ComplaintsforLife Without Plastic

• Initial Complaint

  12/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We have ordered from this company many times with no issues until our last order. Order #***** was placed in May but some items were on back order when it arrived. We were charged in full for our order and it’s now august and we have yet to receive our order. I’ve emailed the company with no response, they no longer have a phone number that someone answers. I have left 4 messages for the last couple of weeks to find out what’s going on. I would like the product we paid for. I don’t understand the complete lack of service by this company especially since we have been a customer for many years with never having an issue before. We love there products but it’s frustrating to have paid for things we have never received. If this route doesn’t work my only other option is to contact our credit card company.

  

  Business response

  13/08/2023

  Once again, we wish to express our sincere apologies to the customer for the complications with her order. We have spoken with the customer by phone and discussed the situation in detail and come to a place of resolution. We thank her for her patience and understanding as we work this out.

  The issue was primarily one of communication problems on our end. It seems that with some recent changes in our phone system and online contact form systems we did not receive some of her messages. These bugs have now been fixed. Regardless, we did receive her most recent messages over the past week and unfortunately they were not responded to in a timely fashion. 

  The outstanding products in the customer's order are in stock and are to be shipped tomorrow by *****, so she should receive them within a week or so. We are also providing the customer some extra complimentary products to hopefully help compensate for the delays and frustration caused. Our co-owner has provided her with his direct cellphone number and indicated that she may reach out to him directly at any time if she has any further questions or concerns.

  Again, we thank this long-time and deeply appreciated customer for her feedback, understanding and patience, and wish her and her family all the best on their plastic-free journey. 

  Customer response

  13/08/2023

  
  ****** ******** *******
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 20460998, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  They were extremely apologetic and we are thankful to have this resolved so that we can continue using this company like we have for many years.
  
  Sincerely,
  ***** ******
  

• Initial Complaint

  22/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  All dates in 2022 June 11: Placed order with business June 17: Received order, but was charged $41.79 in customs and duties when the company's website clearly stated that Canadian customers would not be charged June 20: Emailed business about the issue and included photo of invoice June 29: Received email reply with apology and request for photo of invoice (despite it already having been sent) after which I would receive a cheque in 2-4 weeks. July 12: Emailed business again with more photos of invoice Sept 20: Emailed business to follow up and provide new address since I had not yet received cheque Oct 12: Emailed again after receiving no response by email or replies to phone message I left Oct 14: Received email reply that they were "unable to find any previous emails or correspondences" and they "will be working with out Finance Team to send you the check." Nov 9: Received email update that "we are working on your concern. It has already been forwarded to our Finance team, along with your new address." Nov 9: I immediately responded asking when I should expect to get the cheque, but have not received any reply. Nov 24: Attempted to contact the company through Facebook Messenger with no reply. Dec 22: Emailed the company, phoned and left another message, but I don't have much hope that this issue will be resolved so I'm contacting the *** as a last resort.

  

  Business response

  22/12/2022

  We sincerely apologize to the customer for all the inconvenience caused, including the delays, lack of communication, and the unintended customs duties charge that led to this complaint. The customer has been refunded in full ($41.79) for the customs duties. The customer was contacted by telephone to apologize and to inform her that the refund had been processed as a credit to her credit card. She appreciated the call and kindly explained her concerns and frustration with a view to helping us improve. We deeply appreciate her time and her and her family's loyal support through the years. 

  The customs duties issue is something we grappled with for several months over the summer and into the fall of 2022 while setting up a new shipping system for our Canadian customers. The whole point of the new system is to make the shipping more efficient and streamlined for our Canadian clients, but unfortunately there have been some serious glitches with duties having been charged to Canadian customers by the shipping companies, when that is not supposed to happen. It has now been taken care of and the new system is in place and functioning well. Unfortunately, this customer was one of the ones charged the unintended customs duties. She should have received her refund cheque back in July, but this never happened because of customer service delays and errors on our end. We acknowledge that there have been serious lapses in our customer service and are working to implement solid and lasting improvements.  

   

• Initial Complaint

  13/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company has virtually non-existent customer service. They have taken my money but I have no item. I requested a refund and they have stopped responding entirely. Each time I email them I have to wait days and days for a response, if I even get any. I Placed an order on Sept 6, 2022 of $173.35. Company’s address is in Canada so I was surprised that it was shipped from the USA and thus slapped with duties. Item was shipped via *** who wanted over $80 in brokerage fees. Company stated that no duties or fees would be required after payment and they would send the money for the brokerage fees. I waited but no response or money was sent from the company. Item was eventually shipped back to sender by ***. Company offered to ship it back and waive the shipping fee but I requested a refund instead. (Due to the unreliability and incompetency of the company I didn’t want to go through all of this again). I sent several emails requesting a refund (last email sent Thursday October 6th, but never heard back from the company. I spent $173.35. I have no item as it was sent back to the company. It has been over a month and highly inconvenient for me dealing with the stress. I want a refund. Company will not respond to me. Please help. Thank you.

  

  Business response

  13/10/2022

  First off, the customer has been completely refunded and contacted to inform her of the refund having been processed and to sincerely apologize for all the inconvenience experienced through her order with us. She has also been offered a discount should she wish to give us another chance some time down the road. Unfortunately, there was a serious lapse in our customer service as the response times were absolutely unacceptable. We are working to remedy this right now to ensure it does not happen again. Regarding the customs duties issue, this is something we have been grappling with for the past few weeks as we have been setting up a new shipping system for our Canadian customers. The whole point of the new system is to make the shipping more efficient and streamlined for our Canadian clients, but unfortunately there have been some serious glitches with duties having been charged to customers by the shipping companies, when that is not supposed to happen. It has now been taken care of and the new system is in place and functioning well. As well, we have already refunded several other customers who also received unintended duties charges from *** or ***** before being able to receive their orders. This has been a serious growing pain, and we deeply apologize to all our customers who have been affected. To this customer, once again, we are very sorry for the difficulties you encountered with your order, and we hope to be able to make it up to you one day, with a discounted order of plastic-free products smoothly delivered to you with no complications. Our very best regards to you, and thank you for letting us know your concerns so clearly.  

• Initial Complaint

  02/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I received a clearly damaged or defective product from this company. I photographed the problem which is a food storage container with punctures and dents that look like they are from a nail, around the sides of the container. I emailed photos literally within seconds of receiving the package which was intact and undamaged. I sent multiple emails and left a phone message over the course of almost a week since I was being ignored. Finally the company replied and said that I have to go buy a box and also pay to ship the damaged or defective product back to them and then they would decide whether or not to send me a replacement. The product is not what was represented on the website when I purchased it and is clearly defective or damaged and I reported it to them, with photos, less than 1 minute after receiving the package and then again over the next several day, and I simply would like them to send me an intact, undamaged, and useable product with a return shipping label so that I can receive the product I already paid for, and then I can send the damaged one back to them in the box they send a new one in and with a return lable from them. I paid for the product shown on their website and that is not what they sent and it is inappropriate for them to require me to spend more money in order to hopefully receive a product I already paid for. I simply want the product I already paid for and then I would be happy to return their defective item to them with a prepaid shilling label from them.

  

  Business response

  04/08/2022

  Our sincere apologies to Ms. ********. We understand her frustration flowing from her receiving a product with manufacturing defects and her customer service experience with us – especially given that she intends to give these products as gifts. We stand 100% behind our products and have taken tangible steps to address the situation immediately – a shipment to her of a new 7.8 L stainless steel container has been processed today.
  
  Based on our records of the communications between Ms. ******** and us, we note that she sent her first email on Thursday, July 28, 2022, at 9:24 am EST, clearly explaining the issue and included one photo of the damaged product. She then left a voicemail message with us on Friday, July 29, 2022, at 12:14 pm EST, clearly explaining the situation. She then sent a second email on Sunday, July 31, 2022, at 8:29 pm EST requesting a response.
  
  Our customer service team responded to her for the first time on Monday, August 1, 2022 at 1 pm EST, but our customer service agent mistakenly asked Ms. ******** to return the damaged product at her expense and then we would assess it. Further emails were then exchanged, including one in which Ms. ******** sent three more photos of the damaged product.
  
  This is not how we normally deal with manufacturing defects, which, while very rare with our products, can occur. We do normally ask the customer to send a photo of the damaged product in question along with the box and shipping materials. This is important because we have had instances of attempted fraud where a refund or replacement was requested for a product that was not purchased directly from us. However, given that the damage was evident, and Ms. ******** had clearly ordered directly from us, the agent should have processed a replacement container right away.
  
  As well, the time we took to respond to Ms. ******** was too long. We strive to respond to all customer service inquiries within 24 hours, or one business day. In this case, we should have responded by Friday at the latest. Our customer service team does not work on weekends, so the first response came only on Monday. Everyone on our team is aware that this is too long, and we are doing our best to meet that service standard of 24 hours or one business day at all times.
  
  As noted above, a new container is being shipped to Ms. ******** today (tracking information will be provided to her when it is available), and as well, we ask that she keep the damaged container at no charge and use it as she pleases. Granted that it is not suitable for her gifting purposes, but it is still functional and safe to use for all kinds of things ranging from food storage to freezing to transporting or storing all kinds of other household items. Excellent for camping. It is still a solid and durable container.
  
  Once again, our apologies to Ms. ******** for the inconvenience. We hope this settles her complaint, and as always are open to any further questions or concerns from her.

  Customer response

  04/08/2022

  
  ****** ******** *******
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to ********* ** ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ********

• Initial Complaint

  10/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On April 4, 2022, I placed an order (order #*****) on ********************** for the amount of $72.39. I paid in CAD dollars. I received my order and it was shipped from USA. Everything I received in my order was as expected. The problem I have was that I received a bill on May 4, 2022 from ***** for shipping and import of the product from USA to Canada in the amount of $59.54. My order qualified for free shipping. I was unaware when purchasing that this product would be shipping from the US or that I would be responsible for these fees. There is no where on the website, or during checkout that indicated this or that shipping and import fees would be charged to me. The website indicates the headquarters is located in Quebec, Canada, which I thought was where the product would ship from. The ***** fee is almost as much as the order amount that I paid. Life Without Plastics has been disingenuous and withheld this information and expects their customers to take on this responsibility. I have attempted to get in contact with their customer service and have been unsuccessful. Their phone number goes straight to voicemail and says they will get back to you within 48 hrs by phone or email. I left a voicemail on May 4, 2022 and have not received a call back. I sent an email on May 4, 2022 and May 6, 2022 and have received no reply. Life without plastic does not seem to want to work with me to resolve this issue. I feel Life without plastic should refund me for the amount of the ***** import of $59.54.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩