| Getting Out of the Deal | |
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Dateline: 12/21/00
If you attended a UCC TotalHome meeting and hastily joined under their "join now or loose the opportunity" sales pitch, you may now find yourself regretting your decision and wanting to get out of the deal. Fortunately, there are some remedies available. Here are some suggestions.
First, you should be aware that UCC TotalHome recognizes that customers may change their mind after some reflection. So the parent company does have a safeguard written into their franchise agreements. It reads as follows:
"If a member cancels his membership shortly after its purchase (e.g. within 5 business days), the membership is not recognized as a sale. A member may have the legal right to cancel his membership shortly after its purchase. For example, states with buyer club laws typically give a new member a 3-day right of recission. Franchisees operating in other states, at their discretion and without being legally required to do so, may also permit a new member to cancel his membership shortly after its purchase."
It is recommended that if you wish to cancel your membership within five days of joining, you send them a short letter stating:
Pursuant to your stated policy, this is to cancel my contract and therefore I request a full refund.
Thank you.
Send the letter registered - return receipt requested - to both the location you joined as well as company headquarters. Keep copies of everything in case you need to take legal action to enforce your right of recission.
You should also contact your provincial or state consumer affairs department to determine what your legal rights are in your jurisdiction.
If satisfaction is not received, you should contact your local Better Business Bureau to request their intervention.
You can also publicize your problems on the Internet in our forum and/or at the following:
Deja.com
The Complaint Station for UCC
You can also contact the media. In Canada, CTV's Goldhawk is worth considering. Television stations and newspapers love to investigate such complaints.
In Canada, a man and his wife in Ottawa were hounded by the local UCC outlet for a year for payment on a contract that they requested cancelled. The matter eventually went to court, at which point UCC dropped the case. So you can win.
Structured Development LLC, mentioned in Shopping Clubs Under Fire, is currently still engaged in a court battle with UCC. The owner, Leonard Nicholson, has been prevented from sharing information about the case and the reams of evidence he has by a "protective order" granted by the courts to UCC TotalHome. But Mr. Nicholson is happy to offer advice to anyone who requests it. He can be reached at nicleok@sdllc.com
Good luck!
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