Kitty cancer photos

It was suggested that I share some photos of my kitty that has cancer. I'm still new to this blogging thing so suggestions (or how to's!) are welcome!

Here's some photos of her before her cancer.

 

And here's some photos of her with the E-collar (which didn't last long) and her stitches from her first surgery.

It was pitiful to see the first time so I didn't memorialize her second surgery with photos.  But it looked pretty much the same, except she yanked out most of the stitches and we had to return for her open wound to be stapled. 

Here's a Fox news story about how little we know about the rabies vaccine schedule and although it does't speak about cancer, it does show a dog who has had side effects.

Fox News story on the rabies vaccine

My cat has cancer...

My 3 year old kitty has cancer. That's horrible, right? Nature gone awry and making my cat the victim of it's wrath.

But actually, it's not entirely nature being cruel.  Ever hear of Vaccine Associated Sacroma? It's (in my completely non-medical terminolgy) the drug manufacturers cruel joke on law abiding citizens who follow the law and have their pet vaccinated with the rabies vaccine. Yes - you read that correctly. My cat has cancer because I followed my the advice/directives of veterinarians and the state of PA.

I won't bore you with my the hell I've been going through emotionally knowing I did this to my cat. When I adopted her, I promised to take care of her. And I thought I was taking care of her and doing what was right by getting her vaccinated.  Well, I thought wrong.

As of this date, she has had two surgeries to remove lumps on her right leg.  Maybe you remember back in the day when the vets would give injections into the scruff of the dog/cat's neck.  Well they discontinued doing that because when cancer occurred in those unlucky pets, there wasn't much to be done because of the location of the cancer.  Giving them the injections in the leg gives them a chance... a chance for living with three legs, which is certainly better than the alternative.  I've been told and read that tripod pets get around quite well and can live a pretty normal, happy life. But I'm still angry! No one ever told me of the risks of vaccinating my cat. I've had cats for nearly 25 years. No one ever said, "Hey...just wanted to let you know before I stick the needle into your cat - there are some considerable risks from the vaccine". Nope.. no one ever said those words to me in over 2 decades.  Should I be angry at the veterinarians my pets have seen though the years? After all, they're the ones injecting my pet.  Shouldn't it be part of their job to inform the pet parents of the risks and after agreeing that they (pet parents) understand the risks, then and only then consent to the vaccine.  It's called Informed Consent. I'm still learning about that so I'm not gonna say too much about it at this point.  But I'm still angry with the vets my pets have seen. I feel like they failed in not giving all the information. I read that it's been known for nearly 20 years that a possible side effect of the vaccine is cancer. *Twenty years*.  If they were doctors for humans wouldn't part of their job be to tell you of the pros/cons of whatever procedure they were recommending?? Why should it be different for pets??!!!

I read that statistically, VAS (vaccine associated sarcoma) occurs in approximately 1 in 10,000 pets who receive annual vaccinations.  Now think of how many pets you and your friends have had through the years. Add in the pets that your family and friends of your family, co-workers and neighbors and even acquaintances have had over the years.... you can get to 10,000 relatively quickly. This isn't an uncommon phenomenon!  But have you ever heard of it??!! I didn't until about 2 months ago. Now I find stories all over the internet of pet parents emotional struggles, guilt and financial headaches from the effects of the vaccines.

I'm certainly not blazing a new trail here when I tell you I'm requesting that the manufacturer of this particular rabies vaccine reimburse me for my financial costs incurred becuase of their vaccine.  Alot of people have already received compensation for their pet's cancer.  The amount of compensation has varied from person to person and from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Approaching the rabies vaccine manufacturer for compensation doesn't change anything in my cat's life. I can't honestly say I'm doing it 'for' her.  She's probably clueless about the reasons she keeps getting stuffed into a carrier and enduring a car ride to the vet's office where she either has surgery or gets stitches and/or staples in her leg removed.

So yes, I am doing it for the money. Dear Lord, I paid to have someone give my cat cancer! That sounds more like the basis for some weird sci-fi/revenge movie than it does real life. But it is real life.  Damn skippy I want my money back. I want my money back for all of the tests and surgery she's had and may have. I want someone to pay for my mental anguish and my cat's physical pain and decline in her health. It's not fair or just that no one told me (and everyone else) of the hazards of these vaccinations. So, I'm (hoping to) getting them in the wallet... plain and simple - I want compensated for my cat's cancer caused by their vaccine.

This isn't going to be a short process, but I'm going to see it through until I have a check in my hands. 

Got my $ back, but still have issues...

I know... some people are never satisfied. I should be hootin' n hollerin' 'cuz I got my money back from a retailer that says 'no refunds'. But I'm just not satisfied....yet.

Since my $31.80 was safely returned to my credit card, I'm thinking with a clearer head. And in doing so, some things have become apparent to me about being 'kiosked'.

The receipt itself. Check out one from any store - it has the store name, address, telephone number, maybe even the manger's name.

This receipt had the name of the business and the name of the mall. No telephone number, no address, etc. Even the mall management office has a bogus, out of order number for them.

But what really gets me is what I noticed when those ladies at the kiosk made their purchase yesterday.  And this is so slick. You never see the sales slip until it's printed out with your signature. You sign your name on the computer monitor with a stylus.  The only box there is the box for your signature. There is no detail of the sale, like you'd see at Wal-Mart or Target or even a convenience store.  Effectively, you're signing your name and agreeing to the charges on your credit card without even seeing the charges that you're agreeing to.  Case in point, I was told my product was $29.99. When I got the receipt she'd charged me $30.00. Now I realize that's a penny - but it was my penny. Maybe it was the lucky penny I've been looking for all my life. Maybe I'm just being too particular. But the point is, you could be overcharged by a penny or a hundred dollars - and you signed that receipt, never seeing the total, until it's printed out with your signature. You're agreeing to charges you haven't visually accepted. If I was Clark Howard, I'd be running to the alarm button he has and screaming 'NO! NO! Don't do it!'.

Now, could this just be an oversight on their part? No contact info for them on the receipt? Having you sign a receipt in which the total is unknown? Sure.. and I'm tall, blonde and a size 2.

I finally saw their 'no refunds, exchanges only within 14 days' sign yesterday. It's printed in black ink on white paper in a plastic photo frame that stands vertically. If I had to guess, I'd say it's about the size of a photo in your wallet.  Unless you have been graced with the exceptional vision of our feline friends - it's doubtful you'd even notice it. I sure didn't.  It's small and yesterday,  it was hiding behind a Starbucks iced coffee cup.

I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt.  But, I just can't do it.

UPDATE: Meant to add that according to CapitalOne, this merchant has on file with Visa/MC a no return policy. That means, if you file a dispute, chances are significant that you're going to lose.  Wouldn't it be nice if us mere consumers - the backbone of the financial world - were alerted to such things so we have all the necessary info in order to make intelligent buying decisions??

How are we to know which retailer to trust? I'd never heard of a retailer actually having their merchant account set up that they do not accept returns or do refunds.  The honest consumers are always on the short end of the stick. It's frustrating. It's unfair. And ya know what? Since that image of Clark Howard running over to his alarm buzzer is in my head, I'm going to send him an email about these kiosk people .. not so much the bad reviews of their products, but their sales tactics such as having you blindly signing your credit card receipt.  Clark is a consumer advocate.  I'm sure he gets about a million emails a day, but hey..., if people don't know about less than honorable sales tactics, how can you avoid them?!!! Oh, Clark...... can we talk? (I'm a fan of Joan Rivers.., what can I say?!)

Good news!

I had an unpleasant weekend as I was audibly accosted by some beeping noises all weekend so I was really geared up to go to the mall today and get my money back.

When I got to the mall I noticed the second kiosk the dead sea product sellers had was missing. Gone. Enter sick feeling in my stomach that they had upped and left.. and with me, minus my refund.

I rounded the corner and saw the kiosk I'd made my purchase from - still there. Immense relief.  And as luck would have it, two ladies had their credit cards out, just making a purchase. Now no one saved me from these stealth salespeople, so I spoke up. I told them about the different websites with the unhappy customers, their no return policy, etc.. I wanted to save them. But ya know, some times you can't save people hell bent on being suckers.  They got snippy with me and made their purchase.

I hadn't really intended to go in there like someone who downed 3 Red Bulls in 3 minutes, but that's how it happened. I delved right in trying to protect those gullible women from their purchase but my efforts were ill-received by the customers and the salespeople.

A male salesman came over to me while the other cashier closed the deal on those 2 customers who were willingly donating their money to the kiosk folks.  I was unpleasant. Now, in his defense, he personally hasn't done anything to me, and maybe my tone wasn't deserved, but seriously, it's been one day short of 5 weeks waiting for my refund. I'd filled out a 4 page refund request and never heard anything. So maybe you can understand my unpleasantness.  I'm not proud of it.

He said he didn't sell me the item. He can't credit me. He gave me reasons upon reasons why he couldn't refund me. For one he said Keren sold me the items (her name was on the receipt). I countered with if I return something to Wal-mart,  I don't need to find the cashier that rang up my purchase in order to get a refund.  A cell phone magically appeared and he walked away.


Well I'm standing my ground, waiting for the kiosk lady to finish up her sales. She was really prolonging those sales, purposely I'm sure, so she didn't have to contend with me.  But I waited. And waited. And she had no choice but to turn her attention to me. She didn't speak English very well in our conversation - although when she was selling her goods, her English seemed pretty good.  Maybe it's like their credit card machine - works fine for taking money, not so well for returning it (I was told initially that the machine wouldn't do credits the first time I returned to get my money back!).

The salesman comes back and starts doing something on the computer. I saw the word 'refund' on the monitor and I took out my credit card that I'd made the purchase on.  I did so with a smugness that warmed my own heart. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but in my head I was patting myself on the back and saying 'you go girl'!

Apparently refunds are a 3 person job - I assume since they don't do them very often, it took the two sales people and the person on the phone to produce a refund for me.


The bottom line is this:
No mall security was called, nor were the police. I received no escort out of the mall and no directives not to return. I received a credit for the full amount of the ill-fated purchase on my credit card. SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are some things I learned today:
I learned that sarcasm does not translate from English to Hebrew very well.
I believe I heard the phrase 'crazy bitch' in Hebrew.  I can't be sure, but I'd bet my refund on it.
And a 'no refunds' policy doesn't mean no refunds. It means being creative and persistent and if necessary, a
 כלבה משוגעת
That's crazy bitch for those of you who don't speak/read Hebrew.  Translation courtesy of http://translation.babylon.com/english/to-hebrew/.

The case isn't closed though. I'm still going to complain to the malls about their sales tactics.

Telephone Call to the Salesman

I talked to the actual salesman who sold me the dead sea product today.  When he called me on my cell I kept his number. I couldn't remember (or pronounce) his name so I just put him in my contacts as 'Kiosk'.

I never got a response to my two texts so I thought I'd give him a call.  When I called he answered but I wasn't sure what he said (he may have said 'hello' in Hebrew... he mentioned he was from Israel). I started talking anyway and he remembered me. Did he remember me because my refund was forthcoming? Or did he remember me because I took his photo? Or did he remember me because when I gave him my cell number, he put me in his contacts under 'sucker'??


Turns out, none of the above.  He possibly remembered me because I was so hell-bent on getting my money back and  took the time to fill out that 4 page refund request.  He said he can't help me with my refund because he's moved to back to New York and no longer works with them (the kiosk owners I presume), but reminded me that I could stop by the kiosk at either mall in the area to talk to someone.  I thanked him for his time and hung up.

Seriously considering going back to the mall with my camera to document the salesmanship these people exhibit.  And take printouts about the unfavorable reviews of the products themselves and the stories from unhappy customers. But I don't know if I'm nervy enough to go up to potential customers of theirs and share this info with them. I don't know if mall security would escort me out of the mall for doing what I view as a public service - saving people from being parted with their cash! I'm usually not a fan of confrontation - I like to take care of things via letters or phone calls - not face to face. I'm easily flustered face to face. And sometimes, I make silly purchasing decisions when face to face. <sigh>

Article on these kiosk sellers in Wall Street Journal

I think it's an abomination that the malls are allowing these salespeople to be so assertive in their sales tactics.  Malls across the country have received complaints but I suppose as long as they keep paying their rent, the mall management is happy.

And again, the fault does lie with the consumer. They didn't steal our money in the usual sense of the word. They didn't attack us in a dark alley. But Sears never got my money this way. No Wal-Mart employee ever coerced me into making a purchase. If a big store had this type of salespeople people would complain and  the Attorney General's office would step in put a stop to it.

So why are there so many posts, videos, and articles written about these Onsen and dead sea product salespeople - yet nothing appears to change?  They continue without mercy to glean money from unsuspecting consumers strolling through the mall.  Reminds me of a cat lurking in the tall weeds, just waiting to pounce on some poor, defenseless critter...

Thanks to my Midwest friend for sharing this article with me.

http://sec.online.wsj.com/article/SB122826483720274329.html

The Onsen refund journey begins...

This blog was thought of after some efforts to recover my money, so I want to bring you up to date with those efforts.

On May 18th, I had a coupon for a freebie in the mall. I hadn't been in the mall in ages and was going solely to score the freebie (now I know why greed is one of the seven deadly sins...).  On my way to receive the freebie, that's when Keren, the saleslady with superpowers stepped in front of me and said, "may I ask you a question?". And it went downhill from there. She offered me the cure to any skin ailment I have (am I the only one who doesn't appreciate strangers dissecting their skin problems out of the blue??). She started at $112. Then she kept going down and down in price. I must have at some point had some strength to ward off her sales superpowers because she finally suckered me in for only $29.99.  (Interestingly, the receipt says '$30'. Sure it's only a penny - but it just shows their level of integrity). 

Later on May 18th is when I discovered their no refund policy and that I just seemingly donated my money to Keren and her posse of extreme salespeople.

About June 25th, I returned to the mall and inquired about a refund. I was told by a male salesperson that they don't take returns but assured me that I got a great deal because the item I paid $30 was really a $112 item. I told him for $112 product, you'd think it would have received much better reviews on the internet.  Surprisingly, he didn't have a response for that. <smile>. I thanked him for his time and promptly went out to my car to call my credit card company to ask them to help me.


The nice Capital One representative mentioned to me that it's in their merchant agreement that they do not refunds. He said he was relatively certain I wasn't getting my money back via a chargeback.

So I went back into the mall. The salesman had told me no. Capital One has basically said no.  I don't know what came over me, but I began taking photos of the kiosk to show there was no signage letting customers know that once they parted with their money, they weren't getting it back. I contemplated waiting for him to get a customer and then go to that customer and tell the customerthat they don't have a return policy and that the reviews of the products were anything but great. But I thought that might be pushing it (at this point anyway - it's still in the back of my mind!).

 Here is a photo of the kiosk and the gentleman asking me what I'm doing. I shared with him that I was taking photos of the kiosk because I wanted people to know that they don't have signage to let consumers know of their no return policy

This photo shows the salesman with his hand out to me, gesturing me to come closer, presumably so others didn't hear our conversation.

This is when he informed me that he'd take my name/number and talk to his manager. I asked why he couldn't issue a refund right there. He reiterated he needed to speak with his manager. So I gave him my name/number. Could this be progress?


I headed back out to my car, ready to leave and my cell phone rings. It's from an out of area number I don't recognize. Turns out it's the kiosk guy asking me to return (for the 3rd time!) to fill out a refund request. Well you can be sure I took him up on the offer and returned back into the mall.

He gives me this form (I would have taken photos of it if I'd have known it wasn't the end of this tale) that is four pages in length with some sort of coffee stain in the corner. YES - four pages. They wanted the typical information - but they also wanted my birthday. I was pretty sure it wasn't so they could send me a greeting card, so I left that blank. It asked questions on how I liked the products, etc. Weird stuff for a refund form and definitely the longest refund form I've ever filled out. 

I gave it back to him and he said they had to send it to his home office. I was okay with that, given that I didn't have any choice but to be okay with that.

One week goes by. I don't hear from them.
Two weeks go by, I don't hear from them.
Three weeks... Four weeks... you get the idea.

During this time, two wonderful friends have been poking around the internet, sending me links to stories of shoppers nationwide who have been 'kiosked'.  I think they were trying to reassure me that I wasn't the only gullible person on the planet to be parted with my money over promises of perfect skin.  It worked - I felt better that I wasn't the only one. Then I got mad because I wasn't the only one.

Since it's been a month since I filled out the paperwork for the refund and heard nothing, I decided to text them since I didn't feel like driving back to the mall. I actually feared succumbing to their supernatural sales power again and instead of getting a refund, giving them more money. So texting was the way to go!

June 27 - I sent a text requesting the status of my refund.
No response.

June 28 - I sent them another text asking about the status and giving them a date to contact me by or I was filing a complaint with the Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection.
No response.

June 29 - a friend and I are talking and joking that I should come up with a blog to detail my journey in trying to get my money back.  Well one hour later, I'm putting together my first blog (please be kind - I've never blogged before!) because the refund status isn't looking like it's going my way.

June 29 - I called mall management and was given a local telephone number for the kiosk.

June 29 - I call the 877 number of Onsen (the skin care line). I was just covering the bases - I wasn't expecting much from the conversation but I wanted to ask them how they can sell products without a return policy in the mall, yet have a return policy on their website?  I was told that the kiosks are individually owned and it's up to each individual owner as to refunds.  I  was then told I would be transferred to customer service. I was jamming to some international tunes while on hold and then I heard "Goodbye" and was hung up on.

June 30 - I called the local number I was given for the kiosk (I even remember seeing a telephone on the kiosk!). It's been disconnected. I thought maybe I transposed numbers, so I called back the mall management and spoke with a very nice lady named Mary Jane. She gave me the number again and it was the same number I had dialed.

I'm nosy so I asked her if she's has any complaints about this particular kiosk. She said they have and I could fill out a complaint card at the customer service area of the mall.

Well filling out a complaint form isn't good enough for me. A complaint form at the mall isn't going to yield me my money back... although next time I'm in the area of the mall, I do think I'll do my civic duty and fill out a complaint card anyway.

Onsen skin care kiosks

Have you ever taken a stroll through the mall and got accosted by one of those Onsen skin care kiosk salespeople?  These folks are selling skin care products that have ingredients in them from the Dead Sea. Have you fallen prey to their extraordinarily high pressure sales tactics? Did you kick yourself repeatedly as you walked out of the mall wondering what the heck just happened to make your wallet so much lighter?

If so, you're not alone. It happened to me. I've read it's happened to numerous people all over the country. Some people have spent upwards of $1500. I consider myself lucky that I got out of the grasp of the kiosk lady for under $40.

On the way home I was playing the scene over in my head - why didn't I just walk away? I can't believe I didn't walk away! What was wrong with me? Right foot, left foot. Repeat.  Pretty simple.

But for some reason, I didn't walk away. 100% my fault. I take full responsibility for parting with my funds. Then I thought maybe I didn't do something so brainless and gullible - maybe the product I purchased was the cure to wrinkles, softer, dewy skin and world peace.

I came home and promptly researched the product on the internet. That sick feeling that I had leaving the mall returned as I read the lackluster reviews of the entire Onsen line.  It was now official - I wasted money on something I didn't really want, need or set out to buy.


Sure, no one held a weapon to my head and made me purchase the item. But the sheer pressure of the sales pitch was overwhelming. The tiny woman selling the skincare line was like a saleswoman on steroids. She was funny.  She was cheerful, she was persistent and above all,  she wasn't letting up until she made a sale.  She had the eye of the tiger and I was her prey.

At some point after seeing the reviews of the skincare line, I'd mistakenly thought that no real harm was done. I'd simply return the product the next time I was at the mall and get my money back.  Sadly, here's where things take a turn for the worse.


On the receipt, I notice no information on the store. No store name.  No address. No telephone number. But they kindly remembered to put on their receipt, at the very bottom the words that stung as I read them: No Refunds. Exchanges within 14 days.

I certainly didn't want to exchange the product. I didn't want it or anything else from the skincare line.  I wanted my greenbacks back! But I knew it was my fault for not walking away. Then I thought, "What kind of company sings the praises of their product, yet doesn't stand behind the product when you come to your senses".

I'll tell you who - the Onsen venders at mall kiosks nationwide. I'm determined to get my money back.  I'm going to chronicle my journey in getting my money back from the Onsen seller.
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