Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Homeaglow’s TrustPilot Ratings Not As Represented

You’ve probably seen the ads for Homeaglow — the home cleaning service that claims to charge just $19 for the first cleaning.

To add credibility to their company, their tout a very high 4.8 star rating from TrustPilot.

Homeaglow 4.8 stars

However, when eagle-eyed reader David B. checked the TrustPilot website, the real rating was revealed.

*Mouse Print:

Homeaglow's real trustpilot rating

It got only 1.3 stars, not the almost five stars claimed on the company’s website.

And a synopsis of those almost two thousand reviews (not the over six thousand that Homeaglow touted) suggests the company is not delivering what it promised.

Most reviewers were let down by their experience overall. Customers express significant dissatisfaction with the service, frequently citing issues with pricing, subscriptions, and cancellations. Many consumers feel misled by hidden fees and unexpected charges, particularly concerning a recurring membership they were not aware of upon initial sign-up.

We asked the company for an explanation of how they could be claiming a near-perfect 4.8 rating from TrustPilot when the actual TrustPilot site gives them a failing grade. They did not respond.

Share this story:

 

ADV
Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

GoodRx Prices Can Vary Using Their Cards vs Their Website

A funny thing happened when picking up a prescription at my local Stop & Shop pharmacy. I asked the pharmacist to compare the price using my health insurance prescription drug plan versus the GoodRx price. GoodRx is a free discount drug service.

He said that GoodRx was less than my insurance. (This has happened before and it raises a whole other issue of how in the world when paying for prescription coverage can their price wind up being more expensive than the price with a free discount card?)

With the GoodRx number I had given the pharmacy years ago, the price came to $8.68.

GoodRx price old card

I was a bit shocked because I had checked the price at the GoodRx website for this particular pharmacy, and it was almost double what the pharmacy actually charged using my old card.

*MOUSE PRINT:

GoodRx website price

The pharmacist said there was no rhyme or reason for the various prices charged or how it is possible that discount cards can offer better prices than real insurance coverage.

We asked GoodRx how a price using one of their old cards could differ so dramatically from their current website price at the same particular pharmacy. Here is what a spokesperson told us, in relevant part:

There are a few things that may have led to the discrepancy between the price with your prior, physical card and the price you see on our website:

Contracted reimbursement: Some of the prior pricing we distributed under our ‘PBM marketplace’ model, particularly via direct mail, were individually contracted between PBMs and pharmacies. While some of these legacy PBM cards may be accepted at point of sale based on their legacy agreements, and could have lower pricing and margins to retail, we want to make sure both our consumers and retail pharmacies have a sustainable and reliable experience at the counter.

We also checked with NeedyMeds.org, a nonprofit that connects consumers to affordable medication programs. Their president echoed GoodRx’s comments suggesting that the old card may have had a better pricing structure, and that reimbursement rates change online quickly and can vary among processors.

Whatever the reason for the difference, it pays to double-check the price if you have an old GoodRx card laying around or on file at your pharmacy. You could save money.

Share this story:

 

ADV
Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Are CapitalOne Shopping Rewards Too Good To Be True?

Almost daily MrConsumer has been receiving seemingly too-good-to-be-true offers from CapitalOne Shopping. Here are four recent ones.

CapitalOne Shopping TurboTax

Since TurboTax Deluxe was on sale at Sam’s Club for $44.99, getting $30 back on that purchase would make the net price only $14.99. That’s an unheard of deal.

CapitalOne Shopping Walgreens

Are they really going to give me $20 of free merchandise at Walgreens? Or is the offer just 20% off?

CapitalOne shopping Dollar Tree

Can you really get a $20 rebate on a $20+ purchase at Dollar Tree? Is it only for these cookies, or on any products?

CapitalOne shopping Shaws $50

Is CapitalOne Shopping really offering $50 off a $50 grocery purchase at Shaw’s supermarkets? The only stated exclusions are subscriptions and gift cards.

To some, CapitalOne Shopping makes it seem like you will get these dollars off on your purchases at these stores. Not so. What they do is let you accumulate “rewards” and then cash them in for e-gift cards (see list) from major retailers. They are not cash rebates nor credits that can be applied to your purchase or credit card balance.

There is absolutely no explanation of these offers in the emails or when you clickthrough to the retailers’ website to take advantage of them. There are some exclusions listed like for tobacco, pharmacy, and gift cards depending on the offer. The only relevant detailed disclosures are in their long terms statement and this link in the emails, but it does not explain specific offers:

*MOUSE PRINT:

CapitalOne Shopping fine print from email

Each offer says “Limit 1 email bonus per user.” Does that mean I can only use each offer once, or that of all the emailed offers I receive, I can only use one of them? Can I use any credit card or do I have to use a CapitalOne card? We asked the PR folks some pointed questions including why there is no explanation of how to participate in these offers in each email and what the real terms are. We got no answer to our multiple requests.

If you like the idea of getting savings in the form of gift cards from their limited selection, then this could be a great deal even if you are only allowed one of their super-duper email offers. (They offer an $80 bonus for new sign-ups with lots of strings, and there are some additional high-value offers on their homepage.)

Share this story:

 

ADV