ComplaintsforGenetics & IVF Institute, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  12/13/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Agreed to pay for 6 months of storage at a discounted rate of $200. Signed the form emailed to me by Russell G******** and provided my credit card info for that discounted rate. Russell G******** then decided to charge my card an additional $160 without my authorization or notifying me. I found out about this additional $160 charge after American Express alerted me. I emailed Russell G******** telling him he was not authorized to charge the additional $160, only the $200. Russell was agitated in his response. Fact is, Russell charged my card for $160 illegally. Received a bill from Fairfax on 12.12.21 for storage on 11.20.21. I paid $200 for 6 months of storage. This $200 would include billings of 6.20.21, 7.20.21, 8.20.21, 9.20.21, 10.20.21 and 11.20.21. Russell decided to charge me $200 but only give me 5 months of storage instead of the agreed upon 6 months I authorized the $200 charge for. I did not authorize a charge of $200 for 5 months of storage. I can provide email exchange if necessary. Again, it is illegal to charge a credit card without authorization. It is also illegal to change terms agreed upon. The $40 charged for 11.20.21 needs to be credited. Future interactions with Russell G******** should be professional and I should be given the same future storage discounted opportunities as the other clients at Fairfax are given. I should not be penalized because I pointed out Russell's inappropriate behavior.

  Business response

  01/14/2022

  Dear *** ******,
  
  This communication is in response to BBB complaint ********, from our client ***** ********.  (She is listed in the complaint as ******** ******** but our records reflect that her name is ***** ********; that account lists the same contact information as is provided in her complaint so we are confident it is the same person.)  We appreciate you reaching out to us to make us aware of this complaint and we are glad to provide you with additional information on this matter. 
  *** ******** was contacted on September 23, 2021 regarding her past due account.  Her account was four months past due in the amount of $160.00.  She was asked to submit an updated billing agreement, which she submitted on October 18, 2021.  On the billing agreement, *** ******** selected “Option 2, Pre-paid 6 month storage, $200.00.”   Just below where she selected her billing option, the billing agreement states:
  “I understand that choosing one of the above pre-paid options requires full payment at the beginning of the selected term. I have enclosed a check or hereby authorize you to charge the credit card listed below for the storage fees for the selected term plus any due or past due storage charges.” (emphasis added)
  By submitting this billing agreement, *** ******** explicitly authorized ******* ******** to charge her $200.00 for six months of pre-paid storage as well as to charge her credit card for “any due or past due storage charges.”  Her account was past due in the amount of $160.00, so per the agreement she signed, Russell G******** of our office charged *** ********’s card $160.00 to bring her account current as well as $200.00 for the next six months of pre-paid storage. 
  When *** ******** told Mr. G******** that that she did not authorize the $160.00 charge, he told her that past-due accounts have to be made current before pre-paid storage amounts can be applied, hence the $160.00 charge before the $200.00 charge.  *** ******** responded that she wanted the $160.00 refunded and the $200.00 applied to her balance due and the remaining amount applied forward.   Although it was not an option permitted by the billing agreement *** ******** signed, Mr. G******** extended *** ******** the courtesy of refunding the $160.00.  *** ******** requested the refund after business hours on October 18, 2021 and her credit card was refunded as soon as we opened on October 19, 2021.  
  As *** ******** requested, the remaining $200.00 charge was applied to her past due balance of $160.00, with the remaining $40.00 applied towards the next month of storage.  Ms. Leighton’s past due amounts were for the following charges:
                  June 2021 monthly storage
                  July 2021 monthly storage
                  August 2021 monthly storage
                  September 2021 monthly storage
  
  The October 2021 storage charge posted to her account 2 days later on October 20, 2021.  At that point, the $40.00 remaining on her account was applied to her October charges.  She had not yet paid for November 2021 or December 2021’s storage fees. 
  When our clients pre-pay for six months of storage, they pay $33.33 per month instead of $40.00 per month, effectively giving them a free month of storage.  *** ******** was not pre-paying, because she required us to refund the $160.00 our billing agreement permitted us to charge her to bring her account current before applying the $200.00 towards six months of storage; in other words, her $200.00 brought her account up to date rather than cover future storage charges.  For that reason, she was charged the standard monthly rate of $40.00 for her November 2021 storage fees.   When we received *** ********’s BBB complaint in December, we refunded the $40.00 November charge as a courtesy, and we also extended her free storage through the end of December, 2021.    
  As of January 13, 2022, *** ********’s account is up to date and both the $160.00 and the $40.00 charges have been refunded.  On January 21, 2022, she will owe $40.00 for January’s storage, which she has not prepaid.
  We are sorry that *** ******** was dissatisfied with her interaction with our company.  I have personally reviewed her account as well as Mr. G********’s correspondence with her to verify that every interaction was handled appropriately.  I confirmed that *** ********’s billing agreement did in fact authorize us to charge her credit card the $160.00 past due amount as well as the $200.00 for pre-paid storage, and I also noted that Mr. G******** refunded her the $160.00 immediately upon her request.  I also confirmed that nothing is preventing *** ******** from securing a discounted rate by paying for future months of storage in advance.  We are not certain why she believes that she is being penalized or not being offered the chance to secure the discounted rate, but we assure her that she can pre-pay for storage at this discounted rate at any time.  We do want to remind her that her account must be brought up to date before she can do that, however. 
  In my review of this file, I did not feel that Mr. G********’s interactions with *** ******** were “inappropriate” or “agitated,” as she claimed.   Mr. G********’s replies to *** ******** were somewhat short in length, which may have conveyed agitation to her, and I have encouraged him to take extra care to be sure his professional demeanor is as evident through his emails as it is when he speaks on the phone to our clients.
  Again, we thank you for bringing this complaint to our attention, and we appreciate the opportunity to provide you with information about our billing agreement’s terms, our policies, and the facts behind this complaint.
  If you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let me know.
  Sincerely,
  
  Nadeem M

  Customer response

  01/27/2022

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  
  

  Response from business does not accurately portray what occurred. Specifically Mr. G********'s responses to me and his actions which were detailed in the initial complaint. I will remove both specimens from ******* ******** as soon as I receive my test results from ******.  The sperm donor is a carrier for a serious disease (******* ********* Deficiency (*******)) and I am being tested to see if I too am a carrier. The specimens are set to ship on February 2, 2022. If the results are not back by 2.1.22, I will move the ship date to 2.9.21. I was assured by the customer service representative that I would not be charged for storage this month. The results should be in next week. If I am a carrier, I will return both specimens as my doctor advised that there is a 25% a child would be born with ******* ********* Deficiency.
  
  Regards,
  Regards,
  
  *********************************
  

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