🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <43b22b$24e@news.voicenet.com>, ktappe@omni.voicenet.com (Kurt Tappe) writes:
|>This is a warning concerning the nationwide dating service Great
|>Expectations.  Hopefully it will help prevent others from having the same
{full agreement}

I hate for this to be my first post in this group but I have to put my full
agreement into the horrible treament I received from the company called 
- Great Expectations.

However, my story is a bit different from the previous.  I live in
Brighton, MA (which is a suburb of Boston) and the GE building was located
in the next town over, Waltham.   I'd been getting their flyers for weeks,
but didn't have the nerve to call.  Instead, one of their operators (operatives)
called me and asked me a bunch of questions: age, race, etc. and suggested I
come in on a Saturday.  I reluctantly came in and was in awe of the way the
office was decorated.  All of the carpeting was new and the furniture either
sparkled or was really soft.  I was instructed to "have a seat until my social
coordinator came around".  They really didn't use the term "social coordinator"
but, it was similar.  From the very start I could tell that I was going to be
under some *heavy* sales pitch.  There were photo books on the coffee table in
front of me and (like a stooge) I picked one up to look inside.  Of course,
there were cute young and old couples in front of beautiful scenery and with
big smiles and letters of thanks on the adjoining page.  I assume that they
left me there so that I could look at these books because I had an appointment
and the place wasn't very busy (no crowds, and a few workers just stanging
around talking to each other).  Finally, my "sales drone" (I know I should be
impartial, but hey, this is my story) showed up and lead me to another room
also decorated with pictures of smiling couples.  This room had VCR where I
heard the stories of young men and women and how lonely they were before they
came to Great Expectations...etc.  After the tape had ended,  I waited for
15 minutes in an empty room looking at a blank monitor!  I think this part is 
their way to tire out the customers so that by the end I'm too tired to say 
no and say yes just to get them out of my face.  They took their time moving
me to *another* room where my "social terminator" could work-on...uh, I mean
talk to me.  We discussed my failures at the clubs and bars etc. and my tastes
in entertainment.  And although I asked about how much it cost, she never told
me any numbers.  She kept asking "ARE YOU EXCITED??!?!?!??!" all the time.
And I would answer "uh,....yeah....i guess?"  Anyway, after 2 hours of why
Great Expectations is good for me she lowers the boom - $2000.  Now, that was
2 years ago (interesting how horrible experiences stay with me) and I was like
"WHAT?!?!?"  She tried to comfort me by saying "But how can you put a price on
love?"  Anyway, I told her that I was going to school and was financially
dependant on my folks and that a $2K bill would put in in the poorhouse.  She
kept telling me that "it wouldn't" (like she could see into the future).
Anyway, I was being difficult for her (I could tell) so she said she could
"make me a deal".  And told me that I could join for only $1,500, but that it
would "take away many of the the wonderful privledges that could get" for
more money.  Anyway, I was tired and she wouldn't let me out of the room to
pee (I'm serious) so I reluctantly gave her my credit card (first adult learning
experience - do not do this).  She took it and asked "Are you excited?" and
I faked a "yes" and she zipped out of the room.  I sat there looking out of
window imagining myself as the poor little girl in the Les Miserables poster
for my first Credit Card bill.  She came back with my card in hand and
a Credit Card slip for $1,780.  I was like, "Why is the bill for $1,700?"
She said "Oh, that's for pictures"  Anyway I signed it (adult learning 
experience 2 - do not sign anything when you have to go pee).  Anyway, the
rest is really a blur until I walked down to the lobby holding a whole bunch
of Great Expectations parafanalia.  A guy walked by me and said "Don't do it!"
and kept on going.  It was about then that I thought to myself "I AM A FOOL FOR
DOING THIS!"  That's when I rushed home and read all of the literature on 
the company.  The only way I could cancel my membership *and* get my money
back was to send them a return-registered letter stating that I wanted to
end my membership, and the leter had to be "postmarked no later than 3 days"
from when I signed up.  Hmmmm, "I signed up on a Saturday and I can't mail
anything on Sunday, so my only way out is to get them a letter on Monday!"
So I quickly typed up the letter so that I could have it ready.  But just to
be sure, the next day I called up GE and told them of my intentions.  I guess
I hit a "nerve response"  because the opertor quickly told me to hold
and my "social warden" picked up the phone.  She began to tell me what a bad
idea it was to quit and told me to come in immediately.  I arrived at the 
building at 8:00pm and they closed at 9:00pm.  I walked in and the person
behind the counter immediatly "buzzed" my "helper".  She quickly came out
from the back room and sat down with me in the lobby.  After a bunch of "I
don't think it's a good idea"'s I told her that I still wasn't sure about
the whole thing. (now here's a kicker) She said "But you said you were excited?"
Anyway, she knew she was loosing me so she had to "re-bait the hook".  "How
would you like to look through our catalogues at all of the beautiful women?",
she suggests.  To which I replied, "But isn't against the company policy for
members who are awaiting *full membership status* to view other members
pictures?" I came across that rule in the stuff I read.  She said, "It's OK.
I talked to my manager and he said it was OK."  She never left my sight.  How
could she ask her manager?  Or did she ask her manager in advance to break
company policy?  Anyway, I went through the books and noticed 2 things:
1) the pictures were not worth $250
2) no one was even *near* my age (back then 23)
After I leafed through *ALL* the books, she asked me if I thought the girls
in the books were pretty.  It started to sound like a call-girl service at
this point and I was determined to get out.  We discussed my failing financial
situation and it was obvious that she didn't care that I was broke, "You're
a smart guy, I'm sure you'll get a job.", was the best she could do.  We go
back and forth about how I can/can't afford to be a member for a half hour.
Remember, they close at 9:00pm, so at approx. 8:55pm she looks at her watch 
and says to me "you know, I don't think you're the right kind of person for
Great Expectations!", in a sort of sad tone, "even if you wanted to join
right now, I wouldn't let you.  You're too negative."  I thought this was
mean statment to make.  Usually, companies that I don't do business with
tell me to think about them the next time I need their services, but she was
being nasty.  To the point where I would say that she destroyed any possibility 
of me ever returning, if I wanted to come back.  She packed up all the papers
she had strewn across the tables showing me how "manageable it is to have a
$2,000 debt" and I asked, " How do I cancel my membership". And she repaeted
"You must have a letter stating that you are canceling your membership within
3 days of your application" And I asked, "So...that's tomorrow?"  She agreed
and left.  She omitted the "registered" part of the letter and didn't say
another word to me afterwards.  I did get the letter in the mail, and they
did send me a letter telling me that I was not a mamber anymore and to expect
a credit on my credit card bill "shortly".  But it took 5 months and a few
*insistent* phone calls (including one to the billing office in another state)
before that credit ever showed up on my bill!  It seemed as if they were
still trying to get my money even after I stopped doing business with them.

So, Kurt, I know how you feel!

-Brian