Ripoff Report: www.stethoscopes.com

Nurses Uniform/Gear

Published

So i posted awhile back about buying a stethoscope off of www.stethoscopes.com ... so I whipped out my Visa card and bought a Littman Cardiology III for 175$ including shipping. It says on their website that it takes around 5 to 10 business days for delivery...that was like a month ago!

So i've been phoning them...no one picks up the phone. its just an automated message that says they are open between certain hours Pacific Time. When you phone back at that time its the same freaking message. The other phone number they provide is out of service.

Soooo....i email them! No response at all. So eventually I phone Visa to dispute this. They tell me it takes up to 4 MONTHS to get a refund and according to them they have to try and contact the company and talk to them...work it out, etc. And the Visa rep said on the phone that if the sellers proves that they shipped my stethoscope, then they wont refund my money even if I haven't received it!!! So much for getting your money back from visa :( I'M SO MAD RIGHT NOW

Oh and i looked online for companies that ship to Canada but I couldnt really find any....allheart and redding medical are supposedly good but they only ship within the USA. The reason i bought online because its like half of the 250$ that ive seen in uniform shops downtown for the same stethoscope. And the website looks legit (at least i thought it did ... i must be the only person stupid enough to think that it was legit )

uggh sorry for the long post ! :uhoh21:

Here is the Better Business Report...doesn't look like they have that hot of a record:

http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=22226020

This is ONLY since May 2007.

I would also report the company to the Secretary of State in Washington. They are using the name "Stethoscopes Plus, Inc." All incorporated businesses are required by law to register with the SOS or they CANNOT claim to be incorporated. This company was "created" in 5/25/2005 and dissolved in 5/31/2006.

Here is the link:

http://www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/search_detail.aspx?ubi=602506414

It also has the name of the "registered agent", which is suprisingly often, their home address.

This man is a real piece of work; I think there's enough here for the OP to present to VISA and get her money back.

Seems the guy moves around alot... He has been quite busy, it appears:

http://www.peoplefinders.com/summary.asp?fn=marc&mn=&ln=werblud&city=&state=WA&age=&dobmm=&dobdd=&doby=&vw=&Search=&Input=&x=12&y=15

Another one of his scam sites which has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB as well:

http://www.magnafortis.com/inner-index.html

And this one: http://www.thebbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=22011146&language=1

He also had a 'stethoscopes plus, inc.' based out of NY.

As an aside, he's applied for several patents on stethoscopes and other medical equipment. He's also listed as a "naturopath" and a 'licensed holistic doctor' working out of the Seattle area.

Gotta love The Google :lol2:

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I purchased a Cardiology III from Allheart.com for $125.00. It came in a week and a half. I first went to 3M's website and got a list of authorized dealers. Here's the link. http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Littmann/stethoscope/purchase/where-to-buy/

It's interesting that there is a company called stethoscope.com on the list but not stethoscopes.com. The company you ordered from are not authorized Littman dealers.

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I bought my daughter a Littman for school last summer. I got it from an Ebay store. I was very satisfied and see that as of today the person has 100% positive feedback. Here's a link to their store. Good luck. I am sorry you were ripped off.

http://stores.ebay.com/Lights-And-Sirens-Medical-Supplies

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I dont know about the USA but in Canada (at least where I live) I was told to phone Visa in general....it doesnt go through my bank. Plus I bank with one of the "top" 3 big banks in Canada so its not a bad banking institution. Ya im going to phone them right now and talk to them and try to speed up the whole refund process. Last time i talked to them they said that it was Visa's company policy that it can take up to 4 months for a refund...hopefully itll get processed faster than that. this whole situation is too depressing....like why rip off people!

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I would suggest you contact the Attorney General's Office for the state of Washington, which among other things recovers refunds for consumers. It's an agency that's actually got some muscle and enforcement authority, unlike the Better Business Bureau. A call from an AG's office is sometimes all it takes to get someone to give you your money back -- especially if they're eager to avoid bad publicity. Good luck.

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I dont know about the USA but in Canada (at least where I live) I was told to phone Visa in general....it doesnt go through my bank. Plus I bank with one of the "top" 3 big banks in Canada so its not a bad banking institution. Ya im going to phone them right now and talk to them and try to speed up the whole refund process. Last time i talked to them they said that it was Visa's company policy that it can take up to 4 months for a refund...hopefully itll get processed faster than that. this whole situation is too depressing....like why rip off people!
When you call, ask to speak to their fraud division. This is obviously a scam artist here...
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Specializes in Med-Surg/Tele, ER.

Thanks for the heads-up on this! I'm sorry OP that you've had such a terrible experience.

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I second that. I had excellent service - my stethoscope came fast, and I had my name engraved on it, which didn't take as long as they said it might take.

I'll "third that" for steeles.com. I got a Master Cardiology for less than $150, came fast and in perfect order.

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I have been having trouble with this man and it is 2009, and I thought it was odd that he never send much paperwork verifying my order, now I have to contact Visa, unfortunately: it seems like he has such a nice web-page but does seem intent on selling those Magna Fortis stethoscopes...and never returns my emails.. I hate to think the worst, I just wish it would end up in the mail!! :(

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

So I fell into the trap as well. I purchased a Master Cardio Black with my name, RN... been a nurse for about a year, and I got a job in the critical care unit close to home. Anyway... I wanted a good scope.

Transactions went fine, but I never got a shipping number or anything. I called and actually spoke to someone, that said it should ship out a week from yesterday. Low and behold, its a month and a half later, still no scope, and SUPRISE, no answer on the phone. It still says 9 am pacific time to 9 pm pacific time... blah blah blah.. please call during our regular hours.

Well, I spoke with my bank, filed a fraud report, and hooray they gave me my hard earned dead presidents back.:yeah: Just FYI in case anymore of you out there are having trouble.

This guy is a scum bag. BBB rates his business as an F. He has 32 or so complaints filed against him :eek:. And according to some other people around the web, he has pulled this crap in other states as well. Don't buy from this turd... he is a worthless.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Moved to the Nursing Stethoscope forum.

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Sorry you've had such a tough time with them. I ordered the same model as you (and got it engraved) from them and received it within 3 days .

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