In early February, we noticed "RN*Superpass" on our credit card bill for $14.99. We didn't have a clue what it was. Did a websearch and found it, with a lot of complaints about unauthorized charges.
Went to the RealNetworks Superpass website, and thought, maybe I have an account. Entered my e-mail address, then selected "forgot password". They sent a link to reset the password, which I did. Logged in. Checked the details - there was no account name, just the e-mail address and a history of charges. The history showed $14.99 per month for the last 11 months. I checked my credit card statements, and they confirmed it. We had been charged over $160 for an unknown 'product'.
I cancelled the credit card. Then called the 800 number to cancel Superpass. First it said that the wait would be about 15 minutes. Then, 20 seconds later, an english-speaking person with a foreign accent came on. They said we probably signed up for a free trial and didn't cancel it. I asked them to provide me some proof that we used the service. They said they couldn't. I asked for a supervisor and continued.
The supervisor said I could contest the charges with my credit card company. RealNetworks could research the usage history and provide that info to the credit card company, but not to me.
Neither my wife nor kid has any recollection of Superpass. I checked my e-mail history. I have no history of anything from Realnetworks last year or this year. At the time we supposedly signed up, Feb 15, I was unemployed; thus, we weren't taking on any extra expenses.
They just got my credit card number and charged it for as long as they could get away with it.
I deleted every scrap of RealNetworks stuff from my computer. It has been an annoying popup and media player for a while, replacing other media players already present.
0 comments