Good for your daughter and her fiance for being so savvy and not swallowing the tale whole. It was a sad waste of time for them, but worse for the ones who went for it.
They are now called bella bridal! Thank you for this feed you just saved me and my fiance alot of time. I don’t even remember signing up for this honeymoon win i don’t even remember the booth. they said there is a really funny guy going to cook us dinner. haha! thank you for this thread!
Thanks for taking the time to comment and letting everyone know about your experience with “Bella Bridal” Yeah, he’s a real funny guy — someone who is willing to get you in debt just when you’re starting out on a happy new life. My daughter said the food wasn’t that good:) New brides and grooms shouldn’t be embarassed though, these guys use every trick in the book to hook you. Thanks! I hope to do an update someday…
nancykaybowdensaid:
Great blog topic!
After producing a wedding in 2009 AND 2010, I’ve heard just about everything.
As my husband always says, there is nothing free in life. Buyer (or in this case, winner) beware! He also says, if you want something done right (like a honeymoon trip or wedding design or anything else that could be potential scam material,) do it yourself. If they call you, hang up. YOU initiate the call (if you want someone’s help.)
Your daughter and her finance are very smart people!
Congratulations! Warning: Weddings are a whirlwind! 🙂
Hey Nancy, thanks for stopping by! Your husband is right and that’s a good credo to follow when planning a wedding. Wish I’d thought of it 🙂
Yes, I can see that whirlwind way off in the distance and it’s coming my way…..watch out! LOL Thanks.
OMG can you imagine?!?! That is insane. I will definitely spread the word. Scammers like this drive me UP THE WALL!
One time, early in my first marriage, we got hit by a door-to-door vacuum sales pitch. The woman was at our house for 7 HOURS! She wouldn’t leave. It was 1 am by the time we got her out of there. She claimed to be living out of her car trying to escape her abusive husband etc. The story went on and on and on until we bought a $3000 vacuum!!! I woke up the next morning absolutely livid. I had been so taken in by this scam. I called the Better Business Bureau and they told me I had 10 days to cancel the contract because door-to-door sales are considered high pressure. The guy told me to put it in writing and go to the businesses temporary location (they just set up temp locations in towns where they are scamming people). I went in, cancelled the contract and just about tore the entire office a new hole. I filled complaints everywhere I could and warned everyone I knew.
It’s HORRIBLE that companies will set up shop, scam young people and then just move on. Thanks goodness your daughter did not get taken in!!!
First of all, congratulations and warm wishes to your daughter on her wedding.
There are scammers everywhere, but the majority seems to hang out in the bridal industry. I always research every bigger purchase on the internet, read the consumer reviews, talk to friends and family members etc.
The wedding shows are great to get ideas, but I would never purchase anything there or accept anyone’s services without researching their credibility first. It is a lot of work but this way you save yourself a ton of disappointment and expense.
Thanks Angela! I didn’t know that scammers were so prolific in the bridal industry. I think you’re right about researching before you ever give someone a call. Excellent tips sista! Thanks!
What a horrific thing that these young couples have to go through. I can only imagine the pressure to buy that they put them through. It can be intimidating. I’m so glad your daughter didn’t get scammed, but now look at the good you’ve done. You can take her situation and hopefully help some folks out so they don’t get scammed by that disgusting company.
Thanks for posting this. People need to know!
Congrats to your daughter on her upcoming wedding. So exciting!!
It’s sad that there are people prospering from scamming young adults at a happy time in their life. It’s sad we have to be on the lookout for people like this every minute too. Thanks Tameri!
My husband and I got a very similar call not long after we were married. They kept saying we’d won a vacation, and I couldn’t get them to stop calling. Finally, I gave the phone to my husband who told them flat out “this is a scam” and hung up on them. They never called again.
The only thing we could think of was that our information had also been sold by one of the vendors at the fall fair we attended a few weeks earlier. Neither of us had put our names in a draw for a vacation, and we asked my mom (the only person who would have), and she said she hadn’t either.
I’m glad your daughter got out before it was too late and that you’d told as many people as possible about that scam. You’ve probably saved someone else from being swindled.
Marcy, thanks for telling us your story. It makes me angry that these people exist solely for the purpose of hurting and profiting from others. Just think what they could do if they turned their energies toward something more positive. I wish vendors would take the time to vette the companies before they sell our names to them.
I think it’s terrible this business is allowed to exist and prey off couples getting married. Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Good luck with your wedding plans!
Oh, I feel so bad for you! I really, really despise these people for taking what should be a happy time in your lives and tainting it with debt and anger at being sucked into their web of lies. If you happen to live in Florida, it might be worth a call to the Better Business Bureau to see if there’s any way they can help. Florida is the only state I know of that is truly trying to shut these people down. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ll ask my daughter and fiance if they can think of anything. My daughter wrote the company a scathing letter but all that did was make her feel better by ranting. Of course the company had no response.
There’s another bridal show happening in Fort Wayne in September and it just chills me to know that these predators will be handed a list of other couples they can suck in. Thanks so much for being brave enough to comment and tell your story. Take care and if I find out anything that could help you, I’ll let you know.
Did you at least get to go on the honeymoon? I’m curious, if you jump through the hoops and make it out with the tickets (aside from the black out dates mentioned) do they honor the “prize”?
My daughter and her now-husband did some research and found that most people who went on the trip were extremely dissatisfied. Before you jump through their hoops makes certain you know what you’re getting. They change the name of the bridal company and travel company often so cross reference as much as you can.
Jenny Bertrandsaid:
Thanks for writing this. I attended a show this past weekend. Four hours after the show ended I got a call saying I had one a bridal package.They said they were from Simplicity Brides nd that all I had to do was attend a 90 minute show with my fiance. The next day I got three calls from Bella Bridal confirming my seat for the show that night. After reading everything I found on the internet, I just told them we couldn’t make it. I remember everyone I left my name with at the show and niether of these companies ring a bell. Sad to not have won a free trip, but glad I didn’t get to far into it.
Congratulations Jenny for doing your homework and not falling for this scam. Judging by the amount of daily hits I get on this blog post I can see the scam is alive and well. My daughter tried to contact the organizers of the bridal show in my hometown but it all kind of fell on deaf ears and they didn’t really pursue it — at least not to our knowledge. It seems incredible to me that these people are allowed to prey on you during one of the happiest times of your life. It really makes me mad.
All my best to you and your fiance, he’s getting one smart cookie:) I hope you have a beautiful wedding and a great life together.
I just received a call from Bella Bridal about winning an invite to a show next week. Went online to check this out because a free honeymoon/vacation sounds too good to be true. So glad I did…we will not be attending!
I’m so happy you did your research. It’s so easy to be sucked in by these people, most couples would love a free trip. Heck, I’d love a free trip:) One thing I’ve noticed is that they keep changing or tweaking the name of their business by using the word Bella in a lot of different ways. The sad thing is, there is a legitimate houseware company with the name Bella sold by Target and Macys. Congrats on your upcoming wedding and I wish you many happy years to come. Thanks for taking the time to comment Kristin!
The ‘Free Holiday’ scam has been worked a lot on seniors. I didn’t know they were trying it on couples to be. It makes sense that they’ve changed their targets, there’ve been so many scams targeting seniors, that seniors are a lot more wary than they used to be.
“I hate scammers.” You and me both. They just want to suck the life out of good hearted, well meaning people. I recently got a call from MedicalHealthSystems and thought it had something to do with our medical insurance. No, it was a 30 second survey on air pollution. I live in rural Indiana, not much air pollution but hey, what could it hurt? Well, as soon as she said at the end of the call that my name would be put in a drawing for a prize, I knew I would be a “winner” Sure enough, a week later, I won a trip for two to some island. I told them to never call me again. But how many seniors ( I’m not quite there yet..) or young adults (long, long, time ago:) would love the chance for a free trip and go for it? This is exactly what they count on. UGH. I reported them online and wasn’t the only one who’d done so. I really need to do an update post on the bridal show scammers.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Wayne! Much appreciated!
Please do update it. The dirty rotten b******* keep coming out with new tricks, and we have a moral responsibility to inform people about them.
Wayne
Brittanysaid:
Thank you so much for this post. I received a phone call from bridal network this morning. I am recently engaged and have not had time to go to any bridal shows or sign up for anything except buying my wedding gown. I decided that I would investigate before calling them back since this sounded a little fishy to me. I’m so glad I found your post and you saved me a whole lot of hassle! I hope your daughter’s wedding was everything that she wanted and I wish her a lifetime full of happiness!
You were so smart to check this out and I’m so happy I helped Brittany! Every time I get a response on this post I get mad all over again at the idea that there are companies that choose, CHOOSE to scam people during one of the happiest times of their lives. You really have to wonder what type of scum chooses to build a business around enslaving its customers and hitting a newly married couple with financial difficulties. I’d love to cook them up a “dinner” in the faulty pots and pans they sell too.
Congrats on your upcoming wedding! Our daughters wedding was lovely and they went on a very nice honeymoon:) Thank you for your wish for her, I know she’d say, “back at ya!”
Hi Wayne! Thanks for being so supportive, I’m so sorry for the delay in thanking you. I found your response in my spam mail. Ironic that one of the good guys got hung up there. LOL
It breaks my heart when I read on the bridal boards how many people are sucked into this and how it causes stress on their new marriages. Thanks for helping spread the word!
Wayne Borean aka The Mad Hattersaid:
Just wish it was possible to do more. A lot of people get taken in by the scammers, and they can do a lot of damage.
Police generally aren’t interested, and consumer protection laws tend to be too weak to deal with them unfortunately.
Wayne
Victoriasaid:
I just received a call from Bella Bridal today! I decided to do a little research and I’m so glad you posted this!!! I knew this was too good to be true!!!!
You’re so right Wayne. There’s a show called The Lookout on ABC about scams and scammers, I wonder if they ever ask for story ideas… I’ll have to check it out and see if they have a suggestion box.
Good for you Victoria! I always said that if I could stop one person from falling for this I would be happy. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I really hate knowing they’re still in business.
Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Your partner is getting a smart cookie:)
I’m so glad you did your research Nikki!! Your partner is lucky to have such a smart bride. I wish you a Happy wedding:) and a Happy life!
Brooke Psaid:
I got a call saying that we had “won” a free trip and some other things and that all we had to do was go to one of their shows. I figured it was some kind of timeshare, but they said it was free to attend and we got a free meal. My fiance and I went and they were trying to sale cookware. We didn’t get a meal either… it was a piece of chicken breast, some corn, and broccoli that was split between the six couple that were there.
They went on and on about the cookware. They did, however, keep saying that we did not have to buy it if we didn’t want to. When the show was FINALLY over, they talked to each couple about buying and the free gifts. We didn’t buy any of the cookware because I’m NOT spending that much on something just to cook food in. We got the gifts and left. They gave us a voucher to extend the expiration date on our trip since our wedding is after the date on the trip they had with them. They said to just mail the voucher in and they would send us an extension to last until 2015 instead of 2014. I mailed it in last week and received my new one in yesterday… it expires in August 2014 instead of June 2014. Wow what a big extension!! It still doesn’t help us because our wedding isn’t until October 2014. I tried emailing the company to tell them the situation and i got an error message saying the email was not valid. I also cant find a phone number. I got online and started reading all of the bad things about this company and we are not even going to attempt to send the stuff in to get the trip. I do not want to loose any money. We are really disappointed that someone would do that. We were looking forward to a free honeymoon since we already aren’t rich and cant afford too much! I was suspicious in the beginning anyways, so I shouldn’t of expected much out of it, but it still makes me mad!
So glad you stopped by here Brooke! The trip is bogus and they only allow you to go certain times and people that I’ve found on the internet that have gone on their “honeymoons” are not happy. You have to pay for your own flight and the accomodations are terrible, some worse than terrible and in awful locations— not the beach — so don’t bother. They know that people getting married often don’t have the funds for a nice honeymoon and this is how they get you lured in to their pots and pans. What crazy person thought of this??? Anyways, even the pots and pans are cheaply made and not up to any kind of standards or so I’ve seen around the net. My daughter who is just a normal every day girl like you who loves to cook could tell they were crappy and so far out priced she laughed at the guy. They try to tell you you’re poisoning your family by cooking in anything else. Geez. Yeah, when in doubt, lets scare people and get their money that way. The pots and pans are a scam to get you to take out a loan for them and charge you a super high interest rate if you miss a payment. Eventually, that interest rate makes it so you’re in debt to them for YEARS. I almost cried when I saw the reviews from some young ladies saying they are so far in debt to them it was causing problems in their new marriage.
Not what you need. Rest easy that you didn’t fall for this and have a happy wonderful wedding.
I just experienced a call from them. Called them back and their recorded hold system says “simplicity brides” and the guy tried to convince me they were called something else. It’s amazing how the guy thought I would believe that. Scammers are the worst, but almost even worse is whatever company at bridal shows is going around and selling people’s information. I live nowhere near Florida so this company definitely gets around…
You’re right Sarah. The company that’s selling your name to these scammers is just as bad. And as for the guy not remembering the name of the company that’s hilarious— they have so many names and have been run out of several states with all their various aliases, it’s not hard to see why. I’m so happy you checked everything out! Congrats on your upcoming wedding and future marriage.
We received a call from them the other day but I did not give them a yes or no until I did research. I knew that it was obviously too good to be true. Thank you for your very helpful post! We will not be attending!
Oh Kayla, I wish more people would do their research BUT of course for every person like you there are many more who don’t and sadly end up with crappy trips or pots and pans that are shoddy and not worth a dime, then have to go in debt for them. Weddings are expensive enough, it’s sad these people prey on you when you’re excited and getting ready for one of the happiest days of your life. But then again, that’s exactly what they plan on, that you’ll be so busy thinking wedding you won’t be thinking about people trying to scam you. Ugh. Don’t you just despise them?
On a happier note…. congrats on your upcoming wedding. Enjoy your beautiful day and please tell your partner that I think they’re getting a really smart, savvy spouse:) I wish you many years of happiness!
I recently attended a very similar event by NutriChef after being called about winning a knife due to registering at a local event. I found myself in this room with a guy cooking us a chicken, veggies, and peach cobbler, while telling us how great these pots and pans were. All for just $65.00 per month, and using strange math to prove how this investment would ultimately save us money, while protecting us from cancer and Alzheimer’s. I could also tell, based on the enthusiasm of the couple behind me, that they were part of the sales scheme…… and after the presentation’s 90 minute plus experience, THEY were the very couple ready to BUY! The price for the base package of pots and pans was $3990.00, but if we bought TODAY, we’d save $1000.00 and get it for $2990.00. This added up to more than $300.00 per pan and lid! And their were additional options at $600.00 and more. I left without buying, but this was a very high pressure sales pitch, and younger people might not know what was going on here. I’ve sat through time share pitches that were VERY similar. I did receive a voucher for a free knife if I pay $9.95 shipping and handling. I also received an “exclusive getaway” package offer, and a “coupon dough” program that basically sends you coupons found in newspapers nationwide. Scam, scam, scam.
Thank you Melissa for all the info. My daughter received the voucher for a free knife and the vacation getaway. If you dig into it, you’ll find that very few people actually “go” on these vacation and the people that do find the hotels substandard. Good for you for doing your homework and seeing through their scam. All my best for a happy wedding day and marriage!
I recently was invited to a Nutri-Chef cooking show. I do remember putting my name into a drawing at their booth during a bridal show. I brought my friend and the both of us sat through the entire presentation. You are correct, they wait until the very end after hassling you to buy something in order to get your prize packet.
I was entertained and impressed with the presentation and cookware. It wasn’t until my fiance got home the next day and I told him about a $189 8.5″ pan I bought so I could lock in the SUPER AMAZING FANTASTIC discount. His jaw almost dropped to the floor. We looked at the finance receipt and saw after tax, interest, S&H, that the pan would cost nearly $230!!! I started to recall some details. We were all young, newly, engaged couples sitting in the room that did not look ready to spend $3000 on cookware. I started to get angry when I remembered the salesman telling us that we would miss out on the discount forever, and in the future if we ever decided to purchase their cookware we were basically blacklisted! The only way to purchase is to have them come directly to your home and cook. If I were to walk away that night and take the “free” prize they would not show up to my house in the future. They keep your phone number and name and put you on a blacklist.
One other thing that made me angry is that the host asked us all how much we spent a week on take-out meals, starbucks, etc. He made everyone answer. Most answers were anywhere from $50-$150. Later, he used what we said to prove to us that we were liars if we said we couldn’t afford the cookware! RUDE!
Luckily, CA has a 3 Day cancellation period for any contract. You bet I sent that in! Funny that the sales rep said to call with any questions and he’d get back to us. I called to let him know that I couldn’t justify paying $230 for a small pan and that I was sending in my cancellation. I still haven’t gotten a confirmation call from him. I’ll probably never hear from him again.
Well, I thought I replied to you Renee but I see it didn’t show up. So sorry! Thanks for telling your story. I just can’t believe how awful and heavy-handed they are, as if planning a wedding and a marriage isn’t expensive enough. Then to insert themselves in your private life and prove to you that you can afford their junk crosses the line. I wish someone could shut them down!!!
Best wishes for a wonderful wedding!
I just got a call from Nutri-Chef as well. She explained that I had won their bridal package and told me to grab a paper and pen to write down details. Then, she said I had won a 4 day, 3 night, all-inclusive resort stay (minus air-fare) in a tropical location, but was given no name of any kind of resort and a discount on wedding invitations. At this point I stopped her and tried to clarify how I could have won’t his package and she said that i apparently put my name in their drawing at “the bridal show.” And I absolutely noticed the vagueness of that, too! She went on to say that I had won a $1,000 in grocery coupons, their own “company’s” registry discount, and a kitchen knife. She told me that they had “left the area,” but would be returning soon and that they would call me when they were back in town so I could come pick up the gifts in person. And then she explained the wonderful free cooking show I’d get to attend when I got my gifts! She gave me their phone number, too, and as soon as I hung up, I thought I should see what I could find about legitimacy and came across this post! I’m so glad!!! I also went back and looked at the lists of all the vendors at the only two bridal shows I’ve been to and, of course, Nutri-Chef was NOT on either list. I’m so thankful for finding this post, because it affirmed my suspicions and totally freed me up from going any further with this! Thank you!
Thank you Olivia for letting us all know they’ve changed names. This is so typical of what they do! I’m so glad you did your research. Obviously, other people aren’t convinced or refuse to believe it could be a scam otherwise they wouldn’t still be in business. I feel so sad for those couples who get ripped off and end up giving these people their hard-earned money. It’s so nice you took the time to comment— you might have just helped someone else:)
I’m so sorry this happened to you but so happy you weren’t taken in by them. Coming to this blog and reading about it is only one part of how this post helps others, you and others like you taking the time to comment and keeping us informed about their name changes and rip-off techniques helps too. Thank you, thank you!!!!!
Cailinsaid:
As of now they are going by Nutrichef. I went to a bridal expo recently and didn’t enter any honeymoon things, same as your daughter. These people have been calling nonstop and whenever I would answer my phone they would hang up on me. I finally called them back and got the spiel about winning the honeymoon. It had scam written all over it so I googled them and was led to this blog post. I can’t wait to tell this lady off when she calls me back. I hope I don’t have any charges on my cell phone for calling them back.
THANK YOU for posting this! I recently attended a bridal show and ever since have been harassed by phone calls and emails from a company called “Dinner 4 Two” that insists that I signed up and have “won” the honeymoon vacation, other prizes, etc. and I only need to attend a cookware demo to claim them. I stalled and ignored, feeling that something wasn’t quite right about it all, but was beginning to re-think their offer since it seems so nice…today, I received a call from a man stating I’d won the same things, etc. only now he stated that he was from a company called “Nutrichef” and he gave me a “website” to look up before attending the show. It seemed beyond weird that two completely different companies were claiming I’d won the same prize “deal”…So, I Googled the two companies and landed on your blog…Once again, I can’t tell you how helpful this post has been in helping me to avoid getting scammed. Thank you!!!!
Wow. I can’t believe how aggressive they can be! From my daughter’s view they are every bit as aggressive in their cookware demo and she felt their phone calls were deliberately confusing and meant to manipulate. You could see how someone having a bad or busy day might fall for this.
I’m so glad you took the time to comment because now you’ve clued me and everyone else into another one of their aliases. Apparently this is how they get around the laws which makes no sense to me from a legal view but that’s what other sites have explained.
Thank you, thank you!!! Kathleen. I wish you all the happiness in the world on your upcoming marriage. And for others hopping on board and viewing this blog, please take the time to scan all the comments for the aliases they use. I’m traveling right now but will compile a list soon and post it. I wish we knew who was selling everyone’s name to them…
Liz Flaherty said:
Good for your daughter and her fiance for being so savvy and not swallowing the tale whole. It was a sad waste of time for them, but worse for the ones who went for it.
Kate MacNicol said:
Isn’t it awful that they target them when they’re already spending money trying to start a life together? Thanks for your comment Liz.
Anonymous said:
They are now called bella bridal! Thank you for this feed you just saved me and my fiance alot of time. I don’t even remember signing up for this honeymoon win i don’t even remember the booth. they said there is a really funny guy going to cook us dinner. haha! thank you for this thread!
Kate MacNicol said:
Thanks for taking the time to comment and letting everyone know about your experience with “Bella Bridal” Yeah, he’s a real funny guy — someone who is willing to get you in debt just when you’re starting out on a happy new life. My daughter said the food wasn’t that good:) New brides and grooms shouldn’t be embarassed though, these guys use every trick in the book to hook you. Thanks! I hope to do an update someday…
nancykaybowden said:
Great blog topic!
After producing a wedding in 2009 AND 2010, I’ve heard just about everything.
As my husband always says, there is nothing free in life. Buyer (or in this case, winner) beware! He also says, if you want something done right (like a honeymoon trip or wedding design or anything else that could be potential scam material,) do it yourself. If they call you, hang up. YOU initiate the call (if you want someone’s help.)
Your daughter and her finance are very smart people!
Congratulations! Warning: Weddings are a whirlwind! 🙂
Kate MacNicol said:
Hey Nancy, thanks for stopping by! Your husband is right and that’s a good credo to follow when planning a wedding. Wish I’d thought of it 🙂
Yes, I can see that whirlwind way off in the distance and it’s coming my way…..watch out! LOL Thanks.
Natalie Hartford said:
OMG can you imagine?!?! That is insane. I will definitely spread the word. Scammers like this drive me UP THE WALL!
One time, early in my first marriage, we got hit by a door-to-door vacuum sales pitch. The woman was at our house for 7 HOURS! She wouldn’t leave. It was 1 am by the time we got her out of there. She claimed to be living out of her car trying to escape her abusive husband etc. The story went on and on and on until we bought a $3000 vacuum!!! I woke up the next morning absolutely livid. I had been so taken in by this scam. I called the Better Business Bureau and they told me I had 10 days to cancel the contract because door-to-door sales are considered high pressure. The guy told me to put it in writing and go to the businesses temporary location (they just set up temp locations in towns where they are scamming people). I went in, cancelled the contract and just about tore the entire office a new hole. I filled complaints everywhere I could and warned everyone I knew.
It’s HORRIBLE that companies will set up shop, scam young people and then just move on. Thanks goodness your daughter did not get taken in!!!
Angela Orlowski-Peart said:
First of all, congratulations and warm wishes to your daughter on her wedding.
There are scammers everywhere, but the majority seems to hang out in the bridal industry. I always research every bigger purchase on the internet, read the consumer reviews, talk to friends and family members etc.
The wedding shows are great to get ideas, but I would never purchase anything there or accept anyone’s services without researching their credibility first. It is a lot of work but this way you save yourself a ton of disappointment and expense.
Kate MacNicol said:
Thanks Angela! I didn’t know that scammers were so prolific in the bridal industry. I think you’re right about researching before you ever give someone a call. Excellent tips sista! Thanks!
Tameri Etherton said:
What a horrific thing that these young couples have to go through. I can only imagine the pressure to buy that they put them through. It can be intimidating. I’m so glad your daughter didn’t get scammed, but now look at the good you’ve done. You can take her situation and hopefully help some folks out so they don’t get scammed by that disgusting company.
Thanks for posting this. People need to know!
Congrats to your daughter on her upcoming wedding. So exciting!!
Kate MacNicol said:
It’s sad that there are people prospering from scamming young adults at a happy time in their life. It’s sad we have to be on the lookout for people like this every minute too. Thanks Tameri!
"Occam Blade" said:
Yes, caveat emptor, indeed. If it’s too good to be true, then surely it is….
Kate MacNicol said:
Truer words were never spoken. My daughter is still angry that someone was able to manipulate her. Thanks for coming by!
Marcy Kennedy said:
My husband and I got a very similar call not long after we were married. They kept saying we’d won a vacation, and I couldn’t get them to stop calling. Finally, I gave the phone to my husband who told them flat out “this is a scam” and hung up on them. They never called again.
The only thing we could think of was that our information had also been sold by one of the vendors at the fall fair we attended a few weeks earlier. Neither of us had put our names in a draw for a vacation, and we asked my mom (the only person who would have), and she said she hadn’t either.
I’m glad your daughter got out before it was too late and that you’d told as many people as possible about that scam. You’ve probably saved someone else from being swindled.
Kate MacNicol said:
Marcy, thanks for telling us your story. It makes me angry that these people exist solely for the purpose of hurting and profiting from others. Just think what they could do if they turned their energies toward something more positive. I wish vendors would take the time to vette the companies before they sell our names to them.
Kce said:
This identical thing happened to my fiancé and I like 2 months ago!!!!
Kate MacNicol said:
I think it’s terrible this business is allowed to exist and prey off couples getting married. Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Good luck with your wedding plans!
Katie said:
My fiancé and I got suckered into this a couple months ago 😦 gave us the sales pitch, made us feel guilty that we are feeding our children with toxic pans and how great their pots and pans are. I fell right into the trap, and regretting it so bad. And what now? I have shitty pots and pans that everything sticks too. They don’t deserve a penny I send to them, but if I don’t, there goes my credit 😦 lesson learned, never again! Wish I had read this
months ago, or someone would have warned me
Kate MacNicol said:
Oh, I feel so bad for you! I really, really despise these people for taking what should be a happy time in your lives and tainting it with debt and anger at being sucked into their web of lies. If you happen to live in Florida, it might be worth a call to the Better Business Bureau to see if there’s any way they can help. Florida is the only state I know of that is truly trying to shut these people down. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you. I’ll ask my daughter and fiance if they can think of anything. My daughter wrote the company a scathing letter but all that did was make her feel better by ranting. Of course the company had no response.
There’s another bridal show happening in Fort Wayne in September and it just chills me to know that these predators will be handed a list of other couples they can suck in. Thanks so much for being brave enough to comment and tell your story. Take care and if I find out anything that could help you, I’ll let you know.
Jered said:
Did you at least get to go on the honeymoon? I’m curious, if you jump through the hoops and make it out with the tickets (aside from the black out dates mentioned) do they honor the “prize”?
Nancy E. Gibson said:
My daughter and her now-husband did some research and found that most people who went on the trip were extremely dissatisfied. Before you jump through their hoops makes certain you know what you’re getting. They change the name of the bridal company and travel company often so cross reference as much as you can.
Jenny Bertrand said:
Thanks for writing this. I attended a show this past weekend. Four hours after the show ended I got a call saying I had one a bridal package.They said they were from Simplicity Brides nd that all I had to do was attend a 90 minute show with my fiance. The next day I got three calls from Bella Bridal confirming my seat for the show that night. After reading everything I found on the internet, I just told them we couldn’t make it. I remember everyone I left my name with at the show and niether of these companies ring a bell. Sad to not have won a free trip, but glad I didn’t get to far into it.
Kate MacNicol said:
Congratulations Jenny for doing your homework and not falling for this scam. Judging by the amount of daily hits I get on this blog post I can see the scam is alive and well. My daughter tried to contact the organizers of the bridal show in my hometown but it all kind of fell on deaf ears and they didn’t really pursue it — at least not to our knowledge. It seems incredible to me that these people are allowed to prey on you during one of the happiest times of your life. It really makes me mad.
All my best to you and your fiance, he’s getting one smart cookie:) I hope you have a beautiful wedding and a great life together.
Kristin Merritt said:
I just received a call from Bella Bridal about winning an invite to a show next week. Went online to check this out because a free honeymoon/vacation sounds too good to be true. So glad I did…we will not be attending!
Kate MacNicol said:
I’m so happy you did your research. It’s so easy to be sucked in by these people, most couples would love a free trip. Heck, I’d love a free trip:) One thing I’ve noticed is that they keep changing or tweaking the name of their business by using the word Bella in a lot of different ways. The sad thing is, there is a legitimate houseware company with the name Bella sold by Target and Macys. Congrats on your upcoming wedding and I wish you many happy years to come. Thanks for taking the time to comment Kristin!
Wayne Borean aka The Mad Hatter said:
The ‘Free Holiday’ scam has been worked a lot on seniors. I didn’t know they were trying it on couples to be. It makes sense that they’ve changed their targets, there’ve been so many scams targeting seniors, that seniors are a lot more wary than they used to be.
I hate scammers.
Wayne
Kate MacNicol said:
“I hate scammers.” You and me both. They just want to suck the life out of good hearted, well meaning people. I recently got a call from MedicalHealthSystems and thought it had something to do with our medical insurance. No, it was a 30 second survey on air pollution. I live in rural Indiana, not much air pollution but hey, what could it hurt? Well, as soon as she said at the end of the call that my name would be put in a drawing for a prize, I knew I would be a “winner” Sure enough, a week later, I won a trip for two to some island. I told them to never call me again. But how many seniors ( I’m not quite there yet..) or young adults (long, long, time ago:) would love the chance for a free trip and go for it? This is exactly what they count on. UGH. I reported them online and wasn’t the only one who’d done so. I really need to do an update post on the bridal show scammers.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Wayne! Much appreciated!
Wayne Borean aka The Mad Hatter said:
Please do update it. The dirty rotten b******* keep coming out with new tricks, and we have a moral responsibility to inform people about them.
Wayne
Brittany said:
Thank you so much for this post. I received a phone call from bridal network this morning. I am recently engaged and have not had time to go to any bridal shows or sign up for anything except buying my wedding gown. I decided that I would investigate before calling them back since this sounded a little fishy to me. I’m so glad I found your post and you saved me a whole lot of hassle! I hope your daughter’s wedding was everything that she wanted and I wish her a lifetime full of happiness!
Kate MacNicol said:
You were so smart to check this out and I’m so happy I helped Brittany! Every time I get a response on this post I get mad all over again at the idea that there are companies that choose, CHOOSE to scam people during one of the happiest times of their lives. You really have to wonder what type of scum chooses to build a business around enslaving its customers and hitting a newly married couple with financial difficulties. I’d love to cook them up a “dinner” in the faulty pots and pans they sell too.
Congrats on your upcoming wedding! Our daughters wedding was lovely and they went on a very nice honeymoon:) Thank you for your wish for her, I know she’d say, “back at ya!”
Wayne Borean aka The Mad Hatter said:
Kate,
Wonder if there is a Scammer Warning Network somewhere? I’m glad Brittany found your post, but how many other people haven’t.
Damn. I really don’t need another job, but I hate these thieves.
Wayne
Wayne Borean aka The Mad Hatter said:
OK, just tweeted the blog post again. Hopefully that might help someone.
Wayne
Kate MacNicol said:
Hi Wayne! Thanks for being so supportive, I’m so sorry for the delay in thanking you. I found your response in my spam mail. Ironic that one of the good guys got hung up there. LOL
It breaks my heart when I read on the bridal boards how many people are sucked into this and how it causes stress on their new marriages. Thanks for helping spread the word!
Wayne Borean aka The Mad Hatter said:
Just wish it was possible to do more. A lot of people get taken in by the scammers, and they can do a lot of damage.
Police generally aren’t interested, and consumer protection laws tend to be too weak to deal with them unfortunately.
Wayne
Victoria said:
I just received a call from Bella Bridal today! I decided to do a little research and I’m so glad you posted this!!! I knew this was too good to be true!!!!
Wayne Borean aka The Mad Hatter said:
That’s a good warning sign – when anything seems TO GOOD TO BE TRUE it’s probably a scam 🙂
Wayne
Kate MacNicol said:
You’re so right Wayne. There’s a show called The Lookout on ABC about scams and scammers, I wonder if they ever ask for story ideas… I’ll have to check it out and see if they have a suggestion box.
Kate MacNicol said:
Good for you Victoria! I always said that if I could stop one person from falling for this I would be happy. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I really hate knowing they’re still in business.
Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Your partner is getting a smart cookie:)
Nikki Streeteet said:
I got a call about it, after seeing this, there’s no way I’m going!
Nancy E. Gibson said:
I’m so glad you did your research Nikki!! Your partner is lucky to have such a smart bride. I wish you a Happy wedding:) and a Happy life!
Brooke P said:
I got a call saying that we had “won” a free trip and some other things and that all we had to do was go to one of their shows. I figured it was some kind of timeshare, but they said it was free to attend and we got a free meal. My fiance and I went and they were trying to sale cookware. We didn’t get a meal either… it was a piece of chicken breast, some corn, and broccoli that was split between the six couple that were there.
They went on and on about the cookware. They did, however, keep saying that we did not have to buy it if we didn’t want to. When the show was FINALLY over, they talked to each couple about buying and the free gifts. We didn’t buy any of the cookware because I’m NOT spending that much on something just to cook food in. We got the gifts and left. They gave us a voucher to extend the expiration date on our trip since our wedding is after the date on the trip they had with them. They said to just mail the voucher in and they would send us an extension to last until 2015 instead of 2014. I mailed it in last week and received my new one in yesterday… it expires in August 2014 instead of June 2014. Wow what a big extension!! It still doesn’t help us because our wedding isn’t until October 2014. I tried emailing the company to tell them the situation and i got an error message saying the email was not valid. I also cant find a phone number. I got online and started reading all of the bad things about this company and we are not even going to attempt to send the stuff in to get the trip. I do not want to loose any money. We are really disappointed that someone would do that. We were looking forward to a free honeymoon since we already aren’t rich and cant afford too much! I was suspicious in the beginning anyways, so I shouldn’t of expected much out of it, but it still makes me mad!
Kate MacNicol said:
So glad you stopped by here Brooke! The trip is bogus and they only allow you to go certain times and people that I’ve found on the internet that have gone on their “honeymoons” are not happy. You have to pay for your own flight and the accomodations are terrible, some worse than terrible and in awful locations— not the beach — so don’t bother. They know that people getting married often don’t have the funds for a nice honeymoon and this is how they get you lured in to their pots and pans. What crazy person thought of this??? Anyways, even the pots and pans are cheaply made and not up to any kind of standards or so I’ve seen around the net. My daughter who is just a normal every day girl like you who loves to cook could tell they were crappy and so far out priced she laughed at the guy. They try to tell you you’re poisoning your family by cooking in anything else. Geez. Yeah, when in doubt, lets scare people and get their money that way. The pots and pans are a scam to get you to take out a loan for them and charge you a super high interest rate if you miss a payment. Eventually, that interest rate makes it so you’re in debt to them for YEARS. I almost cried when I saw the reviews from some young ladies saying they are so far in debt to them it was causing problems in their new marriage.
Not what you need. Rest easy that you didn’t fall for this and have a happy wonderful wedding.
Sarah said:
I just experienced a call from them. Called them back and their recorded hold system says “simplicity brides” and the guy tried to convince me they were called something else. It’s amazing how the guy thought I would believe that. Scammers are the worst, but almost even worse is whatever company at bridal shows is going around and selling people’s information. I live nowhere near Florida so this company definitely gets around…
Kate MacNicol said:
You’re right Sarah. The company that’s selling your name to these scammers is just as bad. And as for the guy not remembering the name of the company that’s hilarious— they have so many names and have been run out of several states with all their various aliases, it’s not hard to see why. I’m so happy you checked everything out! Congrats on your upcoming wedding and future marriage.
Kayla Mariner said:
We received a call from them the other day but I did not give them a yes or no until I did research. I knew that it was obviously too good to be true. Thank you for your very helpful post! We will not be attending!
Kate MacNicol said:
Oh Kayla, I wish more people would do their research BUT of course for every person like you there are many more who don’t and sadly end up with crappy trips or pots and pans that are shoddy and not worth a dime, then have to go in debt for them. Weddings are expensive enough, it’s sad these people prey on you when you’re excited and getting ready for one of the happiest days of your life. But then again, that’s exactly what they plan on, that you’ll be so busy thinking wedding you won’t be thinking about people trying to scam you. Ugh. Don’t you just despise them?
On a happier note…. congrats on your upcoming wedding. Enjoy your beautiful day and please tell your partner that I think they’re getting a really smart, savvy spouse:) I wish you many years of happiness!
Melissa Forgette said:
I recently attended a very similar event by NutriChef after being called about winning a knife due to registering at a local event. I found myself in this room with a guy cooking us a chicken, veggies, and peach cobbler, while telling us how great these pots and pans were. All for just $65.00 per month, and using strange math to prove how this investment would ultimately save us money, while protecting us from cancer and Alzheimer’s. I could also tell, based on the enthusiasm of the couple behind me, that they were part of the sales scheme…… and after the presentation’s 90 minute plus experience, THEY were the very couple ready to BUY! The price for the base package of pots and pans was $3990.00, but if we bought TODAY, we’d save $1000.00 and get it for $2990.00. This added up to more than $300.00 per pan and lid! And their were additional options at $600.00 and more. I left without buying, but this was a very high pressure sales pitch, and younger people might not know what was going on here. I’ve sat through time share pitches that were VERY similar. I did receive a voucher for a free knife if I pay $9.95 shipping and handling. I also received an “exclusive getaway” package offer, and a “coupon dough” program that basically sends you coupons found in newspapers nationwide. Scam, scam, scam.
Nancy E. Gibson said:
Thank you Melissa for all the info. My daughter received the voucher for a free knife and the vacation getaway. If you dig into it, you’ll find that very few people actually “go” on these vacation and the people that do find the hotels substandard. Good for you for doing your homework and seeing through their scam. All my best for a happy wedding day and marriage!
ReneeP said:
I recently was invited to a Nutri-Chef cooking show. I do remember putting my name into a drawing at their booth during a bridal show. I brought my friend and the both of us sat through the entire presentation. You are correct, they wait until the very end after hassling you to buy something in order to get your prize packet.
I was entertained and impressed with the presentation and cookware. It wasn’t until my fiance got home the next day and I told him about a $189 8.5″ pan I bought so I could lock in the SUPER AMAZING FANTASTIC discount. His jaw almost dropped to the floor. We looked at the finance receipt and saw after tax, interest, S&H, that the pan would cost nearly $230!!! I started to recall some details. We were all young, newly, engaged couples sitting in the room that did not look ready to spend $3000 on cookware. I started to get angry when I remembered the salesman telling us that we would miss out on the discount forever, and in the future if we ever decided to purchase their cookware we were basically blacklisted! The only way to purchase is to have them come directly to your home and cook. If I were to walk away that night and take the “free” prize they would not show up to my house in the future. They keep your phone number and name and put you on a blacklist.
One other thing that made me angry is that the host asked us all how much we spent a week on take-out meals, starbucks, etc. He made everyone answer. Most answers were anywhere from $50-$150. Later, he used what we said to prove to us that we were liars if we said we couldn’t afford the cookware! RUDE!
Luckily, CA has a 3 Day cancellation period for any contract. You bet I sent that in! Funny that the sales rep said to call with any questions and he’d get back to us. I called to let him know that I couldn’t justify paying $230 for a small pan and that I was sending in my cancellation. I still haven’t gotten a confirmation call from him. I’ll probably never hear from him again.
ANNOYING! DO NOT ATTEND! AVOID!
Nancy E. Gibson said:
Well, I thought I replied to you Renee but I see it didn’t show up. So sorry! Thanks for telling your story. I just can’t believe how awful and heavy-handed they are, as if planning a wedding and a marriage isn’t expensive enough. Then to insert themselves in your private life and prove to you that you can afford their junk crosses the line. I wish someone could shut them down!!!
Best wishes for a wonderful wedding!
oliviawaltz said:
I just got a call from Nutri-Chef as well. She explained that I had won their bridal package and told me to grab a paper and pen to write down details. Then, she said I had won a 4 day, 3 night, all-inclusive resort stay (minus air-fare) in a tropical location, but was given no name of any kind of resort and a discount on wedding invitations. At this point I stopped her and tried to clarify how I could have won’t his package and she said that i apparently put my name in their drawing at “the bridal show.” And I absolutely noticed the vagueness of that, too! She went on to say that I had won a $1,000 in grocery coupons, their own “company’s” registry discount, and a kitchen knife. She told me that they had “left the area,” but would be returning soon and that they would call me when they were back in town so I could come pick up the gifts in person. And then she explained the wonderful free cooking show I’d get to attend when I got my gifts! She gave me their phone number, too, and as soon as I hung up, I thought I should see what I could find about legitimacy and came across this post! I’m so glad!!! I also went back and looked at the lists of all the vendors at the only two bridal shows I’ve been to and, of course, Nutri-Chef was NOT on either list. I’m so thankful for finding this post, because it affirmed my suspicions and totally freed me up from going any further with this! Thank you!
Nancy E. Gibson said:
Thank you Olivia for letting us all know they’ve changed names. This is so typical of what they do! I’m so glad you did your research. Obviously, other people aren’t convinced or refuse to believe it could be a scam otherwise they wouldn’t still be in business. I feel so sad for those couples who get ripped off and end up giving these people their hard-earned money. It’s so nice you took the time to comment— you might have just helped someone else:)
Nancy E. Gibson said:
I’m so sorry this happened to you but so happy you weren’t taken in by them. Coming to this blog and reading about it is only one part of how this post helps others, you and others like you taking the time to comment and keeping us informed about their name changes and rip-off techniques helps too. Thank you, thank you!!!!!
Cailin said:
As of now they are going by Nutrichef. I went to a bridal expo recently and didn’t enter any honeymoon things, same as your daughter. These people have been calling nonstop and whenever I would answer my phone they would hang up on me. I finally called them back and got the spiel about winning the honeymoon. It had scam written all over it so I googled them and was led to this blog post. I can’t wait to tell this lady off when she calls me back. I hope I don’t have any charges on my cell phone for calling them back.
AJ said:
My fiance and I got called a couple of days ago and thank goodness I found these posts. Its absolutely amazing how sickening this is.
Nancy E. Gibson said:
It’s sad isn’t it? I’m so glad you did your research:)
Mary Jessica Lewis said:
I was about to go to the NutriChef thing tonight! Thank all you guys for pointing out how it’s a scam.
Nancy E. Gibson said:
You’re welcome! So happy you found us:)
Kathleen said:
THANK YOU for posting this! I recently attended a bridal show and ever since have been harassed by phone calls and emails from a company called “Dinner 4 Two” that insists that I signed up and have “won” the honeymoon vacation, other prizes, etc. and I only need to attend a cookware demo to claim them. I stalled and ignored, feeling that something wasn’t quite right about it all, but was beginning to re-think their offer since it seems so nice…today, I received a call from a man stating I’d won the same things, etc. only now he stated that he was from a company called “Nutrichef” and he gave me a “website” to look up before attending the show. It seemed beyond weird that two completely different companies were claiming I’d won the same prize “deal”…So, I Googled the two companies and landed on your blog…Once again, I can’t tell you how helpful this post has been in helping me to avoid getting scammed. Thank you!!!!
Nancy E. Gibson said:
Wow. I can’t believe how aggressive they can be! From my daughter’s view they are every bit as aggressive in their cookware demo and she felt their phone calls were deliberately confusing and meant to manipulate. You could see how someone having a bad or busy day might fall for this.
I’m so glad you took the time to comment because now you’ve clued me and everyone else into another one of their aliases. Apparently this is how they get around the laws which makes no sense to me from a legal view but that’s what other sites have explained.
Thank you, thank you!!! Kathleen. I wish you all the happiness in the world on your upcoming marriage. And for others hopping on board and viewing this blog, please take the time to scan all the comments for the aliases they use. I’m traveling right now but will compile a list soon and post it. I wish we knew who was selling everyone’s name to them…