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Royal Prestige cookware, water filters and other household goods are manufactured by the Hi Cite Corporation and sold through a nationwide network of distributors, who use the "party plan" and "person-to-person" methods -- meaning bridal fairs, "seminars" and so forth.
The company says it has instituted new policies to prevent unsavory practices by its distributors and has submitted a statement explaining its policies and practices (full text of the company's statement).
It's up to consumers to make the right decision. The company says it has improved its practices, but some consumers are still unhappy. Here are a few of the more recent complaints (and compliments) we've received:
Emilly of Mobile, AL April 30, 2009
My story is identical to the others reporting Royal Prestige as a scam. I declined the pots and pans yet was treated very harshly and told "Ma'am, we don't have a catalog, but you could buy the cheapest thing in here." I tried to get up and leave and they threatened to process via my provided personal info. So I ordered a stupid potato masher. I made arrangements to pay 13.00 a month for the ridiculously over-priced utensil (89.00) and paid my 13.00 a month until it was paid off. The interest was outrageous at 25%, but at least I felt comforted by the fact that they were still, only getting 13.00 a month from me.
I recommend that this company be shut down. Amanda of Louisville, KY April 20, 2009
Amanda of Louisville KY (04/20/09)
Just as I have read about many other couples, my fianc and I were also 'scammed' by the high pressure sales and scare tactics of this company. Just as the others, we thought these pots and pans would improve our health, home and the end result of cooking. That was not the case. Everything sticks to the pans, and they are SO difficult to clean. Most times we are washing the pots and pans multiple times to get them clean. I have used everything from various levels of heat when cooking to using oil to lubricate my pans thinking that would help. It didnt.
The worst part about it was we were in a car accident 3 days after the pots and pans presentation. We ended up paying out of pocket for the repairs on the car and when I called to cancel the order on the 4th day due to being in the accident, I was denied and told to make the payments as best as I could. I was given the whole 3-day-cancellation-rule. I was shown no compassion for having been in a car accident on the 3rd day after the purchase and for calling on the 4th. The pots and pans were still packed up and I offered to pay for shipping to return them on that 4th day and was shown no consideration.
Royal Prestige and HyCite have done the absolute opposite to what they claimed to do. I was intrigued with the 'stack cooking' they claim to be known for however at my house, the pans stay stacked in my cabinet. I would still like to return the prodcut and I am still happy to pay the shipping. In no way would I ask for or expect anything in return from HyCite, like a free set of dishes.
James of Coal City, IL April 4, 2009
James of Coal City IL (04/04/09)
My fiancee got a call Thursday night 4/2/09 telling her that she had won 3 prizes and all we had to do to get them was sit down for an hour and a half demonstration on Friday 4/3/09 for a company called Royal Prestige. We went and the man selling the product used scare tactics and told us that teflon cookware causes cancer. We were also told that the way the cookware works, it's healthier than the pots and pans we would buy at Wal Mart. He also told us that everything had a no questions asked 50 year warranty, so that if anything ever happened to anything we ever purchased, we could send it back and they would replace it.
We decided not to buy the cookware, but purchased the plates instead because they told us that if we bought something that day, we would always have the 20 to 40% discount and we would have the all inclusive trip. As we sat at our table we heard him speaking to another couple that said they didn't have the money right now and he told them they could post date a check, which is illegal and if they turned down this offer they would never be asked to come to another Royal Prestige seminar again. The next day, I didn't feel right about what we did, so I went online and researched the company and found nothing but negative feedback from many other people and the so called service they received.
I called today [Saturday] 4/4/09 and they told me there was nothing they could do for me because the department didn't work on Saturdays and that I need to call back on Monday and send back our sales order and a reason why we wanted to cancel. None of this information was ever mentioned at our presentation, we didn't even know about the return policy until I did my research online. The so called free prizes are also a scam, they are not FREE. For one of them you needed to send a 50 non refundable deposit and the other needed 4.95 and who knows how much more is costs after that.
We are going to call back on Monday like they told us to do, we canceled our check for our deposit, and we contacted the BBB of Wisconsin. We might even contact our local news channel so that things like this stop happening to young engaged couples who might not know that this is what they are getting themselves into.
Mirriah of Wichita, KS March 30, 2009
Mirriah of Wichita KS (03/30/09)
When my husband and I were planning our wedding we went to a bridal fair. Royal Prestiege was there and we signed up to win a free cruise. When they called we thought we won the cruise because they said so, and that we would just have to go claim our prize. It turned out that we had to sit through a demonstration in order to claim our prize. As we talked to the other couples there they said they were told the same thing. We wanted the cruise for our honeymoon so we stayed for the demonstration. We were tired of the old cookware my parents gave us so we were easily convinced to purchase their cookware.
Also since we were getting married we wanted new dishware as well. They told us that their products were a little high priced but affordable and worth the extra cost. They also told us that everyone who works for the company owns the cookware. We were also told that we could cancel the order if we felt necessary. After we received the cookware two weeks later, I tried cooking with them and the food burned and the pot was scorched, ruined after the first use. I called to report it and see if I could return the cookware, cancel my order and was told that was not possible. The cancelation time was three days after ordering and no longer than that. They also dont do returns and we would have to get other products that equalled the value of the products we purchased.
We found out that it wasnt affordable and now in two days my paychecks will be garnished because we could not afford the payments. This is a huge problem because I have a five week old baby now and am already having a hard time affording food for him with full paychecks. I will have to decide to feed my baby or pay for [bad] cookware. Tracie of Sallisaw, OK March 27, 2009
Tracie of Sallisaw OK (03/27/09)
I recieved a phone call from a woman named Faith telling me that my fiance and I had won 2 vacation trips, one all inclusive and the other paying for only our hotel fees, and that all we had to do in order to get our trips was go to a cooking show at a local holiday inn hotel. The show was only an hour long and at they would be showing newlyweds how to cook healthier etc. I was so excited to go, a bit skeptical, but overall anxious!
When I got there it was obvious that it was a complete scam. The guy telling us about the cookware was dressed in dirty clothes, cussed throughout the seminar and kept throwing out shady answers when someone would ask a question. Thankfully, my fiance got online on my phone and instantly hundreds of hits popped up about how much of a scam Royal Prestige is. We left as soon as we read the first review, one of the salesman tried coming after us but we ignored him and headed straight for the car.
There were quite a few other couples in the room, many of which looked like they could not afford 3000 dollars worth of cookware. But because of the sales tactics used by the salesman, many of them were talking to each other about how they could get it financed. Brandon of Springfield, MO March 27, 2009
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If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.
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