Description

On July 16, 2025, on a late (hot!) night scrolling through Instagram, I fell into an ad by Cedar & Ash and thought, “let’s try it.” I bought a queen sized cooling blanket. The next morning I received a notice that my order was out for shipping, which included a tracking number. The tracking data is from a company in China. The website claims this business is in Jacksonville, FL so it was at this time I Googles the company and found BBB complaints and people calling out the company for fraud and bait and switch schemes. I reached out to the customer support via email to cancel the order. July 18, 2025 I quickly received a reply back (from Joyce) stating that the order was already out for processing and I could not be refunded at that point. I was out for shipping and therefore refused to cancel and refund. So I waited. On July 29, 2025 I found a pending charge of $29.99 on my checking account from “Timber and Oaks.” I thought the sounded familiar and recall some of the complaints about being regularly charged fees. I emailed the “customer support” at [email protected] asking them to cancel, the card was stolen and they didn’t have permission to collect payment. I also emailed Cedar & Ash back again, asking them to refund me immediately, they had no right to bill me again. The pending payment never cleared, in fact it has been dropped from the account record. My order arrived yesterday, July 30, 2025. It is “blanket-like,” made from a thin pink acrylic fabric with finished edges, measures about 43.5” long x 28” wide which is not even the size of a child-sized throw, much smaller than a blanket which should fit a queen sized bed! So I wrote back demanding refund for the “product” minus shipping, since they shipped “something.” This included a photo of the “blanket” draped across my full-sized bed. This morning, July 31, 2025, I received a reply back from a Rachel at Cedar & Ash support claiming that was a charge for my “Platinum Account,” which I never signed up for! Here’s the complete email: Hello Samantha, Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the recent charge on your account. We would like to confirm that this charge is for your Platinum Membership, which offers a variety of exclusive benefits to enhance your shopping experience. As a Platinum member, you can enjoy exclusive access to viral, trendy, and useful products at incredible prices with only shipping costs to pay. Here are some of the key benefits included with your membership: Exclusive Discounts: Enjoy members-only pricing and special promotions. Early Access: Get first dibs on new collections and seasonal sales. Free Shipping: Complimentary shipping on all orders. Priority Customer Support: Receive dedicated support from our expert team. We hope you’ve been enjoying these perks and are making the most of your membership! If you have any questions about your membership, would like to review your subscription details, or wish to make any changes, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help! Thank you for being a valued member. We look forward to continuing to serve you. Kind regards, Rachel Customer Service Team Cedar and Ash I just double checked my checking account and to be sure there $29.99 charge was gone, then emailed back telling them this is illegal, I never signed up for this.