DO NOT RESPOND TO "TRIAL" offers from these companies. They begin the deception by using words like "trial" and "pay only shipping & handling." All looks fine for a couple of weeks, then the charges begin to come through. First the S&H. Then the website subscription (in my case, even though I opted out). Then the renewal charges each month for an outrageous price.
In my case, I actually wanted to try the teeth whitening product and in the process of checking out, looked an a offer for a fiber supplement "for only $3.73 S&H." Both products arrived. The supplement came in a bottle with no phone number on it and there were no papers or any materials regarding the terms of the trial. The supplement caused a severe adverse physical reaction (which, according to their phone reps, happens to a lot of people). I decided not to order any more and used the cancellation option on their website. Then I saw my bank statement.
First, they charged me for the bottle I was to pay only S&H for. Then, they charged for a second bottle that the post office attempted to deliver a couple of weeks later (and I refused to accept) PLUS the charge for the teeth-whitening product PLUS the charge for some website access option. Each was a different company name and phone number, though they all seem to point back to the same call center.
I called one of the numbers and asked why they were still charging me. They acted as if they only handled the whitening product and reversed the charge for the website and whitening product. Meanwhile, they prepared to ship yet another bottle of the toxic supplement.
When I called one of the other numbers, I spoke to a rep who was quite combative. "Well, you agreed to the terms and conditions when you were on the website, " she said. "Those are legal and you cannot get a refund now that it has been 20 days since your order." I asked for these T&Cs and she gave me a web address. It turns out that not only do the T&Cs not apply to the supplement, do not have any mention of a 20-day trial period, and are completely hidden from the purchase transaction page, they also state that you cannot get a refund for anything you open. Some trial!
Stay away from these companies who advertise using "Mom learns how" articles and variations of the names Dazzle, Smile, Bright, White, etc. It is a good tipoff if you see a bunch of supportive comments then the words "comments closed due to spam" or the like. That means those are fake comments.
I URGE EVERYONE WHO HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION AT www.ftc. Gov, dispute the charges with their credit card and or bank, call the company to demand refunds and otherwise press this company to do business as a legitimate operation, instead of a scam.
0 comments