GALLERIA and SIMPLE ESCAPE MEMBERSHIPS with a FREE WAL-MART GIFT CARD

GALLERIA and SIMPLE ESCAPE MEMBERSHIPS with a FREE WAL-MART GIFT CARD

Consumer follow-up message - October 19, 2004 - From: Email User Consumer

I'm just following up to my original complaint a couple of days ago about Galleria and Simple Escapes. (www.dealpass.com) I was able to verbally speak with both companies yesterday, and they are assuring me that membership is cancelled and our credit card situation will be taken care of. It was a lot easier to speak with Simple Escapes than Galleria, the original company which got me hooked into a membership with Simple Escapes. The problem of the FREE $50 WALMART GIFT CARD is still unresolved at this point. I filled out the return card that had been sent to me. The woman I spoke with from Galleria said that they did receive the card on Sept. 30, but I canceled membership on Oct. 7, the end of my free trial membership. She said, therefore, I was no longer a member and the gift cards were sent out only to members. I told her that "technically I was under a free trial membership" at the time, and therefore, should receive the card because that's what I was told from the Galleria marketing agent when I agreed to the free trial membership.

The agent said I would receive a free $50 Wal-Mart gift card just for trying the Galleria membership. I didn't receive the free gift card. Instead, I received a flyer and a reply card that I was supposed to mail back in to receive the free gift card. I filled out the card and mailed it in. That card was acknowledged to have been received by them on Sept. 30. The customer rep. said that since I was no longer a member I couldn't receive the card. I told her that was not what I was told from the Galleria marketing agent. However, the customer service rep. said that I needed to read the "fine print." Then, she told me that I didn't speak to a Galleria marketing agent, but AOL, and that the gift cards came from AOL, who was responsible for sending out the cards. I told her that I had not spoken to AOL, but to Galleria, and that Galleria's name was on the form I had received. The debate went on and on, with one excuse after another. She also said that it took 6-8 weeks to mail out the gift cards. Now, if Galleria isn't sending out the cards, then why is she saying that the gift cards are mailed out 6-8 weeks later? She tried to accuse AOL of the mishap. Eventually, when I told her that Galleria had presented the offer, not AOL, she finally hung up on me. Bottom line: I don't know if any gift cards will be showing up.

I'll check the credit card statements to make sure everything's back to where it's supposed to be. Cherie Mitchell

re: GALLERIA and SIMPLE ESCAPE MEMBERSHIPS with a FREE WAL-MART GIFT CARD

I don't know what kind of racket these companies are trying to pull, but here goes...

After talking to AOL customer service, they switched me over to some company offering a FREE 30-DAY trial of their membership to GALLERIA. (www.dealpass.com)

I said I wasn't interested, and they said we'll be sending you a FREE $50 WAL-MART GIFT CARD, just for reviewing their materials. I said OK, I'll review anything for a $50 Wal-Mart Gift Card.

Almost 3 weeks went by, and I didn't receive anything in the mail, so I called to cancel so that they wouldn't charge the credit card. I was told by a customer rep that it was definitely on its way, there was a delay, and that the review was moved up to another date, which date I wrote down.

Finally, I received this flyer from GALLERIA. It said in order to get the free gift card, I had to fill out this card and mail it in, which I did.

Then, about a week or two later, I received this other flyer saying fill out this card and mail it in for your free Wal-Mart card. I was confused why I was receiving another flyer so I ignored this flyer because I already had filled out the request for a free card. This other flyer, it turns out, was from SIMPLE ESCAPES, also at www.dealpass.com.

I didn't receive a Wal-Mart gift card, and called Galleria to cancel. When I told them I was cancelling, I was on hold, then switched to another dept., then was told to hold again, which made me begin to wonder if it was ever going to be possible to cancel membership with this company.

Finally, cancellation went through.

My husband, who's being activated to overseas duty, gets a call from the credit card company, saying that Galleria and Simple Escapes were attempting to collect on his credit card.

Where in the world did SIMPLE ESCAPES come in the picture?

So, not being able to do anything with them until Monday, I have to wait and see what will happen.

WARNING: DON'T FALL FOR GALLERIA and SIMPLE ESCAPES using FREE $50 WAL-MART GIFT CARDS!

Cherie M

David M Click this link to e-mail the above consumer: Email User Consumer