Buying samples/free trials off the internet or television is the worst thing you could ever do. Companies like Wu-Yi Tea, Fit Factory, Acai Berry, Natural Cures, Online Health, etc, etc will all give you the same story "free-trial with a 14-day cancellation period" Problem is, most of the time you won't receive your "free" trial until AFTER the 14-day period has expired, which means you're automatically renewed for their monthly fee. Also these companies will sign you up for 1, 2 sometimes 3 more sites/products without telling you. Unfortunately, this information IS available on the merchant's website, usually buried in the fine print somewhere. Because of this, it is 100% legal for them to charge your account every single month under a variety of different merchant names. Charges that come associated with free trials are pricelimbo.com, web access, membership fees (usually with Wu-Yi Tea) and a variety of others. If you've paid for this with your credit card, you can dispute the transactions with your bank. The only thing is, you HAVE TO CANCEL with ALL the companies in order to be successful with your dispute. If you don't have phone numbers for the companies, your bank should be able to provide you with some. Otherwise, send emails, find a mailing address and send a registered letter, anything and everything you can think of. And keep copies of everything you do/send. Also, if these companies are still sending you any merchandise (the original company you ordered the sample from), you HAVE to send it back through registered mail so you can have a tracking number and postal receipt - otherwise, the company will simply claim they never received it, and you won't have any proof that it was sent. The worst part of these scams is what they're doing is completely legal (charging without your knowledge, charging under different company names, adding on additional services, etc, etc) so protect yourself. Bottom line: don't EVER order a "free" sample unless you're willing to put a lot of effort into canceling it. If something actually works, it'll be available in stores soon enough.
Buying samples/free trials off the internet or television is the worst thing you could ever do. Companies like Wu-Yi Tea, Fit Factory, Acai Berry, Natural Cures, Online Health, etc, etc will all give you the same story "free-trial with a 14-day cancellation period" Problem is, most of the time you won't receive your "free" trial until AFTER the 14-day period has expired, which means you're automatically renewed for their monthly fee. Also these companies will sign you up for 1, 2 sometimes 3 more sites/products without telling you. Unfortunately, this information IS available on the merchant's website, usually buried in the fine print somewhere. Because of this, it is 100% legal for them to charge your account every single month under a variety of different merchant names. Charges that come associated with free trials are pricelimbo.com, web access, membership fees (usually with Wu-Yi Tea) and a variety of others. If you've paid for this with your credit card, you can dispute the transactions with your bank. The only thing is, you HAVE TO CANCEL with ALL the companies in order to be successful with your dispute. If you don't have phone numbers for the companies, your bank should be able to provide you with some. Otherwise, send emails, find a mailing address and send a registered letter, anything and everything you can think of. And keep copies of everything you do/send. Also, if these companies are still sending you any merchandise (the original company you ordered the sample from), you HAVE to send it back through registered mail so you can have a tracking number and postal receipt - otherwise, the company will simply claim they never received it, and you won't have any proof that it was sent. The worst part of these scams is what they're doing is completely legal (charging without your knowledge, charging under different company names, adding on additional services, etc, etc) so protect yourself. Bottom line: don't EVER order a "free" sample unless you're willing to put a lot of effort into canceling it. If something actually works, it'll be available in stores soon enough.
this is a public complaint board, not the Norton Antivirus website. You will have to contact them directly to get resolution. This website is designed to educate consumers on buying online by allowing people to post testimonials of their experiences.
I work for a credit card division in a bank & what I find the most frustrating in all of this is that didn't it cross anybody's mind that there was a catch to this "free trial"? Didn't anybody scroll down to the bottom of the page and read the Terms & Conditions before putting your name, address & credit card information? People need to be A LOT more vigilant when putting personal information online - I've even seen people put their credit card numbers & bank account information on complaint sites like these! I've spoken to hundreds of people who've gotten taken in by this & the thing I hear the most is "I never do things like this" - that's the joke. Smarten up, people.
I work for a bank in the credit card division & we normally see charges like that relating to a trial of some kind - either a "free look" or a "free kit" that would have been advertised as $1.95 or something like that. Any company that offers something like that online will most likely have a negative option clause which words it so that by accepting the trial, you automatically agree to their terms. If you didn't do anything like that, maybe check with your wife/kids or anybody else that may have used your debit card for a small amount. The nature of the transactions is usually about making money online through advertising (for social tool kit) but others can be relating to so-called government grants and things like that.
I understand you're mad, but who are you talking to? This is an online complaints board, not the company you ordered from... You should contact the company by email or by phone, & if you don't have a phone number you can contact your bank - if it's on your credit card they likely have a phone number for you. Any online "free" trial or sample offer will have a negative option clause. How else would they make money? Be careful when giving out your name, address & credit card information online - that's your personal information & you should protect it.
is it just me or is it disgusting that this complaints website is running ads for Acai Berry in between posts?
if the company doesn't stop billing, have your card number changed. make sure you call the company & get cancellation numbers so if they do manage to keep billing, you can do a chargeback on the transaction with your credit card company. get the name of the agent you speak with, a cancellation number, their employee number, the actual name of the company they work for & also ask for an email (but don't hold your breath for it). oh and don't yell at your bank about this - it's not their fault.
Buying samples/free trials off the internet or television is the worst thing you could ever do. Companies like Wu-Yi Tea, Fit Factory, Acai Berry, Natural Cures, Online Health, etc, etc will all give you the same story "free-trial with a 14-day cancellation period" Problem is, most of the time you won't receive your "free" trial until AFTER the 14-day period has expired, which means you're automatically renewed for their monthly fee. Also these companies will sign you up for 1, 2 sometimes 3 more sites/products without telling you. Unfortunately, this information IS available on the merchant's website, usually buried in the fine print somewhere. Because of this, it is 100% legal for them to charge your account every single month under a variety of different merchant names. Charges that come associated with free trials are pricelimbo.com, web access, membership fees (usually with Wu-Yi Tea) and a variety of others. If you've paid for this with your credit card, you can dispute the transactions with your bank. The only thing is, you HAVE TO CANCEL with ALL the companies in order to be successful with your dispute. If you don't have phone numbers for the companies, your bank should be able to provide you with some. Otherwise, send emails, find a mailing address and send a registered letter, anything and everything you can think of. And keep copies of everything you do/send. Also, if these companies are still sending you any merchandise (the original company you ordered the sample from), you HAVE to send it back through registered mail so you can have a tracking number and postal receipt - otherwise, the company will simply claim they never received it, and you won't have any proof that it was sent. The worst part of these scams is what they're doing is completely legal (charging without your knowledge, charging under different company names, adding on additional services, etc, etc) so protect yourself. Bottom line: don't EVER order a "free" sample unless you're willing to put a lot of effort into canceling it. If something actually works, it'll be available in stores soon enough.
