Seattle Coffee Direct review: Rip off! 683

My initial contact with this company started with a survey. The ad stated 5 items for $5.0o. I later found I was charged $5.00 for each item totaling $25.00. I chalked it up to my own stupidity and vowed to never use Internet surveys again. Two days later a charge of 38.95 and then two more charges of $38.95. I called my bank after the second charge and filed an unauthorized claim. Since I received nothing from the company I had no phone number to call. First shipment came with a phone number. I called and was told I could not return the introductory merchandise, but my subscription was cancelled, and simply return subsequent shipments. On the third charge I called again, no supervisors available. After the survey the company never sent a receipt or any type of confirmation or any explanation of subscription charges. My bank stated that I need to submit to them proof of return of merchandise and a letter explaining the charges. What a waste of money $141. 85 and time. I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I will look into other avenues to stop these crooks and refund the monies stolen.

I recently agreed to a trial from Seattle coffee direct. I placed order on 8/22/09 and it is now 8/26/09 and this morning there is a pending charge for $38.95 showing on my account. This charge has overdrawn my checking acct and caused a fee. They have gotten the initial payment of $2 for the trial. I haven't even recieved the trial shipment yet and when I called she tells me that I'm on a 4 day automatic shipment! I haven't gotten a chance to try the coffee yet so why would you charge me and ship out more?! This is not good business practice. Now I love coffee and probably would have bought more if I had gotten the chance to try your coffee. I'm disputing this charge with my bank and cancelled this account with Seattle.

File Mail Fraud charges against them. Go to this link; https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx
It's easy to do, make sure you have the addy and phone number of the company.
Seattle Coffee Direct
990 Grove Street
suite 204
Evanston, IL 60201
[protected]
Hope this helps everyone else. It may not get our money back but hopefully we can close their doors for good.

I have been billed every 4 days for 38.95 plus .31 cents. For coffee I never received. I think this is a internet scam. and should be shut down. I get get the company, to issue, one refund of bank overdraft charges, and one shipment. However this still does not help me, as they have effectively stolen about 100.00 from my bank account. I received the 1st order which I understood was to be $5.00, (ended up being $25.00 plus .20
service charge. ) Then they say they shipped 3 other orders which I never received. (38.95 + .31 service charge)These types of companies should be investigated and shut down. They are reaping millions and nothing so far has been done.

Does anybody fin the 5 for $5 promotion entirely misleading? Then the excessive charges begin. Trying to get my money back has not been easy. They say I have to wait 6-8 weeks for my refund because I chose to return my product via USPS. Funny, that's the way they transported it to me. It took less than a week for it to come. But to return it takes two months? I am not buying that.

Howdy

They took my money and now am after them every time. Infact, they messed up wit the wrong dude because $120 change they rip me off will mean to change their content, their legal name and diaper unless they work out some’ with me. Yes, they took my money. I got their legal name, EIN and now going forward I will be their Gaba-Gaba.

Here are their contacts for some of you who want to deal with them direct. [protected] :

Some of the email I was able to get are
bsimmons@peel.com
mgordon@peel.com
CustomerService@seattlecoffeedirect.com

One is from peel because these are the guys who help with the scam business. Saturate their email with complains and copy the following in your email

edward.huntley@doc.illinois.gov
sean.obrien@illinois.gov
susan.gold@illinois.gov
kerry_sutton@isp.state.il.us

Someone has to listen and help .. It is painful enough stealing from someone especially now that some of us are already laid off. I bet they got illegal workers there too because one of them hanged up the phone on me.

WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! This Company is insane! & the guy ( Brian) I talked to this morning told me he is fine with what he is doing because it is a paycheck. Even though people are getting charged $38.95 every 3-4 days! He even said if you are worried about money why are you ordering on the net. DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS COMPANY! It is a SCAM! They reel you in with the promo, 2 travel mugs, 2 coffee mugs, and 2 bags of coffee for $25.00 then they start shipping coffee every few days and charge you $38.95 EACH time. No body drinks that much coffee!

I ordered from the Seattle Cofee Direct on August 2nd then aweek later I recieved another order, so I called and explained the problem and thought it was handled then a third one came in yesterday where they had shipped another order " being the third shipment in one month totalling on my CC# a whopping $114 olus shipping atotal of $124.00. I called again and she said ' Well if you don't want the coffee just send it back, click! I am reporting this company to the BBB and my advice is DO NOT ORDER ANYTHING FROM SEATTLE COFFEE, period. I hope I can get this off of my CC who in their right mind would even order $124 worth of coffee in a 6 month period?
CLG

this company conveniently loses your cancellation requests and sends product against your wishes for the sole purpose of robbing your bank account. I would not recommend this company to my worst enemy, let alone a friend. anyone seeking this kind of product and service should look elsewhere unless you enjoy migraine headaches.

I FELL FOR THE COFFEE SCAM LIKE MANY OTHERS. I WAS ISSUED A REFUND ON JUNE 10, HOWEVER IT HAS NEVER POSTED ON MY CARD.WHEN I CALLED I WAS TOLD IT TOOK 2 TO 3 BILLING CYCLES.NEXT CALL SAID IT WAS BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MANAGER AND IT WOULD BE REMOVED IN 7 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS.NOW THEY TELL ME IT IS THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY THAT NEVER POSTED AND THEY HAD TO STOP DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM. I KNOW BETTER.DISCOVER IS A VERY DEPENDABLE COMPANY AND I CALLED TO ASK ABOUT THE CHARGE. IT WAS NEVER CORRECTED . I HOPE THESE PEOPLE HAVE TO ANSWER TO A HIGHER PERSON THAN THE POLICE

I'm having the same problem as others. I canceled and weeks later had funds removed from my checking account. I called and said I would be getting a refund. Three weeks have passed. No refund and no one answers the phone number. I've called at 3:00 pm central time and got a recording that they are on the East coast and closed at 6:00. However their contact information and mailing address are in Illinois, the same state I'm in. How can we get help for these repeated wrong business practices?

I made a mistake and responded to a promotional offer for 2 bags of coffee and two mugs for $2.00. I received this and a day later was hit with another charge of $38.95 on my credit card. I called to get a refund and was told they had already shipped out a big package. I was told to refuse the package and they would refund my card. That was on 08/17/09. On 08/19/09 I refused the package and it was returned. Today I get a statement and no only did they not refund, they billed me again for $38.95. I called and was told they had it "in process" and I should see a refund for the second order and they would refund the first one when my box turned up in their warehouse. What a rip off. I don't believe I will ever see a refund from this scam company and will be disputing the charges via my card company.

Signed up for twice a month delivery and was told it was twice a week delivery. told me i would be reinbursied for any orders returned. I returned them promptly and never got my money back. I was told i didn't read all the print. I did but my problem is that i didn't copy and paste it to an email so i could print it out when they took it of the site.

Just a note to let everyone know that despite the fact that Seattle Coffee Direct REFUSED to refund my money on the phone, I contacted the Better Business Bureau and SCD decided to give the money back. You can submit a complaint through the BBB and they work directly with the company for you.

Good luck!

I ordered advertised samples and two days later I was charged $39.00 and a few cents. I was never given a chance to sample the products and make my decision about further purchases. When I called the company to get some information I was treated rudely and before I was able to ask questions and get answers I was told my membership was cancelled. Even if I wanted to purchase coffee from Seattle Direct it is too expensive : almost $40.00 for 2 small bags. I had to destroy my credit card and have a new issued.

I am experiencing similar problems as the ones posted in regards to this company and it's product. I keep recieving and getting billed for items that I am not ordering. There was a phone number listed to call the company on my credit card statement, but when I tried to call it, it was no longer in service. Rather then give up I tried again thinking that I may have dialed the wrong number but came up with the same results. I would like to get in contact with this company in order to stop any further orders without my approval. If anyone knows how to contact them please let me know. I wish that I had found this site and seen all of the complaints before I initially ordered from them.

MY COMPLAINT IS REALLY NOT AS BAD AS THOSE I HAVE READ ABOVE AND HOPE IT NEVER GETS AS BAD AS ANY OF THEM... I RECEIVED MY FIRST SHIPMENT TODAY. BOTH COFFEES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DECAF AND NEITHER OF THEM WERE.. PLEASE REPLACE WHAT I HAD ORDERED WITH DECAF COFFEE AND AS I WAS TOLD WHEN I CALLED SEATTLE COFFEE THAT WHEN I RECEIVED THEM IF SHOULD THEN RETURN WHAT THEY SENT TO ME... THANK YOU...S.BOWLEN, GLENVIEW, IL 60025

I ordered a $25.00 gift package and was sent an extra package of Seattle Coffee. When I called Seattle Coffee Direct I was told that I was in a membership for coffee. I said I wasnot aware of that and did not want to be in the membership. I was told that I signed for the packages. I did not sign for them and sent four of them back via UPS. I was given a confirmation number and told that I would receive credit for the four that I returned. I received my credit card bill and the four are still on my bill. I called my credit card and they said they are waiting for Seattle Coffee Direct and that I had to pay for the coffee until Seattle Coffee contacts them. If a period of time elapses my credit card will put in a dispute. I contacted my credit card company on Sept. 2, 2009.
Help!

Like so many others I was duped! I thought I was buying and single pound of coffee for 4.99 but Seattle Coffee Direct denied my credit card. You can imagine my shock when I received more than 14 lbs in 2 weeks! I returned every grain only to discover Seattle Coffee had no record of the coffee being returned. I'm still fighting it and will continue to do so. By the way, they charged my credit card nearly $300!

Dear A Biggs,
I too have been scammed by this company, however I am out $233.70. I keep calling, and they keep giving me the run around. I too ordered the 5 items for $5.00. Once that shipment came, I was getting two shipments of coffee a day at $38.95 a piece. I called to see what was up? They said that I had 4 more shipments sent out. All without my permission. As of todays date, still no refund... I wonder how many other people have been scammed, and what we as consumers can do to stop this?

i also have unauthorized money taken from my account which caused my account to be overdrawn . now my account is in the negative .

I ordered a $15 trial and did not set up for the payments to keep going but before I even got my trial coffee I had 3 $38.95 charges in less than a week . I called and was told they put a stop payment on them and here we are a month and a half later and the charges went through they were not stopped. I called again about my refund and was told it could take 2 months for them to get my money back in my account but it took them less than one week to charge me for all that coffee. I just have to sit and wait now. Don't ever buy from this bull... business!

I am fighting to get my money back now.

Ordered $2.00 for initial free trial to pay shipping only for tea bags, with 30 days to cancel. The next day, I was charged $38.95, then the next day after that, my account was charged again for 2 charges of $38.95 each. This was not supposed to be charged until 30 days later "IF" I didn't cancel the account. I cancelled immediately after I saw the 3 charges on my account, and its now over 30 days later and I still do not have the refund. This is a total scam, do not order or try anything with this company.. I have called 3 times and yet to get any action on my account. I did receive one order, never opened it and sent it immediately back, since they never advertised the actual prices of their shipments, not to mention, I never got the free order that I paid $2.00 for! I threatened to report them to the Better Business Bureau, and there reply was, do what you have to do... great scam and they know it ! ( I wonder how many people actually go through all this to get their money back?)

Just a little news to brighten your day: this company has gone out of business. hopefully this will not prevent any of you from receiving your refunds.

THESE PEOPLE ARE THIEVES! I did not order coffee. I dont even drink coffee. I received the first two bags and noticed the 39.70 charge on my account under Euro Cafe Express. I immediately called and was told to return the coffee and that any refund would not be issued for 60 days, even though I never authorized the charge. They said the cancelled the "account".
Then I get two more bags of coffee and once again my account gets hit with 39.70 - this time under Ultimate Bean Cafe. THESE PEOPLE ARE THIEVES and stealing my money! I tried to call the numbers and it rings and it sound like someone is hanging up on me.

I have notified the Better Business Bureau and filed a complaint with them. I am calling the Illinois Atty Generals Office as well, and am looking into criminal charges against these people. This is theft.

DONT WAIT TO DISPUTE THE CHARGES - THEY WILL KEEP HITTING YOUR ACCOUNT UNDER DIFFERENT NAMES. DO IT NOW. AND YOU CAN GET ONLINE AND FILE COMPLAINTS WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU WHICH WILL TAKE THE TIME OF WRITING THIS POST - EASY AND IT WILL PUT THESE THIEVES IN THEIR PLACE. YOU CAN ALSO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE ILLINOIS ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE ONLINE. I RECOMMEND YOU DO THIS BECAUSE THIS COMPANY IS NO GOOD AND HAVE STOLEN $80 FROM ME WITH NO END IN SIGHT.

Peel.com is the name of this business. Here is the link for the Better Business Bureau. http://www.bbb.org/

Not surprisingly, on the BBB site, when you type in the address of this company 990 Grove Street, Evanston Illinois 60201, it already comes up - so others have complained.

Here is the link to the Consumer Complaint division at the Illinois Attorney Generals office http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/

I had my dispute with them settled some time ago; I guess I was lucky. It's definitely worth going to the BBB. I had a similar dispute with another outfit selling diet/"nutrition" supplements and got no satisfaction from the BBB (in Arizona where the company is located) so I took it to the Attorney General's office of Arizona and finally got results: they had begun a class action suit. So if one route doesn't work with these shysters, try another and another until you get your money back. I did!

Thank you for the link! I was also ripped by these scam artists and will do whatever I can to make sure they pay well for their deception.

I joined for a once Seattle Coffee Direct for once a month and have been sent coffee from two days to five days and have been billed for each time. Each time I call to cancel I cannot get through on the phone. Their website does not have a place to cancel memberships. What do i do?

This is a fraudulent company. Please report to authority about this. I have never had any purchase from Seattle Coffee Direct but by some ways, they knew my card # and suddenly, they charged in my bank account $39.76. Please also stay away from the company name Tea Source Express. This is the company that I saw a promotion of $2 for 4 tea bags and I made an order. They did not send me anything but charged me $40. They are all fraud.

ALL THESE COMPLAINTS ARE THE SAME AS MINE .ITS BEEN 6 MONTHS FOR ME AND EACH TIME I CALL THEY FEED ME SOME BS LINE ABOUT DELAYS AND "OH YOU SHOULD SEE IT BY THIS FRIDAY".HORSE- - - -.
WHO WANTS TO GATHER A PICKET LINE PROTEST WITH ME?LETS GET SOME PEOPLE TOGETHER AND BE HEARD!

I have gotten ripped off also on the same exact thing! Months later I still haven't gotten all my refund money they owe me! Good luck to you. I have gone to a consumer advocacy group and given them a complaint that will be publicized as well as to my local TV stations for them to investigate.

please contact robert russell, Chandler12457@yahoo.com. Concering coffee order, my phone number is [protected], thank you

I am having a similar problem with this same coffee distributor. My worry at present is reimbursment.

Here's what someone else posted as a complaint and what they did about it.

"Here is what you do; Go to this link: https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/forms/MailFraudComplaint.aspx
it will provide you with a form to fill out. I choose 'misrepresentation of product/service' on the pull down menu. Make sure you have the company information prior to this. You need the company name and addy to file the complaint; Seattle Coffee Direct 990 Grove Street Suite 204 Evanston, IL 60201 Phone #: [protected]. After reading all the complaints I’m appalled. Don’t let them get away with this."

I filed a complaint and I hope everyone else does as well!

same thing happen to me but i just took the screwing... no dispute as i know it does no good half the time anyways, hope you have good luck getting refunded

I ordered the trial order offer when it got here I was not satisfied with the tea and tried cancelling within the trial time but still has not been able to get anyone on the phone, I left over four messages and still has not recieved a return call, since then they have charged my credit card $41.60 for another order I do not want or did not request and is unable to get intouch with the company to cancell

I cancelled the account and they still charged my card! I have had to have my bank close the acount and issue me a new card. BEWARE! Do not use these people.