I had the TV on yesterday while I was puttering around getting dressed for the day, fixing my hair., etc., and caught an infomercial about a scrapbooking kit. I’m only a beginning scrapbooker, but I know that all the “supplies” can add up, and this looked like a pretty good deal.

So, for I think the first time in my life, I called the toll-free number listed in an infomercial. It was totally automated, which normally I don’t mind. But usually even automated calls will tell you at some point if you’d like to speak to a real person you can press a certain number. I never heard that option.

I was confused at first because the infomercial had offered a second kit for only shipping and handling charges, and when the voice on the phone asked me how many kits I wanted, I wasn’t sure whether to say one and assume the second one was included, or if they would ask later on if I wanted a second one, or if I should order two and assume they’d only charge me for one. So I said two: usually when you order online there is an opportunity to verify exactly what you’ve ordered at the end of the transaction and to correct anything, and I assumed there would be a similar opportunity with this order.

Then there came a series of “other offers.” Each one started with a description and a similar informercial-style spiel. After the description and price, there was an opportunity to “speak” yes to accept the offer. I did not say anything. The voice saud, “I understand your hesitation….” then gave another spiel saying how much the expert on the informercial “strongly recommended” getting that extra offer. Then there was another opportunity to speak “yes.’ I remanied silent. These two spiels played a second time — so that’s a total of 4 spiels for this one extra offer — before finally the voice said, “To decline this offer, press 0.” I gladly pressed 0. Then there were 4 more cycles for four more other special offers. 🙄 I tried pressing 0 earlier in the process to see if that would short-circuit it, and it did, until the last one. It seemed caught in some kind of loop and kept running through the spiel without going on. Finally I just hung up in frustration.

The infomercial had mentioned several other offers that were available for just the cost of shipping and handling. but these were not only not mentioned (at least in the part of the process I listened to), but it seemed they were offered at a sales price instead. There was a set of scissors offered that way on the infomercial, but one of the special deals mentioned on the phone call was a set of scissors for $14.95. I don’t know if that was the same set or not.

Now I am left with no one to contact about my order. All I have is that 800 number, and I don’t want to listen through all of that again to try to get to the end and see if they list a contact number or order verification number. I am hoping that my hanging up canceled my order: with online ordering, your order is not actually submitted until you get to the end, see exactly what you have ordered and verify that and your address and payment info., then click on a “submit order” button or the like. But I’m afraid that probably won’t be the case here. They already had my name, address, and credit card info.

I am wondering if I can call my credit card company and cancel the transaction from that end. I suppose, when the order comes, if I ended up with two kits without receiving one free — or two kits with two free ones — I can send back whatever I don’t want or I will then have a phone number or address to contact.

But whatever happens. I will never again order anything from an infomercial. It’s confusing; I don’t want to be held hostage through an endless spiel of special offers; I want an opportunity to speak to a real person if I have a question; I want to verify exactly what I have ordered before the transaction is final. Maybe they are not all like this. But I have no desire to find out.

Updated to add: Everything did eventually work out fine. I found the company online and sent them a note describing the problem. They sent me back an address to return the extra sets to. I did and received the credit on my next statement. But this experience, especially the phone call with an excess of special offers, has stilled turned me off from ordering from infomercials.