ComplaintsforCSI Group International, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We would like to return the product. The product arrived damaged, the product was boxed inside another box and the inner box was entirely soaked. I have attached a picture to support this. I called to try to speak to someone and they gave me a vague response that I would receive a call back later from a sales representative, when I asked for a time frame, they were unclear as well. Considering the other reviews on this page, I want to make sure that they respond to me in their supposed "30 day return" time frame and make sure they refund us after getting the product back. I want a return number, them to pay for the shipping and a confirmation of a cleared invoice.

• Initial Complaint

  08/20/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This business made an unsolicited cold call to our church office and used predatory tactics to try and dupe a secretary into some verbal contract about undesired cleaning supplies. The salesperson indicated they would like to send a sample to our address and asked the secretary to verify our address and her position. The company sent two boxes of unwanted cleaning supplies along with an invoice of $566.38 invoice. I contacted the company about returning the items, however they will not supply return shipping labels nor any information in regard to contacts within their company. The person on the phone sent a voice recording claiming that we authorized the order, however the recording does not include all the conversation and seems to be altered to get the desired outcome they want. We have never solicited this company and have not authorized any purchase from them. We are requesting that this company be investigated for illegal tactics to scam others as well as to our name and any false invoices erased. We are seeking protection from any adverse effect on our credit report. We have offered to return these products and have yet to have anyone with CSI Group International provide the necessary information to have this returned.

• Initial Complaint

  08/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On October 18, 2023, a representative from CSI International Group **** contacted one of our employees, offering a free sample of their cleaning products. Our employee agreed to receive the free sample, with the clear understanding that there would be no obligation or cost associated with it.We received the product shortly thereafter, only to be surprised by an invoice for the "free" sample. We immediately contacted CSI International Group **** to address the issue, clearly stating that we did not agree to any purchase and requested a shipping label to return the product.Despite multiple follow-up calls, we never received the promised return shipping label. Instead, we have now begun receiving collection notices, adding to the frustration and concern over this situation.This practice of offering a "free" sample only to later demand payment and then failing to provide the means to return the unwanted product is both deceptive and unfair. We kindly request the BBB's assistance in resolving this matter, ensuring that the invoice is canceled, and that no further collection efforts are made against us.

• Initial Complaint

  12/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  CSI International shipped me a product I did not order. I have called several times to speak to someone in their company, but no answer. I am returning CSI 's package unopened to ***************** ************** I never authorized CSI to send me anything by mail, so I should not have a bill mail to me. CSI is a very unethical company for what they did to me.

  Business response

  01/08/2024

  I have tried searching our customer records for the phone number and the name *********, neither show up in our system.  Can you please provide your companies name and phone number so i can access the correct account and we can try to get this problem resolved? 

  Customer response

  01/09/2024

  I am closing the complaint I made against CSI International because the package sent to me by CSI was from my employer. My employer never communicated to me about it. My employer purchased an anniversary gift from CSI for me. Sorry for the inconvenience.

  Sincerely,

  ***************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  07/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of invoice 3/28/20** Invoice # **-41578 ************ shipped us a cleaning product that we did not order. A salesman called and wanted to sell us a product, we declined it and hung up. A few weeks later we got a shipment of a cleaning product. They continue to invoice us after we made multiple calls to them asking them to send us a shipping label to return their product or simply stop invoicing us for the product we never ordered and have no use for.We haven't done business with this company ever before, and don't plan to ever start They refuse to send us a shipping label so we can return their product

  Business response

  07/27/2023

  At CSI Group we record all our orders for customer service purposes to help protect our customers and ourselves.  This order was placed by ***** and he even gave us a PO # for this order.  He also states his position with your company and that he is an authorized buyer on behalf of your company.  I will be more than happy to provide this recording for you.  This was a legitimate order placed by your employee.  Your complaint states that you hung up on us and we shipped products without your authorization, but the recording proves the opposite.

  We off 30 day returns on any of our products, and ***** stated that he would return the products to us on 4/6/23 and 4/17/23.  Since we never received any of our products back, the invoice remains open and unpaid.  We are well out of the 30 day return window at this point and would like the invoice to be paid in full.

  As of yesterday, 7/26/23, *** (the executive director) called into our office and requested that the recording of the order be sent to them.  We sent the recording over and have not heard back yet. 

• Initial Complaint

  07/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was invoiced for a product that was supposed to be sent as a sample. After multiple calls and talking to the *** they agreed to receive the product. Once product was returned the company says they never received it and are sending overdue invoices and threatening turning over the charges to a collection agency.

  Business response

  07/12/2023

  Im sorry to hear you are having trouble.  If you can, please send me over the tracking information for the products you returned and I will double check the status of the shipment.  If the shipment was received we will credit off the open invoice and get you taken care of.

  Please send it over to ***********************************************

  Once I receive the email with the tracking information I will get this resolved for you,

  You can also call us at the office **************

• Initial Complaint

  04/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Cold caller. Calls public business number and convinces whoever answers to sample a product. (Staff is trained to not use the word "sample," but they ship products with the intention of the customer sampling them). Promises gift cards, etc. to be sent. After no gift cards or further contact from the company, I reached out to cancel the sample order. The order was still delivered to my property. The woman I spoke with on the phone said that nobody really checks the company's primary email, so that's why my order wasn't cancelled. I offered to ship the product back, as the cold caller had welcomed me to do had I decided to not keep the product. The woman said they would not accept a return, but they could do a discount. I did not accept that. The woman gave me the address to ship the product back to, and I went to **** *** said that I cannot ship the chemical because I need a permit or license and a lot of training to ship chemicals, which takes at least 30 days and is more trouble than it's worth. Surely, the chemical supplier must have known that I could not ship the sample back even if I wanted to. It is no surprise that my order shipped anyway even though I had cancelled it. Now I have a $500 invoice for a product I never wanted and cannot possibly return. Long story short: the company will send you products at any cost hoping you will not be able to return them. Im still looking for a good review. The last response I read from this business even sounded snarky. Unprofessional. Stay away.

  Business response

  04/27/2023

  Here at CSI Group International, Inc. we supply quality products at fair market prices.  Yes, we cold call companies to generate new business.  We do not, however, send out samplesof product and that is made very clear in every call that is made.  Before any products are shipped to any customer,we capture a voice recording where everything is confirmed.  We review the fact that this is an actual order being placed, the amount of product being shipped, the price of said product and we even ask the buyer to state the position he/she holds within the company and we confirm that they are authorized to place orders on behalf of their company.  At any point in the conversation with our sales rep, the customer could have simply said no to making a purchase.  If a customer tells us not to ship any products, we do not ship anything.  Customers have a 2nd opportunity to not purchase during the order verification process.  They have a 3rd opportunity to change their mind after agreeing to the order by simply refusing the products at the door when they arrive.  On top of all of that, if a customer calls us with a problem, we try to find an amicable solution to satisfy the concern.  We also accept returns within a reasonable time frame as long as they are returned unused and undamaged.

  This example is an order that was placed in 2021.  This customer kept part of our product and returned the other part.  If they did not want the product, why not send the entire order back?  Why keep part? We as a company have reached out numerous times over the past two years since the order was placed to try to resolve any problems as well as to receive payment for the products they decided to keep.  This customer had also made promises to pay the open invoice and have yet to do so, even after keeping product that was delivered.  As a company, we have exhausted our collection efforts and have turned this customer over to our outside collection agency for lack of payment.  All of this is documented in our bookkeeping system.  We can supply the BBB and the customer with any and all information, including invoices, verification recordings, proof of deliveries etc. needed to prove this order is legitimate and we have not been paid on product that was sent in good faith to a customer. 

  When it comes to returning products, there is absolutely no need for a license or training to ship a product back.  *** can ship our products and do so every day.  As previously mentioned, this customer kept part of the order but sent part of the order back.  How could this have been possible if training was needed?   The invoice we have on file and have been sending for payment clearly states the revised pricing to reflect the returns.  This can also be provided to BBB for clarification purposes if needed. Also, the products the customer ordered have nothing hazardous in composition and SDS sheets on these products can also be uploaded.

  As CEO of CSI Group International, I can be contacted directly and I would be more than happy to help resolve any further questions or concerns. 

  Customer response

  04/27/2023

  
  Complaint: 19986456
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  1) As I said, the company denies use of the word sample, but sends products with the intention of sampling with an offer to return if desired. 
  
  2) As I said, the customer did say no to receiving the products and the products were still shipped. There was a long period where I did not know we had received the items as they should never have been shipped. During this long period, I waited for the *** confirmation to be sent, but I never received it. This made the process take longer.

  3) You asked why we returned part of the product. We returned the whole product in two boxes. Half of it the business returned back to us again. I had already paid out of pocket to ship the materials back. Why would I pay out of pocket again if the business did not accept the package? The business must know this, and I do not appreciate blame coming back on me.

  4) When I went to *** to ship the chemicals back, I brought them in the same box with the same hazard warnings on the side that they arrived to me in. As I said, the *** attendant refused to ship the chemicals (and they are chemicals, and did have a hazard warning on the side) unless I showed him my certifications. I told this to CSI immediately. The receptionist, *****, in so many words told me to go to ***** and to lie about what I was shipping. She said if they ask, just be very vague. I wonder if that phone call was recorded.

   

  This company has put me out as well many other businesses. I do not appreciate being called a liar in my responses, when the business knows exactly what they are doing. In addition to being invoiced for products that should not have been shipped, the company then pressured me to lie and pay out of pocket to get out of the mess they created for me. Their business model is based around putting people in situations where hopefully the client finds that paying the invoice would be easier than going through the trouble to resolve the confusion created. I wasnt planning on saying any more, but when the business suggested that I lied about not being able to ship the products, about the chemicals not being hazardous, and about us only shipping half the product back, I felt the need to clarify. I cant believe thats the response I got. This business sticks to their guns. I dont expect to reply again. Just stay clear or get wrapped up in their mess.

  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  04/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  CSI Group is a cold caller that calls public business numbers and convinces whoever answers to sample a product. They vehemently claim they don't use the word "sample," but they ship products with the intention of the customer sampling them and returning them if desired. Promises gift cards, etc. to be sent. After no gift cards or further contact from the company, I reached out to cancel the sample order. The order was still delivered to my property. The woman I spoke with on the phone said that nobody really checks the company's primary email, so that's why my order wasn't cancelled. I offered to ship the product back as the cold caller had offered had I decided to not keep the product. The woman (*****) said they would not accept a return, but they could do a discount. I did not accept that answer. The woman gave me the address to ship the product back to, and I went to **** *** said that I cannot ship the chemicals because I need a permit or license and a lot of training to ship chemicals, which takes at least 30 days and is more trouble than it's worth. Surely, the chemical supplier must have known that I could not ship the sample back even if I wanted to. It is no surprise that my order shipped anyway even though I had cancelled it. Now I have a $500 invoice for a product I never wanted and cannot possibly return. I cant believe this company is still in business EDIT: I refrained from posting this review a year ago when this happened. I just got a call from a collection agency regarding this incident. Still, years later, after stating my case multiple times (to each new receptionist that gets hired) and after still never receiving the documents I asked for (they allegedly had my email wrong even though I sent them an email).The bottom line is this company preys on employees across the country and trains their staff in lying to field complaints. Im looking for a good review still.

• Initial Complaint

  01/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My company received a box of LED lightbulbs in December that were definitely not ordered. Then got a phone call saying we had a past due bill of $700 with this company which we had never heard of. When asked who ordered the bulbs we were told it was someone who has not worked for our company in over 2 years. I have been told twice they would send a voice recording to me of the transaction but so far that hasn't happened. This is a complate SCAM! BEWARE!!

  Business response

  01/17/2023

  Here at CSI Group we record every order placed with us for customer service purposes.  We never ship any products without authorization from our customers, which is voice recorded.  After this order was placed we proceeded to make a collection call back on 1/4/23 as the invoice had become past due.  We spoke with a ******** in accounts payable who requested we send the invoice to ****************************** and ******** said she would get it processed that Friday and we would receive a check within the next week.  On 1/6/23 ******** requested the voice recording of the order be sent over, which we sent, and haven't heard back since.

  This was a 100% legitimate order that was sold to an authorized buyer at the company.  We offer 30 day returns and exchanges here at CSI.  This order was placed, and shipped back in November of 2022.  It is now January of 2023, well past our return and exchange window.  I will be more than happy to supply BBB with the voice recording of this order.  We have already sent it to the customer and instead of responding to us, they filed a complaint with you.  

  At this point, since the return/exchange window is long past closed, we would expect payment to be made in full for the order placed.  If customer is refusing to pay for the order, we will accept the products back, but the customer would have to return the products at their own expense, and also take full responsibility for any and all damages that *** occur in transit as well as pay the associated restocking fee.  If they choose to return, we will inspect the products upon their arrival and if anything is damaged we would have to send a bill for all the damages as well as a restocking fee.

  We are willing to work with this customer, but this is a legitimate order that we have a voice recording on.  Please let me know how we can proceed.

   

  Thanks

   

  Customer response

  01/17/2023

  
  Complaint: 18691117
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The voice recording is a joke.  this is 100 percent a scam. You will not receive a dime from our company.  We do not buy LED lightbulbs. The box is being shipped back to you so you can do with it what you want. Do not ever contact this company again. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  11/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  In May of 2022, my employee received a call stating that they were wanting to send him some information regarding their products and a $25 gift card so he gave them them the information and address of the facility. We have tried to contact them as they sent us 24 bottles of their product that we can not use. We had not received an invoice until November 2022 stating we are 175 days past due. They are a scam company. We still have the products but they refuse to accept them back.

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