached after some talks. They agreed to receive the items we were returning. However, they refused to reverse the charges. They said that their customer service department will do the processing. We filled out their complaint form and clearly stated our desire for a refund. We returned all the items and they gave us an acknowledgement form stating that they got all the items back. Perhaps that was the best we could do given the time we had. After all, we still had work in the afternoon and we didn't have the luxury of time or energy to reason with people who keep insisting that returning the customer's money was a decision only the top managers in their organization were authorized to make. What made the situation even more ironic was the fact that on the receipt they issued us when we made the purchase, they stamped "7-day money back guarantee".

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Part V: Getting the Refund

After work that day, we decided to call their customer service department to inquire about our refund. We expected it to be accomplished because credit reversal could be done in a matter of minutes. They had the whole working day to process it so it should be done already. To our dismay, it wasn't processed and the customer service representative gave lousy excuses to the tune of their managers being in meetings all day and the like. That excuse angered us and they avoided the issue by refusing to answer our follow-up calls.

We then turned to the credit card company. We called the hotline and informed the representative of our situation with the erring merchant. She told us that the credit card company was only a payment platform that had no power to block such credit card charging. She told us that our first option was to settle it with the merchant. If the merchant were to refuse, we should try to transact with the higher entities in the merchant's organization. If even that were to fail, we should then report to the higher authority: the Department of Trade and Industry. We couldn't get the merchant to perform the reversal so at that point we were trying to get the merchant's management to give us good results.

The next day, August 13, we placed ourselves in a ready state in case the Home Sonic customer service department contacted us regarding our product return case. We decided to follow up our case after work when they didn't call during office hours. From what we experienced so far, everytime we transacted with them, they surprised us. This was no different.

Their management decision was this. They had no problem with us returning their product and getting a refund as long as we pay them 10% of the transaction value. We considered P4,690, which is 10% of P46,900, a considerable amount of money. Naturally, we asked them why they were charging us that much money. They said that the 10% was due to administrative charges. When asked to explain, they said that the administrative charges included the cost of the receipt, the use of the credit card terminal and the manpower. We reminded them that we returned all the items and that we got nothing out of the product sale transaction so we shouldn't be obliged to pay anything and should be entitled to a full refund. We also informed them that the things they were charging us for were part of their operation cost and that we shouldn't be shouldering their expenses. They refused to waive the 10% and their refusal angered us once more. Again, they avoided the issue by
refusing to answer our follow-up calls. Option 2 seemed to be a losing cause.

As a result of all the events that transpired and all the actions of Home Sonic management and its employees, we were prompted to study a bit of law. Never before did we take such an interest in the Consumer Act of the Philippines. Scanning through the Consumer Act's articles, we found rather quickly many violations committed by Home Sonic. Among the violations we found are the following.

- Unconscionable acts: transactions grossly inimicable to consumer or grossly in favor of merchant (making us pay P4,690 for nothing)
- Refusal to carry out warranty (refusing to honor product return)
- False product claims (marketing a cooling air purifier that doesn't cool)
- Possible product labeling violations (they claim products are from Osaka, Japan but no corresponding "made in" label could be found anywhere on the product or its packaging)

Knowing that they were in violation of laws clearly stated in the Consumer Act of the Philippines, we knew that we were right in demanding our money back. They were taking advantage of consumers like us and our earlier web search indicated that we weren't the first ones taken advantage of. Given that Home Sonic is still operating with 33 branches around the country, we probably wouldn't be the last consumers taken advantage of.

With the law on our side, we called up the Department of Trade and Industry the next day, August 14, for a consult regarding our situation. The representative we talked to informed us that such 10% payment demand for no product was in violation of the Consumer Act. We could file a complaint or we could settle. It would be our choice. If we were to file a complaint, DTI would take care of investigations and any legal actions. They could fine Home Sonic or even close it down if Home Sonic were to be proven guilty. And we would get our money back. On our part, we might have to participate in mediations, hearings and other parts of the process. DTI didn't guarantee victory. In fact, DTI gave warning of a possibly long process due to the number of cases they're currently handling and due to their limited resources. If, on the other hand, we were to choose to pay Home Sonic, such an act would be considered an amicable settlement and we would effectively give
up our right to complain against them. But we would get 90% of our money back and the process would be short.

We gave the Home Sonic customer service hotline one more call to give them a chance to do the right thing. Due to the nature of our complaint, we got to talk to their customer service manager. As a result of our complaining, they brought down their charge to 5% but they refused to give complete refund or go lower than that. We refused to settle at P2,345 because that was still a lot of money to pay for nothing. So, we informed them of our option to report them to DTI. They said they weren't afraid and were in fact used to such situations. They even went as far as claiming that they believed they were right, that they stood by their decision and that they could sleep well at night. We asked them to give us a full refund and all of the trouble would be over. They refused. We asked them if they were willing to risk their company just to hold on to a mere P2,345. They said that they were willing to face us in court. All their actions just further convinced
us that their operation was more of a scam than a business.

This part is not yet finished. At this time, we haven't made a final decision on whether to pursue the complaint and go to battle or to settle and cut our losses. We're still studying our options and weighing the pros against the cons of each choice. We could choose one or the other. Maybe there's even a third or a fourth choice we'll discover along the way. Whatever we eventually decide on, we'll decide in a matter unlike the way we decided when we made the purchase. We won't rush into making a decision.

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After all that's happened, what I can advise you is this. Please be vigilant. Protect yourself against con artists and scam operators who would like nothing more than to part you from your hard earned money. Being informed helps. That's why I'm sharing our experience with you. Complacency may hurt you in the future because con artists and scam operators evolve over time and come up with new ways to trick people. If you continue to better yourself and develop your street smarts along with your other skills, those thieves will more than likely fail to pull one over you.

[Junmatt_ph]

DTI Shuts Down Homesonic Appliance Center


The Department of Trade and Industry ? National Capital Region (DTI-NCR) ordered the temporary closure of Homesonic Appliance Center located in a shopping mall in Mandaluyong City. This is due to the continued influx of complaints against the firm and the sales personnel who allegedly employ deceptive, unfair and unconscionable sales practices.

Starting January 2007, approximately 40 complaints against this company were filed at the Legal Affairs Center (LAC) of DTI-NCR. The usual strategy used by this firm?s sales staff is telemarketing or approaching customers at the mall to unduly influence them to make a purchase usually through their credit card. These personnel also declare to customers that they won a gift and in order to claim a higher prize, they need to make a purchase.

Assistant Secretary Angel L. Pelayo of DTI-NCR said that the parties involved in these deceptive sales acts leave out material facts which if known to the buyers, they may not have entered the sale: ?Clearly, there is misrepresentation. Unsuspecting consumers pay exorbitant prices for certain products that they do not really intend to buy.?

The Consumer Act of the Philippines (R.A. 7394) Title III Chapter I Article 50 provides for the regulation of sales acts and practices and prohibition against deceptive sales acts or practices. ?An act or practice shall be deemed deceptive whenever the producer, manufacturer, supplier or seller, through concealment, false representation of fraudulent manipulation, induces a customer to enter into a sale or lease transaction of any consumer product or service.?

Homesonic is alleged to have also violated Article 52 of Title III Chapter I because of their unfair or unconscionable sales act. Due to lack of relevant information and lack of time to decide, consumers are induced to make a purchase by the sellers.

Upon examination of the complaints and the attached pieces of evidence in DTI?s record, it has been found that this firm has continued its operations, despite repeated complaints against them. ?We want to see to it that the culprits take on the consequences of their acts. The consumers are our priority. We hope that the public will be more vigilant. If it?s too good to be true and when in doubt, you can call DTI for information,? Pelayo stressed. Upon examination of the complaints and the attached pieces of evidence in DTI?s record, it has been found that this firm has continued its operations, despite repeated complaints against them. ?We want to see to it that the culprits take on the consequences of their acts. The consumers are our priority. We hope that the public will be more vigilant. If it?s too good to be true and when in doubt, you can call DTI for information,? Pelayo stressed.

By virtue of DTI Department Administrative Order (DAO) No. 7, Series of 2006 and Article 159, Chapter III, Title V of the Consumer Act of the Philippines (Investigation of Consumer Complaints), the said establishment was ordered temporarily closed and padlocked. This is to prevent the disposition and tampering of evidence and/or the continuance of the acts complained of.

The public can call DTI Direct at 751-3330 for information regarding deceptive sales acts and practices.

[chabby_whamby]

nganu diay sis? naunsa diay ka ani nila?
la pako adto parkmall kay perti ka tuyu-onon..
hehehe..
chika sad aron naa mi heads up ani nga store..

basta sis basaha lang sa para maka understand ka... kay mas well explained ang naa sa link especially naay story sa page 2...

[chabby_whamby]

@ Junmath_ph: thankx sa pag post...

[knockout]

puedi pangayo sa link balik?

[chabby_whamby]

puedi pangayo sa link balik?

TipidPC.com | Home Sonic Appliance Center - Scam or Not?

[minimaus]

same rana company sa AOWA sis noh?

[Junmatt_ph]

@ Junmath_ph: thankx sa pag post...

no probs, kapit sa patalim na company