if you've been ripped off cancel by calling (800) 475-1942
0
Jan Nilsen
if you've been ripped off cancel by calling (800) 475-1942
0
tj
In addition, file a fraud dispute with your bank for any unauthorized charges.
Charges are unauthorized if you never agreed to them, regardless of what the company claims. They are also unauthorized if they charge you after you have contacted them to cancel, or if they somehow manage to make it impossible to contact them to cancel after you have decided to do so, such as by having no working contact information, or a phone number that never reaches an actual person.
If they are taking your money without your permission, file a bank fraud dispute, follow up in writing, and close or block the account due to fraud, and make sure you dispute within 60 days of the statement date of the statement showing the disputed charges to preserve your FRB Reg. E or FCBA dispute rights.
Visa targets online marketing 'scam' by Greg Sandoval
Visa, one of the world's largest credit card companies, is taking aim at "scam" marketing practices that were quietly used by some of the Internet's largest retailers in recent years.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET) Retailers will no longer be able to allow third parties to charge a customer's card without the card owner re-entering credit card information, Visa said Tuesday. This is Visa's response to one of the biggest scandals to rock online retailing in years.
Last year, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation launched an investigation after learning that thousands of consumers had complained about receiving mysterious credit card charges.
The committee concluded that millions of consumers were misled into signing up for so-called loyalty programs with the help of companies such as as Classmates.com, Continental Airlines, Priceline, Orbitz, Buy.com, and many others. Lawmakers said during hearings that these merchants had made an unholy but profitable alliance with one or more of three so-called post-transaction marketing firms: Webloyalty, Affinion, and Vertrue.
Under most of the agreements between the marketing firms and retailers, an advertising page is presented to shoppers while they complete a transaction at the retailer's online store. Many shoppers say they entered their e-mail address and pushed a large "Yes" button on the ad because it appeared to be a $10 cash-back offer or coupon. Many of those who complained say they thought they were being rewarded by the retailer for making a purchase.
Buried in the fine print are the full terms of the deal. Customers are notified that by providing their e-mail address they are joining a membership program and agreeing to pay one of the marketing firms a monthly fee, typically between $10 and $20. Many people said they didn't see this notice.
Visa's new requirement is designed to send a "clear signal to cardholders that a second purchase is being initiated and protects them from questionable marketing practices," the company said.
With the government leaning on them, many of the merchants involved have severed ties with the post-transaction marketers, which have also taken steps to alter their business practices. They haven't gone far enough, however, critics have said. ..."
0
tj
Several recent complaints indicate they may be employing fraudulent telemarketers calling to create the appearance of a separate sales call with "authorization" by the consumer.
There are reports of consumers receiving hang-up calls, followed by unauthorized charges appearing. There are also reports of consumers calling such "discount clubs" to dispute unauthorized charges, and being told they had "authorized" the charge to a telemarketer, which they deny even receiving a call from.
This may be a response to the NY AG crack-down which has resulted in a number of key merchant marketing partners dropping affiliation with "discount club" scams.
It was already common practice for disputes to be met with just some vague claim it was some unnamed marketing partner, for which no information was available, but "you authorized it".
Fabricating of recordings, or false claims to have recorded "authorizations", have been used in fraudulent telemarketing since the FTC introduced the requirement that pre-acquired account negative-option telemarketng must employ "verifiable authorization" through either complete recording of the call with consumer disclosure of at least the last 4 digits of the account number, or that verification must be obtained in writing, in 2003.
Complaints indicating of fabrications clearly constructed to "meet" the TSR requirements have been appearing ever since.
0
tj
Senate Commerce Committee report on AGGRESSIVE SALES TACTICS ON THE INTERNET AND THEIR IMPACT ON AMERICAN CONSUMERS, Staff Report for Chairman Rockefeller, November 16, 2009.
The Committee opened this investigation because thousands of online consumers have complained to state attorneys general, the Better Business Bureau, and other consumer advocates that the enrollment process described above is misleading and deceptive. These consumers complain that they did not consent to sharing their billing information with a third party membership club. They also say they only learned they had been enrolled in one of these membership clubs after seeing a ―mystery charge‖ on their monthly credit card or checking account statement months after the purchase.
These complaints suggest that the aggressive sales tactics of Affinion, Vertrue, Webloyalty, and their partners are harming large numbers of American consumers. They also suggest that these companies‘ tactics may be negatively affecting consumers‘ overall attitude towards online commerce. Since opening this investigation, Committee staff has collected and reviewed thousands of pages of documents produced by Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty; interviewed dozens of Internet consumers who have complained about unknowingly and inadvertently enrolling in the programs offered by the three companies; interviewed employees of e-retailers currently and formerly in partnerships with the three companies; and met with numerous e-commerce experts.
Although it is not yet complete, the key findings of the Committee staff‘s investigation thus far are the following:
Using aggressive sales tactics to enroll consumers in unwanted membership clubs is a billion-dollar business. Affinion, Vertrue, Webloyalty and their e-commerce partners have earned over $1.4 billion in revenue by using aggressive tactics to charge Internet shoppers for club membership programs. Since 1999, Internet consumers have been enrolled more than 35 million times in Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty‘s membership clubs. In June 2009, there were 4 million Internet consumers currently enrolled in these three companies‘ membership programs.
Hundreds of well-known websites and online retailers have earned hundreds of millions of dollars employing aggressive online sales tactics. More than 450 e-commerce websites and retailers have partnered with Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty to employ aggressive sales tactics against their online customers. Of the $1.4 billion in total revenue earned through using these tactics, $792 million of this total was earned by Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty‘s e-commerce partners. Eighty-eight e-commerce companies have earned more than $1 million through using these tactics,including 19 that have made more than $10 million. Classmates.com has made more than $70 million using these controversial practices.
Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty have knowingly charged millions of consumers for services the consumers do not use and are unaware they have purchased. Internal documents reviewed by Committee staff show that Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty know that most of the ―members‖ they acquire through their aggressive online sales tactics do not understand they have been enrolled in a program that charges their credit or debit card on a recurring basis. Most consumers enrolled in the clubs cancel their memberships when they discover the monthly charge and never receive any benefit from their club membership. One Webloyalty employee candidly commented in an e-mail that, ―at least 90% of our members don‘t know anything about the membership.‖
Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty’s customer service centers are almost entirely dedicated to handling the large volume of calls from angry and confused consumers requesting cancellations. Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty receive millions of calls every year from angry, frustrated consumers cancelling their membership or asking questions about the charge on their credit or debit card. One Webloyalty employee acknowledged in an e-mail that most of its calls were ―from members who are questioning charges or want to cancel their membership,‖ while a Vertrue employee had estimated that ―cancellation calls represent approximately 98% of call volume.‖ The companies‘ internal manuals train their call center representatives to answer questions such as, ―what is this charge?‖ or ―who are you?‖
E-Commerce companies know that their customers are being harmed by the aggressive sales tactics of Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty. The e-commerce companies partnered with Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty understand that more aggressive sales tactics lead to higher revenue. In the words of one company official, ―to generate more revenue through Webloyalty, it seems we must be more aggressive (and deceptive) in our marketing techniques.‖ Thousands of customers have contacted the companies using words like ―fraud,‖ ―tricked,‖ ―deceptive,‖ ―misleading,‖ ―scam,‖ ―deceitful,‖ ―dishonest,‖ ―betrayed,‖ and ―robbed‖ to describe their experiences. This ―customer noise‖ has led a number of e-commerce partners to request a more ―conservative‖ approach or to end their relationships with Affinion, Vertrue, or Webloyalty. ..."
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Tanya Radic
Dang well right they are a scam.. after checking my CC charges I find 13.95 they are charging my account every month. I get so tired of fighting to uncover scams... How can these crooks get by with this?
0
sonia
| 1 reply
call on this number to cancel membership 800-526-4848 for tlg shopper, n for value solutions call 888-803-3217
Comments
Charges are unauthorized if you never agreed to them, regardless of what the company claims. They are also unauthorized if they charge you after you have contacted them to cancel, or if they somehow manage to make it impossible to contact them to cancel after you have decided to do so, such as by having no working contact information, or a phone number that never reaches an actual person.
If they are taking your money without your permission, file a bank fraud dispute, follow up in writing, and close or block the account due to fraud, and make sure you dispute within 60 days of the statement date of the statement showing the disputed charges to preserve your FRB Reg. E or FCBA dispute rights.
"April 27, 2010 5:48 AM PDT
Visa targets online marketing 'scam'
by Greg Sandoval
Visa, one of the world's largest credit card companies, is taking aim at "scam" marketing practices that were quietly used by some of the Internet's largest retailers in recent years.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET) Retailers will no longer be able to allow third parties to charge a customer's card without the card owner re-entering credit card information, Visa said Tuesday. This is Visa's response to one of the biggest scandals to rock online retailing in years.
Last year, the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation launched an investigation after learning that thousands of consumers had complained about receiving mysterious credit card charges.
The committee concluded that millions of consumers were misled into signing up for so-called loyalty programs with the help of companies such as as Classmates.com, Continental Airlines, Priceline, Orbitz, Buy.com, and many others. Lawmakers said during hearings that these merchants had made an unholy but profitable alliance with one or more of three so-called post-transaction marketing firms: Webloyalty, Affinion, and Vertrue.
Under most of the agreements between the marketing firms and retailers, an advertising page is presented to shoppers while they complete a transaction at the retailer's online store. Many shoppers say they entered their e-mail address and pushed a large "Yes" button on the ad because it appeared to be a $10 cash-back offer or coupon. Many of those who complained say they thought they were being rewarded by the retailer for making a purchase.
Buried in the fine print are the full terms of the deal. Customers are notified that by providing their e-mail address they are joining a membership program and agreeing to pay one of the marketing firms a monthly fee, typically between $10 and $20. Many people said they didn't see this notice.
Visa's new requirement is designed to send a "clear signal to cardholders that a second purchase is being initiated and protects them from questionable marketing practices," the company said.
With the government leaning on them, many of the merchants involved have severed ties with the post-transaction marketers, which have also taken steps to alter their business practices. They haven't gone far enough, however, critics have said.
..."
There are reports of consumers receiving hang-up calls, followed by unauthorized charges appearing. There are also reports of consumers calling such "discount clubs" to dispute unauthorized charges, and being told they had "authorized" the charge to a telemarketer, which they deny even receiving a call from.
This may be a response to the NY AG crack-down which has resulted in a number of key merchant marketing partners dropping affiliation with "discount club" scams.
It was already common practice for disputes to be met with just some vague claim it was some unnamed marketing partner, for which no information was available, but "you authorized it".
Fabricating of recordings, or false claims to have recorded "authorizations", have been used in fraudulent telemarketing since the FTC introduced the requirement that pre-acquired account negative-option telemarketng must employ "verifiable authorization" through either complete recording of the call with consumer disclosure of at least the last 4 digits of the account number, or that verification must be obtained in writing, in 2003.
Complaints indicating of fabrications clearly constructed to "meet" the TSR requirements have been appearing ever since.
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Se ... 02-ef8e51a35ad9
"...
The Senate Commerce Committee Investigation
The Committee opened this investigation because thousands of online consumers have complained to state attorneys general, the Better Business Bureau, and other consumer advocates that the enrollment process described above is misleading and deceptive. These consumers complain that they did not consent to sharing their billing information with a third party membership club. They also say they only learned they had been enrolled in one of these membership clubs after seeing a ―mystery charge‖ on their monthly credit card or checking account statement months after the purchase.
These complaints suggest that the aggressive sales tactics of Affinion, Vertrue, Webloyalty, and their partners are harming large numbers of American consumers. They also suggest that these companies‘ tactics may be negatively affecting consumers‘ overall attitude towards online commerce.
Since opening this investigation, Committee staff has collected and reviewed thousands of pages of documents produced by Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty; interviewed dozens of Internet consumers who have complained about unknowingly and inadvertently enrolling in the programs offered by the three companies; interviewed employees of e-retailers currently and formerly in partnerships with the three companies; and met with numerous e-commerce experts.
Although it is not yet complete, the key findings of the Committee staff‘s investigation thus far are the following:
Using aggressive sales tactics to enroll consumers in unwanted membership clubs is a billion-dollar business. Affinion, Vertrue, Webloyalty and their e-commerce partners have earned over $1.4 billion in revenue by using aggressive tactics to charge Internet shoppers for club membership programs. Since 1999, Internet consumers have been enrolled more than 35 million times in Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty‘s membership clubs. In June 2009, there were 4 million Internet consumers currently enrolled in these three companies‘ membership programs.
Hundreds of well-known websites and online retailers have earned hundreds of millions of dollars employing aggressive online sales tactics. More than 450 e-commerce websites and retailers have partnered with Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty to employ aggressive sales tactics against their online customers. Of the $1.4 billion in total revenue earned through using these tactics, $792 million of this total was earned by Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty‘s e-commerce partners. Eighty-eight e-commerce companies have earned more than $1 million through using these tactics,including 19 that have made more than $10 million. Classmates.com has made more than $70 million using these controversial practices.
Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty have knowingly charged millions of consumers for services the consumers do not use and are unaware they have purchased. Internal documents reviewed by Committee staff show that Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty know that most of the ―members‖ they acquire through their aggressive online sales tactics do not understand they have been enrolled in a program that charges their credit or debit card on a recurring basis. Most consumers enrolled in the clubs cancel their memberships when they discover the monthly charge and never receive any benefit from their club membership. One Webloyalty employee candidly commented in an e-mail that, ―at least 90% of our members don‘t know anything about the membership.‖
Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty’s customer service centers are almost entirely dedicated to handling the large volume of calls from angry and confused consumers requesting cancellations. Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty receive millions of calls every year from angry, frustrated consumers cancelling their membership or asking questions about the charge on their credit or debit card. One Webloyalty employee acknowledged in an e-mail that most of its calls were ―from members who are questioning charges or want to cancel their membership,‖ while a Vertrue employee had estimated that ―cancellation calls represent approximately 98% of call volume.‖ The companies‘ internal manuals train their call center representatives to answer questions such as, ―what is this charge?‖ or ―who are you?‖
E-Commerce companies know that their customers are being harmed by the aggressive sales tactics of Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty. The e-commerce companies partnered with Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty understand that more aggressive sales tactics lead to higher revenue. In the words of one company official, ―to generate more revenue through Webloyalty, it seems we must be more aggressive (and deceptive) in our marketing techniques.‖ Thousands of customers have contacted the companies using words like ―fraud,‖ ―tricked,‖ ―deceptive,‖ ―misleading,‖ ―scam,‖ ―deceitful,‖ ―dishonest,‖ ―betrayed,‖ and ―robbed‖ to describe their experiences. This ―customer noise‖ has led a number of e-commerce partners to request a more ―conservative‖ approach or to end their relationships with Affinion, Vertrue, or Webloyalty.
..."
i just cancled my membership hope this helps u all