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Bizrate review: Bite and switch scam! 18

C
Author of the review
12:00 am EST
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This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I (and i am not alone, google it) finished a purchase at UGGAustralia.com and when i completed my transaction a popup came up (very professional looking, not a bad advertisement) claiming it was doing a survey for ugg's website. it stated that if i completed the online survey i would be rewarded with $100 worth of magazine subscriptions, free if i just paid $8 for the shipping fees. there was no fine print to read because i read it all. no where did it say you would be charged full price for these magazines. i completed my magazine selections and by the next day i had been charged the $8 shipping fee AS WELL AS a $100 magazine charge. this was complete false advertising and according to other message boards bizrate has several pending lawsuits over this particular scam.

18 comments
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Katherine Hunt
Nov 14, 2008 1:27 pm EST

Dear Colby,

I'm sorry to hear that you had a problem with the offer. If you are still having difficulties with this, or if ANYONE READING THIS has problems with the magazine offer (or needs other help regarding BizRate or Shopzilla) please contact me at khunt@bizrate.com. I will be glad to assist you.

Regards,

Katherine Hunt
Customer Relations Specialist
BizRate.com, a Shopzilla, Inc. Company

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JW2018
US
Jun 11, 2018 8:28 am EDT

happened to me as well. sounded too good to be true, so I used a gift visa card that had almost no money left on it anyway, just in case, and I ordered 3 magazines for $2 shipping each, and as I suspected, never got one of them. This was on 3/31/17 after doing a bizrate survey. thankfully all I lost was $6, but I have not, nor will I EVER do another bizrate survey again.

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SDp05
San Diego, US
Mar 10, 2011 2:44 am EST

I had a similar survey with Carrot Ink. My cost was $2 per subscription charged on 4/1/08. (Maybe I should have noted the date!) But that was all i was charged. I got Sunset and Time for a year. That was great. In 2009 I was not sure I still wanted them, but they came. The price was at total of $65. I decided to keep them. In 2010 I no longer wanted the magazines. So I contacted both magazines to cancel and not renew my subscriptions. The magazines kept coming! And my acct. was charged $96! I contacted my bank and they said there was nothing I could do! The magazines said that I was not the person who could cancel MY subscriptions!

BizRate is a MAJOR scam. Keep far, far away from it. I'd also stop supporting any business that associates with BizRate! If BizRate loses all its corporate customers it will dry up and go away.

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atale of caution
US
Dec 29, 2011 6:48 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Bizrate/Synapse have been committing this scam for years. They are still doing it. Scammed me December of 2011. I am calling the Attorney General of Maryland.

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hemdem
US
Jun 15, 2013 3:51 am EDT

A pop up window came up and wanted to survey my satisfaction. But I did not find out it was Bizrate until after I filled in the information and they got my information. By that time it was too late. SO everything they did was a fraud. No doubt this is an interstate crime.

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DJohnH
Concord, US
Nov 27, 2014 3:31 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Is there not an Honest Internet Based company out there? Biz Rate offers a $100 gift if you complete their survey. The gift is magazines...and not a very good selection either. Once selected and all delivery information was provided, a screen came up stating that to receive the magazines I had to pay $2.00. Not a big sum but suddenly my Gift was costing me money. Then, reading further, they disclose that the Magazines would be free for the first year and would then AUTOMATICALLY Renew using the credit card information you provide for the "$2.00 processing fee". Essentially, Biz Rate is pimping for the publishing companies. You now have ll of my survey answers and some personal information that you will no doubt sell to other companies for a small fortune. And, I get nothing because I was unwilling to pay for my Free Gift. You disgust me BizRate! Thanks for Nothing and you can bet this consumer will continue to spread the word about your terrible business practices.

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lostinpok
Millbrook, US
Dec 07, 2014 10:46 am EST

I echo DJohnH's post word for word. No way I am paying for my free gift! I could smell this one as soon as I read the small print saying automatic renewal. NEVER, EVER, EVER agree to automatic renewal. You WILL get screwed.

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TGSD
US
Jan 30, 2015 12:09 pm EST

Well, get this: They charged me $103 for four magazines, but I DID NOT order, or fill out any survey at all! Im not even sure if i've even been to that website. They gave me different stories, one of them was that this was an auto renewal from 2011. Thing is, this credit card is only 4 months old! And when I asked them where they got my number, they said I filled out a survey at Bizrate and this was my "reward". Even if that WAS true, why are they charging me for a "reward". When the fraud specialist with Capital One set up a 3 way call, they said they would remove the charges within 24 hours.

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winniepoah
Hoffman estates, US
Apr 20, 2015 4:01 pm EDT

survey rewards problems
I am not even sure this is the coorect place to be, but I have no other options
I took a survey in january for free magazines, but just to pay shipping
I got a confirmation that said this is your confirmation of your magazines
I called the number on the confirmation and they state the payment did not go thru
I used a visa gift card to pay, no indication that this form of payment is invalid (which the vendor you used told me now) My card showed the transaction deducted. It had an expiration of march 2015 and any money on it not used, was forfeited, I had no way to know that it was not deducted as when I made the transaction, it brought it to a few cent balance and I tossed the card when it expired. I now do not have the money to use nor the magazine subscription

THe site should have rejected it right away or contacted me that it did not go thru
I will no longer do business with BIZRATE and will let my facebook, pintrist etc friends know about the scam

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William Griebling
La Mesa, US
May 07, 2015 9:07 pm EDT

After I made an online purchase at Petsmart, I agreed to take a Bizrate survey, giving my first and last name as well as email address, as requested, for a chance to win $25 but when I clicked the "Submit" button NOTHING HAPPENED, even after multiple attempts.

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O Velez
US
Oct 13, 2015 6:54 pm EDT

We got taken for $121.00 for magazine we didn't order.
We will never do business using bizrate in any forma or fashion.
I will also inform my friends and family members.

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Cathie N
Blue Ridge Summit, US
Nov 27, 2015 1:41 pm EST

crooks! scammers!

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Kelly Crane
US
Nov 29, 2015 10:32 am EST

I'm so glad I read these reviews. I took advantage of the 4 magazines and then read all of these so I immediately called the number they provided: [protected]. I told them I read the reviews and asked them to take off the auto renewal or cancel my order. They were super nice and said they turned off the auto renewal. I will be checking again next month when my magazines start arriving to make sure the auto renewal was infact turned off.

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Sam525
US
Jul 02, 2016 7:11 am EDT

This is a scam. After picking out magazines I saw the processing fee after further reading I am not comfortable with continued billing of the magazines after the initial year. This is a scam. Too many people have problems with cancelling or not renewing . It is a bait and switch. Nothing is free with these surveys. Do not do them. Also am sending an email to petco on whose site this popped up after ordering pet food

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tdw1982
US
Aug 09, 2016 9:44 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I cannot believe I fell for it! A classic bate and switch. I received my email with what I thought would be free magazines with a small shipping and handling fee...and not only did they charge $2 per magazine...which they say it is a $2 fee...flat fee...then you receive a bill of $185. I immediately called customer service. Now that was a feet in itself. The websites are tangle of no information and if you click on a link for help, it takes you to a site that says log into your account...which you do not have one! I think it is time to lodge a real complaint to the State's Attorney.

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LeAnne Harris
US
Jan 16, 2018 8:12 am EST

Bizrate is a scam. I signed up to do the surveys and fill them out when I get them in my email. Only problem is, I will spend my time filling them out only to get halfway through (or almost to the end) and suddenly bizrate is telling me I wasn’t a good fit for the survey and would look for a different survey for me to fill out. This continues through every survey I fill out for that day. So now I am out the time I spent filling out the surveys, plus they don’t give me any points for what I did fill out.

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JA-1952
US
Nov 21, 2018 2:27 am EST

I was beginning to think it was just ME...but this is MY biggest pissmeoff with Bizrate. The email says fill out the survey, for up to 3, 000(or whatever) points. After answering all the 100 or so questions to verify I AM NOT A ROBOT, and then the next 50 about age, gender, sexual preference, etc.etc. ETC..., get about 1/4 to 1/2 of the actual survey answered, then I wasn't a good "fit" for that one, or they discovered they already had enough responses. I think I'll just cut my losses -

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Sherlene C. Krieger
US
Sep 18, 2018 11:34 am EDT

I had like 141, 000. points, and now I can't log in, the site says there's no account under my email. I was going to use the points to get some gift cards for Christmas
My email is sck57@yahoo.com

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  2. Bizrate phone numbers
    +1 (310) 571-1235
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    12200 W Olympic Blvd #300, Los Angeles, California, 90064-1057, United States
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