After reading the postings on this site I am quite upset by this company. My wife and I generally use a platinum visa account for online purchases, not our debit card. On 1/21/05, I noted an unauthorized charge of $149.95 to my checking account and called my bank to protest the next day.
They informed me that we needed to call the company, which had an 800 number listed with the transaction. My wife called, and was given an account number and a referral to dealpass.com, where we found out we had been enrolled in simple escapes, which is evidently supposed to be like a "diners club" sorta thing with discounts for movies, restaurants, etc. We DID NOT order this, and have no idea how they got our debit card number.
After speaking with people at their 800 number for nearly 45 minutes, we finally were able to get them to return our money, which they did in 2 business days. We have since asked out bank to change our number for our debit card.
In speaking with people at my bank, they stated that there were at least 3-4 other people that had been in my specific branch of the local credit union in the last several months with similar complaints, although none for as high a dollar amount as mine. They were surprised that my money had been returned so quickly. I was alarmed that they weren't more upset about this fact.
I asked them to find an address for the transaction, and it was evidently routed through Lancaster, PA.in calling the Pennsylvania better business bureau, it seems that there is a listing for "simple escapes", but no existing complaints about them. I have tried to start one, but I've been impressed with how difficult it is to actually file a complaint with the better business bureau, especially against a company that appears to take your money and not actually exist in any one location - from reading the postings on this site, they are located in Canada, Illinois, Nebraska, and now Pennsylvania.
I have contacted the local police to inform them of this scam, and have also started complaints with the state consumer credit fraud agency. I am livid regarding this theft, and I hope to see these people rot in hell.
Our initial charge was posted from HDI*SIMPLE ESCAPES, and I see that others have found out that the HDI may stand for hanover direct, meaning that they perhaps got my information from a magazine order.
If anyone is pursuing this in a legal venue, I would be happy to cooperate. This is a huge scam operation and this company is stealing thousands of dollars from American consumers on a daily basis.
Jonathan
Iowa City, Iowa
U.S.A.
0 comments