Warning! Do not order from the free trials ads

[Chrissie]

Please do not order from the free trials ads you may come across. They are far from being free.

The fine print in the contract you make with them when you sign up for the free trial, means they can take almost as much money as they like from your bank account/credit card.

They sell inferior products at vastly OT prices & not just e-cigs.

Plus please be aware, if you see any banner ads at the top of the forum advertising e-cigs, they have nothing to do with the forum & it's best not to buy from them either. Instead please check out the list of suppliers thread -

allaboute-cigarettes.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=suppliers&thread=2&page=1#2



link fixed

[Brian]

link does`nt work

[Brian]

ya a star....

[Anne (fuzzy)]

[alvoram]

I've seen this before, they employ a similar tactic face to face, so people should be aware of that too (if it isn't already buried in a post elsewhere)

They will stop you in the town centre, and ask you if you're interested in a free E-Cig but get you to sign up to a membership scheme, which includes signing a direct debit form etc.... very similar and also a scam.

[Anne (fuzzy)]

*Tried and tested*

If you ever see these time wasters people in town centres who try and collar you to sell you something, grab your mobile phone quick and pretend you're talking to someone, they don't bother you then.

[alvoram]

I tend to be in my own world in town, I just want to get in, get what I need, and get the hell out of there...

** sorry for the slightly off topic ramblings.

[Anne (fuzzy)]

No thread stays on topic in here alvoram, I can promise you! Ask anyone, lol.

[foxy9212]

Feb 8, 2012 23:51:09 GMT alvoram said:

I've seen this before, they employ a similar tactic face to face, so people should be aware of that too (if it isn't already buried in a post elsewhere)

They will stop you in the town centre, and ask you if you're interested in a free E-Cig but get you to sign up to a membership scheme, which includes signing a direct debit form etc.... very similar and also a scam.

At least you can cancel direct debits; once the 'free trial' folks have your email address and card details your essentially stuffed. The small print states that the moment you click 'submit' for the 'free' trial, you're also signed up to countless other so-called subscriptions to goodness knows what - generally in connection with a fitness club. All the various 'companies' concerned come under one umbrella and it's almost impossible to cancel them all, even if you're lucky enough to be able to cancel the initial 'contract.'

I was one of the lucky few who never received the goods (trial) so no contract existed between us, hence my credit card company stopped payments being taken; others, less lucky, have lost hundreds of pounds.

The trial is free, the goods are not - the trial starts the moment you click 'submit' and not from the date you receive the goods, therefore it's impossible to try the product and return it within the time specified unless you live next door to their 'depot' (in the USA for me). In many cases, the full amount of the product is removed from the bank immediately and monthly thereafter, followed by claims from at least three or four other companies with different domain names - this company owns hundreds of domain names so if one fails, they will try another. It's an absolute nightmare.

There is nothing that is strictly illegal in what these people do as it is a case of caveat emptor - the small print (terms and conditions) is almost impossible to understand.

The products being offered range from slimming aids (acai berries), tooth whitening products, to face creams and the 'mom' who discovered the 'simple tip' and who, surprisingly, lives in your town, very likely doesn't and didn't.

There was an advert on my Facebook page the other day telling me that a 50 year old woman now looks 25 owing to a 'simple trick;' the woman pictured was Cheryl Cole and I'd lay odds she knows nothing about it. Several 'celebs' have already sued to stop their names being used in this way but have settled out of court.

It's a jungle out there.

Fox

[alvoram]

Wow Foxy, sounds like you've had an awful experience, I'm guessing the only way out was to cancel your card and have a new one sent? Which is a real pain in the butt. You'd think the companies providing the means for them to advertise such shady schemes, would be a little bit more selective over who and what type of products/schemes they allow to use their service, but you see these ads all the time on facebook and google ads.

[Anne (fuzzy)]

I got caught with the 'free' tights scam years ago. >

[Martin]

I hate all these types of scamms, that's the only thing with the internet it makes it too easy for parasites etc..

is there no sort of official guild of Ecig vendors etc, or some kind of body to officate genuine vendors etc..

[Jemima]

Theres ECCA and ECITA Martin but I don't think either of them have an "official" list of all the suppliers. ECITA is the vendors association and quite a few vendors are members. ECCA is the consumer association. Best advice would be to use a vendor reccomended on the forums or if you come across one not named then just ask if anyone has tried them.

Also another top tip, if you do get approached on the street to fill in paperwork with your details, feel free to give them false info Last one I filled in I was Mrs Ghandi and my bank code was 12345678910 lol



*sry Mrs Ghandi*

[Martin]

Haha Mrs Ghandi.. Indeed:)....

why not, bit of sweet revenge on the parasites, I hate it when I just want to go a shop for 1 product etc, and theyre all out with their clipboards etc and come and stand in your way....grrrr!...

and yeah, thats the great thing about places like this and forums etc, real reviews from real people who actually use and experience their service etc, hopefully as this place expands and others like it, the targets for the scammers/scummers.. will become less.

Jimi Hendrix!..

[foxy9212]

Feb 9, 2012 0:49:04 GMT alvoram said:

Wow Foxy, sounds like you've had an awful experience, I'm guessing the only way out was to cancel your card and have a new one sent? Which is a real pain in the butt. You'd think the companies providing the means for them to advertise such shady schemes, would be a little bit more selective over who and what type of products/schemes they allow to use their service, but you see these ads all the time on facebook and google ads.

Yup, I had to cancel my card but that's no guarantee as any new requests for payment can be re-directed to the new card. In my case, and with the help of my bank's fraud department in finding a central address, I was able to write a Cease & Desist letter that seemed to stop the boogers in their tracks; I did have to monitor my credit card a/c for a good few months though. From reading other complaints, many card companies/banks were either unable or unwilling to help at all.

The address my bank gave me was in Milton Keynes - I received no response from there.

The bank traced all the domain names that had attempted to 'raid' my account, to a food shop in Cyprus. Because they operate from outside the EU and the USA, taking action against them is very difficult.

For example : www.complaintsboard.com/?search=Dazzle+White

Fox >