Veteran says wife targeted by high pressure sale
CALL FOR ACTION
By
Melissa Yeager, WINK News
Story Created:
Jul 25, 2008 at 4:19 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Jul 25, 2008 at 7:32 PM EDT
NORTH PORT, Fla. - A man who served our country in Iraq returns home to find his wife a victim of a high pressure sales pitch, all to sell a water purification system.
David Meyers says the salesman promised his wife if David didn't want the system when he got home the family could return it.
"All you can think about Hey, I'm gonna be home soon. I'm gonna to be home soon," David Meyers told WINK about his nine months of service in Iraq with the U.S. Navy.
David Meyers said the water purification system was an unwanted homecoming present.
"Originally my wife thought that the city of North Port was giving out samples so people could check their water," Meyers explained.
The samples were actually part of a sales pitch.
"They were saying it was contaminated which it's not contaminated," said Meyers.
Meyers says his wife told him the salesman returned four times, even made her cry, before finally making a sale.
"When they saw her crying, I would have thought they would have stopped and said, 'OK we'll leave you alone we'll let you go' but they didn't. They kept going until they wore her down." said Meyers.
The family also says the salesman with KBL distributors also promised David could return the unit if he didn't like it when he got home.
Meyers tried to return it as soon as he saw the price tag.
"$6,000 dollars....my wife says she never saw the interest rate....it's 20 percent which i think is ridiculous," said Meyers.
He was having no luck returning the system. His calls went unanswered, every letter he wrote was returned.
"When you go over there life is totally different and then you come home and you want to just relax and just take it easy. But since I got home I had to deal with this, it's just pretty much a nightmare." said Meyers.
CALL FOR ACTION made several attempts to reach KBL. Our calls went right to voice mail--and the mailbox was full. We also called the finance company, GE Money, to ask them about the situation, especially the amount of interest on this loan.
Friday afternoon, GE Money called us to tell us they would refund the entire amount and wave all interest and charges.
A spokeswoman says the company is researching other complaints it has received about KBL.
The Better Business Bureau did give KBL an "unsatisfactory" rating.
The Florida Department of Agriculture Consumer Division says this year they've received 2 complaints about KBL, both closed with consumers saying they were satisfied. They had one additional complaint in 2007 where the consumer says they were not satisfied with the result.