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Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet

Online Users: 585 guest(s), 0 user(s). Replies: 106


auntofthebride Posts : 9,357 Registered: 4/2/06
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Feb 3, 2010 9:40 AM Go to message in response to: HamzicBride

Dear HB,

They get lists of brides from any source they can. Did you go to a bridal fair trade show? At the bridal fair, did you enter any contests with your name and address? Did you try on dresses at a bridal shop? Did you register with any store?

All those places sell your name to other wedding-related vendors, including the cookware scam artists.

****

When I got married, I put my parents' home address in exactly one place: the marriage license application. Everything else got my own home address. Guess what. After I got married, my parents' address started receiving sex-related mailings. They got it from the county marriage license bureau. My mom had to go to the post office and fill out a form requesting that sexually explicit material NOT be sent to her house!

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bride2b17 Posts : 1 Registered: 7/30/10
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Jul 30, 2010 3:48 PM Go to message in response to: Guest

I am shocked b all of the negative feedback on this thread. I attended a presentation. The presenter was very well educated in the food and cookware industry, informative, helpful, friendly, funny, and honest. I went there with no intentions of opening my wallet, but left with the master set. I could not be happier about purchasing it. Sure i'm still paying it off, but i got a free vacation out of the deal, and i save a ton of money on eating out. not everyone has 3500 to drop on cookware, but with 100% credit approval and payments as low as $12 a month, everyone can afford this product to live a healthier lifestyle.

and seriously quit bashing on the vaca. all i had to pay for was hotel fees and airfare. it was like $500 round trip each and around $15/night for hotel fees. that's as close to free as you are going to get at a 5 star resort in mexico.

im glad i didn't read this before attending the seminar, because i would have never went.

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bride2be17 Posts : 1 Registered: 1/31/11
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Jan 31, 2011 2:29 AM Go to message in response to: Guest

Well I got my call to girls.... Gonna be attending the presentation Thursday night (and NOT buying any cookware because I hate cooking anyways lol)
I'll repost once I go to the show and let everybody know the result. And if I decide to use the vacation that is a possible scam I'll let ya'll know about that too.
And I PROMISE I don't work for them lol I am a stay-at-home mommy to my infant son :)

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MadMother Posts : 1 Registered: 3/9/11
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Mar 9, 2011 11:04 PM Go to message in response to: Guest

I signed up for this forum expressly to warn about Simplicity Gourmet. My daughter, unbeknownst to me, went to one of their presentations and bought 2000.00 worth of cookware. They have very talented sales people who manage to convince couples that their cookware is healthier. Believe me you can buy excellent cookware for much less money at a department store or Costco. The internet is filled with complaints about this company. Just go on Google and enter Simplicity Gourmet complaints. It is specially enlightening to read what former and current employees have to say about the company.

If you have $2000 - $3500 to spend on cookware and wish to
throw money away go ahead but whatever you do do not sign up for financing. The finance company is just another one of their holdings and you will find that you end up paying double or more than the original cost of the cookware when you do. The reason this type of thing is marketed this way is that no one in their right mind would go into a store and spend this much on pots and pans. The sales people get you in a room engage you through humor or fear for your health and create a situation where you feel obligated to buy or foolish if you don't. Please do not start off your married life by throwing away money and getting into debt. You will wish that you had that money for something else I guarantee you.

As far as the "free" vacation goes, if you can afford to pay for the fees, taxes, airfare, incidentals etc., you can afford to take a vacation at the time YOU choose at the location of YOUR choice.

Please share this information with your friends and also let David's Bridal know that you would not like them to sell your information. Best Wishes

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bride72511 Posts : 1 Registered: 4/16/11
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Apr 16, 2011 6:49 PM Go to message in response to: Guest

I sat in on one of those meetings today. We ended up purchasing the cookware. Yes it is expensive, but its good quality and last forever. If you cant afford $65/month, then you probably shouldn't be planning a wedding. Vacation wise, its's not a scam. You get to go to the resort you just pay your own taxes and transporation fees. Think about this. About 5 couples sit in on each meeting. How many of them buy the product? Not all of them, but the company is paying for all of their vactation expenses. Is it really so bad to have to pay taxes and find your own transportation? No. That's a good deal. You get a 5 star vaction worth up to 5000 for the cost of the taxes and airfare instead of buying both. Get over yourselves. It's no scam.

honeymoon , gourmet , simpliciy
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FutureMrsDJLeo Posts : 616 Registered: 2/26/09
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Apr 16, 2011 8:15 PM Go to message in response to: bride72511

Once you are BACK from your free vacation, then come back and post that it's not a scam.

If you cant afford $65/month, then you probably shouldn't be planning a wedding.

What does that have anything to do with it? Maybe not everyone wants to spend $65 a month on cookware? If someone's a year away from their wedding, they can pocket that $65 each month and have an extra $780 to spend on the wedding! Not only that, but if someone is stupid enough to fall for this scam (as well as back it up before they even they even went on the vacay), then maybe they shouldn't be planning a marriage.

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BonnieKSimon Posts : 1 Registered: 4/21/11
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Apr 21, 2011 11:40 PM Go to message in response to: MiJoMy

I agree 1000%. You never get something for nothing, and how can cookware, no matter how expensive, compensate for a week-long vacation? Must be gold plated!

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FargoJones Posts : 2 Registered: 5/14/11
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: May 14, 2011 4:23 PM Go to message in response to: BonnieKSimon

We did the dinner. I wrote an extensive blog about the experience at http://mythsofthemidwest.blogspot.com/2011/05/my-dinner-with-gourmet-part-three.html

The short of it is, yes, they try to sell you cookware. It's a high price for high quality. Its up to you whether you want to get it or not. We didn't get pushed to do so. We did this solely for the experience and have no plans to take the vacation. It's not a scam, in the strict definition of the word, although it is a dubious business practice in my opinion.

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bbliber Posts : 1 Registered: 5/23/11
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: May 23, 2011 10:48 AM Go to message in response to: FargoJones

I attended a presentation. The presenter was very well educated in the food and cookware industry, informative, helpful, friendly, funny, and honest. I went there with no intentions of opening my wallet, but left with the master set.

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Aunt Posts : 796 Registered: 12/31/10
Vendor Sock Puppet
Posted: May 23, 2011 1:12 PM Go to message in response to: bbliber

Vendor Sock Puppet

Of course you will talk about how great it was. YOU'RE THE VENDOR.

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kleemilo Posts : 1 Registered: 12/21/11
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Dec 21, 2011 3:39 PM Go to message in response to: bbliber

My husband and I went to the simplicity presentation about a year ago, and it seemed really sketchy but we decided to go with no intentions of buying anything. We ended up walking out with a master set. Not only did the employees treat us with the utmost respect, they threw in a whole set of hammer stahl knives, some really cool kitchen utensils (such as a vacuum seal that helps keep your food fresh, a thing that picks out the stem from the strawberry, and a rub away bar) and a an extra skillet with our order.

To this day we have absolutely no complaints about the company. We have not had to replace any of our cookware, we lost the pump to the vacuum seal and they sent us a new one, and I also won champagne glasses at another bridal show, they were sent to us and were very nice! It may take them a while to respond to calls or get to things, but imagine how many people they are dealing with on a daily basis.

My husband and I have yet to choose when or where we want to use our vacation. From what we were recently told, The only downside to it is that you have to go to one of their "exotic" locations to get the all inclusive. But they give you plenty of options.

And those of you who are skeptic about the vacation and want to hear something from someone who actually went, go to page ONE of this post and there is someone who posted about actually going and having no problems. You just have to pay taxes, fees and airfare.

simplicity_gourmet
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FirstSip Posts : 2 Registered: 3/4/12
Re: Vendor Sock Puppet
Posted: Mar 4, 2012 7:27 PM Go to message in response to: Aunt

This person knows what's up.

I, like another poster said, specifically registered on this site to comment on this whole scam. By the way: intentional misinformation and false advertising IS considered a scam.

I got a call after a Michigan Bridal show about a week later with the same sort of talk: 2 night/3 day stay, restaurant gift card, invitation coupon, etc.

However.

They must be catching on to people reading these things online. I was told my trip was to several all inclusive resorts OR any Embassy Suites in and out of the country, and that I could pick everything up at a "tasting" that night at the Embassy. I was fully expecting a pitch to have a wedding at the hotel, or something...

Boy was I surprised when I arrived to a 2+ hour sales pitch to so many different names, I'm still not positive about who to complain to (Simplicity Gourmet, Bella Bridal Network, and IMJN Cooking were three names thrown around that night and since... turns out they're all pretty much the same monster with different faces).

Had the same sort of, "you don't care about your family if you don't buy these pots" gist.

However, our "performance" was very easy to figure out. For one, the "chef," Mark, was so rehearsed he almost couldn't react to any on the spot questions. His big "anecdote" was referring to his family of four kids, quoting them, etc. About halfway through the "show," a kid was heard in the background and all the brides smiled, clearly thinking, "Oh, it must be one of his kids!" Almost as if he was falling out of character, Mark harshly told two of his "crew," "Take care of that." Literally his FACE changed. This guy was also VERY quick to snap when someone said something to question the products and/or show. Very disconcerting to see someone with that short a temper who then "switches" back to, "funny guy."

Speaking of: all the positive reviews that say, "The host was funny, informative, honest, etc." THAT IS THE EXACT THING MARK SAID. ANY positive reviews I've seen online all say the exact same thing; they ALWAYS mention funny. 1.) These hosts/salespeople aren't actually funny. No one laughed at our show other than an awkward, forced chuckle. 2.) Mark kept saying, "See guys, people may detract us, but you get to try great healthy food, listen to some jokes, etc." Sound familiar? Oh yeah, it's the same script all these positive comments keep using. 3.) WHY DOES IT MATTER IF THEY WERE FUNNY? They're not some comedian you're paying to see! Them being funny shouldn't affect a huge purchase, let alone sway you.

The end of that night was clear when Mark quickly realized he had a mechanical engineer (my fiance) there inspecting the metals and raising some questions. Literally picked an item out of his hands and passed it down quickly as soon as my FH said, "I'm just taking a look at the metal."

That was over a week ago.

Well, I'm AGAIN researching and seeking out this whole scam because... yesterday I got a call from someone called, "Royal Prestige/Dinner4Two." Offering me a... 2 night/3 day all inclusive honeymoon. All I had to do was come to a 60 to 90 minute cookware demonstration.

I immediately asked, "Are you affiliated with Bella Bridal Network?" and she said, "We are one of the largest bridal networks, so I'm not sure who exactly we're affiliated with. But we're not a scam." Who said anything about a scam?! When she mentioned she'd send an e-mail with all the information, I said, "Go ahead and send me the e-mail so I can research it further." She responded, "Uh, unfortunately I can't send the e-mail until you agree to go to the show." Really? With a curt good-bye, I hung up.

Lo and behold, I've found a few sources that say Royal Prestige and Simplicity Gourmet ARE the same company. They operate under different names, different phone numbers, with incredibly difficult to trace accountability.

None of these organizations are accredited with the BBB (though they say they are) except the moral local (to Michigan) "IMJN Cooking" we had at our "show." Incidentally, he mentioned that they had an "A+" rating and actually have an "A-" rating (again, false information) which I'm sure is only going to go lower as this scam continues at different local levels.

Save yourself the disappointment, I had never won anything in my life and was easily duped.

Also prepare yourself for spam texts and phone calls aplenty. Wonder how these people make money? (Selling your information is the punchline...)

february_2012 , simplicity_gourmet , bella_bridal_network , royal_prestige , scam
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CjsfutureWifey Posts : 1 Registered: 9/10/12
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Sep 10, 2012 8:16 PM Go to message in response to: Guest

Seems like Simplicity Brides may be still hard at work scamming because I received a call from them today. I didn't answer b/c the number was not familiar so I let it go to my vmail. After listening to my messages, I wrote down the name and number of the company, immediately I googled the company and these adds popped up with not very impressive reviews. I'm sure that there are other couples trying to take advantage of offers or discounts available to couples preparing to wed and I for one don't want to be taken advantage of. Its hard enough paying for a wedding. For any couples that are curious, do your research first. I'm not sure if this is in fact a scam but we are not taking chances; please reference the # that called me is 615-462-0305. Thanks everyone for the warnings. :)

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Kimberly212 Posts : 2,211 Registered: 9/12/12
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Sep 24, 2012 4:06 PM Go to message in response to: Guest

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wedding , dress , bridal
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Aero Posts : 1 Registered: 11/28/12
Re: Beware of Free Vacation From Simplicity Gourmet
Posted: Nov 28, 2012 11:49 AM Go to message in response to: CjsfutureWifey

Here is my 2 cents.

I went to a presentation recently and was considering buying this cookware. It looks nice and I will say the food that the guy made was very flavorful. I liked the idea of the whistle and the stacked cooking. HOWEVER. Looking at online reviews you find mostly negative comments and many complaints. Here and there you will find positive reviews, but looking at these positive reviews I can smell a skunk from a mile away. I would say 90% of the positive posts had one if not 2 or 3 specific sales pitches they use in the presentation. I feel if a company or its personnel are that desperate to have positive feedback online there is an inherent problem. Examples (and some of these come from other review websites):

-I saw someone use Mad money. That was a specific audience participation point in the presentation I went to.

  • Claiming that their grandma swears by it. During the presentation I went to, the salesman spent at least 3-4 minutes on this story.

-Cheapest set I ever bought due to replacing other sets. A big sales point the salesman brought up. He even had examples of other pots and pans after a lot of use.

-Now this one is true because the food and veggies had a lot of flavor but still to bring it up in a post in the way I saw it done. Someone says that these pots keep nutrients and color in the food and that's where the flavor is. This was also a major sale point.

Long story short, I look at these positive posts after going to the presentation and it just sounds like a sales pitch all over again. If it was a normal person they would touch on the points but not present them like I see in the posts. My advice, if a company is this desperate to put its own positive reviews down in the amount I've seen, it’s obvious they don't trust that their customers will feel positive about their product.

On the same note, after the presentation was done, the salesman mentioned many times for people to go on the website and say something nice. And this would be way before anyone tried their product. Shady shady shady.

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