Consumers Complain Buy Fitness DVD Shows No Results
Disputes Regarding Undelivered Purchases and Refunds Filed with BBB
Austin, TX – A common resolution to kick off the New Year is to exercise more or lose weight. But for consumers choosing to skip the gym and work out at home with fitness DVDs, one Cedar Park, Texas-based company, Buy Fitness DVD, is preventing them from starting their goal.
The pattern of complaints received by BBB alleges that consumers ordered products from Buy Fitness DVD’s Web site and did not receive the items within the expected timeframe. Consumers usually request refunds for the undelivered product, but further allege the company does not return e-mails or phone calls in a timely manner. Consumer complaints reference products ordered from buyfitnessdvd.com and other Web sites owned by the company called buyhairflatirons.com and buylearningdvds.com.
Buy Fitness DVD currently has a BBB rating of F. In the past nine months, 32 disputes have been filed against the company, 22 of which never received a response. On October 28, 2009, BBB contacted Buy Fitness DVD regarding their pattern of disputes, but has not received a response. Click here to view the company’s current BBB Reliability Report™.
Anne Abston of Mount Pleasant, Texas ordered a P90X workout DVD boxed set from Buy Fitness DVD for $58.90 on September 25, 2009. After waiting nearly a month without receiving her DVDs, Abston received her credit card bill with the charge for her P90X boxed set.
“I called the phone number on the bill that was listed along with the charge,” said Abston. “I received a recorded message that the mailbox was full.”
Abston later bought her DVDs from another company, but has yet to receive a refund from Buy Fitness DVD. Her experience with the company is similar to that of Amy Reason of Greenfield, Indiana who ordered her fitness DVD set on November 9, 2009 as a Christmas present. Her debit card was charged $58.90 on November 12th, and a week later, she received an e-mail confirming her shipment.
“The product hadn’t arrived by November 30th, so I sent an e-mail checking on [my] status, with no reply,” said Reason. “I sent two or three more e-mails after that. As of today (December 15th), no money has been refunded to my account and my order has not been reshipped.”
Reason continues to wait for her refund from Buy Fitness DVD. For consumers shopping online, BBB offers the following tips:
Look for the BBB seal. A company with the BBBOnline seal meets strict online BBB Standards of Trust. Click to confirm the seal is valid and to view the company’s BBB Reliability Report.
Protect your personal information. Take the time to read a Web site’s privacy policy and understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used. If there isn’t one posted, it may be a red flag that personal information could be sold to others without permission.
Confirm your purchase is secure. Check the web address for the “s” in “https://” and in the lower-right corner for the “lock” symbol before paying. If there are any doubts about a site, BBB recommends right-clicking anywhere on the page and selecting “Properties.” This will display the real URL (Web site address) and the dialog box will reveal if the site is not encrypted.
Pay with a credit card. Under federal law, a consumer can dispute a charge with their credit card provider if he or she does not receive the item and paid $50 or more for it. Consumers also have dispute rights if there are unauthorized charges on their credit card and many card issuers have “zero liability” policies under which the card holder pays nothing if someone steals the credit card number and uses it.
Keep all documentation. After completing the online order process, there may be a final confirmation page or you may receive confirmation by e-mail. BBB recommends saving a copy of the Web page and any e-mails for future reference as a record of the purchase.
Don’t wait for paper statements. BBB recommends checking credit card statements for suspicious activity by either calling the credit card company or by checking statements online regularly.
For more information on safe online shopping and to check the reliability of a company, visit www.bbb.org.
About BBB:
BBB's mission is to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust. BBB accomplishes this mission by creating a community of trustworthy businesses, setting standards for marketplace trust, encouraging and supporting best practices, celebrating marketplace role models and denouncing substandard marketplace behavior.
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Contact BBB serving Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas at (512) 445-4748.
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