Josh Smith Online

104 responses so far ↓

• 1 Niecy // Aug 27, 2007 at 6:53 pm

  Thanks alot. I got my bender ball today, and was looking at my packaging slip, and was like what is this. I came across your site via doing a search for continuity and bender ball.

  Thanks for the insight. ;o)

• 2 Josh // Aug 30, 2007 at 2:11 pm

  Niecy,

  Glad I could help!

• 3 Angela // Sep 13, 2007 at 9:19 am

  Thanks. Unfortunately, I have been charged for the first shipment of 2 dvd’s. I am currently on the phone now trying to cancel my subscription. Thank you so much for the heads up on this feature.

• 4 Chris // Sep 18, 2007 at 1:43 pm

  I would stay away from this product!!! It is very shady the way they set it up to automatically charge your CC and the customer service numbers are not very helpful and can take a long time. I even asked for the CEO of the company to complain and was referred to the parent company at Savvier.com. However the corp office numbers are just a recording so you can not speak with anyone to get the CEO’s name. In addition - the customer service number for Savvier will not give out the CEO’s name. It says a lot about a company when they will not let a customer know who the CEO of the company is. Do you really want to give your CC number to a company like that? Safe yourself a lot of time and frustration and stay away from Bender Ball and Savvier!

• 5 RJ // Nov 26, 2007 at 10:33 am

  I’m not sure if the how much attention was fully paid during the excitement of getting this at such a good price, but it is mentioned on the website, as well as the phone system when your order is placed. They make it very clear that you have 30 days to cancel, or opt-out, IF you choose to join the club. As a matter of fact, joining the club is your option, it isn’t even mandatory! It depends on which videos you order. If an additional selection other than the basic workout videos is made, you have then placed yourself within the club, AND STILL it is your prerogative to cancel at ANY time. I am not defending Bender Ball, or any other company that participates in such practices, because I have fallen victim of NOT reading all the blah, blah fine print before myself, but basically that IS what you have to do. Read all the fine print…..carefully, and very, very thoroughly.

• 6 Josh // Nov 27, 2007 at 8:52 am

  RJ,

  While you claim to not be defending the Bender Ball company you reek of a company shill. You didn’t even appear to use a real email address.

  The problem with the order system is not that you need to read the fine print. It is that there is no option to order without joining the club and that the fine print changes from the item description to the checkout page which is very shady.

  I agree that consumers need to be aware and exercise diligence however unethical practices by companies deserve to be pointed out and hopefully stopped. Plugging a DVD club membership into the description only on the final page of checkout is shady and unethical.

  For example,

  You come to my store to buy a banana, you look it over read my description of how awesome the banana is and decide to purchase. When add it to your cart it appears fine. When you get ready to checkout however I have replaced the inside of your banana with a mushy old banana. Unless you go back and inspect the item you just inspected carefully you will miss the mushy rotting mess you are about to purchase.

  Does this example help you grasp why the practice the Bender Ball company has? If not I’d love to hear why you think this practice is OK. leave me a note in the comments.

• 7 Jessie // Nov 27, 2007 at 6:32 pm

  I was charged $43.97 today and it was debited from my bank account which I was in the process of closing. Needless to say there were no funds in the account to cover the charge so I was slapped with an overdraft fee as well. I called customer service and was told that it would take 7-10 days to get my refund AFTER the “main office” calls ME. It will take 24-48 hours for the main office to call me back. I have spoken to 4 guys now. When I asked them for the main office number I was told that they didn’t have it to give out. I was also told that their supervisor was “in a meeting.” Bullshit! I will be lucky if I ever see my refund. Oh yeah, RJ, go F@#K yourself! You’re an idiot!

• 8 Josh // Nov 27, 2007 at 8:24 pm

  Jessie,

  Have you tried to get the bank to fight it as a fraudulent charge?

• 9 Jessie // Nov 28, 2007 at 10:33 am

  Yes, I have spoken with my bank and I also filed a complaint with the BBB.

• 10 Jessie // Nov 29, 2007 at 5:59 pm

  The complaint to the BBB seems to have worked. I got a call today in response to the complaint and was told I would have my refund in 3-5 days. Until then I am keeping my fingers crossed. I was also promised a refund for the overdraft fee.

• 11 Josh // Nov 30, 2007 at 4:14 pm

  Jessie, Awesome news, I hope they come through.

  I get to spend my weekend dealing with an inept car dealer, I hope yours goes better than mine!

• 12 Adam // Dec 7, 2007 at 10:29 am

  I feel like part of a family here, those that have ultimately been screwed by Bender Ball. Luckily, I only was shipped one box, and charged the $21 for that product. However, like Jessie, was charged another $43 a month later for (2) DVD’s that I did not even order. Trust me, I paid attention to the order, there was no such option - RJ. I have been calling for 3 weeks, and keep getting the same run around (refund will be escalated 2-3 days, 7 - 10 days). I have also asked to speak to a Supervisor twice, they send me to Max. He appears to be the highest contact point in Customer Service x81393. Also, did a little D&B research. Saviier LP is listed in Carlsbad, CA - President, Jeff Tuller, Partner, Keith Greer (760)431 - 7274. Those were the listed principals. I too did file a complaint with the L.A. BBB. Still waiting for my refund, and honestly, want to send the ball back too. The program is junk. I refused to send anything back to them until I get my money because I was not about to rely on their inventory management systems if their customer service has lost all credibility. BUYER BEWARE! Josh, thanks for the space.

• 13 Lisa // Dec 7, 2007 at 12:31 pm

  I did read the fine print and specifically declined the membership, but a month later I had another charge. I called and spoke to “elizabeth” and was told it would be a maximum of 7-10 business days for my refund. I got a refund, but not the amount I was charged. I called again today and spoke to “George.” I immediately asked him to give me a supervisor and he told me the supervisor wasn’t available. I told him that he was lying and to give me someone at the next level above him. He lied again that the only person was a supervisor. I explained to him that I have worked in call centers and know that there is always someone above to talk to. He wouldn’t give me a number at headquarters. I will be calling the fraud department of my credit card and the BBB.

• 14 Alessia // Dec 11, 2007 at 9:20 am

  All I can say it Ditto!!!!!! I was charge $43.97 today and called customer service to figure out what the charged was for. The Bender Balls were gifts so why would I need the Continuity Program. This is a real rip off. They claim my refund has been processed and when the package comes to do “Return to Sender”. I will let you know what happens. I am highly disappointed.

• 15 Jessie // Dec 20, 2007 at 10:32 am

  I FINALLY received my refund of $43.97 over a week ago and just yesterday I received a refund check in the mail for my overdraft fee. I don’t think I ever would have seen my money if I had not filed a complaint with the BBB. Good luck to everyone.

• 16 Murissa // Dec 21, 2007 at 10:05 pm

  I’m glad that I saw these comments about the bender ball because i wanted to purchase it to do more ab work. But if it means that i will be charged for a DVD subcriptions and have a hard time cancelling it I will continue to do my regular crunchs. Thank you for saving me the aggrevation.

• 17 Michelle // Dec 22, 2007 at 4:53 pm

  I was charged today $43.97 which I had no idea I would be. I’ll be filing with the B BB Wednesday, the day after Christmas. This is a true SCAM!!! I haven’t even used my ball that I ordered in November because there isn’t any pump included!

• 18 Oliver // Dec 29, 2007 at 4:03 am

  I was excited about the product. I actually ordered it. Then I saw the reviews on here and on another site. I should have checked online for reviews first. So I called my credit card company and reported the card stolen. I do not want to deal with trying to get refunds for months on end. Screw the company, cause when they try to process the order, there will be a closed credit card waiting for them. I hate corporate crooks.

• 19 Cyn // Dec 29, 2007 at 6:10 pm

  Thanks for the heads up, Josh and all who had comments. I was just about to hit the “submit” button to order the Bender Ball, but decided to check out your website first. I’m glad I did. As Murrisa stated, “Thank you for saving me the aggrevation.”

• 20 Heather // Jan 2, 2008 at 2:00 pm

  Ditto, thanks for saving me the aggravation!! I was looking at the website after seeing the tv ad. It looked too good to be true, obviously it is!!!

• 21 Jen // Jan 3, 2008 at 2:19 pm

  I too, ordered the product in November and noticed a charge on my credit card for $43.97. I called that 760 number and spoke to a Kate - she’s supposed to call me back with the right person to reach (because the 800 601 7088 # doesn’t answer). We’ll see if she calls me back. Do you have another number to contact them and cancel this?! Is it worth to just pay off my credit card and cancel?

• 22 Meredith // Jan 3, 2008 at 4:39 pm

  Thanks too for the heads up. I went all the way through to the check-out and saw the 30 day “trial” period. Sounds like too much trouble and a headache to on top of that. Thanks again for saving me the hassle.

• 23 Molly // Jan 4, 2008 at 7:34 pm

  Oh great! I just ordered this about a week ago. Thank you all for your comments and help. I haven’t been charged anything on my account yet but I’m sure it will show up soon. I called Benderball to cancel my order and they said their computers are down and can’t help me and to call back Monday. So then I called the president of Saviier, of course had to leave a message on his voicemail but let him know that I want to cancel my order and that I got the run around from Benderball. Sounds like my headache has only just begun. Ugh! I’ll let you know how it goes.

• 24 Bobette // Jan 4, 2008 at 11:23 pm

  Same thing happened to me. I ordered it and made a point not to sign up for the continued shipments. However, they saw things differently. I didn’t mind getting the DVD’s so much until November. I called to put my “subscription” on hold and they charged and sent two items for November. That made my decision to cancel altogther an easy one. Why can’t people just do things right? Customer service is flying out the window these days. These people are obviously not confident in their products so they have to wrangle the consumer into this kind of crap. If the product was good, they’d have return customers based on the merit of the products. Crazy.

• 25 Bobette // Jan 4, 2008 at 11:29 pm

  If you want to take another step further to get this off your chest, go to http://www.informercialscams.com. You can post complaints online and they’re posted.

• 26 antoinette // Jan 5, 2008 at 7:39 pm

  I was just about to order the bender ball online when i saw this page of comments and another site as well!! I guess I shouldn’t order it then?! Thanks for the heads up everyone!! =)

• 27 Brandy // Jan 6, 2008 at 6:55 pm

  I was looking at the Bender Ball website. I noticed that in the main store under the “Bender Methods Videos and Accessories”, one can order just the ball with no video. If you add this to the cart, there is not statement about a subscription to the Bender video club, as there is if you order the kit. The same goes for individual videos picked from this page. I was wondering if anybody had tried ordering this way, and if so, did you get the video club subscription tacked on? Although it might be more expensive than ordering the kits, for those who still want one, this might be a recommended way of ordering? Just wondering, although the whole thing seems shady enough that it probably isn’t really worth the effort. On that note, anyone tried the work out with a kid’s ball yet? Does it work?

• 28 Brandy // Jan 6, 2008 at 7:09 pm

  p.s. I also found this website http://www.savvierfitness.com/bender_index.asp. It requires that you confirm you are a fitness trainer by clicking “yes”, but there doesn’t appear to be a subscription involved in terms of what is stated in the cart. Why do “fitness trainers” not get this “service”? I also found a complaint on this page http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/06/27/cool-tool-blast-your-abs-with-the-bender-ball/. It was stated that they had sent a sample of green tea weight loss pills with the initial order and then charged for a full packet later on. Did anyone else out there have this happen?

• 29 Blanca // Jan 7, 2008 at 4:10 pm

  I am sooo glad I decided to read reviews on this product!! I feel REALLY bad for those of you who got scammed but also want to thank you for giving everyone else (like me!!) a heads up. I though $9.99 was too good!

• 30 lola // Jan 9, 2008 at 1:13 pm

  I’m so glad I read your site I was thinking of ordering the dvd today. Not worth the trouble. I decided to try their method by doing my regular Ab workout with a semi- soft round pillow under my lower back and it worked out quite well, I could feel my abs more. Maybe try that and forget the bender ball!

• 31 Leah // Jan 9, 2008 at 1:40 pm

  If you actually go through and call the 1800-601-7088 before your 30 days are up (and that means paying attention to when you purchased it) the people on the other end are very helpful in canceling your account from further charges. As with most programs that continuously charge your card every month, they have fine print you have to read and pay attention to when you sign up. There is always a way for someone to stop being charged for an item.

• 32 Josh // Jan 9, 2008 at 1:46 pm

  Leah »
  The problem with the Bender Ball ordering isn’t that people don’t pay attention it is that they read the description, click no on any special offers then The ordering system adds it back in. You can classify that as unethical, illegal, a scam, or whatever but the point is that Savvier is ripping people off.

  I agree if the “friendly” people won’t cancel the charge then you can usually initiate a chargeback with your card or through your bank, but it shouldn’t need to be done.

• 33 Mallory // Jan 10, 2008 at 5:02 pm

  wow….i am so glad i didnt order it now! i was googling it to see if there was somewhere else [besides ebay] that i could get it…..i knew something had to be up!!!! thanks a ton!! maybe everyone should just go buy one of those $3.99 “bouncy balls” at the grocery store and see how those work out!!!! until i find a different option, ill just do regular crunches!! sorry to everyone that got scammed, but thanks for keeping others from going through the same thing!!!!

• 34 Adam // Jan 11, 2008 at 8:35 am

  UPDATE - My complaint with the L.A. Better Business Bureau was closed within 2 weeks. Just visit http://www.bbb.com, and they will route you to the right office. I not only got the $43 back, but also a refund for the ball itself. Bender Ball even called me to apologize and said to keep everything. However, the protect themselves in the BBB report, and of course I reacted honestly. If you want your money fast, and the refund for the kid’s ball - send your complaint to the BBB, it was extremely easy!

• 35 Brittany // Jan 15, 2008 at 3:55 pm

  Hey I just wanted to say thanks for pointing that out, I just got my ball today and was having trouble getting it to fill up so I thought I would look online and see if anyone had tips. I ran across your page and went and looked at my packing slip which says Thanks for joining Continuity… so I called and canceled. I haven’t seen any charges other than what I knew about but we’ll see how it goes. Just wanted to say thanks to you and I guess I’ll go try it out now!

• 36 Mich // Jan 16, 2008 at 4:23 pm

  I really wish I had did my homework, as I usually do, but the TV ad made it look like a ’steal’ (should’ve been the first warning). I spent over 30mins on the phone continuously pressing “zero” (13 times) to all the ’specials’ in order to get my bender ball. But when I got it, I was sent two & charged $41.82 - wasn’t happy about that. Also, the ball is really hard to inflate and was smaller than expected. I have decided to return it. After reading all the complaints about this and the extra charges, etc. happening, I phoned customer service, got an RMA# (after being offered a 30day extension and even a $5 rebate if I kept them), confirmed that I was not part of a ‘membership’ and will be mailing it back via Registered (all within the 30 days). I shall let you know if I’m successful.

• 37 Leah // Jan 16, 2008 at 5:36 pm

  Good job Brittany, it’s nice to see someone who reads their receipts! I don’t advocate scams, but I have not been scammed by the system, and as you can tell, they are more than willing to back up their company and it’s product if you are not satisfied. (See Adam) It is frustrating to have to deal with companies when you aren’t satisfied, as with any big company, but you ultimately have to take responsibility for your own actions. Didn’t your mom ever tell you that?!

• 38 MJ // Jan 20, 2008 at 6:50 am

  I was about to place an order for this ball and came across your site. Thank goodness I did! Thanks for the head’s up. I live and work abroad so it would have a headache and a half to fight for a refund.

  Thanks Josh.

• 39 Heather // Jan 23, 2008 at 8:26 pm

  Hi guys,
  FYI, I DID see the DVD subscription info, and - I unchecked the subscription box. Didn’t matter. I got billed anyway. Total scam. “Customer service” argued with me and refused to let me speak to a manager or anyone in billing. I had to go through my bank’s fraud claim department. I got my $$ back but it was an incredible hassle.

  Heather

• 40 Brooke // Jan 25, 2008 at 11:39 pm

  Wow! I will have to say that I am thrilled to have found these comments before I placed the order. I feel for all those that had to deal with the hassle. Thanks to all that took the time to comment to save others from falling into the trap.
  Brooke

• 41 JKT // Jan 28, 2008 at 7:24 pm

  Like everyone else, I also missed that little clause stating that I’ll be receiving future shipments at my own expense every other month! I think this is very unethical. An online company should list such an offer separately for the customer to choose…not “bury” it within our purchase order. I tried calling their customer service line to cancel my order, but was unable to get through. An automatic message put me on hold for over 15 minutes and then suddenly hung up on me. In order to avoid any more hassles, I contacted my credit card company and had them cancel my current account. My initial purchase ($20.91) with Bender Ball will remain, but at least they won’t be able to charge my card for future shipments. I’m returning this product (unopened) once I receive it. I don’t want to have anything to do with them. I also checked their Privacy Policy online and it mentions giving out customer information to other companies. What the hell?! I found a link that allows you to opt out of any promotional offers, but I’m not holding my breath. What a rip off!

• 42 Roxtar // Feb 4, 2008 at 11:08 am

  Hi,
  I was looking online to buy the Bender Ball and noticed at checkout that they would continuosly send new videos and charge your account. I googled it to see if it was available anywhere else, but alas it wasn’t. Thanks for all the comments. I won’t order this…I’m in customer service and I get really irate when I have to deal with companies like this.

• 43 Heather N // Feb 8, 2008 at 2:23 pm

  I am glad that I came across this site. I ordered a bender ball earlier this week and I called customer service today. I am unable to track my order online which made me skeptical. I talked with 2 seperate people in customer service and one told me my order was in processing and the other told me my order shipped today. Keep in mind, I placed my calls 5 minutes apart….weird!! The second time I called, I called after seeing this site. I called and they said they cancelled my continuity. Also gave a cancellation number. I think after reading this, when I receive this, I will just put return to sender and I will just lose my 20.00. I don’t want to have to deal with these people again!!!

• 44 Kellaye // Feb 9, 2008 at 10:38 am

  Is there any way to cancel the whole order once you have placed it? After doing research about the product I’ve decided I’d rather not have it, but I’ve already made the mistake of ordering it. I didnt catch the whole DVD scam until after I ordered the product. I tried to call the number and cancel my order or at least the subscription part but the customer service line is only open on weekdays. Any help is appreciated.

• 45 Brittany #2 // Feb 9, 2008 at 12:09 pm

  I was thinking about buying the Bender Ball, but after reading about how much crap they put you up to for it, it’s not worth it. I went through a similar “continuity” scam with some other pilates crap I ordered on tv, and I do NOT want to go through that again.

  So here’s my question…can’t you just buy one of those schoolyard dodgeballs and do the same damn thing? It sounds like they would be more sturdy than the Bender Ball anyways, considering I’ve been hit with a few of them before in my childhood…It sounds like way less of a hassle!

• 46 Brittany #2 // Feb 9, 2008 at 12:14 pm

  I just realized there’s another Brittany…to avoid confusion I’ll be Brittany #2.

• 47 Josh // Feb 11, 2008 at 8:57 am

  Kellaye »

  The only way I know of is to call them up, The thing takes a week or so to ship in our case so you should have enough time if you call them today. Good luck.

• 48 Nataly // Feb 11, 2008 at 3:02 pm

  i think a small rubber ball would work fine…has anyone tried that???

• 49 Heather N // Feb 12, 2008 at 4:01 pm

  Kellaye,
  Just wanted to let you know that if you call and your order is in processing that they state that they cannot cancel your order. They couldn’t tell me if my order had shipped or not. They told me that I could refuse shipment when it arrives and I will receive a refund….I guess we’ll see

• 50 Martina // Feb 13, 2008 at 9:52 am

  Something told me to do some research on this product before I purchased it. I am so glad I came across this website! Thank you so much Josh for your helpful information. Does anyone know where something similar to this product can be found? I really want to try this out but not if it means dealing with an unreliable company!

• 51 Josh // Feb 13, 2008 at 6:43 pm

  Martina » From looking at it you should be able to find a similar ball in the toy aisle at most stores, not sure if they will be as giving as the current ball is.

• 52 Brittany // Feb 15, 2008 at 12:28 pm

  So I did it…I went to Wal-Mart and bought a small, purple kick/dodge ball, and I did crunches on it yesterday and I can hardly move. I can’t imagine the bender ball is any better. The only thing you gotta do with the kickball is let some air out of it so it isn’t full all the way and you can pick it up by pinching it with one hand.

  My abs having been crunched 408% more efficiently with my kickball, minus all the hassle and bullsh*t dealing with bender ball. And you get your choice of color, not that stupid green!

• 53 Brittany // Feb 15, 2008 at 12:33 pm

  Oh, and another plus…it only cost me $5 and some change, there are no continuity scams, and nothing has been or will be debited from my account. And no crappy customer service, either. Wal-Mart associates were more than happy to point me to the toy section.

• 54 Donna // Feb 15, 2008 at 11:37 pm

  I wonder why no one has mentioned the shipping charges part of this scam. My daughter ordered one of these balls online and then a month later the extra DVD’s arrived. I called right away, cancelled the order and sent back the DVD’s. However I was told that the shipping was not going to be refunded and that I had to PAY to ship the product back to them. When I complained to the credit card company I was told that Visa would no dispute shipping and handeling charges. So it sounds like we will be stuck with shipping and handeling charges for something we never even ordered.

• 55 Sarah // Feb 16, 2008 at 3:59 am

  I just realized today I’m getting scammed when I looked at my band statement. What is the best way to handle this??

• 56 Josh // Feb 16, 2008 at 11:47 am

  Brittany »
  Glad you let us all know how it turned out, I guess we all have the Bender Ball Replacement - As Seen on Imjosh.com TM,

• 57 Josh // Feb 16, 2008 at 11:49 am

  Donna »
  I would try to escalate up the chain of your credit card’s fraud department. I have found if you don’t like the answer you get a second call or an escalation can often change it.

• 58 Josh // Feb 16, 2008 at 11:50 am

  Sarah » The best thing to do is to call and get the program stopped, and ask for a refund. If you run into any resistance then I would call your bank or CC company to get a fraud investigation rolling.

• 59 Shannon // Feb 16, 2008 at 7:16 pm

  Hello all, Sorry to hear you had been scammed as well. It has been about 3 weeks now since I ordered this wonderful little Bender Ball that I have YET to receive. Oh sure, I received a bottle of vitamins and a cheesie looking bootleg DVD of some GEEK doing some sort of CARDIO workout. I decided since it had been a while since I ordered it, I decided to do a little research. I came across NOTHING but negative remarks. I decided to go to Wal-Mart yesterday and get me a little child’s dodge ball (payiing only $2.68). Yes, I believe the method works behind the Bender Ball after using my little dodge ball. I felt the burn more than I did on my Core Ball (which is where I normally do my crunches). After reading all the articles, I decided to just do myself a favor and less headaches and cancel my credit card. I was not going to take chances that my card got charged bogus charges I did not authorize. Do yourself a favor, go get yourself a child’s dodge ball. It works just as good I am sure. The method does work just a LOT less headaches. Toodles and good luck to you all.

• 60 DosOakies // Feb 18, 2008 at 5:42 pm

  Thanks to all for your insight. I too was going to order the Bender Ball, more for the instructional DVD than for the ball. So, question then is, does any one have a suggestion for another work out DVD using small and large exercise balls?

• 61 CYNTHIA // Feb 19, 2008 at 12:29 pm

  I to have been sucked into this never ending nightmare. I have been trying to get my money credited back since January, 2008. They keep telling me to give them a few more days and it will appear back on my card but no it hasn’t. To answer your question DosOakies, I was in Walmart, and they have a bender like ball with a DVD included for the low price of $6.98. You might want to check it out.

• 62 Shannon // Feb 21, 2008 at 8:36 pm

  The best thing I can tell you Cynthia and anyone else out there stuck in this Bender Ball mess, is to CANCEL your credit card/debit card you used to purchase your product. After all the readings I have read on it and all the negativity, I cancelled my credit card to save me troubles. I did FINALLY get my piece of CRAP yesterday. It took a little over 3 weeks to get it. I did cancel my credit card before ANYMORE charges could be charged. I did notice on the packing slip under Bender Ball DVD Kit (Thanks for joining Continuity - Next shipment in about 30 days). Now I did cancel my credit card immediately after ordering it the first time. Hopefully I have saved myself headaches. I still say my kid’s dodge ball I bought at Wal-Mart for $2.68 works A LOT better. I watched the DVD last night. It is the WORST think I have ever seen. PLEASE, Please make sure you save yourselves. Don’t order this piece of crap…

• 63 Erica // Feb 25, 2008 at 6:39 pm

  Josh your truly a doll. I have been obsessing over the benderball and was going to purchase one but luckily I came across your website. It doesn’t seem worth ir. Thank you for taking the time to let people know what a hassle their in for. I think I’ll just buy a rubber ball and crunch on that

• 64 Katye // Feb 27, 2008 at 9:47 pm

  Josh, Thanks a million! I, too, have been wanting to order the bender ball for a long time. I did, however, see the fine print when I decided to order it online. I decided to call customer service to place the order because I didn’t see anywhere online where I could choose NOT to subscribe to all the DVD scams. I was unable to reach anyone in the call center. I then decided to surf the web for reviews and found you! Needless to say, I have decided NOT to order the bender ball. I will go to Wal Mart like Brittney did and try to find that little purple kick ball.

  By the way, good for you for not stooping to Jessie’s level the way he talked to you before he received his refund for the scam. It’s not your fault he was ripped off. =) Take care.

• 65 pshaw // Feb 28, 2008 at 2:14 am

  I think your site, comments, and hints are great. I, too, thought the price was unbelievably low. Looked on EBay and couldn’t understand the $40+ cost. Your site explains it all. I ordered the water globes over 6 weeks ago and spent close to 20 mins. denying offer after offer repeated and repeated. Is there anything more than you website that could alert the public? Like others, I just stumbled onto your site. And shame on those who pooh, pooh the difficulty with cancellation. It also sounds like those who were savvy enough to say to these offers, got scammed nonetheless.

• 66 June // Mar 1, 2008 at 1:02 am

  I received the Bender Ball at the beginning of January, 2008, but it didn’t come with the straw or plug. What good is this product without these two parts? I’ve been on the phone constantly and sent two emails which they haven’t responded to. I caught the DVD offer and called to tell them I wasn’t interested, and they still sent me the DVD’s!!!! I am totally disgusted with this company and told them I would let my credit card company know what’s been going on. This didn’t seem to phase them at all.

• 67 Sandy // Mar 2, 2008 at 12:00 pm

  Thanks all for the heads up! I almost ordered a Bender Ball! WallyWorld, here I come!!!!

• 68 Sara // Mar 8, 2008 at 4:21 pm

  F*ck! This is the first time I have ever ordered anything off of t.v. I ordered one 3 weeks ago and since I have been charged but haven’t recieved or heard anything I thought I would do some research. This is the third website I have found containing a plethora of negative reviews. This whole experience has been a nightmare!

• 69 Mike // Mar 9, 2008 at 7:13 pm

  Just find a 7″ mini ball at your local store they sell them at sporting goods stores they have sizes from 7 - 10 which are mad to do the same thing as the bender ball the bender is 7″ but you can go up to 9 and get the same workout!

• 70 renee' // Mar 12, 2008 at 7:55 pm

  Soooo glad I didn’t order the Bender Ball. I think I will try the Wal Mart dodge ball plan, cheap, simple and hassle free, well almost, will have to hide it from my Jack Russell.

• 71 Heather N // Mar 13, 2008 at 5:46 pm

  Well I sent back the bender ball kit and I made sure to put delivery confirmation after reading everything on the website. It says that it was received there on 02/22. Now it is 03/13 and I have seen no refund. I called customer service and they say that it takes 3-6 weeks for them to receive it back. Bull S***!!! I told her I had confirmation that they have it and I want my money back. She said that she would escalate my account to upper management so they can investigate. I am about ready just to report it to the BBB. Any thoughts??

• 72 Josh // Mar 13, 2008 at 6:19 pm

  Heather N »

  With the company taking thier time I’m not sure if they’d respond to the BBB. Did you pay for it with a credit card? If so dispute the payment and provide proof of delivery for your return.

  Good luck!

• 73 hillary // Mar 14, 2008 at 3:42 pm

  Hi All,
  I have read all these comments and seriously nervous! I ordered the bender ball on Feb.10 over the phone. I called and got disconnected half way through my order, I then called back and the computer operated system said that they were aware that I had called but did not place an order and for calling back they had a special deal for me, which was the ball and dvd for 9.99 plus 2 additional dvds free of charge. My total was 21.90 I paid on 2-10-08 over the phone via checking account. The money came out of my account on 3-7-07. I never recieved a comformation email or order # that said would be sent to me when order was completed. Today 3-14-08 I called and they said they are on back order and should be shipped out next week. They have taken the money out of my account, can i cancel still? Has anyone else been through something like this? I cant afford for them to take more money out of my account expecially my checking account. Any suggestions???? Thanks in advance

• 74 Josh // Mar 14, 2008 at 3:46 pm

  hillary » You SHOULD be able to cancel. If they won’t let you then I’d talk to your bank about stopping future withdrawals.

• 75 marie // Mar 22, 2008 at 2:12 pm

  Thanks soooo much for all this in put ….. I was going to order this “BENDER ‘ripoff’ BALL” And then happened on to this page …… The funny thing is im the Bargain woman and also thought that i could just use a kiddie ball !!!
  But then thought no im gonna treat myself i always “make do”.
  Oh im so glad i didn’t do this,like most of you …i can not afford to line the pockets of these companys that rip us off !!!
  Thanks again i’ll stick to my make do ideas.

• 76 Vanessa // Mar 25, 2008 at 12:50 pm

  I just want to say that I too was scammed the $43.97 and have been waiting since Feb. 21st 2008 to get a refund. I have left voicemail complaints at the Savvier corporate office, complained to BBB, and called numerous times to the call centers for help…of course to no avail. This company is shady. The video is junk. The ball is no better than a toy. Save your time and money and do as these other people have done and just buy a kid’s ball from Walmart. You won’t be missing anything from the video, believe me. Leslie Bender is a scam artist. I hope she goes bankrupt…although that would require her refunding all these people’s money, and I doubt that will happen…guess we’ll see if I ever get mine????

• 77 Phi // Mar 30, 2008 at 8:06 pm

  Hey all If you want to order this product with out extra charges, then order it by mail with a money order that should tick them off.
  Bender Ball PO Box 8349
  Van Nuys C.A. 91409

• 78 Grant // Apr 1, 2008 at 5:40 pm

  Phi had a good suggestion. I ordered the “ball” and ordered with a Wal-Mart Visa Gift Card that I had gotten for Christmas, and then spent the remaining balance on odds and ends. By the time that it was time to charge my card again, there’s not a balance to be debited, so they call me to beg me to keep ordering. I say “No, Thank You, Suckas!” and they leave you alone.

  Thanks for spreading the word!

• 79 Kelly // Apr 2, 2008 at 12:47 pm

  Biggest scam ever…dont even mess with it.

• 80 Tammy // Apr 7, 2008 at 12:58 pm

  I am so glad I found your site I would have never thought of contacting the better business bureau but I have filed my complaint and suggest that everyone else do the same. I hope this nightmare gets wrapped up soon. To insist that their hotline is “Customer Service” is a joke. Oh and cancel your card that you ordered the product on I did that today also.

• 81 me // Apr 8, 2008 at 8:29 pm

  i am sooooooooooooo glad i checked out this website. i thought the 9.99 was too good to be true. i am definately not ordering the bender ball. see what late night tv can do? i was looking at the bender ball and the crunchless abs commercial that also toots a 9.99 price. does anyone know any info on that product as well ?

• 82 Tammy // Apr 9, 2008 at 5:10 pm

  Update so soon! got my call from the BBB agent today and theyre REFUNDING me for the additional charges and told me to keep everything. I wish i would have found this pg before because the “Customer Service” agents have been dicking me around for wks. thanks to all for the advice.

• 83 Josh // Apr 9, 2008 at 7:49 pm

  Tammy »

  Great news, I’m glad the BBB was able to help you out!

• 84 Kim // Apr 11, 2008 at 10:33 pm

  I just wanted to say THANK YOU all for writing what you’ve been through with this product. I was just about to order it when I saw the continuity stuff in the checkout part…figured I’d check to see if it was available anywhere else and stumbled onto this site…good thing! Guess I’ll either stick to my good old fashioned crunches or try the little walmart bouncy ball…anything has to be better than fighting endless scam charges on my credit card. Thanks again and good luck to all those that are still trying to get their money back, keep on them!

• 85 Moonanimue // Apr 16, 2008 at 1:01 pm

  When you buy a Bender Ball you sign up for a subscription service. They will continue to take money out of your account in exchange for crappy DVDs, sometimes, as in my case, after you cancel your subscription.

  When I realized this was a subscription service, I called to cancel on April 4th. I saw that the company removed money from my account on April 9th. I called to complain and was told that their system was down and my cancellation could not be processed, but that someone would call me in two days. No one called. In the meantime I wrote an email from their website, then called April 16th. My cancellation had been processed, but I was told that money was taken out of my account because I didn’t cancel in enough time, and that the transaction of April 9th had already been submitted by the time I cancelled. I was told that I was not entitled to a refund.

  The customer service reps are in India, and cannot understand you (or pretend not to), and it is difficult to understand them. You are never quite sure that you are understood.

  The product is probably good, but you can get something similar from a company that does not commit fraud, or pick up a ball at a toy store. The DVDs don’t tell you how to do a simple exercise, and go into some complicated moves with little instruction. The DVD doesn’t instruct you on basic proper form. I will never buy anything from this company again — on purpose, anyway.

• 86 Angela // Apr 21, 2008 at 11:15 am

  Just went through the same thing as the rest of you. I filed a complaint with the federal trade commission.

  If we all file complaints, the company will eventually show up on their radar and be forced to change their ways.

  Here’s the website with the direct link to the consumer complain form:
  https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

  If we all stand up and say something, eventually someone will notice.

• 87 Josh // Apr 21, 2008 at 11:28 am

  Angela » Great info, lets hit that form!

• 88 Rosanna // Apr 24, 2008 at 2:22 am

  OMG I knew somthing weird was going on I was going to order the bender ball today but when the AUTOMATED service asked me for my payment info before giving me a total I just hung up.And I decided to do some research and to read all these comments so my suspisions of a scam have been answerd. THANK YOU!!!!!

• 89 stephanie // Apr 25, 2008 at 11:27 pm

  HOLY CRAP…WE SHOULD ALL START AN ANTI BENDER BALL CULT.

• 90 stephanie // Apr 25, 2008 at 11:51 pm

  F*** THESE F***ERS. I hate being ripped off and that’s what this company did, ripped us all off. I have filed a compaint with the BBB and I’ll see what happens with that.

  At first their customer service was helpful. When i first placed my order 2 months ago I got my itemized statement email…I was shock at the total. I called them right up, removed all but the ball and a video (and the Continuaty thing because i wasnt aware of this) and they did this with what i thought was good intentions and even gave me a $5 discount. 3 more weeks later…no ball. Still bender ball less. I call, and call and call. It was shipped, shipped shipped. They should of just laughed in my face and said F*** YOU. Instead a rep told me that she will credit me my charge and still send out the order (i though, great recovery on customer service).

  So much was fishy though. Everytime I called they would say of I should receive it in 7-10 days. I’d bitch and and then it was 3-5. Like the ball grew f***ing wings all of a sudden. Yet no ball.So after speaking with whom i suppose was a Supervisor, which i aske for, advised me that no refund was sent for processing nor was my supposed fee order. She gave me the refund 7-10 day shpell which turned into 48 hours really quick in her next breath after i opened my mouth. I demanded to speak yet with her Superior in which she said it takes 48 hours for someone to call back.

  It has been 48 hours and no call. So i called back. Some other manager told me that my refund was sent for processing - as i asked what there process was for a refund she had no f***ing clue.

  So now i start googling this company to try and get somewhere and all that came up was bad news. Ripoffreport.com, here, and other complaints. After reading here i became aware of the “Continuaty” thing. First, I filed a compaint with the BBB. Then i called them back. The rep told me that he had canceled it and revealed to me that i have 2 accounts with them. WHAT THE F***??!!??

  So ,here I am feeling like a fool for not doing the research first. Hopefully they will make good because karma’s a bitch.

  Sorry for the cursing, I’m from NJ.

• 91 Kim // Apr 28, 2008 at 10:02 am

  Hi..I was just about to purchase this bender ball..but from what Im seeing everyone is dealing with, seems in my best interest to stay away from this product.
  I origanny thought of the childs ball they sell in Osco stores for a mere buck or so..But I likes the idea that it came with the instruction dvd ( I dont know what the heck to do!)
  Would one of those small balls even work? and is it just simpley a normal sit up that you do? I wanted it for an ab and butt workout.

• 92 Katie // Apr 28, 2008 at 1:09 pm

  I just got off the phone with customer service department at Bender Ball and my credit card company for the fourth time! hahahaha (I have to laugh, or I think I’ll cry; I’m so mad!) I’m telling all my friends NOT to buy this! One of them just bought a generic ball and we’re going to have Bender Ball parties, so no one gets stuck in the “dvd club.” It’s really too bad because I really do like the product. And I would have probably bought more dvd’s from them, but they didn’t even give me a choice!! F them.

• 93 stephanie // Apr 29, 2008 at 9:16 pm

  I REPORT WITH GOOD NEW…WELL FOR Me.

  I received an email from the BBB that they sent my complaint to the corporation. I checked my account today and my 20.91 was credited back to my credit card. I also received a call from (i forget her name) Bender Ball, someone who spoke English with out an accent, (the number came up unrestricted so i didnt answer - a message was left for me) stating that my 20.91 credit was issued and that they will further refund the rest of my order, another 8.95 for the video i did receive. She also stated that she will resend out the order free of charge and it should be here by Friday. We’ll see. She did leave a direct call back number so I will give her a buzz tomorrow to reiderate what she said.

  I’ll keep ya’ll posted on the outcome.

  If you’re having problems with them your best bet is to go to the Better Business Bourough website. It literally took me 15 minutes to complete the complaint.

• 94 Shannon // Apr 30, 2008 at 8:11 pm

  I have had the same problem getting my money back from these crooks. It’s always 7-10 buisness days. What they don’t tell you is it’s 7-10 days to check it back into the warehouse when you send it back, then another 7-10 bus. days to refund your money. Oh yeah and if they did an EFT payment they won’t credit your account back they send you a check and againg you will receive that in 7-10 days. I never got the same answer from what little english speaking person i spoke to and I spoke to 6 of them including 3 managers. I was assured by ALL of them since February that i was cancelled from the continued billing. I look at my checking account this moring and there was another charge for $19.99. I filed Fraudulent Charges with my bank and will be sure to file a complaint with the BBB. Now I have to pay an extra $20 to do a stop payment to make sure they don’t draft my account for any other money!

• 95 Angela // May 1, 2008 at 3:30 pm

  I seen this so I called the 1 800 number on this page. I didn’t wait long for an answer and the guy was not rude at all. He did try to get me to do the 60 or 90 day shipments but I told him I didn’t want any at all. He say that I will not recieve videos or get charged for any videos. I haven’t recieved my ball yet but its on its way so I can’t say how good the product is but the getting out of the auto ship was easy.

• 96 Katie // May 2, 2008 at 1:38 pm

  GOOD NEWS! I got my total refund the same day that I called… mysterious how 3 to 5 days turned into a “cash” transfer to my credit in the full amount that I was owed. In the mean time I had logged a complaint w/ the FTC, and told the Ball people that’s what I would be doing. Well, yesterday during dinner I got a phone call from the only nice person I’ve spoken to at Bender Ball!! The first words out of my mouth after she told me who she was, and why she was calling were: “Where were you the last four times I called there?”

  Her name is Candi, her # is 1 (800) 901-0647, ext. 33. She said she’d be happy to handle any of my concerns, or any future orders personally. I told her I was afraid to order from them again.

  By the end of the conversation, I got the felling that this was a “smooth it over” phone call, and that maybe she wanted me to keep my mouth shut and tell other people that they “had made things right.” Obviously, that’s not what she said, but that’s I feeling I got. Before I hung up I left her know that this was not over, and that I didn’t want anyone else to treated so poorly. She acted like she cared.

• 97 Stephanie // May 8, 2008 at 11:05 am

  I’ve had such problems with this product that my bi-monthly battles with Bender Corp are really popular around the water cooler. They attempted to charge me for an unsolicited product in March, but luckily I was in the process of closing out that account and didn’t have enough money in there. They told me about the auto mailing club, and I demanded they remove me from it. Yeah, sure, ok, no problem, I was removed. Less than 3 weeks later, they charge me $43.97 for those same products I told them not to send me, nearly overdrawing my account on other purchases. I called again, and they tried to pretend like I had never called them in the first place. Unfortunately for them I had a record of when I called, so after much “catch me, f**k you” over the return policy, I finally got an RMA number and address. Here’s the important part: 1. Call Bender and demand an RMA number 2. Send the package back UNOPENED and with “Return to Sender” on the exterior. Write the RMA number on the return slip. DO NOT OPEN THE PACKAGE!! 3. Be sure and spend the extra dough to have the package sent with a delivery confirmation slip so you can track when they receive it. After doing all that, I heard nothing from them, so called a full week after they received it (hurray delivery confirmation!) They repeatedly lied to me and stated they didn’t have it until I got rather snappy with the lady and told her I knew for a fact they had it. She sheepishly confirmed my tracking number from the delivery confirmation slip and then asked me if I had opened the package or written “return to sender” on it (they’ll find any excuse not to refund you, so beware any actions that will signify “acceptance” of the package). She finally told me I’d have my money back in 7-10 business days.

  In the meantime, I’ve drained all money from that account so they are unable to charge me for any additional items. I’ve called my bank and reported them for fraud, and late this week I’ll be contacting the BBB and the State Attorney General to report them for fraud as well. I ordered the initial product back in Dec when there was no notification of the mailing club, so unsolicited products and subsequent charges are illegal.

• 98 becky // May 12, 2008 at 12:15 pm

  wow!!almost ordered the bender ball but got scared off by the automatic shipments and decided to investigate. I think i will buy a beach ball at the dollar store!!!

• 99 becky // May 12, 2008 at 12:18 pm

  If you really want a bender ball look on ebay and get one from someone else, looks like it may cost a little more but probably worth not getting charged extra and all the hassle

• 100 Kathleen // May 12, 2008 at 8:01 pm

  They answered the phone and said “We are so sorry, our computers are down and we cant access your account.” When I told her my problem and mentioned I am an attorney, she magically had computer access. Viola! I even talked to a supervisor who promised my refund in 7-10 days. THen I found all these web sites that explained that we wont be getting our refund. More than likely.

• 101 laura // May 13, 2008 at 4:57 am

  hmmm….almost ordered this online, just ran into this site. thank god. what a scam, shame on them. thanks for all the advice and input. I have a pilates ball that looks just like the bender ball. i am a fitness trainer and at my gym we have also used the dodge balls. i was just curious about the exercises they might have. wondering if they had any new moves, but not worth it to try and find out.

• 102 Chris // May 21, 2008 at 2:56 pm

  My wife bought a bender ball and we started getting billed by multiple companies for things we never ordered!!! Of course customer service rep was a turd and didnt help with anything. Has anyone expierienced this? the other companies that got our info were: e boost, value plus, and of course our favorite bender ball. Its costing me over 100 dollars and i had to cancel my debit card this has gotten out of hand!!!

• 103 Judi // May 21, 2008 at 6:25 pm

  We filed a complaint online with the Better Business Bureau regarding unwanted DVDs & failure to issue a refund. Within two days we received a call from Bender Ball stating that they had issued the refunds which should show up in 3-5 business days. Note: The complaint must be made to BBB of the Southland (via odr.bbb.org or phone 909-825-7280).

• 104 Judi // May 21, 2008 at 8:32 pm

  Correction to previous comment: Website is complaints.bbb.org (my apologies.).

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