I signed up for 1shopping cart's 4 week Trial Package, which is priced at $3.95. As a busy small business owner, I did not get to spend much time "test driving" the shopping cart and emailed them back to see if I could extend the trial period. I heard back from a representative telling me that I would have to re-signup for the trial. Fair enough. I never did that though.
What I did not realize was happening (and the representative never reminded me, and the website DOES NOT clearly state this) is that after your free trial, you are automatically signed up for their "Professional" package, which is priced at $129/month! I searched everywhere on the site to see if this is clearly stated when you sign up and the only place it is mentioned is deep in the fine print of the Service Agreement. So yes, technically, they did their legal duty, but as a potential customer (who does not have a disposable income) I am very frustrated and disappointed that this would not be clearly communicated up front. It makes me question the motive behind this practice: Are they "banking" on people letting the trial lapse without canceling? Why can't I just try out your service without needing to cancel? If you give me more freedom a customer, I will actually trust you more. But now that you have charged me for a few months of Professional service (while you can clearly see I am not using your product) I will never willingly sign up for your service again. Plus, I will now let every small business owner I know about this practice.
Also, when I called customer service to discuss the matter, I only got scripted, robotic answers. There was no willingness to consider that I have not used the service, that I actually inquired about extending the trial period.
I truly despise business practices like this. It comes across as a desperate way to "catch" your customers. I have no problem with recurring payments once I've decided a product is a match for my business (heck, it's actually easier), but until I have made that conscious choice I do not think this practice is ethical.
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