Melanista.com Reports & Reviews (1)
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SCAMPULSE
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SCAMPULSE
If you know any contact information for Melanista.com, help other victims by adding it!
Scammer's email [email protected]
Country United States
Victim Location AZ 85206, USA
Total money lost $340
Type of a scam Online Purchase
Initial means of contact Not applicable
Online Retailer Scam
First...looking one the website "Melanist.com"...if you scroll to the bottom of the main page and/or the bottom of the "Contact" page, take note of the information that is listed and what has been omitted. The listed "US Office" is: 400 Rella Blvd Ste. 123-298, Montebello, NY 10901. That address points to a mailbox store (stores that rent mailboxes and receives/distributes mail for individuals and businesses on behalf of USPS) that is sourced by the digital mailbox service, iPostal1. These are rented mailboxes and NOT an office location. Second, take note of the "Support Time"...which should be stated as something along the lines of "Customer Support Hours"...terminology that is more familiar with US-based companies. This section indicates support is available "Mon - Fri (9:00 - 18:00 - GMT+7)". Most US-based companies reference times using either "local time" or with respect to the known, regional time zone (eg. Eastern Time-ET, Central Standard Time-CST, etc.). Furthermore, GMT+7 (or UTC+7) does not occur in or near the United States. If you look at the countries where the local time is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) +7, or Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) +7, you will find that this list includes in central and east-central Asia, such as: Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia, Russia, China, etc.). Third, the absence of a contact number is a known tactic of scam-like businesses. Fourth, carefully review all of the sections and try not to go strictly make purchase decisions off of the pretty pictures. In the "Return & Refund Policy" , you'll find that it contains oddities and misinformation, such as: "Unfortunately, we can’t take back open product simply because GFUEL is consumable and could have been tampered with after opening." GFUEL is an energy drink that is not offered on Melanista.
Within the "Term of Service" (yes, it is listed as "Term" instead of "Terms"), you will find disturbing information, such as:
"SECTION 3 – ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS AND TIMELINESS OF INFORMATION -- We are not responsible if information made available on this site is not accurate, complete or current. The material on this site is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting primary, more accurate, more complete or more timely sources of information. Any reliance on the material on this site is at your own risk. This site may contain certain historical information. Historical information, necessarily, is not current and is provided for your reference only. We reserve the right to modify the contents of this site at any time, but we have no obligation to update any information on our site. You agree that it is your responsibility to monitor changes to our site." I, personally, find this especially disturbing that the consumer is responsible for monitoring changes to the site that may or may not be accurate, complete or current!?!
Additionally, the "Shipping & Delivery" section offers no indication that their products are made-in and distributed from China and charged to your account under the name "Aquazada Company Limited"--which is a company based in Hong Kong, China (https://www.hkcorporationsearch.com/companies/2885366/), when in fact they are. I have tracking information to prove it.
Furthermore, once the items are received into U.S. customs from Hong Kong, China, they are sent to known suspicious addresses for distribution across the U.S. via United States Postal Service. Here are 3 of the addresses that were on the shipping labels from packages that I received: 1) LAKES GOHONS, 1207 LAUREL LANE, GRAPEVINE TX 76051; 2) DTHERS FOTTYS, 1207 LAUREL LANE, GRAPEVINE TX 76051; and 3) GATHERS FOTTWER, 3646 S WOLCOTT AVE, CHICAGO IL 60609. Try typing these addresses into Google (or any search engine) and see what you get. These and other addresses are listed as known addresses from which other scams have been disseminated.
While I did receive 3 of the 6 products that I ordered, the products arrived more than 36 days after the initial stated delivery date...and there is still no shipping information for the remaining products. Additionally, I received a random item that I did not order which is indicated as a "brushing scam" on a scam identification website. So while I can not conclude that the company is fictitious, I can say with absolute certainty that one should beware of the disreputable and unscrupulous practices and policies.