My husband noticed the $9.95 monthly, recurring AP9 Businessmax charge on my credit card statement, and asked what it might be. I thought it sounded fishy, and knew it was not the $22 monthly I pay for internet or anything related to it.
Their phone number 8885842217 appears on the credit card, so he tried calling it. But we don't have long distance at home, so he was forced to try the internet as a source instead.
A Google search for Businessmax turned up the website for the AP9 Businessmax program which desribes a club with special discounts for auto rentals, gift cards, etc. He thought maybe I started a legitimate'membership' gift card/credit card to get a better deal at a store (e.G. We got special cards from Best Buy and Kohls recently).
But he read further and found the valuable material at usacomplaints.com, which made us think it's more likely a scam instead. We determined that between July and October, we'd been billed $9.95 monthly by MWI Businessmax, each time early in the month. On 10/31 MWI changed to AP9 Businessmax, and we were billed 5 more times each at the end of the month for a grand total of just under $90.00. The reason for the switch remains a mystery.
Several usacomplaints.com emails mention Vistaprint, and a look at the credit report month of June determined that I indeed had ordered 'Free' business cards from Vistaprint for the shipping charge of $5.95.
We followed the advice of the editor at your site—calling Businessmax, demanding that they terminate the charges, and stating that we suspected they were indeed a scam and we would endeavor to recover any charges via the credit card company. Note that we received a confirmation code from Businessmax, but no argument or denial that what we claimed was false.
(A 'rebuttal' on this site notes that there is a small 'I decline' button during the popups in the confirmation process, and makes the point that everyone should pay attention to the fine print of what they are clicking through. This is great advice, but unless it is going to be the grounds for a legal argument by Businessmax, they certainly did not try to make that defense over the phone...)
We immediately also called our credit card company—a good idea, actually, because they cancelled the card, noting that if cc info has been used, it might be used at anytime in the future by the offending party—whether they've supposedly cancelled an account or not. They are sending us a fraud dispute form, a process that is a bit cumbersome, but necessary I suppose to get everything in writing.
A couple things to note about why this works and how it can be prevented
(1) The charges were only $9.95, so they were easy to overlook. One should look at all charges monthly, esp those that appear to be recurring. We may lose a couple months recompense because we were too lazy to address the problem immediately upon finding it.
(2) On a credit card statement here is no address, just a phone#, which makes sense for an Internet company, but it makes it harder to verify against memory of monthly charges made. Because it is an 888 number it may be difficult to contact for those who use a phone card for long distance.
(3) Normally I don't recommend husbands/wives snooping if they have different credit cards, but if one person is too busy to do due diligence, it may make sense for the other person to ask about mystery charges
(4) Buying from a small company on the web may be risky.in the future I will always try to look up what I can online at the Better Business Bureau (& RIP OFF) before I give my credit card number to someone I don't know as an established business.
(5) Not sure what is going on in the shift from MWI Businessmax to AP9 Businessmax (appears we were automatically enrolled into a new program at the same price). Not sure either about the shift from early-in-month billing to end-of-month billing, but am interested in any theories about what the company may be doing.
(6) Legitimate internet companies almost always will send a confirmation notice of any charges, or any services they will be providing. Businessmax provided no email or snail mail information confirming my order or providing a list of what I was to receive. This is atypical of good internet business practices, if not just shady.
Just getting this issue cleared up and dealt with is a big hassle—new credit card requires contacting all those who legitimately bill the card monthly, plus a wait of up to 7 days, plus the time to research this and write the complaining email—cathartic as it may be. The cost in time lost may be far greater than the $90 that I'm uncertain I may receive any of.
Lesson learned: check your credit card statement with a fine tooth comb monthly. It is embarassing to publicly admit you overlooked 9 months of a questionable charge. If you can get electronic access that gives immediate access to charges, get that too, and keep on top of every item, so you have up-to-the-minute confidence in the state of your finances. Beware of offers that seem too good to be true—look very closely for the catch. And finally, use credit rather than debit in all circumstances where there is any uncertainty about the amount or length of your commitment to some offer, however 'trial' it may appear.
PS: The Vistaprint business cards themselves, as most people seem to be saying, were great. Maybe Vistaprint/Businessmax (the precise relation between the two is an interesting question) blew an opportunity for a legitimate customer base!
Colleen
Palmyra, Wisconsin
U.S.A.
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