well, naturally update

I called my credit card company this morning, and they are in the process of completing a charge-back to Well Naturally. See here for the details, if you missed the story. This involves them sending me a statement which I have to sign, attesting to the fact that I paid for goods which have not been received, which I then send back to them and the credit is made to my card. What a hassle, but here's the great news - the Well Naturally site is down! Hopefully this won't be happening to anyone else.

DO NOT buy anything from Well Naturally

I've been duped, and I feel very silly. But in the interest of helping fellow soapers, I'll share a little story.

At the beginning of June, I placed an online order with Well, Naturally, based in Surrey, BC and run by Mary Robinson. It was for soap supplies. My credit card was charged on June 4, and after hearing nothing from Mary or her cats (I'll get to that in a second) about shipping, I sent an e-mail asking about the order status. Nothing. So a week or so later, I e-mailed again. Still nothing. I think I e-mailed a third time, nothing, then decided to call last night. According to her voicemail, "the cats are terrible at taking messages", and apparently so is her machine, as it is full.

Before I placed the order, I did a very quick search and no huge red flags went up, but apparently I should have googled "well naturally complaints". I'm thunking myself on the forehead for not checking with the Better Business Bureau before ordering from a new company - their rating there is unsatisfactory.

Edited to add: I contacted my credit card company, and they can do a charge-back once 30 days have passed with no delivery of goods. I will definitely be changing my credit card number! I'm glad that I don't have to pay, but it REALLY upsets me that people do stuff like this. I like to think that people can be trusted. Argh.

At ripoffreport.com there are lots of complaints from other people who have had similar experiences.

Please do not order anything from Well Naturally!

Some WONDERFUL Canadian suppliers about whom I have nothing but good things to say are Cranberry Lane and New Directions. Very professional, prompt, and they have great selection.

Update: June 21, 2008: Mary e-mailed me today to say that I should go ahead and do the charge-back, as she is dealing with cancer and chemo. I would like to believe her, but I kind of just, well, don't. I will be doing the charge-back, though - does she think that by telling me that, that I'm just going to say "Oh, you poor thing - just keep my money." Umm, no. I will be writing back to tell her that if that is indeed the case, she should at the very least delete her website.