The company claims that they sell web site templates for $5.00 on the internet. I purchased one of their templates and $5.00 was charged to my credit card.
Thirty minutes after my credit card was charged I received an auto-responder e-mail from the merchant refusing to provide the link to my purchased download unless I provided a different e-mail address. (Note: the e-mail was obviously an auto-responder, so this is apparently a common thing they do.)
The reason they demanded a different e-mail address was obviously NOT because I had an invalid e-mail address, but they said they wanted my ISP e-mail address. They said they do not deliver their templates to "free" e-mail addresses such as hotmail or yahoo.
I replied to them pointing out (what should have been obvious) that my e-mail account is neither hotmail nor yahoo and it also not "one of those free e-mail addresses". I pay for my e-mail account every month, and have paid for it every month for years.
I never established and have no need for an e-mail account from my ISP, and I was certainly not inclined to look for or look up or try to remember or create a "different" e-mail account than I normally use for the convenience of this so-called "merchant".
The company replied to my e-mail informing me that they deliver "thousands" of templates to "authentic" e-mail addresses every month, but that "my e-mail address was not authentic".
(HUH?) (?) (?) (?)
I guess the fact that I received and responded to two of their e-mails is not a clue that my e-mail is "authentic"?
I also included both my phone number and fax number in the e-mails. They could have called to verify any information they needed to, but I do not believe that verification and authenticity is the important thing to this company.
They also stated that they reason they do this little e-mail jig is to protect their clients from fraudulent charges. (HUH?) (?) (?) (?) They charged my credit card BEFORE they decided I did not have an "authentic" e-mail address, so whom exactly would my e-mail address have protected even if it had been a stolen credit card? Anyway, no credit card I own is linked to my ISP in such a way that it validates according to my e-mail address!
Of course I have no idea whether or not they really have any template downloads available at all.
Since they are selling downloadable material (not software) of course the "merchandise" is of negligible value anyway - I can't believe they would profit more or less according to whether or not they provide the link to the download.
I think it is MORE LIKELY that this company is farming ISP addresses for a spam factory, and of course their marketable e-mail address list would be worth a lot more on the open market if it contained ONLY ISP e-mail addresses... And then of course they have your credit card number...
I think it is also probably likely that a lot of people would be out $5.00 and will not receive the templates IF YOU LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT, because they charge your credit card before you realize no download will be forthcoming.
I suppose most people don't monitor their credit card activity as closely as I happened to today to realize that they charge your credit card BEFORE you realize that they are not e-mailing any templates. Some people might even forget about it until they receive the bill maybe a month later, and then might not think it worth the hassle to reverse the charges or fight such a small amount.
Well, I fired off a fax to get the fraudulent $5.00 charge reversed on my credit card right away. The entire transaction took place this afternoon. Damage was minimal, but I was aggravated that this transaction turned out to be a huge waste of my time and a distraction from more productive pursuits. I believe I handled it in its entirety and I do not require follow up by an advocate.
The reason I am posting this is so that other internet buyers know to be wary of this apparent scam, even - and maybe *especially* - if it is a small dollar transaction!
Be careful out there!
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