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8/6/2008 - Lisa writes:
Please take the time to read my long account of this crummy product. You'll be glad you did. I am embarrassed to say that I did no research whatsoever on the Tobi steamer before buying it off of the infomercial; I fell for it - hook, line and sinker. I have so many complaints about this product, that I'm sure I'm going to forget something. I paid for expedited shipping, 4-6 days and got it in 11 days. Strike One. I bought the Tobi because I had an upcoming trip planned and wanted the travel steamer. When I heard that it was offered for FREE with the regular Tobi upright, I was all over it! When the package finally arrived barely in time for my trip, I immediately read the instructions, plugged in the travel steamer and got nothing. A light was supposed to turn on as soon as you plugged it in, but it didn't. After I plugged the travel steamer in the 6th time, after about three minutes, the light finally flickered on and off. I was excited and hoped that the unit would actually start working! But it never did. Strike Two. Then my husband looked at the packing slip and pointed out the $53.88 shipping charge. I couldn't believe I paid that much. Strike Three. After looking online, I found that I could have bought this product at my local [] with NO shipping and no return hassle. I was trying to stay positive and opened the large, upright unit and after heating it up for much longer than the 30 seconds they stated it would take to heat up, it started to steam. The instructions say that you're supposed to make contact with the item you're steaming, and it's not so easy to do with a pair of long pants that are swaying on the hanger rack. I held the pants taut down at the cuff and burned myself on the steam! Argh. After more than ten minutes of steaming, the pants DID look good, but it took much longer than an iron. The next morning, less than ten hours after opening the shipment, I woke up to a puddle of water on my floor. Since I have carpet, it was completely saturated into the padding and everything. I dumped out the water reservoir only to see that there was water in every crack of the machine's base and it STILL continued to leak even after I poured out all the excess. Where was this water coming from? The manual mentions nothing about it. I picked up the heavy base, tipped it into the sink, and water just kept coming and coming. It was very strange and at this point, I was so mad at myself. I just called to return the product and was told their computers were down and to call back. I'll write again if there's any issues with the return process. Please DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT unless you're one who enjoys throwing money away and purchasing inferior products. Mr. Tobias, the inventor, should be appalled to have his name stamped on all these machines and take his product off the market until the kinks can be ironed out. He has much work to do!

7/16/2008 - ivy writes:
This item’s performance is marginal. The fabric after steaming vertically is puffy if you use it horizontally, your garment get drenched in water. This is the nature of all steamers. The infomercial is very misleading. The WORST thing about the TOBI is it’s cheap. Less then 2 months of use, the base starts leaking water. All over my hard wood floors. The company’s customer service is extremely poor. You are sent to another country where the English is difficult to understand, if you ask for a manager and none is there. They won’t give you the corporate phone #, but say Corporate will call me back within 24 hours. I’m still waiting for my return call. The internet blogs show there are many unhappy & frustrated customers. Don’t buy it.

7/11/2008 - Karen writes:
Here is the phone number for the corporate company Sylmark []. Ask for the legal department. Her name is []. She was able to refund me my money and stop the shipment. I actually have a saved voice mail telling me I would not receive a shipment. This is the funny part. I got the shipment left at my door today. Now I have to figure out a way of not accepting it and having someone come pick it up. Horrible company. Also, if you asked to have the payment plan and got charged the full amount. you might want to cancel your bank card. They are notorious for continuing to bill.

6/27/2008 - Doug writes:
Odered two Tobi Steamers because it was advertised that one could also use the Tobi on furniture. When I received the Tobi's, it states that you can NOT used the Tobi in a horizontal position. That is contrary to their advertising that you can clean furniture with it. They refunded my purchase price BUT charged me the $57.88 shipping It cost me $58 to send it back. Because of their misleading advertising, I lost over $115.

6/23/2008 - clare writes:
I ordered a TOBI sometime in April, biggest mistake I've ever made. First of all the product did not work well so I returned it and asked for my money. I called several times asking for a refund and it's the same thing over and over, your refund will be in your account, it is now June 23rd and still no refund. Every time I ask to speak to a manager there are in meetings and will call back, I've waited for the calls and nothing. I will never make the same mistake to order anything I see on TV again. If I can't purchase from the store then forget it, this was a lesson learned. The TOBI SUCKS.... They lie, and this product does not work take it from me DO NOT BUY THIS CRAP

6/12/2008 - Mike M. writes:
Today i went to [], my grandma said she heard about the tobi and it was a great steamer. at [] they had the travel version for only $20.00, which sounded too good to be true. I always have wrinkled shirts and this seemed to be the fastest way to straighten them out. i did exactly what the instructions said and i got such a small amount of steam. i checked youtube and found a tobi video showing steam from the travel that looked as though it came from a pot of steaming water. i may not have been scammed, but i now completely hate the tobi.

5/25/2008 - carol writes:
Thank all that's Holy, I looked before I leaped and I DID NOT ORDER the TobiSteamer!!!(unlike the time I ordered that piece of crap,Smart Space Power Vac. What a nightmare!!) I won't order anything without, first, checking out this site. And second,I ALWAYS use American Express. They have saved me from myself so many times and have handled these crooks for me. THANK ALL OF YOU FOR REPORTING THE TOBI STEAMER TO BE A PIECE OF JUNK: PUT OUT BY A SCAM RUNNING BUSINESS. THANK YOU***THANK YOU***THANK YOU P.S. I really wish it was a good product, put out by a decent company. I would have happily bought it.

5/15/2008 - Rocco writes:
I ordered the Tobi January 1,2008 after seeing a commercial on TV. On January 2nd, I mentioned to my wife that I had bought a Tobi steam cleaner and she informed me that her friend at work had bought one and she was not happy with it. So, I checked my E-Mail and found a confirmation that I had ordered the Tobi and if there were any questions or problems to E-mail them. I wrote to them on January 2nd, the day after I had ordered, and informed them that I did not want the Tobi and to please cancel my order. I never got an e-mail back, totally ignored. On Jan 10, my card was charged $163.73. I called the Tobi company for customer "service" and had to wait on line for almost 1 hour. I explained to the woman that I e-mailed back to cancel my order and that was ignored. I told her I did not want the Tobi but she stated that it was shipped,so just refuse shipment, which I did. After calling my credit card company, I finally got a refund of $119.80, getting ripped off for $43.95. If you call to order, they answer the phone in 10 seconds, if you have a problem...good luck. These are the kind of companies that give internet shopping a bad name. Never again!

5/9/2008 - Donh writes:
I would be very careful if you deal with this company: - Keep detailed records of all transactions, phone calls (with names, dates, and times), faxes, and credit card receipts; - if you return, send back within 14 days (or you lose your right to sue), and ship via UPS/FEDEX/etc with delivery confirmation, - Look very carefully at the 'terms of service' at http://www.tobisteamer.com/terms-and-conditions.html because it GREATLY limits your rights. Story: I ordered this product and it arrived on 12.3.07. After trying it, I decided it wasn't quite what it was advertised, got an RA#, and shipped it back. The FEDEX signature showed that it arrived on 1.14.08@12:20; All fine, so far, but I never got a refund or ack that they received it. By 4.3.08, I was told by a gentleman named Tony that they would get it processed, since it was returned within 60 days, but if I couldn't prove that they received it, I'd be absent both product and money! By 5.5.08, I'd still heard nothing, so I spoke to someone named Dan, who gave me the fax # and told me to fax the confirmation to the corp office. When I tried this, the fax machine would not 'pick up'. I called back, informed them, and got them to put it back 'online'. The fax-report showed it was received on 5.5.08@13:29. I called back to have THEM verify that they'd received it and was told to call back for verification in 5 days. On 8.9.08, I talked to no less than 4 people (and was given three different numbers that were all sent to the same cust. service line) before I could get to a supervisor. Finally, after I threatened to go to the local TV station and call the BBB, he retook the information, looked it up, acknowleged receipt, and gave me a refund transaction. He was very cordial and apologetic, which I appreciated. When I suggested that they change their training and procedures to more easily handle refund claims, he said that would be difficult because there were many call centers, physically separate from the corporate offices [read offshore], although there were always refund officers on duty, not all agents were willing to connect them to customers. I actually liked their 'travel steamer', but not the 'upright steamer'. Again, be VERY careful if you deal with these people. D.C. from S.F.

5/9/2008 - Daniel writes:
I returned the product. I had to pay the mailing charge myself. When they contacted me they said they would only refund $59.90 after my credit card was charged $163.00. Then they continued to charge me another $29.95 since I had agreed to 3 payments. When I contacted them about returning the payment taken out, they said it was owed for additonal shipping charges even tho it had already been sent to me and returned. They also said if I blocked them from access to my charge card, they could not give me a credit since that was the only way they could provide it. To date I have received no refund at all. I have had to close my account to stop them from making further charges. Be warned.

5/7/2008 - mrbob writes:
I ordered one (1)for my wife as a surprize for her. I ordered on their web page. That page is a scam. It does not give you total cost before you hit summit. So I backed up 3 times to see if I have it right. Gave up and ordered one (1). Was billed for five (5). Sent email off their web page 4 times to cancel the other four (4) machines and never received a response. I called them as they say they are in Calif. That is bull. They are in India. Asked to talk to a supervisor and was told one would return my call within 48 hours. No call ever came. Took the the four machines to the post office and they were returned. Then the next month I was charged for another machine. I again called them and they said they had no record of the sale. I told them I was looking at my credit card statement TOBI $129.80. They again said they had no record. I canceled my credit card and got a new number. They tried to charge me $59.80 for the second half of the payment for the one I kept. Charge failed so they called me and I told them when I receive credit back for $129.80 I would pay them the $59.80. Again they had no record. I have sent TOBI 2 different full page letters outlining this mess and never have receive a response. They, TOBI sent my account to a collection company. I called the collection company and told them that TOBI owe me money not me owing TOBI money and to not proceed with any type of collection unless they wanted to become party to leagal action. They asked for information so I faxed them 7 pages of information proving my story. Now I am just a waiting for the next move. Then on top of that my wife will not use it because it is a piece of junk. I have seen better steamers for $60 in the stores. TOBI is bad to deal with STAY CLEAR of them!!! Men need to stay in areas they understand like tools...... and leave the rest to the women who know better..

5/6/2008 - Holly writes:
I too was scammed by the Tobi company. I too was sent two tobis when I only ordered one. And I too am getting monthly charges on my card even though I paid in full. Finally, I also got a customer service rep in another country who flat out lied to me and claimed to be taking care of the problem. That's now happepned five times.I can't get a corporate name or number. I've cancelled my credit card. I work for a television station in Seattle and am now launching a consumer investigation. If anyone else is from Seattle and wants to do an interview, please let me know. Send email via this site. Thanks.

5/6/2008 - Evelyn writes:
I purchased this item December of 2007. It is now May 2008 and after several phone calls and false promises I have yet to receive this item. Of course the wonderful (sarcasm) people at Tobi have charged my account immediately. So I have paid for the item and have zip. And every time I mention getting my money back they just assure me the product is on it's way. Customer service is of no help and refuses to provide information to contact their corporate office. For anyone that is interested in purchasing this item please be aware of how this company conducts business.

5/2/2008 - Theresa writes:
i ordered the steamer towards the middle of feb. I recieved it and went to use it; uh I can't use it because then have a plug on it that you use in a foreign country. So I called they stated they would send me a new one and a shipping label to send the old one back. I recieved the new one and did not recieve the box to send the old one back. I called again, they stated they would send the shipping lable again. I tried the one I could use for a couple weeks and I still had to iron my clothes after I used the steamer. I was akward to use. so i called and explained that i was unhappy with the product and wanted my money back. I still have not recieved the shipping label for the other one. The representative gave me a return # and stated I had to pay my self to ship it back so I did, I put a tracking # on it so I knew that they had recieved it. I checked a week later. I sent it on 4-14-08 and they recieved it on 4-16-08. I then called about my refund, in the mean time on 4-28-08 they continue to take 29.99 out of my acct for the product. I called and they stated because i still have the one that I would have to travel to france to plug in that they will con't to charge me. They stated they will send out another shipping label or I can pay for it myself to ship it back. and then they will refund me.

4/28/2008 - K writes:
THANK YOU everyone who posted here with your horror stories about this outfit. Their infomercial is slick, if it's as ineffective as people say from their experience, how do they make their demos work for TV? I might have ordered one of these if it wasn't for you, thank you thank you thank you and thank you infomercialscams.com too for being here!

4/26/2008 - Huan writes:
I ordered this product because my sister was fooled by their clever infomercials. I was stupid enough to purchase this item for her without reading all the complaints beforehand. They said it would take 3-4 weeks to arrive even the sales rep told me they were shipping from the west side ( i live in california). so i called them to cancel the order a day later. they said it wasnt possible because the item has already been shipped. When it arrived i refused the item back to my post office. Several weeks later i was refunded the cost for the steamer, but not the shipping. i called them for a refund but the service rep hung up on me. Also i dont know if this happens to other people but sometimes when i call them, it seems that i can hear them but they cant hear me. So after 30 seconds, they hang up. Ill probably never get my shipping money back but i want to warn people that Tobi Steamer is a horrible company. Their customer service is horrible and their selling methods are just dirty. Be prepared to pay much more than the price you see on the television.

4/23/2008 - Mary writes:
I ordered the TOBI in January. I asked for rush shipping. It didn't arrive in the specified time. I called and was told I could get a refund on the rush shipping. It never happened. I sent it back right away when I finally received it. I was promised a full refund plus my shipping and handling fee if I sent it back within 4-5 days of receiving it. I never got that refund either. After being charged $113.78, all I got back was $59.90. I made several calls to their customer service and was told by all of them (Clara, Mike and Eric) that I was going to get every cent back. They forwarded my complaints to the finance department too. Clara was the one who told me that they had already authorized a full refund including shipping and handling and that it would take 10-14 days to go into effect. I waited for 5 weeks, then called back. I spoke to Mark who said that I wasn't going to get any more money back. I then asked for his supervisor and he refused. I asked again and he ended up getting a supervisor named Kevin. I asked to speak to Kevin's manager and he absolutely refused. He said that there was no one else that I could talk to because he was in charge of customer service. I kept asking for a higher authority and he finally gave me a name: Phil Laudris and an address to the corporate office. I'm pretty sure he gave me the wrong address because it's the same address that's listed on the tobi website. I'm pretty sure it's only a customer service address. These people are liars and scammers. I wish I would have found this site before I ordered.

4/12/2008 - alex writes:
FACTS: - Jan 17/2008 - my wife's credit card was charged with the amount of $ 194.87 for a Tobi steamer ordered online (although the price shown on their shipment slip is $185.02, including shipping & taxes) - Jan 27/2008 - we have received the product and shortly after we tried it, we realized that this "marvellous" product is GARBAGE, so we decided to return it and ask for a refund. I called Customer Service at 1 800 796 4431 and I was told that we'll get the money back within 8 days, after they will receive the package - Feb 4/2008 - sent the package back to Tobi through Canada Post - Feb 6/2008 - Tobi got this piece of crap back, 10 days after we received it (I was tracking the package through Canada Post, so I know for a fact the date) - Mar 14/2008 - checking the credit card statement I realized that we did not get the money back, so I called Customer Service again (1 800 796 4431) to solve the problem. An agent who said his name is KYSON (???) told me that they had some problems with the warehouse but I will receive my money back shortly. - Mar 29/2008 - because nothing happened in 2 weeks I called the same "magic number" again (1 800 796 4431) and this time another agent MERLIN or MARILYN (???) told me that she can not access my account due to technical difficulties but she'll take care of my problem ASAP. I asked for her manager's name and she gave me the name of PERRY (???) whom I had the intention of calling in case nothing will be done. - Apr 5/2008 - of course nothing happened so I called again 1 800 796 4431 asking to talk to the manager. This "manager" said his name is RANDON (not PERRY CLARK) and after arguing with this guy for about 30 min, he told me that I do not qualify for the money back because they did not receive the product within 60 days. I told him that this is a lie and I have the tracking paper showing the date when they've got their worthless product back. He said that somebody from the Corporate Office will call me within 2 days to clarify this issue. - Apr 12/2008 - nobody called within a week so I called again the same number 1 800 796 4431. This is the number that is advertised to call for any problem and it's the same number indicated by a certain MARY (is she a real person?) on this site (see Defend This Product tab). Apparently MARY represents the maker of "The Tobi clothing steamer". Another agent MIKE (???) answered my call. I asked him what's his last name and he said that he's not authorized to give his last name !!???. I asked to speak to one of the managers and he said he never heard of RANDON or PERRY!!. I asked to speak to MARY and the guy told me that he heard of her but she's at the Corporate Office. He gave me the Corporate Office's number 1 800 259 1652 which I called 5 min. later. The agent who answered the phone (didn't want to give his name) told me that MARY ARMSTRONG could be reached at []. I called this number but it was inexistent !!! I called back Corporate Office and another agent VICTOR (???) said it was a mistake and gave me another number for MARY []. I called this last number about ten times but it's always a voice message saying that the person at extension [] is not available. CONCLUSIONS: 1. The Tobi steamer is a worthless piece of garbage. 2. Although I have returned the product within 10 days after 3 months I didn't get a refund. 3. After a huge amount of frustration you realize that everything is a big scam, fake advertising, fake names and phone numbers which don't go anywhere. 4. All the persons I've spoken with, have a weird "overseas" accent and it's obvious that names like KYSON, MERLIN/MARILYN, PERRY, RANDON, MIKE, VICTOR, maybe even MARY are not real. 5. Every time they have difficulties accessing accounts and every time they refer you to another person or Corporate Office that you have to call. 6. Their strategy, in my case, was to gain time and to pretend that I did not return the package within 60 days. Unfortunately for them you can track the package and know exactly when they received it. FINAL CONCLUSIONS: A. FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT YET ORDER THIS GARBAGE, STAY AWAY FROM THE TOBI STEAMER, OTHERWISE YOU'LL BE CAUGHT IN THE SAME NIGHTMARE. B. FOR THOSE WHO ARE VICTIMS, LET'S TRY TOGETHER TO FIND THE LEGAL WAY TO STOP THIS HUGE SCAM (OR MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A SCAM)

4/8/2008 - Sarah OHara writes:
I initially ordered the Tobi Steamer 12/20/2007. Within hours, I called the customer service line to cancel my order. Long story short, I have called over 20 times(lost count)! I have emailed 3 times. It takes weeks to get an email back. Everytime I speak with someone, they assure me that 1) a request was sent, 2) I should call back in 3-5 or 7-10 business days, 3) someone from accounting will call me back, 4) someone from corporate will call me back. I have done everything they have told me to do. I have denied shipment, called the post office to get it shipped back to them, called my bank to try and get the payment stopped. (Always calling them every 3-5 and 7-10 days) Every attempt has failed. The Tobi has "policies" that are set in place so that the customer cannot be helped. Example: If you ever call back, you can't be transfered to someone you've already spoken to. IE: I must explain whats been going on every single time I call!!!! (4 months of calls, over 20) Someone will tell me that I will get my money or get a phone call and when I don't, I can't confront that person because it is "policy" that I can't be transfered. Late March I recieved most of my money back. (3 Months later- by my own dilligence of calling alone!!!). They didn't refund my shipping and handling. They told me it was policy not to. Because I had done everything they told me from day 1 to cancel, they approved my shipping and handling refund. Or so I thought. I called again when I hadn't seen it yet on my banks website and they promised me a phone call from Accounting which I never recieved. Friday the 4th of April, I called to inquire as to why I hadn't recieved the last two phone calls promised. The rep told me that if you give them your cell phone number, they let it ring once and hang up and to give him a lan line number and a time frame and Accounting would definately call. That was supposed to be today, 4/8/2008 in between 2-3PM. Around 4 oclock I called, spoke with the worst customer service representative ever!!!!! Richard!!!!!!!!! He told me that I was NOT getting that money back eventhough (Monico, Kyson, Chris, Nash, Frank and) other customer service reps assured me that it was approved!!!!! He also told me that he did not think I deserved it back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I stayed on the phone until he gave me a confirmation number and agreed that I would get it in 7-10 business days. Why do I not believe him??? The Tobi Customer Service Center will say what they need to say to get you off of the phone. It is disgusting that in order to get what you worked hard for in the first place, your own money, you must work for months, hours and hours, just calling and calling and hearing lies over and over. With what I have experienced, I will fight for every last penny. I want to shout it from the rooftops!!!!! DO NOT GIVE THEM ANY OF YOUR MONEY!!!! IT IS NOT WORTH ANY PRODUCT. NOT EVEN FOR OPRAH!!!!

4/8/2008 - Dan writes:
I bought two tobi's for family for Christmas. I ordered them at the end of November and recieved them in mid December. I found out from my family that the products do not work and ruined the clothes that they tried them on. I got them back, repackaged them and called the company on Feb. 1st. I was told what I needed to do, did that and spent the next two months fighting customer service. If you want to resolve this issue and get your money back... It's incredibly easy! I looked up the tobi website "thetobi.com" and went to the legal page, and called them. Mary helped me and was sweet, told me everything about each one of my calls and then refunded my money. She then gave me her direct line and said if it's not there in two or three days... call me back. Thank you Mary!!! When in doubt.... go straight to legal. Good luck to you all! Sincerely, Dan

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