Buy 1, get 1 free offers may not be what they seem

It's a common sales pitch because it works: Buy one, get one free.

But as Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy has learned, you still have to be careful.

It sounds like a screaming deal: Two for the price of one.  But two of “what exactly” is what you should be asking before you spend a dime.

When Dallas Britt of Auburn saw a TV infomercial he was sold. The Xpress Redi-Set-Go looked like a product he could use.

“It would cook your little pieces of chicken.  It would cook your toast,” said Britt.

And he figured with the special buy one get one free offer, he could give one to his daughter.

“I expected the set to be complete. Same as the first set was complete,” said Britt.

But Britt says the second unit was not complete and came without what he calls the necessary utensils and inserts.

“All three of these units were missing.  It’s just an open heating element,” said Britt.

So he called the company to complain.

“They said, ‘Well, that’s the way it comes. And we would sell you a second set of pans and all for $14.95 plus you shipping,’” Britt said.

Despite the fact that Britt had been happy with the Redi-Set-Go – “I was quite satisfied with what it produced,” said Britt - having to pay more to complete the second grill set was not something he was willing to do.

And according to online forums, Britt isn't the only consumer to complain.

 However, a spokesperson for GAIAM, the parent company, tells KIRO 7 that its website clearly indicates the second grill does not include what Patrick Baynes calls the "bonus items."

That, if Britt had asked before ordering, he would have been told they cost $14.95.

And that less than 1 percent of all customer service calls are complaints about this particular offer.

So no changes are planned.

Britt could have sent both units back for a nearly $40 refund, but he would not have been refunded the nearly $30 shipping and handling fee.

He didn't want to spend any more money, so Britt chalked it off to experience and called KIRO 7 Consumer Investigators instead, hoping to warn other potential Xpress Redi-Set-Go buyers.

“I would not recommend it to somebody else to buy it,” said Britt.

Even though the company has a B rating with the Better Business Bureau, Susan Schutz of the BBB says consumers should be careful of any buy-one-get-one-free offer.

She recommends consumers call and ask exactly what they'll be getting and exactly how much it'll cost for the item and the shipping before placing any order.

“Any time you’re dealing with a company that you can’t walk in and see, or that you don’t know, or that isn’t well-known, it’s a good idea to do the research first,” said Schutz.

After Clancy spoke with the company Monday afternoon, Dallas Britt called to tell her he had just received a call himself and that GAIAM had offered to send him the so-called bonus items for free.