Companies charge your credit or debit card without you knowing
Complaint
Sherrie
Country: United States
Please be very aware that these two companies take out money from your account without your permission. I just spoke with my bank and they stated that when you use your credit/debit card online to purchase something that company can and will sell your information to other companies.
We just had this happen to us. A charge of $24.95 was taken out from our account on 03/01/2010 from ESSNTLS FOR HOME and now a pending charge today for $14.95 from SHOPESSNTLS.
From what I can tell by looking online here are the 2 websites for them:
http://www.essentialsforhome.com/
http://www.shopessentials.net/eshop/
I have never been to these sites nor would I as everything I buy is done at Walmart. So I have no idea how they got our information.
My bank also gave me some numbers for each.
Essentls for Home 1-888-468-0499 and Shop Essentls 1-800-962-0335.
I hope this information will help others out there so that you will not be taken advantage of. I am going to cancel our cards and will be disputing these charges with my bank.
Sherrie - Colorado
We just had this happen to us. A charge of $24.95 was taken out from our account on 03/01/2010 from ESSNTLS FOR HOME and now a pending charge today for $14.95 from SHOPESSNTLS.
From what I can tell by looking online here are the 2 websites for them:
http://www.essentialsforhome.com/
http://www.shopessentials.net/eshop/
I have never been to these sites nor would I as everything I buy is done at Walmart. So I have no idea how they got our information.
My bank also gave me some numbers for each.
Essentls for Home 1-888-468-0499 and Shop Essentls 1-800-962-0335.
I hope this information will help others out there so that you will not be taken advantage of. I am going to cancel our cards and will be disputing these charges with my bank.
Sherrie - Colorado
Comments
The Senate Commerce Committee has recently held hearings on this and similar companies. Contact the office of Sen. Jay Rockefeller.
The New York Attorney General is also investigating them for consumer fraud.
"For immediate release – Tuesday, March 23, 2010.
Contact Bob Brammer – 515-281-6699, Rbrammer@ag.state.ia.us.
Court: Vertrue Violated Iowa Consumer Fraud Laws in “Sales” to 497,000 Iowans
A.G. Tom Miller: “We alleged Vertrue’s illegal sales practices resulted in a vast number of Iowans’ credit cards being charged for memberships most of the Iowans didn’t even know they had and never used.”
Des Moines. Polk County District Court Judge Robert A. Hutchison has ruled that Vertrue Inc. used deceptive and unfair practices to market so-called “buying club” memberships to almost half a million Iowans over the last twenty years, for over $36 million in revenue. [Go to court ruling.]
“Our jaws dropped, too, when we discovered the numbers,” said Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who filed the consumer fraud lawsuit that led to the Court’s decision.
“We learned during the litigation that, as of mid-2009, 497,683 Iowans had been enrolled in 863,970 buying club memberships offered by Vertrue over two decades,” Miller said.
Typical Vertrue buying club “memberships” cost $9.95 to $19.95 per month, with charges usually made to consumers’ credit card or bank accounts. The memberships purport to provide discounts or savings on books, music, clothing, home improvement items, entertainment activities, dining out, and fashion and fitness products.
“We filed the lawsuit because consumers consistently told us they didn’t even know they were members,” Miller said. “We alleged Vertrue’s illegal sales practices resulted in a vast number of Iowans’ credit cards being charged, sometimes repeatedly, for memberships most of the Iowans didn’t even know they had and never used.”
The State lawsuit, which alleged violations of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act and Iowa’s Buying Club Law, was tried Oct. 26-Nov. 5, 2009, in a bench trial before Judge Hutchison, who issued a 62-page ruling late last week finding that Vertrue and its subsidiary companies, Adaptive Marketing LLC and Idaptive Marketing LLC, were liable for consumer fraud.
Hutchison ruled that over two decades Vertrue had used deceptive and unfair techniques to enroll consumers in memberships and charge their credit cards, often without the consumers’ knowledge. Consumers often made monthly or annual payments for memberships they were not aware of – and sometimes kept paying for years.
“Judge Hutchison’s well-reasoned decision is a great benefit to Iowa consumers,” Miller said. “We have been litigating this case for four years, and it is gratifying that the judge established such an important precedent,” he said.
In this decision, Hutchison determined “liability” – that the Vertrue companies violated Iowa consumer protection laws. Next he will determine the “remedy,” such as restitution or penalties, in a separate proceeding to be scheduled soon.
Hutchison noted that Vertrue’s total Iowa membership revenues over a twenty-year period exceeded $36 million, even after previous refunds to consumers were subtracted.
“We will be seeking restitution for consumers and penalties for Vertrue in the next phase of this case,” Miller said.
Attorney General Tom Miller discussed Hutchison’s ruling at a news conference at his office in Des Moines. He was joined by Mary Grefe, a Des Moines consumer who had unwanted charges placed on her credit card by Vertrue when she responded to an Internet pop-up ad for obtaining a free credit report.
..."
http://www.state.ia.us/government/ag/latest_n ... LING_Ruling.pdf
Note Vertrue's internal policy on how to cancel and get a full refund:
"...
49 To obtain a full refund, a consumer must say that the charge was unauthorized, using that exact word and not similar terms, or must raise the specter of a complaint to the authorities. See Pl.‘s Exs. 27, 223 and
359.
..."
https://complaintwire.org/Complaint.aspx/CSQ7e6WT0AAPHAjMsETmXw
Parent Company
Provell
111000 Wayzata Blvd, Suite 680
Minneapolies Minnesota 55305
United States of America
Phone: 952-258-2000
Web Address: http://www.provell.com/