Health Supplements Scam - There is so such thing as Free Trial!
By Lindalinda
@Lindalinda (4111)
Canada
December 9, 2009 7:46am CST
I am sure you all have seen the adds for health supplements such as acai berries and other such products. The ads always tell you you can try the product for free. All you have to do is pay shipping and handling. However, to pay shipping and handling you have to supply your credit card number. Now, there is a limited time frame to try the free product. In this type of scam the product does not arrive until the free period is almost up. In the fine print of the contract it also tells you that after the free trial period you must cancel, otherwise your account will be billed each month with a charge for this product which will be shipped to you automatically. Some people have lost hundreds of dollars before they could finally stop this.
So the moral of the story is: beware, beware, and don't give your credit card number to anyone on the internet before reding the fine print, and checking out the company.
2 people like this
6 responses
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
9 Dec 09
Yes, I've been caught 3 times. The first time when I disputed the charge with my bank they had received hundreds of similar complaints over three months. I had no problem.
The last two were with another bank. One lot charged me full price but no product arrived at all.
The other one charged me full price and the product arrived after I disputed the charge with my bank....you don't get to see the fine print till after you have submitted your card details. The bank disputed the charge and they re-charged me on my brand new card!!! The bank cancelled my card but still allowed them to charge me again...they sent some dodgy photocopies of screen shots supposedly where I confirmed the order...which was rubbish...you couldn't read the blurred print and they said the other was a copy of the UPS or something delivery note which is also rubbish because when the stuff finally arrived...as you said close to the closing time, it arrived via my AUSTRALIAN post Office...nothing to do with UPS here.
There was NEVER a copy of the order sent to me via mail like everyone else does when you buy something on the net and never any other contact.
I had to write to the bank to prove my case!!! I still have not heard back since I wrote and told them I absolutely did not confirm the order. I'll have to ring them again which is a pain because I never get to talk to the same people.
Oh, the product that did arrive had no paperwork. The sticker said it's value was $1 but they charged me over $100. I didn't have to sign for it ...nothing. I refused to accept it and so the postmistress put Return To Sender on it.
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
7 May 10
This is such a shame. I am sorry this happened to you. As I said to another respondent I never use my regular credit card to purchase anything on the web unless it is a reputable bookstore. Otherwise I purchase a prepaid Visa card for $ 25, $ 50 or $ 100 closest to the cost of the product. The trouble is the small amounts left of those cards. How could you use them?
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
8 May 10
I received a letter from the card services division yesterday saying the matter was finalised and my account was credited with an amount. It has still cost me around $30 with fees and interest even though the bank officer said she would waive any fees or interest. This whole episode took this bank 61/2 months to correct!! The other bank fixed things in a matter of days.
If you have small amounts left on prepaid credit cards then use it for groceries or something...it's called a split tender...I've used a debit card and a credit card to pay for goods...the cashier can work it out. I now have an amount of money stored on my credit card so I will use that next time I go shopping and use cash as well.
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
7 May 10
I don't take them up on free offers either and I never purchase anything with my regular credit card.
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
7 May 10
They use sorts of tricks don't they to separate you from your hard earned money.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
9 Dec 09
yep those things should really be stopped, the government should get after them.
1 person likes this
@pastorkayte (2255)
• United States
3 Mar 10
This is great advise, I would also like to add to that companies that sell music and DVDs that offer membership. I joined one, big mistake. It said I had to purchase two DVD's or CDs in order to fulfill my membership. However after doing so, they continued to send music and movies no one had heard of at prices you wouldnt even have to pay in the retail store. Then when I returned them or called to cancel they sent more the next month and charged me a double charge because my credit card company canceled the original charge and they figured I still owed them. It took several months of this happening and a call to BBB in order to get this to stop. Watch out for signing up with these memberships, they are a scam.
@Lindalinda (4111)
• Canada
7 May 10
Same idea. You have to be so careful with everything these days. When I purchase things on the web I now buy a prepaid Visa card for approximately the amount of my purchase. So if they want to bill me more they are out of luck.
@AnnieOakley1 (5596)
• Canada
14 Feb 10
Yes, I remember reading up on some of those trials, and upon reading the fine print, decided it was a scam and I would be stupid to do so, so I have never done it.
I also just got asked about something else, that said something similar recently, it was supposed to be free, so why did they want my credit card number. NOPE, not giving it. I'm not that stupid!
