I got a call from Royal Prestige today saying I won a Bridal Package from the wedding fair last month. They said I'd get a 3 day/2 night hotel package, some gift certificates, and a year long subscription to a coupon website. All I had to do was go to a cookware demonstration for their company. I googled them and turns out it's a huge scam! Don't fall for it if you get the call!
I looked up the grocery coupon website and it is definitely a scam. They want you to pay for fees and shipping and they "pay you back" with extra coupons. RIGHT. The website for the hotel accommodations seems cheap and information-less too.
They have a pretty bad report on this consumer website:
Re: Royal Prestige Bridal giveaway is a scam!
[QUOTE]They called me too, and the whole thing sounded super sketchy. They called and called for about 3 days and finally gave up. I just stopped answering. There was no way I was going to the "presentation" I'm glad you googled it, it had scam written all over it to me too.
Posted by tamaralenae[/QUOTE]
What bridal show did you go to?
Wedding Wednesdays on AlaskaDispatch.com:
Planning a wedding in Alaska, one week at a time.
I received a call from them shortly after visiting their booth at Bridal ExCYtement at Iowa State (I just wanted the free oven mitt!). They called saying I won their prize package and I needed to come to a presentation to discuss my gifts. I was hesitant but decided to go for the free His & Her aprons. I went to the presentation knowing they were going to pressure me into buying their projects. A few things to keep in mind if you chose to attend the presentation...
Talk to your fiancé beforehand and discuss if you're interested in purchasing new cookware. Make a decision about how much you're willing to spend and stick to it. Do not impulse buy! No matter how good the deal! They'll tell you that you'll never get another deal like this if you don't buy tonight and it's impossible to buy after leaving the demonstration. My fiancé and I told him we would be willing to buy in the future when we could afford it and the salesman said he would bet $1000 dollars that we would never buy. Last night I told him he was wrong but this morning I realized he was right.
This morning, I typed "Royal Prestige" into Google to look up their website and packages. Google prompted me to search "Royal Prestige Scam". How interesting. After a lot of research I completely changed my mind about wanting to buy their products. I did find out that they have a website and if you do want to buy the products after leaving the demonstration, you just have to call the number to attend another demonstration. I also found postings about this company on several different Bridal website forums that I found very, very interesting.
When I was called, I was told the company was called "Dinner 4 Two". Dinner 4 Two is a part of Royal Prestige but when I googled Dinner 4 Two, I didn't see any customer reviews. Their Facebook page didn't offer much either. From what I can tell, they use this name because all of the negative publicity is associated with Royal Prestige. In these forums I've seen links to the BBB with company ratings varying from F to A+. It seems like this company associates themselves with several names (parent companies, subsidiaries, etc).
The free gifts all sounds too good to be true because they are. The grocery coupon package requires you send "shipping and handling funds", the wedding rings require a $25 shipping charge, each, and the champagne flutes cost $20. I've seen very few people post that they've taken advantage of the vacation deal and if they have, they don't go into a lot of details. There are a lot of rumors out there that Royal Prestige employees post on forums, websites, etc. saying vague positive comments about the company. If you have taken advantage of the vacation deal, please post with details! I am curious if it's valid or easy to use. When did you go, what was the entertainment like, was the trip hassle free?
I also received a coupon for a free engagement portrait session with a well known photography company in the area. I’m guessing it’s an indoor, one outfit type thing and they’re hoping you’ll upgrade to a larger package. I do plan to call them and use it if possible, I’ll report back! Also, my matching aprons are apparently in the mail… I hope.
The salespeople are very good at what they do. They present the product well and they makes you feel like they genuinely cares about you. I did not buy their products nor do I personally know anyone who has. There was a lady in the class whose mom had apparently been using the products for 20 years. It makes me think that they do work, if you use them correctly. You have to learn their style of cooking. At the end of the demonstration, they go through the pricing packages and payment plans (which they are usually willing to negotiate) and everyone has a chance to look around and talk about it. Even when they throw in the “buy a set of cookware, get another package free” deal, stick to your original price budget. In order to leave you have to have a little discussion with the salesperson about either what you’re going to buy or why you aren’t going to buy another. They will give you a huge guilt trip if you’re not buying anything but stick to your guns and they’ll give up eventually. The salesperson will be holding your free gift coupons in their hands while you discuss and then hand them to you very disgruntled if you don’t buy anything.
Sorry that is such a long post, just a few things I wish I had known about the company before the presentation. Feel free to still attend the presentation, just know what to expect and consider leaving your credit card numbers and cash at home!
well put! there are WAY too many posts that are just a little to word for word the scripts their customer service(?) people use when they call you.
I figured it was kind of time share like, and now knowing that everything is basically a voucher....that it is very scammy. I understand that they're trying to get people to the show and that's their job. i think it might've been better if they just advertise that it's cookware at the show.
Has anyone noticed that all of the positive reviews on this post are from random people who signed up on the Knot to post the very day that they left the post? I think it's very obvious that they are from Royal Prestige.
You'll never be subject to a cash bar, gap, potluck wedding, or b-list if you marry a Muppet Overlord.
[QUOTE]Definitely not a scam. We attended the show and purchased the cookware. There is no harm in going, you receive free stuff and are not required to purchase anything. Their products are amazing!
Posted by Gifford2B[/QUOTE]
<div>I'd like to note this person has posted twice, and joined the day of this thread to reply... Not fishy at all ;)</div>
I couldn't tell you whether this was a scam or not, because I have not gone to the presentation and will not. The negative comments BY FAR outweigh the positives and the fact that only 5% of people think this company is great tells me that it's not worth the risk.
What REALLY upsets me is that bridal fairs allow this company to present at their fairs and the fact that David's Bridal gives them the numbers (just a rumor, but it's probably true) of brides is just shameful and disrespectful.
NOT COOL.