WordSmart reviews and complaints

I too was led to believe that my son wanted the program. The customer service "lady" was rude and unhelpful. We are being charged $89 a month for tutoring that my son has yet to receive...and that I didn't agree to! I was told with our cd purchase he got 30 days of free tutoring-which never happened either. But I was supposed to call and say I didn't want to continue with the non-existent tutoring! So I can't cancel without paying $150 MORE for still nothing! Nice scam...charge people, give them nothing and charge them so they won't continue to get charged while receiving NO SERVICE! Canceled my debit card--good luck continuing to charge me.

I too believed my son had "shown great interest" in this product. I thought it would be a nice surprise for him. He opened it and looked at me like "what's this?" After attempting three times to return the product because he didnt like it, I was told it was too late. The customer service lady was rude and refused to let me speek to anyone else. I did report this to the BBB. PLEASE do not answer your phone if they call. Chances are you too will fall for their spill. They play on your emotions with your child, convincing you that your child wants this product. Terrible business practice!

I have had the same problem with WordSmart regarding collection letters for debt that I did not owe. I filed complaints with the CA AG and the BBB in San Diego, CA The AG sent a letter to WordSmart around the end of October. Today I received a call from WordSmart stating that there was this terrible mistake and that they are so sorry. I guess so with the State AG asking questions. After the call from WordSmart I called the CA AG, to apprise them of the responce from WordSmart. They advised me that nothing was sure until they received a written responce from WordSmart - Words over the phone do not mean anything until one receives a written responce. I mentioned that others were having the same problem that I was, however the agent told me that I was the only person that had made a complaint to them. So file complaints with the BBB and The AG of California - they will look into the situation.
H. A. Corbett, Houston, TX Tel: [protected] Complaint Board please dp not post my name or city for a couple of weeks. However, I will take calls from registered phone numbers to assist anyone who has had similar problems with this company

@richard hungwhell
Well based on your name I can tell you have issues already. No we tried the program it as painful and useless. You obviously are a sucker for marketing. Read the complaints you will see you are very much in the minority. Then again based on your name you probably work for the ###.

I'm a former employee of WordSmart, and I know all too well that person, Judy, as well as the scam you wrote about. I'm ashamed to say I ever worked for such a company. We were trained to basically get the credit card number, read a closing word for word as quickly as possible, (so the customer doesn't understand they're giving permission to have their credit cards billed multiple times), and go to the next call. People like Judy will never be ashamed of what they are, they don't know any better. Stay as far away from this company as you can!

Please email me if you think you have any suggestions as to what to do next/similar stories to mine that were successful: wordsmartscammedme@gmail.com

Alright. So like most if not all of the rest of y'all, the wordsmart company ripped me off and I feel scammed.

Sometime in October, I ordered the wordsmart sat prep with the promise of a money-back guarantee and a 200 point increase or money-back guarantee.
Of course the product actually came later then they say it did. But regardless, I realize that I don't need it anymore because I've already submitted my college apps that I would have liked a higher score for.
I call early November and customer id number 1444 tells me I need to call back again before, and this is important, November 27th with my dad because I'm not 18. Fast forward to November 23 and already they must have taken a holiday vacation because there is nobody to pick up the phone. I call and I call from then until the 29th, leaving several voicemails, and finally I get a call from another customer rep who tells me all is well because they were on holiday and she counted my voicemails as a request for an extension on the return and gives me a return number.
Now I think everything is going to be okay. I pay $10 more to put wordsmart back in the mail on the 1st of December and give two weekends for processing. Now today, I'm suspicious because I still hadn't had the money put back on my account so I call and 1444 tells me the return date was actually the 21st of November and the other rep was wrong in accepting the return...so they're shipping it back to me with no return of money what so ever.
They say the only other thing that can be done is contacting the board of directors, but I have no idea what I would say to them via fax, how that would even help, or how long it would take for anything at all to be done.

Like I said at the top please email me if you think you have any suggestions as to what to do next/similar stories to mine that were successful:
wordsmartscammedme@gmail.com

Thanks for reading, I hope everyone gets what they deserve from wordsmart, as well as they themselves get what they deserve, and I'd appreciate any and all advice you can share

Please email me if you think you have any suggestions as to what to do next/similar stories to mine that were successful: wordsmartscammedme@gmail.com

Alright. So like most if not all of the rest of y'all, the wordsmart company ripped me off and I feel scammed.

Sometime in October, I ordered the wordsmart sat prep with the promise of a money-back guarantee and a 200 point increase or money-back guarantee.
Of course the product actually came later then they say it did. But regardless, I realize that I don't need it anymore because I've already submitted my college apps that I would have liked a higher score for.
I call early November and customer id number 1444 tells me I need to call back again before, and this is important, November 27th with my dad because I'm not 18. Fast forward to November 23 and already they must have taken a holiday vacation because there is nobody to pick up the phone. I call and I call from then until the 29th, leaving several voicemails, and finally I get a call from another customer rep who tells me all is well because they were on holiday and she counted my voicemails as a request for an extension on the return and gives me a return number.
Now I think everything is going to be okay. I pay $10 more to put wordsmart back in the mail on the 1st of December and give two weekends for processing. Now today, I'm suspicious because I still hadn't had the money put back on my account so I call and 1444 tells me the return date was actually the 21st of November and the other rep was wrong in accepting the return...so they're shipping it back to me with no return of money what so ever.
They say the only other thing that can be done is contacting the board of directors, but I have no idea what I would say to them via fax, how that would even help, or how long it would take for anything at all to be done.

Like I said at the top please email me if you think you have any suggestions as to what to do next/similar stories to mine that were successful:
wordsmartscammedme@gmail.com

Thanks for reading, I hope everyone gets what they deserve from wordsmart, as well as they themselves get what they deserve, and I'd appreciate any and all advice you can share

Please email me if you think you have any suggestions as to what to do next/similar stories to mine that were successful: wordsmartscammedme@gmail.com

Alright. So like most if not all of the rest of y'all, the wordsmart company ripped me off and I feel scammed.

Sometime in October, I ordered the wordsmart sat prep with the promise of a money-back guarantee and a 200 point increase or money-back guarantee.
Of course the product actually came later then they say it did. But regardless, I realize that I don't need it anymore because I've already submitted my college apps that I would have liked a higher score for.
I call early November and customer id number 1444 tells me I need to call back again before, and this is important, November 27th with my dad because I'm not 18. Fast forward to November 23 and already they must have taken a holiday vacation because there is nobody to pick up the phone. I call and I call from then until the 29th, leaving several voicemails, and finally I get a call from another customer rep who tells me all is well because they were on holiday and she counted my voicemails as a request for an extension on the return and gives me a return number.
Now I think everything is going to be okay. I pay $10 more to put wordsmart back in the mail on the 1st of December and give two weekends for processing. Now today, I'm suspicious because I still hadn't had the money put back on my account so I call and 1444 tells me the return date was actually the 21st of November and the other rep was wrong in accepting the return...so they're shipping it back to me with no return of money what so ever.
They say the only other thing that can be done is contacting the board of directors, but I have no idea what I would say to them via fax, how that would even help, or how long it would take for anything at all to be done.

Like I said at the top please email me if you think you have any suggestions as to what to do next/similar stories to mine that were successful:
wordsmartscammedme@gmail.com

Thanks for reading, I hope everyone gets what they deserve from wordsmart, as well as they themselves get what they deserve, and I'd appreciate any and all advice you can share

I recieved a call from WORDSMART two days ago. My mom is a field worker that barely got her permanent residency card this week. When they called I was sitting with her and i explained to her what the man on the phone was saying. I was excited about it because I am a hardworking student and have taken the psat and i wanted to improve more by senior year. I should have known better but i wasn't even told how much it costs and they charged my mom's credit card for $199.95. That was rent money. I left her at zero dollars for bein an idiot and not realizing it. Do you have any advice on what i should do? i'm trying to find a way to pay her back and i just don't know what to do since it's a scam from WORDSMART.

I was also told that there was no obligation to purchase other disks but when I returned 4 of them I was told that I could not get a refund because I sent them back instead of calling them which she said had been explained in the phone call.

When I asked for a copy of the sales call she said I would have to fax a request to their board of directors. I seems like these people just pull rules out of their a**. I advised all of my friends to stay away and plan to file a complaint with the BBB.

After returning a purchase to this company unauthorized debits from Easy Share and American Leisure were deducted from my account on a monthly basis.

The salesman who called my cell phone was Greg Gines, [protected]. I am including this information so that anyone who googles the phone number can find this review. Mr. Gines called me several times over the course of several days and when I did not answer the phone he did not leave a message. I googled his phone number at the time and could not find any information.

The one negative thing I have to report is that Mr. Gines LIED to me. Mr. Gines said that my son requested this program. When the program arrived I showed it to my son and he said he had never heard of WordSmart or this product, and that he certainly did not ask these people to contact me.

I do not have the complaints which seem to be common among the other posts being made to this board. I do remember coming away from the call with the understanding that there are other volumes and that if I did not cancel they would automatically send them to me. I did call and cancel the subscription and to this date have not received any additional volumes.

My children have not started using the program. My 30 day return window ends tomorrow and we have decided to keep this product and have the kids use it. I too am going to give it a try just for fun and find out what I can learn from it.

I do not know if this will help anyone however I am posting the information in the event you find it useful. As of the date of this review the following is what you have to do in order to return the volume and receive your refund.

You must answer three questions.

Put the Challenge Disk in the computer, there will be multiple choice questions. The first question which you must answer is they want to know what the volume and group number is.

The second question you must answer involves the Volume D disk.. It lists words with 5 games to play to learn the words. You must tell them which game was your favorite.

The third question you must answer is on the Progressive Reader disk, which is the speed reading program. Choose a topic paragraph to read. Once you read it you need to write down the words per minute and the percentage of comprehension.

If you choose to return the program you will return everything in the plastic case except for the Challenge Disk which is yours to keep.

Above all else REMEMBER TO CALL THEM AND CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION as soon as you receive the SAT/ACT volume if you do not want to receive additional shipments.

Please call them and ask what their requirements are for your return of the ACT/SAT volume. The three questions I listed above are what the Customer Service Rep told me when I called.

I didn't look up this blog until it happened to me. They're even more sly now. I talked to the original salesperson and when he stated other cds would arrive automatically, I told him "No Way". Well, they did a bait and switch, putting me with another person and recording the conversation. You would figure that all of the information would be put into the computer by the original person right? Not the case and via the bait and switch-- I got it stuck by receiving the other cds which are NON-REFUNDABLE. Of course my credit card company took the sides of these schmucks because of the recording.

I was also charged $57 and I did not authorize or order it. This company is rip off. PLEASE DOT ORDER IT!

Did you ever get a copy of the auto-recording transaction from WordSmart? The FTC Telemarketing Rules and Regulations, 16 CFR Part 310, Sec. 310.3 on Deceptive telemarketing acts or practices, states that upon request, audio-recorded transaction must be made available to a customer.

I too was contacted by WordSmart to purchase their product with a total guarantee if not satisfied. I was lied to by the sales person saying that this product was specifically for preparation for the SAT. I called back to return the product and was pressured to keep it for a little while longer. When I called back they said it was too late and I had missed the deadline. I feel that if you do not like a product you should get the a total refund they are counting on having a person miss the deadline, which I did by 5 days. WordSmart is preying on families of high school students. If they have such a great product they should have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and provide refunds when requested! The "Customer Service" representative that I spoke to, Lisa, was rude and ruthless. She would not let me speak to a supervisor. I FAXED the complaint to the Board of Directors as told and received a call back also stating that I could not get a refund of any kind. I said the product was not the product that was advertise as SAT preparation, she said that product listed on the website is exactly the same it just has different packaging! I have registered a complaint with the BBB and I hope that everyone else will do the same.

Dear jcowanx,
I do not doubt the the program has value, for the person who has the where with all to use it. The problem as I see it, is the business practices of the company. Specifically customer service is horrible for the person who asks to return the product. If your company would just accept that if someone calls to return the product, that is what they want to do, and they do not want a hastle from the person on the phone. Please study the words "Customer Service" if your phone representative for returns actually understood that phrase, I bet that there would be far fewer people unhappy with your company. Respectfully, Customer Service is Bad (283 days ago).

march 31, 2011. I currently work for this company in the sales department. I can see where many people are upset because of details that they forgot about. There is a two page recorded verification script that we all have to read word for word after every single sale. Yes it specifically says you have to call within the 30 days in order to not recieve another shipment. This forum doesnt illistrate how many people love the program and actually order the rest of the series. For anyone who appreciates learning this is a good product. Definately worth the trial at least. And sure the program isnt for everyone you can tell by most of the complaints that some kids just wont like it. That is why you can return it. On the upside, if you can get you kids to just sit down and use the program. They will get at least a 200 point increase on the SAT. Simple as that, I would pay 200 for that kind of guarantee. I think most of us would. My advice to everyone... Actually pay attention!

We were blatantly lied to by a WordSmart sales rep who told us that our son had requested the SAT/ACT prep materials. Being parents that want to give our kids what they need to do well in school and college, we were interested. Turns out that our son never requested it, didn't want it, and had never heard of it. We were told our credit card would be used to reserve the materials. Instead it was charged $199.95. We are still trying to get a refund, and we've complained to the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General of CA about their deceptive marketing practices. This company preys on parents and uses the names of their children to manipulate them. Intolerable. Do NOT do business with them, and warn your friends and family members.

Buyer beware, they make it next to impossible to return the product and the product is juvenile. My high school daughter was not interested in playing some shark game or flash cards. Maybe when she was in pre-school or grade school. Thus began the saga of return…..
I ordered Word Smart on a trial basis on Oct 4; invoice was dated Oct 6, received product Oct 20. Reviewed, decided it was not what we wanted and began to try to get a confirmation number for return starting Oct 25, called 5 days in a row. The recording says you have to speak to someone in person. Oct 25, I was on hold for 6.25 min then the line automatically disconnects, called back and the same thing happened. Tried one more time with same result. Tried again on the 27th, 28th and finally on the 29th, after 4 attempts and 30 min later a very rude man answered. He offered to extend the review time, I said no, I just want to return it, he offered me the product at half price, I said no. He said he didn't understand because nobody returns the product. I said we were not interested; it was not what we thought it would be” He said very rudely “well didn't you know it was a vocabulary building product when you bought it" I repeated I want to return it. He started on another offer; I interrupted him and said you are making this impossible to return, not to mention it took 4 days and multiple attempts to get through. He said no we don’t you are wrong and we have been very busy because we have received over a 1000 orders this week. I repeated I want a number to return the product and I told him I was reporting the company to the BBB. He gave me the number, I was repeating it back to him and he disconnected the call. I am shipping back today and hope that the number was correct.

Thank you and thanks to all the folks who've taken time to post these comments/complaints about WordSmart. I was tempted to purchase but did about 15 minutes of research on the internet about them. I'm glad I did. Haven't found any positive comments so far.

As for Mr. Trebek (not sure how to spell his name), I rarely am influenced by celebrity endorsements. I also know a little more than most about his personal life. He lived on a horse ranch near Paso Robles, CA until recently (may still) and my Aunt worked for him, caring for his horses. The grounds were incredibly lavish for the livestock and all seemed pastoral and peaceful. Unfortunately, according to my Aunt, the workers would have to practically beg for food and supplies for the horses. He didn't even recognise that straw is not nutritious and is not intended as food. His neglect for one of God's most precious animals convinced me not to trust Mr. Trebek. I remain a devoted Jeapardy fan but have lost respect for the host of the show.

Once again: thank you all for your warnings about the product. I will not be purchasing it, to say the least!

Mine came without a registration/serial key to use the "free eval period" unfortunately, we had several major family tragedies and was not able to call and get one in time to send it back. Then I was threatened because of non-payment. When I offered to send it back, I was refused. When I said I wasn't going to pay without at least a code to use the software, the rep became even more aggressive.

DON't Buy from these guys.