"I have never ordered from this company, but somehow got my information and fraudulantly charged my credit card"
"I recently found a charge for $149.99 to my Checking account via my MasterCard. The charges were by DMK*PREFERRED BUYERS. When I called the number listed on the statement, I was told there is "no record of charges.
I do not even remember the last time I did business with Damark, and I know that I did not authrorize this charge.
My research shows numerous complaints about Damark and illegal/unauthorized billing. For those of you trying to trace them down, according to the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota the official company information is as follows:
Provell
301 Carlson Pkwy Ste 201
Minneapolis, MN 55305-5357
General Information
Original Business Start Date: March 1986
Principal: Mr. George S Richards, Pres/COO
Number of Employees: 1945
Phone Number: ***-***-****
Fax Number: ***-***-****
Type-of-Business Classification: Shopping Services-Internet
Mr. Mark A Cohn - Chairman/CEO
Ms. Mandy Njos - Consumer Affairs Coordinator
Ms. Michelle Kerns - Consumer Affairs
Ms. Kim Mageau - SVP/CFO
Mr. Terry Peterson - Controller
Mr Darrell Hockenberger - Manager Consumer Affairs "
"This purchase was not authorized. They simply gained my debit card information from one of their partners and charged me for membership without my knowledge. Now I am fighting for a refund. I want everyone to know how Damark / Provell operates so that they are not victimized like me."
"Please do not use my name. Any other reproduction of my letter is welcome and encouraged.
I, too, was offered one of their programs over the telephone, declined it (I never agree to telephone solicitations), and was charged for it anyway. When I called to find out what happened, their automated system stated that they would refund the charge if I wished to cancel the membership, and give a double refund if they were unable to provide me with an audio recording of me agreeing to purchase their program. Within a relatively short time they refunded the original charge, but would not issue me a double-refund check. For several months I called to check the status of my refund, and was always told that the only thing they could do was to forward my concerns to their Consumer Affairs department. They provided me with a fax number and a P.O. box for Consumer Affairs, but no telephone number and no physical address. I would like everyone else who has fallen victim to this company to have the same information I was lucky enough to find.
I finally did an internet search for the words [provell junction city] (their call center's location is Junction City, KS), and one of the links that came up was this: http://www.usachamber.com/junctioncity/Category/default.asp?cat=Catalog%20Sales Here is the basic information provided on this webpage:
Provell
Mike Gregory
333 Grant Ave
Junction City KS 66441- Map
***-***-****
E-Mail:
Website: www.clickshipdirect.com
Catalog Sales
I called the telephone number listed and an actual human being picked up the phone. He listened to my case, was able to locate my personal file immediately, and told me that he would make absolutely sure that someone in Consumer Affairs returned my call the next day. To my surprise, a woman named Monica Johnson from Consumer Affairs did return my call. Her direct telephone number is ***-***-****. She told me that the check would be issued within 15 business days and to my surprise, it was. I have since cashed the double-refund check and moved on with my life, and I hope everyone else who got burned by Provell , Damark et al is able to get their money back as well.
A new note (new to me) is this, found at http://www.webbbox.com/business/d/damark.htm after an internet search for the words [damark fraud].
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On July 9, 2000 my American Express was fraudulently charged $104.99, After receiving my statement and notifying Amex that this was a fraudulent charge, I contacted Damark on August 3 and was told that a refund in the amount of $90.68 would be credited to my amex and that I would have to submit a form to "consumer affairs" for reimbursement of the difference (DAMARK pro-rates their "memberships" at $9.30 per week). Apparently, as per a lawsuit settlement, DAMARK is required to reimburse any individual DOUBLE what you are charged if you were "signed up as a new member" see this url:
http://www.mediacentral.com/channels//inetfin/944521445 _276.html
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I hope you will pass this on to anyone you know who has been robbed by Provell/Damark, and post it on any site you've discussed the issue on. Good luck!
"
"This company illegally and fraudulantly charged my debit card for a membership. Avoid "Smart Perks", or any Damark service like the plague, because this company will steal from you, and they don't give it back."