Credit card charges
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| Tue, 11-23-2004 - 1:12pm |
Don't know if this is the right forum for this, but here it goes.
I posted this on my Expecting message board also, but this is a warning for all of us.
I was shopping in a well-known maternity store a few months ago and they asked if I wanted two free issues of a magazine. I said yes, they handed me a card to fill out for the two issues and that was that. I read the card carefully and it said I would be sent a bill for additional issues after the two free ones.
Today, I was looking at my online cc statement and discoved I had been charged by the magazine. They had gotten the cc info from the store. I called the magazine and asked for the charge to be removed. They said it would. I then called the company and they said that I agreed to the use of my information for that magazine only and that the card said they would use my cc or debit card (however I paid) to continue the subscription. First off, I would never sign something like that--I would never agree to it. I want to make the decision to continue the magazine, not have them decide for me. And secondly thank God it was my CC and not my dc. I can't afford $20 to be deducted without warning. Needless to say, because of their attitude I won't subscribe to that magazine, nor will I shop at that store anymore.
I will no longer accept two free issues of anything again after this experience. I will be more vigilent about checking my online cc summary every few days and I will carefully check my credit report. I am shocked that a company I trusted shared such personal informantion and then didn't seem to care.
BTW after I posted it on the Expecting message board, I got a response that it happened to at least one other person. How many are out there who think they are getting this magaazine for free, not realizing their most personal credit info has been shared?
Just be careful when any one offers you "so many for free then you'll be billed offers."
Kellie

Hi,
I haven't had a problem with this type of offer before but then I've never seen this type of offer where you have to provide a cc number before you get the free issue. Usually you just fill out a card and they send you a bill after you receive the free issue. Then you have the choice of cancelling and sending the card back marked "cancelled" or continuing the subscription, at which point you pay for it. I've never heard of having to provide financial info right at the start. That's a good warning for other people to watch out for.
I thought I was just filling out a card for the two free issues. I even read the card throughly. It said nothing about being automatically charged for it. Because I happened to make a purchase with my cc in the store that day, the store gave the magazine my information without my permission.
As a matter of fact, I have been waiting for a couple of weeks to receive the bill so I could pay it to continue my subscription. However, I won't subscribe to that magazine again. I don't like their practices. And, I won't shop at that store again. They told me over the phone that they only gave the magazine my cc info, but I don't know that for sure.
To top it all off, my money won't be credited to my account for 7 to 10 business days, which with the holidays could be a few weeks. I now have to pay interest on that $20. That's what irritates me the most.
Kellie