100% Satisfaction Guarantee - What does it mean to you?

Dear Warriors,

I hope that my story will save you over $100, and help you avoid the same mistake that I made.


I am relatively new to IM and I am just starting to understand things (meaning reading a lot). The Warrior Forum has been very helpful (thanks to you all) and for the first time I think I can contribute something back to the community. I believe it is the public interest that I share what happened to me.


I purchased membership of a site. Their "100% Guarantee" statement proved to be so misleading that I believe it was probably illegal.



This experience made me think about what we really mean by 100% satisfaction. To me, "100% Satisfaction Guarantee" means "customer not satisfied for any reason, give money back".





Other people seem to have a different view. This is what happened to me.......



FACTUAL SUMMARY

• Membership site stated "100% Satisfaction" "100% Money Back Guarantee" in badges on their sales page directly next to the PayPal payment logo
• Because of the guarantees, I purchased their top Lifetime membership for $127
• I was disappointed with the content
• Within 24 hours I asked for a refund

• One of the Owners refused my refund
• The Owner stated that 100% satisfaction guarantees do not apply to Lifetime memberships
• The Owner referred to Line X, Paragraph Y, on his separate Terms and Conditions page that roughly states....."Our refund guarantee is only applicable to cheap plans.....it does not include any expensive plans such as Lifetime membership"

I feel seriously misled because the small print in the Terms and conditions is so different in meaning to the "100% Satisfaction Guarantee" offered on the sales page

I exchanged several emails with the owner, but he is adamant that he will not refund 100% of my money (although he offered 25% as an exceptional measure)

So in this case "100% Satisfaction Money Back Guarantee" actually meant....

"100% Guarantee? NO WAY! Check the hidden small print pal, no money back on our most expensive offers, we only
refund the cheap plans!".

It's not the same is it?




EXTRA INFORMATION

Obviously I am disappointed, but I think my experience can trigger a wider discussion/debate and give something positive for the community.

I appreciate that I might be the one who made a mistake here, but I feel the advertising could not be further from the small print.

Nearly every piece of advice I have read on the forum suggests being clear and trustworthy, and in my opinion the sales page is not.


I checked the Federal Trade Commission guidelines, and the FTC says.....

"If your ad uses phrases like "satisfaction guaranteed" or "money-back guarantee," you must be willing to give full refunds for any reason."

"Vague labels like "Terms and Conditions" are not enough to direct consumers to important restrictions or qualifications.
In addition, information that is significant to the advertised offer should not be buried at the end of a long web page that requires consumers to scroll past unrelated information. Consumers should not have to wander through an electronic maze to discover important conditions or limitations of an offer."

I think the site breached the FTC rules.

I think that this kind of practice gives IM a bad name.

I think this is just the sort of thing that makes it harder for everyone to sell and make money online, because customers just can't believe the advertising.


CONSEQUENCES

Obviously I will never trust this website or its owners ever again. I feel they showed their true colors as a businessman and as a person......Low quality.

Unfortunately, I will be more critical of other offers in the forum. Legitimate marketers will also have some negative impact.



WHAT DO YOU THINK?

To be clear, I accept that I didn't read every line on the separate terms and conditions page. I accept some responsibility here. The money is gone, OK.

In an effort to be constructive I can at least help you avoid the same mistake, and ....

.....and I would really value your opinions for the wider thoughts that my experience triggers.

This site seems to be pretty successful.

So....

• Was the 100% Guarantee misleading?
• Do you think this kind of practice is acceptable?
• Is this IM strategy successful in the long term?
• Are "trust" and "openness" less important than we like to think?

....and thanks again to all of you for your advice so far. The positive experiences far outweigh this negative one!




P.S. I agreed with the moderators that I won't publicly name and shame the site. So to keep things in order, just PM me if you have more specific questions. Anyway, I wish you all great success!