It's unfortunate when a few bad apples spoil the bunch. Yes,
some supplement manufacturers and weight loss retailers are
happy to offer a 100% "satisfaction or your money back"
guarantee on their products, but good luck trying to to get
them to honor it if you're not happy.
Lately, another high profile company has been implementing
some pretty dishonest and underhanded tactics. Ever since I
wrote and posted an article on the "As Seen on T.V." product
FiberThin...
Read the Fiber Thin review!
... I've been bombarded with e-mails. Seems that not only
is it extremely difficult to squeeze the promised refund
from the makers of FiberThin, customers are finding that
they've been arbitrarily signed up for monthly recurring
shipping and billing...
... without their consent. In other words, they are
receiving a new bottle of FiberThin each month, and their
credit cards are being charged accordingly -- despite the
fact that they did not authorize such a charge.
This brings a whole new meaning to the words "scummy
behavior".
Since then, I've also received word that another aggressively promoted product, Cortislim is doing the same thing...
Read the Cortislim review!
Read the Cortislim warning!
Luckily, there are things you can do to protect yourself.
For "As Seen on T.V." products, which are usually ordered
by phone with a credit card, here's what I suggest...
Make a brief note of the order for your records. In it be sure
to track...
i) the time and date
ii) the exact number of product(s) you are ordering
iii) the amount of your bill
iv) your operator's first and last name and extension (if they won't give
you this, do not give them your credit card number).
v) the appropriate contact information (should you need to
contact them or return the product for a refund)
vi) any other data you deem relevant
For good measure, you may wish to state that you do not
wish to receive products on a monthly basis. Be emphatic here -- this may be important later.
Writing this down may seem like a pain, but it will pay you
back in spades, should you need to call your credit card
company -- it adds great credibility to your story.
In Canada, the U.S. and many other countries, major credit
cards have what is called a zero-liability policy. This
ensures that the client (you), is not responsible for any
non-authorized charges to his/her credit card. If a company
like FiberThin or Cortislim has signed you up to receive their product on
a monthly basis (and you did not authorize this), simply call
your credit card company and do a "charge-back".
Merchants really don't like charge-backs. If they get
enough of them, they are in danger of losing their merchant
accounts (i.e., their ability to accept and process major
credit cards), which severely jeopardizes their business.
When faced with a charge-back, even the most uncompromising
of merchants usually change their tune.
Sidebar: Any time a merchant accepts a credit card online or over the phone, it is called a "card not present" transaction. Since the merchant does not have a signed credit card receipt, there is no real proof of the transaction. This makes it very hard for them to dispute a "charge-back".
Unfortunately, you probably will not be able to process a
charge-back against a company for products for which you
have authorized an initial purchase, but are looking
to receive a refund according to the manufacturer's
guarantee.
For consumers, the best protection comes from MasterCard,
which is the card I recommend you use anytime you purchase
online or by phone (or any other time the merchant does not
receive your signature as the result of a purchase).
MasterCard tends to favor the cardholder over the merchant
moreso than other card companies.
If you have any questions about your credit card companies
policies, please contact them directly.
In the meantime, shop smart -- shop safe!
