If you follow my other blog
From the Back of the Church,
then you know that I've taken on a project to help support the
Christians in Iraq that are being persecuted by the Islamic state in
Mozul. To get to the point, I wanted to sell customized wristbands in order to raise money, increase
awareness, and promote prayer for these suffering people. Well, just
getting a company to mass produce the wrist bands has been a eye gouging
experience. Here's a review of my experience with Imprint.com, also
known as 24HourWristbands.com, and it isn't positive!
When
I found this company on August 13, 2014, the website looked appealing
and was easy to use. There were even pictures of the "state of the art"
facility which looked pretty legitimate. I was also happy with price
the site quoted me for my order of 200 wrist bands; it was the best
price I had seen. I was really looking forward to having a good
experience. Unfortunately, the price and the look of the website are the only
positive things I can say.
While on the website I was concerned
because what I had typed up on the website didn't exactly translate to
the picture it produced. I was worried that the Arabic "N" wouldn't
come out right. So I called to express my concern to someone named
Alexus who ended up being the worst representation of the company.
She didn't readily give her name. At one point she accidentally hung
up on me and I had to call back. She didn't seem to know what she was doing with my order- she kept
giving me a price that was different than what was given to be on the
website and couldn't explain why. When I told her my concerns about my
design, she requested that I e-mail to her the proof that I had already had designed. She looked at it
and said to me several times that the wristband I was ordering "should look like this." I
specifically asked her, "It should, or it
will?" She kept
saying "it should" and couldn't say "it will" which bothered me. Because I was getting
no where with her, I asked to speak with a supervisor. Instead of
transferring me or having someone call me, she said: "Well can you call
this number?" (I should have known this was the first sign of trouble.)
So
I called the number. I spoke with a guy who's name I can't remember. He
sounded more reassuring. He told me that he would take the proof I had
and send it over to the art department so that they knew exactly what I
wanted. He told me what I would receive would be exactly as I
specified. I also told him what I thought about Alexus, specifically
discussing what I wrote above.
I also discussed with
him another concern that I had. When I clicked the "Submit Order"
button on the website, the price was $68.90 (I even printed a screen
shot). However the e-mail confirmation I received said my order total
was $94.92. Upon a closer look, $15 handling fee was ordered since I
received 100 free wrist bands, then $11.02 was added for "Estimated
Tax/Custom/Handling/Insurance." Interestingly enough, none of this was
on my order on the website. There was even a warning pop up that said
once I placed the order it couldn't be changed. Well, they changed it
alright. When I pointed it out to him, the only thing he said was he
would let the website people know. At the time, I wasn't too worried- I
had enough documentation to contest the charge with my credit card
company, and $94.92 was still a decent price for what I wanted.
I
received regular e-mail updates regarding my order- where it was in the
manufacturing and shipping process. The e-mails also contained
reassuring statements about their products such as being BPA free and
there would be no lead. (The company makes other products besides
silicone wrist bands.) I guess this is one more positive thing I can
say.
On August 18, 2014, just 3 business days after I
placed the order, the package arrived. Quickly, my excitement quickly changed to
frustration and anger. Other than being black, the wristbands didn't
look like the proof at all! The print is more urine yellow than golden
yellow and is hard to read. The words are spelled correctly, but not
spaced around the band like they are in the proof. The Arabic "N" looks
like it's falling off the wristband.
Want to see the
pictures? Here's proof I submitted. Notice how the print was intended
to go all the way around the surface of the wristband:
And instead of getting what I ordered, I received 200 pieces of this junk. I cut a band so you can see it rolled out:
Here's
a close up of the band. Notice how the print isn't spread out over the
entire surface of the wrist band like it's supposed to. You'll also notice the Arabic
N which isn't in line with the rest of the printing:
So
I called the company immediately. Wouldn't you know it- it's Alexus
again! She didn't say who she was, but I knew the voice. I didn't say
who I was, just that I what I received wasn't what I ordered. She said
she would send me an e-mail with instructions.
The
e-mail was basically a link with a ticket # and there you can leave a
message with your concern and then someone responds underneath it.
Here's a copy/paste of what I wrote:
The wrist bands I received look NOTHING like the proof I sent in. I
have attached the proof AGAIN and then pictures of what I received. All
the print is on one side, not spaced out around the entire circle of
the wrist band. Also, the color of the print is URINE YELLOW, not the
gold yellow I received.
It is very obvious that no one looked at the product and compared it to
the order for quality.
Someone from the company named Brandi replied with the following:
This order is not defective and was made correct according to the
invoice at this time we can offer you a 15% discount.
This response didn't sit well with me, so I wrote back:
NO. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. THIS IS NOT WHAT I ORDERED.
When I submitted the order, I specifically said I wanted the wrist band
to look exactly like the proof I submitted. I was told the proof would
be forwarded to the art department and they would produce the wrist band
as I expected.
Now you send me junk and say it was according to the invoice. I am
filing a complaint with my credit card company. I will also be writing a
review about my experience with your company on my website and I will
post it on every website I can find.
All I'm asking is that you do what you said you would do- nothing more.
With disappointment, I got the same reply from Brandi:
This order is not defective and was made correct according to the
invoice at this time we can offer you a 15% discount.
Since I was getting know where, this article which you're reading was born:
Well, I'm working on
your NEGATIVE review write now. Unless you correct this issue
appropriately, it's going all over the internet with pictures of your
product to show everyone what a fraud this company is.
So there you have it. Instead of
rectifying the situation, I get the runaround and a refusal to make
things right. If I were the owner of Imprint.com, I would be
embarrassed about what my company is up to. Sadly, they already
have my money, so they probably just don't care.
Do I
need to give my recommendation for doing business with this company?
I paid almost $100 for runaround and hassle, all the way from the price to the "finished product." Thanks for nothing, Imprint.com aka 24HourWristbands.com.
Anyone know a reputable company that makes wrist bands? Comments/feedback appreciated!
I think I'm getting ripped off by a guy who sells on eBay. I'm writing up the article now. I've even told him that I'm going to do it unless I hear from him today.
