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Caracol cream is a fraud and a scam.
If you go to the caracol cream website www.caracol-cream.com,
You are greeted by a fictitious character "pam estel" who is the website claims is a "dermatology expert and anti-aging guru." but upon researching this lady, I discover she does not exist. The only place I can find her is on the caracol cream website. If she truly were a dermatology expert or anti-aging guru, there would be a plethora of information based on her dermatological knowledge, but there is nothing else out there on her except this website. She is obviously a model of a middle age who was hired for this purpose.
And whenever you visit this website, it will say that they have a special offer that will end at "11:59 pm (today's date)." no matter what day you visit, that day is the day the offer will end, or else you will supposedly miss out on the great deal. Also, there is a number of 644 free trials that pops up on one of the screens that rapidly decreases. This is the number of free trials vanishing, so you'd better hurry! This is a ploy to get the consumer to feel pressure to purchase quickly before they lose the "deal," not giving the consumer enough time to research. But when you hit "refresh" button, the number goes back up to 644 and counts down again.
If you try to close out, a "live chat" agent appears. This is not a live person but a computer giving spiels. When you ask if it is a live person, they actually have it programmed to answer "I am a live virtual agent. :)"
However, they never answer any real questions, I just get the same paragraphs sent to me, asking me to not lose out on the offer, etc. But when I type in "live person" the same response "I am a live virtual agent. :)"appears over and over. They have their site programmed to respond this way to buzz words of "live" and "person."
If you attempt to research information on caracol cream, they have a clever new "organization" they created to lead unsuspecting customers back to them. The caracol cream group has created a commercial website for the fictitious "american anti-aging association." this group claims to be a "non profit organization" for the consumer, yet their website suspiciously ends in.com, which is a flat giveaway that this is a commercial website. (the.com stands for "commercial.)
A real organization will end in.org this fake website is clever in that it mimics the true organization of the real american aging association. The real group organization website is.www.americanaging.org
The fake website is http://www.americanantiagingassociation.com
The fake website is rather humorous. If you click on the link, it features a building that obviously has typed text superimposed on the building that says"american anti-aging association."
On this website, there are also errors in grammar, syntax and punctuation in addition to use of colloquialisms, which is a hallmark of scammers. Furthermore, if you go to their"history"section, they actually misspelled the word"history"to"histroy."such blatant errors should be a red flag to any consumer. Legitimate websites hire editors to ensure professional quality of their sites.
They also boast that they have a dr. Yangoff who has been a"highly respected and decorated dermatologist"on their team for 30 years. However, notice they do not bother to mention a first name of this"doctor."and upon searching for this dr. Yangoff, you can not find any information on him/her. The only information you can pull up about this character is on this website.
If there is a dr. Yangoff who is that highly respected and decorated for over 30 years, his/her name would appear in many publications and have many references and citations, and not be only on a counterfeit"americanantiaging association"website.
Additionally, this website says their studies are"highly regarded for years"but they offer no panels who have stated this information.
Bottom line: the"american anti-aging association"is merely a made-up commercial website linked to caracol cream to mislead the unsuspecting buyer back to the caracol site, and is not a legitimate organization. Caracol cream is an unethical site, not only for creating a fictitious"organization"to make unsubstantiated claims, but also for creating fictitious characters such as"dr. Yangoff"and"pam estel" who also make uncorroborated assertions. Buyer beware…
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If you search for the product, you will get a testimonial from Jackie Anderson http://wrinklediscovery.com/ and Jenny Anderson http://www.jennyswrinklereview.com/?utm_source=adblade&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=newad2(from the picture they are two different people). However, both live in New Orleans with their three kids, both grew up in San Diego, California (La Jolla to be specific), and both have a daughter named Kelly. What are the odds?
I tried the product and therefore, without being told, was put on the automatic recieving list. I returned the product but was not given a refund, nor did they acknowledge they had received the cream. How can you sell this product without telling the customer the cost? I was very disappointed.
I ordered a cream just like that but it cost me quite much more. Please ladies, before ordering anything read the "Terms of USE" policy, it's usually at the very bottom of the advertisement. It could also be called "Privacy Policy". It must state all the regulations in it, by law. The thing that happened to me was, even when I tried to click it, I couldn't do it, it would cause me to go to that "OK or CANCEL" screen, which is also tricky. I didn't get my money back either, since they stated I was on a contract. It's very, very deceptive and I won't order things like that on line anymore.
The concerns are correct. I also ordered the trial cream. Noticed that the "fine print" was disclosed AFTER you ordered. So, now they have you're cedit card number and if you do not read the fact that they will be charging you monthly...you are in for a surprise. I called the number on the web site and I explained that the process of this disclosure AFTER YOU ORDER was very wrong. Also, you have to have the product back to them BEFORE the 14 days are up or you will be charged the full price for the "sample". So, I am sending it back well before the 14 days are up with the proper tracking information to prove that I have done so.
It is interesting that most retail products are creating situations where you are charged every month. They are taking your free choice away and "boxing" you in if you wish to use the product. Buyer beware, it is a minulitive way to get your money on a repeat schedual. Maybe enough people will go for that, I for one will not. N. Lovell
Is that a $40 additional charge? Custom fees or Canada taxes maybe? What do you think?
You should have gone about getting in touch with them (if they are available) for questions.
I agree this site can be very misleading. However, if you read carefully at the bottom of the page under Final Word to Consumers, the following disclaimer appears: (mind you in very fine print)
"Please note that the American Anti-Aging Spolight is a paid endorsement for Caracol Cream. All information provided is for educational purposes only.
Buyers always be aware.
Hello, I also ordered this cream before doing any research. I still have not received the sample cream but they were very quick to charge the shipping and handling right away. To make sure they do not charge me for any more cream, I contacted the company right away and got an authorization number to return the product which I will send back to sender when it finally arrives via post office with my authoriaztion # on the front of the envelope, this way you do not pay for shipping it back to them because you have not opened the parcel. Next call your bank who you got your credit card from and let them know not to let any other charges go through from this company. The bank wants to keep you as a customer and they will stop any future pymts this company tries to process. If this company who supplies the cream wants to play dirty, play dirty right back and show them they will not get away with charging for cream that people did not order and then they make it diffucult to cancel. Show them you are smarter than they are and take action immediately. I hope this helps.
Regards,
Nadia
I would like to point out that this company is not the scam others seem to make it out to be. I have been purchasing Caracol Cream for a couple months now and have noticed some very nice effects. I admit I was a little skeptical at first and had lots of questions. Fortunately they answered all my questions and made things very easy for me. I will continue to use this product and I suggest that everyone else give it a try too.
this is really a rip off. there is no free trial period. you get hit with the charge of $59.95 even if you cancel within the 14 day trial period. i would like to be included in the class action against this company. i am also disputing this charge with my credit card company. its not right what they do.
I am so sorry I feel for this! My bank account was just charged 59.95 for this stupid cream that doesn't do anything. And they wasted no time charging my card. I only got the cream a week ago and they already charged my card! Now the battle begins to try and get my money back. I actually did get a hold of a live person the number I called was [protected] and she told me to return the cream with a some number on the orginial invoice - mind you I shredded it! So I'm going to put it in a box with a letter, the return number that she gave me and cross my fingers! Otherwise I'll have to cancel my card and get a new one! I just can't believe this is happening!
The 14 day free trial does not mean it's a free sample, that's really confusing. I think it's a scam they came up with to rip people off. The jar I received doesn't even have any seal on it, so I wonder if someone had already returned it to them before they send it to me! I feel totally stupid for ordering this product.
WA
Wei
I first heard about this beauty treatment through an ad on the web site of the New York Times and I thought I could be confident ! Great mistake on my side . The cream they sent to me was supposed to be free but they charged my credit card and even worse they sent a second time the same cream without asking me and charging it again. It is unbelivable that this sort of people have access to the web. Please try to stop them.
After cancellation, continued to send cream and
doubled my billing and order. I received two
packages on the same day.
The best thing i ever did was order free trials with a visa gift card..this way when i call and cancel i don't need to worry about them taking my money ;) if i like the cream i just put more money on the card! and thats how you play SMART CONSUMER! TEHE!
DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!
I had problems right from the start.
I tried cancelling by letter and got a call from a salesperson trying to get me to stay with the company. He tried talking me into shipping every other month. Then he told me I could get it at a reduced rate. When I asked for how long. He relpied 1 month. I said absolutely no more shipments.
Then I got yet another shipment. When I called I spoke with Jenny and was told my letter wasn't good enough because anyone could send them a letter. I also told her about my phone call but since I didn't have the name of the sales rep, she couldn't verify the call. She promised to take me off the list and to reimburse my payment plus shipping once I returned the product.
I was reimbursed for the product but NOT the shipping. I called yet again and spoke with Kyla who told me that they never reimburse shipping. I told her of the conversation with Jenny. She put me on hold to talk to Jenny. Jenny had no recollection of our conversation so I would not be reimbursed the shipping. I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told "he would be in meetings all day" and was given an email address to register my complaints.
I will be speaking with the Attorney General in the hopes that this company's unethical practices can be stopped.
Hello, my name is Maria and I am a producer with a current affairs show in Canada called W5.
I am researching the product ‘Caracol cream’ and wanted to hear from anyone who has complaints about ordering the product online, unauthorized charges for free samples, or the company distributing it.
Please e-mail me at maria.dartis@ctv.ca to discuss your experience.
Thanks,
Maria
Maria,
Thank you for your questions and we here at Caracol Cream would like to personally address some of the issues brought up in your question. In the past Caracol Cream did in fact offer what we referred to as a "14-day trial" of our Caracol Cream product. Now as there was a mostly favorable response to this promotion as many customers were able to try the product before they purchased it, however a small percentage of customers unfortunately felt "tricked" by this sales tactic. Most of these customers did not read our entire sales information prior to ordering (which we did in fact have reviewed by an advertising lawyer to make sure it followed all rules and regulations), and may have missed out on the part where they are explained how our 14 day trial period works. As unfortunate as this was that we have had customers who felt tricked by us here at Caracol Cream, we then made every available effort to remedy and refund those customers we found that felt this way, including every customer on this page that did respond to our emails offering the refund.
Although we did make a mistake in offering this 14-day trial, I believe our responsibility as a company prevailed when we were able to realize the issue at hand, stop doing it, and remedy any damages done by this promotion. As I am sure you are aware, companies everyday are faced with customer dissatisfaction, however it is how these companies deal with it that should reflect later on.
The real issues associated with this billing practice come when customer complaints are not dealt with, and refunds are not issued, both of which are two areas where Caracol Cream went above and beyond. The act of categorizing Caracol Cream who did in fact have a few complaints with the companies who I am sure you are aware have a much higher amount of complaints can not be considered fair in anyway, shape or form. It is the same as comparing Wal-Mart to Target or McDonald's To Burger King, yes they are similar in their business type, but to assume their business practices are the same would in no way be fair or productive. The fact that we offered a trial of our product should not classify us the same as other companies who did similar trials. There is a lot more to a company than the way they sell their product.
In order for us to continue running a successful business for those customers who do use Caracol Cream on a regular basis, we dropped our 14-day trial promotion once we started to hear customer dissatisfaction, and are continuing with a completely different billing structure, which I am sure you saw on our website at www.caracolcream.com.
Also, for any customer reading this that did not receive a refund for any confusion associated with our trial promotion, please contact us at support@caracol-cream.com and we will be happy to assist you as well.
Thanks
When I first saw this review page I was appalled to see that there was only negative reviews about Caracol Cream, which I quite frankly can't understand. Let me explain the customer service experience that I've had with Caracol Cream.
When I originally signed up for the 14 day free trial I was well aware that I would be billed $60.00 in change. Probably because unlike most people, I'm one of those guys that can never be too cautious of what I order on the internet, especially with all of the terrible stories you hear these days with people getting scammed or ripped off. Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is that I read everything before I even placed my order, and when I was done reading I knew I would be billed $59.95 for that 1st $1.95 shipment of cream after my 14 day trial period. So if you're trying to say that Caracol Cream deceived you or whatever your case may be then I can only say 1 thing.. "YOU DIDN'T READ"! And now you're posting bad reviews on these boards because you didn't take the time to pay attention to what you were ordering (which isn't fair to Caracol Cream).
Ever since day1 I have received outstanding service from Caracol Cream, and I'm happy to say that I've been a satisfied customer for the past 8 months now! After about 2 months of using the cream I noticed that the cream was lasting me longer than 30 days.. So I contacted Caracol and they were more than happy to set me up on an every 45 day shipment plan starting on whichever day I requested. My 4th month supply of cream arrived to me damaged, so of course I contacted Caracol Cream.. and with no problem a new shipment was sent to my residence via priority mail, and on top of that it was sent free of charge!
Now, just yesterday in the afternoon I contacted Caracol Cream to cancel my membership because I could no longer afford $60.00 in change every 45 days. The agent I was speaking with wanted to help me to continue receiving the cream so badly that he got the manager on the phone to offer me the cream at just $29.95 each shipment. If that isn't great service then I honestly don't know what is..
And not to mention what an amazing product Caracol Cream is! Ever since i started taking Caracol Cream I haven't looked a single day older, in fact it has helped reduce the sagging on my neck.
Now I'm not saying that Caracol Cream is a saint, but what I am saying is that it's always easier to point fingers at others when things aren't going our way or when we mess up.. So please take my comment for what it is, this is a real story that I felt the need to share with everyone.
Product shows no siginificant change in the skin and is extremely over priced. out sourcing to another country goes against everything we should be doing as Americans. The staff was rude and jacked me around on the phone.I will not hesitate to contact the Better Business Bureau about them. Take a MATCH to your money...You'll have more satisfacation than you will get from CARACOL !
After ordering the trial version of caracol cream, I immediately sense something was wrong and knew I would be canceling any further orders despite whether the product was any good.
I called the company yesterday and they took down info but told me I would have to go to the site to recieve return instructions. However, when going to the site, you cannot find return instructions. My instinct again, told me not to delay.
after typing in a few searches I found this site ~ with numerous compliants. I immediately called my credit card company and blocked on charges from this company. I urge you all to do the same!
The sad thing is ~ I have used this product for a week and actually like it! However, I will not do business with a company that takes advantage of their customers. Totally unsatisfied with customer service!
Again ~ block your credit card!
a scam
I canceled my shipments on Dec8th. they then shipped one out the very next day. Since then they have shipped a double batch of the stuff on Dec29th. I have written and called and talked to the online help to no avail. the charges keep mounting up. the product must be a scam, no ligitimate business does this. My credit card company says they can help. Please call your credit card Company they will work for you to get a refund or at least thats what they said. BUT canceling your card and reissuing a new card with a new # will not stop them from charging you 59.00 a month.
I order it to got my credit card bill today and they have charge twice. I cannot find a tel no. any place to cancel my order. Do you have a tel no or should I call my credit card co. thank you darlene
I sent for the "free" sample and was billed for the free sample. I have since been billed twice and am trying to get straightened out with my credit card company. I never ordered, tried to return but couldn't find an address and there is no phone number listed any where. I wish I saw this site before I signed up for a "not so free sample"
STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY!
I want to warn other people of the scammers who sell caracol cream. they tell you that you can have a free trial for the price of postage and then go on to bill you every month for a product you do not receive.
Please be aware that this is just a rip off business and the cream is no better than plain moisturiser.
DO NOT PART WITH YOUR MONEY AND DON'T BUY CARACOL CREAM