Is ClogKingdom.com a SCAM?

by on July 18, 2012

If you remember, I shared a great deal on my favorite shoes, Danskos.  A website called ClogKingdom was offering a great Groupon deal- $90 at the store for just $45.

I jumped on it and ordered up some cute shoes to wear.  I ordered sandals and looked forward to wearing them to the Niche Mommy Conference next month, because I’ll be speaking about PageRank for Bloggers.  I would love to wear cute shoes, but I have bad feet and Danskos are definitely an investment.

I found a pair of sandals on ClogKingdom.com, and they were on sale. Score!  Normally $130, on sale for $99.99 (I know! Pricey. This is why I order about a pair each year to slowly build up my stock.)

Since my order was less than $100, I had to pay shipping.  BUT! I had a Groupon, so I was going to get an awesome discount!

I entered in the Groupon number and the site accepted it.

Later that day, Monday July 16, I got a confirmation email.

My credit card was charged.

Today, Wednesday, I get another email, not from ClogKingdom, but from MedShoes.  They say I can’t use the Groupon with the sale price, and my order will actually cost $20 more.  Remember, this is AFTER they confirmed my order and charged my credit card.

 

This is NOT acceptable.

And “only about $20?”  That’s a LOT of money.  The shoes are already quite a chunk, and $20 is a full 20% increase on the advertised price.

However, a curious thing happened.  I mentioned that I had advertised his site on my blog, and I would be telling my readers about my experience.  Then he said we “could work it out”, and by the way, could I send him a link to my blog?

I replied:

Let me know if you decide to honor Groupons for ALL customers, not just ones with blogs who object to being charged more money days later.

You know, I don’t want special treatment because I am a blogger.  If I share a deal with my readers, I expect EVERYONE to be treated the same way, with courtesy and professionalism.  This isn’t about “I have a blog, give me what I want”- how could I do that without knowing how many people got cheated and tricked into paying more money?
{Also?  My blog is linked at the bottom of all my emails to him. So I had sent my blog link to him about 4 times at this point.}

I haven’t gotten a response yet.  I also specifically asked that he confirm my order was cancelled, and that my card was refunded.  As of this posting, my order has NOT been confirmed cancelled, my card has NOT been refunded (at least, there is still an amount pending for the merchant), and I don’t know how to get a refund on my Groupon since technically I “used” it.

I am considering filing a Better Business Complaint against ClogKingdom.com in Oceanside, NY.

Let this be a warning to you if you do business with ClogKingdom.com- even if you THINK your order is confirmed and ready to be shipped, they might change the terms on you at any time.

You might want to expect an email trying to shake you down for “only about $20″ more if you do business with Clog Kingdom or MedShoes.

How would you handle this situation?

UPDATE 3:15 pm
Within minutes of publishing this post, ClogKingdom just called me to say my order is ready to ship (after I specifically asked for my order to be cancelled, in writing.)

He said the original email went out in error (really? Because that’s the first mention of an “error” out of several emails back and forth.

I am actually quite incensed that he called me at home. He asked me for my number and I specifically asked him NOT to call me, that I didn’t take phone calls during the day (true), and that I wanted our correspondence in writing.  I asked him several times to email me during our call and he said he just couldn’t email for the rest of the day.

He also said that whether or not they accept Groupons for items “varies” and it depends on how much on sale it is, and they have a habit of “reaching out to customers” if they decide not to take a Groupon for a particular item. He could not assure me that if any of my readers purchased this Groupon based on my recommendation, that they wouldn’t be asked for more money later on.  Because, it “varies”.

He repeatedly told me my order was ready to go, even though I asked for a cancellation.  He said he couldn’t send me details of the “error” and their policies until tomorrow.

UNACCEPTABLE.

 

I love comments. Tell me what you think!

  • Natalie October 11, 2012 3:13 pm edit

    Having a similar problem using this groupon. At first the story was they were out of the style I ordered. I requested another shoe. Medshoes said order was placed. Emailed for confirmation on tracking shoes. They said I would have them within the week. Have not seen a shoe yet. I contacted groupon to get a refund. I just know if I will get the money back that I sent to clogkindom. How did this turn out for everyone. Did anyone get an shoes?

    Reply
    • Milehimama October 11, 2012 5:58 pm edit

      I canceled my order as soon as the shenanigans started, and requested money back from Groupon. Groupon was super helpful, understanding, and easy to work with and refunded my money immediately. Because I canceled my order, I never got my shoes and Clogkingdom did refund my card.

      Reply
  • Scarlett November 1, 2012 3:15 pm edit

    I know exactly what you are talking about. I was not in on the groupon deal. But this past summer I purchased 3 pairs of Dansko sandals and had many issues with this man, Jeff.
    An aweful person, rude, disrespectfully and a scam artisit.

    Reply
  • kales February 1, 2013 8:03 pm edit

    When I looked on the internet to understand the bizarre experience with Clog Kingdom, it didn’t take long to find comments like the ones above and many others.
    I had a similar incident with Jeff at Clog Kingdom aka Clog Shop aka Medshoes. I ordered a specific model and color of Dansko shoe. He sent the shoe requested and another pair I did not request, of the same shoe but different color. I already owned the color he sent in error as well. I kept the shoes I requested and returned the shoes I didn’t order. He kept promising for months that he would take care of refunding the shoes sent by mistake. He claimed to always be on the run, taking care of sick relative, etc. I was patient and kept trying him on many occasions but he was always unavailable or too busy to talk. Finally spoke to him this morning. He admits there was an error. But now claims that since the pair of shoes I returned – which I never ordered in the first place – were returned a few days after the return period, he would not give a refund but would give store credit instead. Though it has no bearing on the situation, I told him I was out of town when he sent the shoes and gone for a period before coming home. I calmly explained that the timing does not matter, because I am not the one who made the mistake so a “refund period” is not my responsibility. Furthermore, why would I order a pair of shoes I already own? I attempted to talk with him logically to make these points. He continued to be rude and yelled and hung up on me and said to call my credit card company. This man uses deceit to get a sale and bullying when you attempt to speak to him in a civil manner. The only logical thing about this person is the advice to call my credit card company. I wish I had read all of these reviews before dealing with this company. Beware of internet thieves !

    Reply
  • Stacy February 3, 2013 12:21 am edit

    Omg. I am so glad I ran across this blog!!!! I was just going to order some shoes from them! Thanks for saving me from a world of hurt!!

    Reply
  • Wendie March 7, 2013 12:50 pm edit

    Same problem. I just had to call Groupon and get a refund. Sent a complaint to BBB and NY Attorney General as well. I purchased my Groupon 8 months ago…have been attempting to use it and got the run around from Jeff BIG TIME!! He used the hurricane as his reason, which no one would ever complain about since it hit NY hard…but it is now March!! Scammer!! Said the same exact crap to me about “Sanita clogs” and different prints only available…not in your size…bla bla bla…
    Today told me I could get the clogs I wanted but it would be a few more months or so unless I wanted to purchase an additional pair of clogs or give him more $$ and he can ship them over night. WHAT??? He is a SERIOUS SCAM ARTIST. Be Aware! He is a rude **** and he knows his business is going down fast!!!

    Reply
  • LW March 16, 2013 5:56 pm edit

    Clogkingdom and its owner are not good business people.
    First I ordered 2 pair of shoes they called and said they were not available and then the next day said one was ..I said great then I wind up with some shoes that I never ordered then it was a fight to get a refund and they refused to credit the $ for shipping back. I would never order from this site !

    Reply
  • Hillary Roy March 25, 2013 3:42 pm edit

    I ordered from http://www.groupon.com a groupon- was so excited. I finally used the groupon 9 weeks ago. Right after I ordered I got a note saying that they were back ordered and it would be 4-6 weeks. I thought that it kind of stunk, but was willing to wait knowing that Danskos were a high demand item and they probably got hit hard with the groupon. So…I waited. At about the 5.5 week mark I emailed. I was told to call the store. Through a few more emails…no way was the guy going to answer me over email. I had to call. So…finally I call DURING STORE HOURS which for anyone that works is hard to do…the store is closed. I email and the guy is at Universal in Florida…says to call back on Monday. So…I finally call back. I get this for an answer….now 9 weeks after I ordered….that the groupon just about killed them and coupled with the hurricane I had 3 options. 1. order off of their shelf for what they have in the store, 2. pay extra to get them aired to me or 3. cancel the order. The guy then gets a phone call, makes me hold on and then comes back to say he is not hanging up on me, but the conversation is done and that I need to make a decision and call him back. When I start to talk, he interrupts me and says that there is nothing left to talk about and that he gave me my options. No need to call back jackass- cancel the f-ing order! Here’s option #4…Cancel the order and I’ll post your horrible service. I’m pretty sure that groupon and the hurricane aren’t the reason you are almost out of business. Buy a damn mirror and take a hard look! HUGE Scam!

    Reply
  • Deborah May 21, 2013 7:49 pm edit

    I have to agree with Stacy. I was going to order a pair of clogs and ran across this blog. I don’t know how to blog but thank you to those of you who do and those of you who care what happens to others. The saying “you get what you pay for” was about to get me. Good price but sounds like lots and lots of problems.

    Thank you again for saving me the headache and sorry others had to go through it. Hope it all gets resolved.

    Reply

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Desperately thrifty mom of 9, sharing my frugal tips, easy shortcuts, recipes, and thoughts on natural living and real food.

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