My story is the same as most everyone on here. I didn't see the $99.00 price tag hidden in fine print anywhere. Sign up costs should not be in small print anyways. It should be clear as day right by the box asking for your credit card info. Like most of you, I made the mistake of assuming that the card info was needed on file in case I won something. I thought all I was signing up for was 25 free bids.
I called and complained. The fist woman to pick up the phone repeated several times that the price and the no refund policy was in the terms and conditions. I explained that the site was misleading and I thought I was just signing up for free bids. This went back and forth and like a robot, she kept repeating the same comment about the terms and conditions. So I demanded to speak to her boss. She didn't want to let me because he was going to say the same thing. After enough anger was shown on my part, she offered a 25% refund which was not enough for me, I still demanded several times to speak to her boss.
Like she said, her boss did say the same thing, but I expressed the value of negative marketing. I told him that if I don't get all of my money back, I would go on sites like this and tell my story. The loss in potential revenue from me helping to spread the word is worth waaaaaaay more than the $99. I also threatened a report to the Better Business Bureau. My threats got me bumped up to the 50% off offer and a very angry sounding man that told me straight up that my conversation WAS RECORDED. I don't even know if that was legal because they didn't tell me that up front.
I personally wish for three things to happen.
1) I want all of my money back, not just half.
2) Their cost to sign up should be required to be much more obvious.
3) I honestly think penny auction sites should be illegal. Now that I know how they work, I know that it is GAMBLING. Even if you knew the cost going into it, the site is still a rip off. It is very possible, if not probable to put money in and walk away with nothing. Ripping people off like that, especially hard working people like us, really PISSES ME OFF.
0 comments