Unauthorized charges to bank account

ComplaintsHealth & BeautyMomentum Direct

Complaint

0
Jasmine
Country: United States
I tried a free trial of Perma Slim from Momentum Direct. I paid about $9 dollars in shipping and 2 weeks later I received the pills.

The instructions that came with the pills stated that I have 14 day trial and if I wasn't satisfied to return the bottles and my account would not be charge $49.95. I called them a week of trying the pills they did not work. I went to the bank the following day to go pay some bills and found that they charged me $49.95. I called to Momentum Direct and spoke to a foreign guy who hardly spoke any english and told him a was canceling my free trial. He also promised to refund me my money.

Long story short, I never received my refund. When I called my bank, they told me that they can't do anything. Momentum Direct does not respond to my calls to 281-356-9939 and my emails all go unanswered.

Comments

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  • 0
    tj
    Here is an article about the U.S. Attorney finally prosecuting one of these health/herbal "product" companies, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, for credit card fraud.  Estimated amount of fraud: $100 million.  Last year, they settled with several state AG's, agreeing to pay $2.5 million.

    Maybe these scammers will finally get the attention they deserve.

    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22575047/
  • 0
    sydney
    good luck; don't count on Bank of America to help as you think they will. We've been trying to get help from them for 5 weeks, meanwhile we've had two additional withdrawals go through and Bank of America shrugs their shoulders and says we can always put a stop payment on them....yeh, right. Close your account and try a different bank for all the help Bank of America gives.
  • 0
    pam h
    I, too, was a stupid individual for ordering without checking them out first.  Ordered the "trial" of diet pills; received after almost 3 weeks in which time my trial period was about to expire.  I called the minute I received the pills, explained that my trial period was almost up and inquired about sending product back.  I returned as they requested....via UPS with a tracking number.....and still was automatically charged the $49.95 from my bank account.  I have tried to contact them....only to get a NON ENGLISH speaking person who assures me that once they recieve the return they will refund my money.  I have the tracking number as well as the name of the person who signed for it.....and still no refund.  They are saying they never received it back.  BS......don't know how people like this can go to sleep at night.  I am contacting the Texas Attorney General's office, the Better Business Bureau and anyone else I can think of to put a halt to these charges....not just for myself but others as well.
  • 0
    Best Kept Secret
    I just closed my account for the same reason... I would if I were you! I don't trust it anymore
  • 0
    DON'T USE MOMENTUM DIRECT
    I just closed my account so they can't take money from me... I suggest if they have your account number... CHANGE IT ASAP!!! This is an internet scam and they will keep charging you if you don't switch accounts
  • 0
    kellsbells
    i too was ripped off, i wish i had googled them, it was an internet survey, i can't understand how they can still be in business after reading all the information from other consumers, that say they have filed complaints, where is big brother when you need him ?
  • 0
    .
    Hello, I work for a bank in California, My best suggestion, is to place stop payments immediately on them, both ACH stop pays and check stop pays.. Good luck you guys! Also close out the debit cards and close out the accounts if they still persist
  • 0
    Mary Ann
    Momentum Direct
    1010 S. Magnolia Blvd
    Magnolia, TX 77355

    January 19, 2008

        Re:  Unauthorized Transactions

    You did not have my permission to charge my account for your product.  You only shipped the product on January 8, which means I was only in receipt of the product on January 11, 2008.  You charged my account $49.95 on January 14, four days after I received my FREE product:

    01/14/2008    Check 1257: Edit
    Details  
    -$49.95    
    -$7.72    
    This created an overdraft in my account and an overdraft fee of $35.00.

        01/15/2008    OVERDRAFT ITEM FEE
    -$35.00    
    -$42.72
                    
    In addition, you charged my account another $58.95 on January 16!

    01/16/2008    Check 1258: Edit
    Details
    -$58.93    
    -$101.65
    Again, this unauthorized charge resulted in the following overdraft fee of an additional $35.00

        01/17/2008    OVERDRAFT ITEM FEE
    -$35.00    
    -$156.62

    I am enclosing the unused “FREE” product where I agreed to pay only $7.95.  I am also enclosing a copy of the Postmarked label off the shipped product.  I am keeping the original label for the fraud investigation.  Again, the product wasn’t even post-marked until January 8, 2008. I didn’t receive the product until January 11, 2008.  Even if I had agreed to any terms and conditions other than the free trial, which I did not, you billed my account prior to the end of any imaginary 14 day free trial period.  

    Because of this inconvenience and your failure to comply with your own terms and conditions, I should not be billed for ANYTHING, including shipping.  You must also pay for the overdraft expenses of $70.00.

    I will dispute this charge with the Bank and report you to Consumer’s Affairs.  I have already report Momentum Direct to the Better Business Bureau and reported the above incidences to the Office of the Attorney General.

    You must rectify this at once and your company will be investigated for fraud.
  • 0
    ceelee
    Momentum Direct
    1010 S. Magnolia Blvd
    Magnolia, TX 77355

    Sirs,

    Issue a REFUND  IN THE AMOUNT OF $49.95 to my bank/credit card account IMMEDIATELY. I did not give you or your company the authority to withdraw funds from my account. I have FILED A DISPUTE OF THE PAYMENT WITH MY BANK. THIS IS A NOTICE TO CEASE AND DESIST FROM ACCESSING MY BANK/CREDIT CARD ACCOUNT, IMMEDIATELY. Remove my name and information from your “membership”, and cancel any and all shipments.

    I received a package from your organization on Friday, January 18, 2008. It was the FREE sample of the “2-day Slim Down” product, ORDERED NOVEMBER 27, 2007. I had agreed to pay $7.97 shipping only for the FREE sample. Order # 1145034887

    However, on January 17, 2008 my bank/credit card was debited for the amount of $49.95 by Momentum Direct. The note inside the box indicated that  I would receive the FULL PROGRAM for a FREE TRIAL, and that in 14 days  “we will charge you the members price of just $49.95 for the bottle AND IF YOU FEEL THE PRODUCT ISN’T FOR YOU, SIMPLY SEND BACK THE BOTTLE WITHIN THE 2 WEEK TRIAL PERIOD AND YOU WILL NOT BE CHARGED.”

    MY ACCOUNT HAD BEEN CHARGED! Before I received the product.

    I HAVE CONTACTED THE TEXAS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE AND ALSO, OHIO STATE ATTORNEY GENERALS’ OFFICE TO LOOK INTO YOUR BUSINESS PRACTICES AND HAVE FILED COMPLAINTS IN BOTH STATES. Apparently, there is an investigation of Momentum Direct with Texas. THE BBB (BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU) OF AUSTIN, TX ALSO HAS MY COMPLAINT ON FILE.

    IN ADDITION, I HAVE REGISTERED COMPLAINTS WITH:

    Federal Trade Commission
    600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,
    Washington, D.C. 20580


    Office of the Attorney General
    300 W. 15th Street
    Austin, TX 78701

    Don Clemmer
    Chief, Criminal Prosecutions
    Office of the Attorney General
    P O Box 12548
    Austin, TX 78711-2548
    Email: CJID@oag.state.tx.us
    Phone: (512) 475-4220
    Fax: (512) 474-4570

    Submit a refund to my account immediately.
  • 0
    Wouldn't you like to know
    I ordered from these guys and it took 2 months for them to get the product to me which I had paid only shipping for. Then I checked my account and they withdrew $45.95 from my account. Unauthorized! I called my bank and luckily they gave me my money back. I am currently just waiting on my bill's to clear before closing that account. I suggest to everyone to close there account. And to Bette Alves. Your Stupid! Why would you want to order that product when everyone here is telling you that they are frauds!?!
  • 0
    PATRICK MONTALBANO
    STOP ORDER #1145036631-12-5-2007: JUST RECIEVED 1/19/08-CAN NOT USE,AS PER
    DOCTORS VISIT 2 WKS PRIOR.PAID $7.97-BUT CLOSED MY BANK ACCT. AS THIS
    SEEMS TO BE A SCAM..RETURNING BOTTLE UNUSED,BUT IF I'M SCAMED AS OTHERS,WITH
    BANK WITHDRAWALS,IT WILL BE SENT TO STATES ATTORNEYS OFFICE FOR FURTHER
    ACTION.......THANK YOU,MR.PATRICK MONTALBANO
  • 0
    Debbie
    I am having the same problem... except I never sent for a free trial of anything. ??? Not sure how they got my account information. They have taken out 2 payments by electronic check.

    1 on 1/14/08 for $49.95 &
    1 on 1/17/08 for $58.93

    I am on the phone with the bank right now and their fraud department is working to get these charges removed. I will probably have to cancel my bank account and re-open a new one... beware!!
  • 0
    kate
    Like all of you I paid the $7.95 for shipping for a product I ordered in November.  Never recieved it.  Got online to look into it and found all these websites of complaints against this company.  I went to my bank and told them what was going on and they put a watch on my account for this company and if they try to take any more money from me they won't be able to.  The other option I had was to close my acct and open a new one.  Some people have better luck that way.  I went to my bank in late Dec.  It's Jan 23, 08 and guess what I got in the mail today?!!!!  The product that I ordered in Nov and called and cancelled in December when I got online and saw all these complaints.  This company should be shut down.  What the hell good is the Better Business Bureau?  No one will do anything about this.  Good Luck to all that have been robbed by this fraudulent company.
  • 0
    Candace Watkins
    Everyone please send a complaint to http://www.ic3.gov/ This is in partner ship with the FBI!!! They scammed me too. I file a complaint and I'm trying to get others to do the same so that something can be done. There are even more complaints on http://www.complaintsboard.com/. This is where alot more people have been scammed. Type in Momentum Direct and you will be able to review the complaints of hundreds others.
    Here is my Momentum Direct Story:
    I order some weight lose pills from Momentum Direct and it said you only had to pay $2.95. I received the pills in about a month after ordering them and with it was a letter saying if I didn't return the pills w/in 2 weeks I would be charged $49.99. I immediately returned the whole bottle. I never use not one pill. And a few days later I was checking on my account and I was charged $49.99. So I called them and told them that i had return the pills and why was i being billed because my two weeks was not up yet. So I went back online to view my checking account again and they had took about another $58.89. So i called them back and they said that i would be refunded my money, but I haven't received my money until this day and never will.
    Please take action on this company by filing a complaint.
    If you are going to file please e-mail me at sweetcandy8917@yahoo.com. I already have recieved some e-mail from people saying that they are going to file. I am trying to make a difference.
    Thanks for all you help.
  • 0
    Nicole in CA
    OH MY GOSH, I wish I would have read this before I signed up for a stupid sample product.  I just now realized that they have charged me $335 over the last 3 months!!! They have started to charge me $117.86 a month and they say I never cancelled.  I cancelled the day I got the stuff because I already knew I didn' twant to keep getting it.  They SAY they are sending me a refund, but it'll take like 2 m onths to get. GRRRRR.... Yes, this company DOES need to be shut down!!!
  • 0
    Mary Lopez
    I too am a victim of these scam artist, same thing happend to me just January 25,2008, they took monies out of my account using there on checks. I want my money back.
  • 0
    marilyn
    I too ordered because a friend said she had good luck with the amazon diet pills. She looked great, so I ordered. The pills came & I read the ingedients & decided not to take them. I sent e-mail to cancel & then they deducted 58.93 on 12/21/07 & $49.95 on 12/24. I called & complained on 12/30/07 & they said to send back my free sample & gave me a conformation #. I returned the bottle same day. On 1/8/08 they deducted $58.93. I called & complained & they said they would see to my refund. Well Feb 1 is here & like everyone else you can't get thru on the phone. I too am going to complain to anyone I can think of.
  • 0
    Roshonda Sullivan
    I do not know how this company got my account information but they charged me 49.95 for something I have no idea about.  I will be going through my bank fraud department.  Whatever this is it is a ripoff and needs to be stopped.
  • 0
    twinkle
    well i gave them an old bank acct and they can try debiting all the want it won't work.  i'm gonna keep their product so this time they get stiffed!!!
  • 0
    m. williamson
    stop the account they somehow wheedled out of you & open a new one with your bank!!
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