I have never felt compelled to post a negative review for a company before. That is, until I visited Balance Botanicals. I purchased spices, requesting and paying for 4 ounces of each. Their prices are posted in ounces and the I was charged in ounces as noted on my receipt. When I got home I weighed the spices only to discover that they were grossly short of what I paid for: two were just over 2 ounces, one was just over 3 ounces.
I contacted the business and requested a refund for the overage, assuming they would feel bad by their overcharge and make immediate amends. This is not at all what happened.
Shino (the person who overcharged me and responded to my email) replied stating " we charge by volume". Even though their prices for spices are posted in weight and you are charged by weight they only give you a volume measurement. There is a huge flaw with this thinking. More on this topic later.
Shino then continued to state that because she "showed" me the measuring cup she took that as verification that I was "okay" with her charging by volume. This is the most ludicrous justification for an overcharge I have ever heard. I may have watched her pick up the measuring implement to scoop spice out of a jar but I not only didn't watch what she did after that but I wouldn't think that this would suggest I was okay with being overcharged.
I responded to this explanation that you can't use volume as an equal substitute for weight because not all products have the same density. Regardless, their prices are posted in weight at the store and I was charged by weight (which the receipt also shows). She cannot indiscriminately change the unit of pricing, particularly if they are not equal. I sent Shino this information thinking that perhaps she would realize her error and make amends. Not likely.
Radio silence. She has not responded.
I am shocked at Balance Botanicals blatant disregard for basic business ethics and customer service. They just don't care - or maybe they do if they can overcharge you without you noticing.
Shino, if you're reading this, you might want to check out this website: http://www.aqua-calc.com/calculate/food-volume-to-weight. Try a basic conversion for chili powder (one of the spices I purchased). You will see that 1/2 cup (the volume measurement which you used) comes to 2.26 ounces. I paid for 4!
Oh, and on another note. When Shino initially totaled my items it came to $54. My purchase was only $28. When I questioned her she realized that she had included the previous customer's products in my total. It was only after I questioned her that she noticed.
So, if you enter this store, BUYER BEWARE! read more