472 replies to this topic

[sac_zine]

I'm sorry but this new promotion that Beck's is putting its customers into seems shadier than the last one.

What's the point of paying a $10 registration fee if they are just going to give it back you? And why do they need your driver's license? This sounds fishy to us.

I have called Beck's to discuss the fact that they are exposing us to possible fraud or identity theft but their response is "don't do it then" and then they hang up. Simply unacceptable -- it may not be their fault but it is their responsibility to do right by their advertising and not expose customers to potential fraud.

I don't understand why a store like Beck's would subject their reputation on such questionable promotions and then drive their name further into the mud with this response. Maybe they don't understand the Internet age and how word travels these days.

[folsom2008]

I'm sorry but this new promotion that Beck's is putting its customers into seems shadier than the last one.

What's the point of paying a $10 registration fee if they are just going to give it back you? And why do they need your driver's license? This sounds fishy to us.

100% agree.
I've complaint to BBB regarding this shady promo , below is Beck's CS response:

"My Free travel has been in business for over 22 years, they have been doing the grocery card and gas promotions for over 5 years. this company was checked out by out side law firms prior to us deciding to go with them as the company to resolve this issue. we have done our research on this company and they are not going anywhere per the lawyers and the research. I am in the process of getting a substantial number of customers taken care of. all customers that got the original promotion get this new card as there replacement and a $50 in store credit. The $9.95 activation fee is reimbursed to the consumer with there first gift card. The directions are very specific an we encourage all of the consumers to read the terms and conditions, so they know the rules of the voucher promotion. This customer was told that when companies file for bankruptcy everyone losses the consumer and us. We are not able to honor his request of the in store credit or other discount. He already has received the new voucher and the $50 in store credit that we are issuing to all of our voucher customers. As to resolving the promotion problem, this is the voucher company we have gone with. This is the option we have for our customers, we leave it up to them to utilize it or not. "

As you've noticed we all have 50$ in store credit now
I actually didn't get any 50$ from them , but when I was there they gave me this voucher...which I am doubt going to use.
I am waiting to see how things are going to be down the road, my intuition tells me that is going to be not really "HAPPY END" for customers sending their DL and 9.95$....

[a little bean]

I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with a $50 voucher at a furniture store, when you've already bought whatever it is that you needed when you took part in the program.

And they could have at least proofread their response before they posted...not very professional

[sac_zine]

As you've noticed we all have 50$ in store credit now
I actually didn't get any 50$ from them , but when I was there they gave me this voucher...which I am doubt going to use.
I am waiting to see how things are going to be down the road, my intuition tells me that is going to be not really "HAPPY END" for customers sending their DL and 9.95$....

We bought a furniture set from them -- I assure you nothing was under $50! Nice to see they are thinking "synergistically" -- how can we look like we're trying to do the right thing and at the same time, get them to come back in & spend more money? $50 store credit -- weak gesture. $50 check -- stronger gesture and probably enough to mollify me (well, too late now).

The new program gives you the option of either check or money order but you know many (most?) will send in checks at which point they will have your bank account # & your DL #. I don't know how much damage someone can do with that information but it sounds SCARY!

I just got off the phone with their customer service manager, Laura F. To her credit, she did not hang up on me. That's about the best I can say for her. Very hostile but it must be tough having to deal with this problem from such a weak position. After we went back and forth over the whole ID theft/fraud possiblity (her response: "Talk to the voucher company about it -- it's not our deal."), she said this new voucher program is the only solution she could offer. I said I'm not going to expose us to ID theft and if we had known these were the terms, we would never have bought from them. I told her we can resolve this by undoing the transaction (from May) and they come take the furniture back. She put me on hold and came back with: "Uh, we're not going to take back the furniture." Proves to me they are not serious about doing right by their customers but just trying to minimize financial fallout from this fiasco.

I told her Beck's was crazy to alienate its customers in such a manner. With word of mouth and the Internet, they're going to lose more potential customers than the $600 is worth (actually, at this point I'd be OK with $200-$300 just to be done with the ordeal). She ended the call with a retort that she gets threatened all the time so do my worst, basically goading me into doing something about it.

In the long run, $25 of groceries a month isn't really worth my time to pursue some consumer activist campaign against Beck's but their response to my queries has infuriated me to such an extent that I promise to put a website up before the month is out -- after all, I already run one blog, won't be too much trouble to throw up some more.

Beck's must be stupid or desperate -- I mean they are a regional company and Sacramento is a relatively small market. If the housing market is truly starting to bottom out, people will soon be out there buying furniture and I'll do my best to dissuade them from going to Beck's. Which reminds me -- got to post this on my Facebook.

In case, folks think I'm some nut job, here is my website. Well, I guess that doesn't prove I'm not a nut job but really, I have better things to do than pursue a personal crusade against Beck's. But enough is enough. I can't do anything about the banks raising my credit card rates or the state raising taxes but hell if I'm going to let Beck's tell me to go f' myself.

P.S. - Her suggestion on worries about ID theft: "Well you can pay the $10 with a credit card and if they turn out to be fraudulent, file a claim with your credit card company." First, they won't take CC & second, great advice. I just got off the phone w/ my CC company to file a claim against Beck's.

[folsom2008]

The customer service manager, Laura F was rude to me as well, when I've asked the same questions, she kept saying "leave it or take it!" ...
I filed claim on BBB , but I don't know what else can I really do now....

[folsom2008]

Ok, for the order, this is the email I've got from myfreetravel...So there is 4-th(?) part company imvolved there, so Becks give us voucher which belongs to company rated "A" in BBB, but it's actually coming from other company whuch is rated "???" ...What do you say, does it sound reliable?

-----Original Message-----
From: Nicole Schroeder [mailto:nicole@myfreetravel.com]
Sent:
To:
Subject: Clarifications needed

XXXXXX,

I can assure you that our rebate program is not a scam. The website www.claimyourvisacards.com is owned by an organization that we are partnered with. Please feel free to contact our customer service team and they would be happy to assist you with any further questions or concerns that you may have. Thank you.

Nicole Schroeder
Customer Service Manager
My Free Travel
2531 Division Street
Suite 105
Joliet, IL 60611
815-741-3900

Incentive Travel Promotions:
<http://www.myfreetravel.com/> www.MyFreeTravel.com <http://www.myfreetravel.com/>

Corporate, Individual and Group Travel:
<http://www.mfttravelservices.com/> www.MFTtravelservices.com <http://www.mfttravelservices.com/>

[The Average Joe]

Good lord, what are our schools doing with the money? Obviously, grammar is not high on the priority list.

"My Free (caps)travel has been in business for over 22 years(period or and) they have been doing the grocery card and gas promotions for over 5 years. (caps)this company was checked out(certified/investigated/approved) by out side(one word) law firms prior to us deciding to go with them as the company to resolve this issue(wordy). (caps)we have done our research on this company(comma) and they are not going anywhere per the lawyers and the(ir) research. (paragraph)I am in the process of getting a substantial number of customers taken care of. (caps)all customers that got the original promotion (will) get this new card as there(their) replacement (I prefer a comma) and a $50 in(hypen)store credit. The $9.95 activation fee is reimbursed to the consumer with there(their) first gift card. The directions are very specific (comma) an(d) we encourage all of the consumers to read the terms and conditions, so (that) they know the rules of the voucher promotion. (paragraph) This customer was told that when companies file for bankruptcy (comma) everyone losses(semi-colon) the consumer and us. We are not able to honor his request of the in(hypen) store credit or other discount. He already has received the new voucher and the $50 in store credit that we are issuing to all of our voucher customers. As to resolving the promotion problem, this is the voucher company we have gone with.(not as clear as it could be) This is the option we have for our customers, we leave it up to them to utilize it or not. "

[rda]

I have called Beck's to discuss the fact that they are exposing us to possible fraud or identity theft but their response is "don't do it then" and then they hang up.

I gotta call BS on that. Are you expecting me (us?) to believe someone at Beck's actually did that? That sounds like something your sister would do, but not an employee at a major retailer. I'm not buying that one.

[folsom2008]

I gotta call BS on that. Are you expecting me (us?) to believe someone at Beck's actually did that? That sounds like something your sister would do, but not an employee at a major retailer. I'm not buying that one.

do it yourself, rda....
I've heard the same face to face and not over the phone.

[BobbiMcGee]

I gotta call BS on that. Are you expecting me (us?) to believe someone at Beck's actually did that? That sounds like something your sister would do, but not an employee at a major retailer. I'm not buying that one.

Thanks for alerting us through these posts of this scam at Beck's Furniture. I won't buy anything there anymore. What a terrible response from these people.

[sac_zine]

I gotta call BS on that. Are you expecting me (us?) to believe someone at Beck's actually did that? That sounds like something your sister would do, but not an employee at a major retailer. I'm not buying that one.

Mr. RDA,

For credibility's sake, I have already provided a link to my website, which contains my real name & a track record of what I have been doing over the last three years. I am not here to make up silly internet stories. Obviously, you can not believe that Beck's Furniture would have such shoddy customer service but of course, this unbelievably poor behavior explains why people are so angry at the company.

I am also not one for smearing local businesses indiscriminately. For instance, when my wife & I bought this house, we brought in an HVAC contractor to install the central AC. There were many problems, minor & major, and I would not personally recommend this person. But he was accessible and tried to address the issues and I appreciated that. So I chalk it up to an unfortunate set of circumstances and will not actively deter others from doing business with him, even if I won't use him again.

Beck's took a bad situation and made it worse with their poor judgment (passing customers into a more suspicious voucher program) and bad attitude (unhelpful and hostile customer service). If you still choose to shop there, bully for you. But I wish I had been warned and now I"m warning others.

[FolsomBarb]

OK. I've been reading this topic for a while now, and here is my $.02.......

In my humble opinion, anyone who thinks it is "safe" to send some website/company/whatever a check with their name and address on it, along with a copy of their Driver's License is just asking to have their identity stolen.

And maybe someone can explain to me how the "rebate" company involved can afford to send each person who files their receipts a total of $500 or $600...... Where is that money coming from? Did Beck's pay them that money ahead of time? I'm pretty sure they didn't. That money has to come from somewhere.....

For example: 10 people buy furniture at Beck's and each gets a voucher for $500, for which they can get refunds from purchasing groceries (or whatever) over a period of months. Let's pretend each of those 10 people bought a Recliner for $400. Becks makes $4000. They hand out 10 vouchers worth $500 ea, for a total of $5000. Where is the $5000 coming from? Falling out of the sky? Growing on a tree nearby?

What am I missing? How is there any way this sort of thing is NOT a scam?????

[rda]

In my humble opinion, anyone who thinks it is "safe" to send some website/company/whatever a check with their name and address on it, along with a copy of their Driver's License is just asking to have their identity stolen.

And maybe someone can explain to me how the "rebate" company involved can afford to send each person who files their receipts a total of $500 or $600...... Where is that money coming from? Did Beck's pay them that money ahead of time? I'm pretty sure they didn't. That money has to come from somewhere.....

For example: 10 people buy furniture at Beck's and each gets a voucher for $500, for which they can get refunds from purchasing groceries (or whatever) over a period of months. Let's pretend each of those 10 people bought a Recliner for $400. Becks makes $4000. They hand out 10 vouchers worth $500 ea, for a total of $5000. Where is the $5000 coming from? Falling out of the sky? Growing on a tree nearby?

What am I missing? How is there any way this sort of thing is NOT a scam?????

I have some of the same questions, but can tell you this:

I bought/gave out 30 of the older (bankrupt) coupons with one of my businesses and have not had one person call me to ask about the problems they're having. I was told that on average, only 10 % of people getting them will even register and try to redeem them.....Obviously, they won't get anything for it just like I haven't from the receipts I've sent in. Perhaps some will call me to complain but I'm ready with these new vouchers from the new company out of Chicago. I didn't keep track of which clients got the old vouchers from me or I'd contact them to tell them I have replacements.......I'm told the money comes from advertisers who will send "junk" with the visa cards and since they only go to 10 % of the people who get them, the plan works......Time will tell I guess.

I, too, am concerned about sending my driver's license in with my 10.00 check, but will black out the license #. All they'll have, then, is my address and photo. No biggie. I'm told they require that to make sure you only register one coupon at a time.....

I also have my credit info "locked down" just like they do at Lifelock but I do it myself at no cost. In today's info-easy world, you have to watch out for your ID being used.

[nlove4ever]

I gotta call BS on that. Are you expecting me (us?) to believe someone at Beck's actually did that? That sounds like something your sister would do, but not an employee at a major retailer. I'm not buying that one.

They are pretty ghetto over there. I guess you get what you pay for.

[JMH]

My memory is bad today - well, actually many days lately, but wasn't there a big Beck's scandal sometime in the mid to late 90's? I'm thinking a teenage girl and older worker/manager were involved. They were neighbors and lived in EDH. There was legal trouble, maybe some jail time for someone .....

Does anyone remember this?

I just remember not wanting to purchase anything from there after the incident.