I now live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but I grew up in the DFW area in Texas. I am a Dallas Cowboys fan.
Last October I wanted to listen to a particular Cowboys game on the radio while working on a re-model to my house. Unfortunately, no Tulsa radio stations carried that broadcast, so I went online to see if I could listen on my laptop.
After a little searching, I found the NFL Field Pass from Real Networks. It would allow me to hear the game online. I didn't want the entire season, just a couple of games, so I signed up for a month for $9.95. I figured that was a reasonable price for a month of access. Everything worked great.
Here's the problem. They do not make it clear when you sign up that you are not signing up for a month of access, but in fact, a monthly subscription that is billed each month until you cancel that account.
A year later I found out that I have been paying $9.95 per month for a service that I wasn't using, or even aware that I was being charged for, because no billing notification is sent out. They just quietly keep charging your card until you notice.
I called customer service to try to get a refund of the $100 charged to my account over the last year, but was told that it was against 'company policy' to grant such refunds.
When I asked why I was not notified about the billing each month (as every other online subscription of mine does, such as iTunes) they said that the notification is made in the form of a line item on my credit card statement.
Granted, I should be more attentive to my statement, but Real has shown that is willing to employ 'below-the-radar' business tactics to get a little more money. First they do not make it clear that you are signing up for a subscription, and second they do not notify you of the monthly charges. Their business model requires people to be inattentive to the credit card charges to succeed. They are a dishonest company, and I would suggest that people steer clear of them.
Their 'Black-Hat' tactics tells me that the will never be a major online content competitor. ITunes doesn't charge me $1.99 without telling me via email that I've been charged. Everything is on the table. I trust them. I don't trust Real Networks.
I did a search and found that others have had similar problems with them. They make it difficult to cancel the 'Rhapsody' music service, and keep charging people until they jump through extensive hoops to get them to stop. You can sign up online, but to cancel you must call an 800 number, wait for 20 minutes, speak with someone who barely has command of the english language (likely in India), and then argue your way out of being charged again.
Real Networks is a rip-off, and they are dishonest. Do not trust them.
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