Stockport internet users – residents, employers and employees alike are being warned to be wary of ‘free trial’ offers for health and cosmetic products.
There has been a rise in complaints where many disreputable companies, both in the UK and overseas are using the internet to advertise beauty products and conning users to sign up for ‘free trials’ for products such as vitamins, face creams and diet pills, only to discover that their bank accounts have later been debited for large amounts of money.
In most cases the customer receives some goods but then notices that additional charges are being made every month. The charges typically range from £49 to £89 per month. If the consumer manages to contact the firm they are told that because they failed to cancel after the ‘free trial’ period ended they owe money every month.
Marketing Stockport’s Helen White has first hand experience:
“I saw an offer for face cream on a Facebook page and paid £5 for a sample of face cream. When it arrived I was actually quite impressed with the quantity and did suspect that this just might be too good to be true and indeed it was!
“When I read the small print I noticed that I had committed to a monthly delivery at £89 per month – which had been taken from my bank account. Luckily I hadn’t opened the product but did a quick search online and found that many other people had been conned too. I contacted the company in Edinburgh, complained bitterly and was told to return the goods. I did so immediately and was lucky enough to have been refunded the full amount. I also asked the bank to re-issue my debit card with a new number so that no more monies could be taken”.
Often the terms and conditions of such offers are either very unclear or not provided at all when the consumers agreed to pay the postage and receive the ‘free trial’. The consumer provided their card or bank details to pay the postage and so the firm had everything they needed to claim more money.
Investigations have revealed that many of the firms are based abroad, use fake addresses, and more often than not refuse to refund any money to aggrieved customers.
Councillor Kevin Hogg, Stockport Council’s Executive Member for Public Realm, said:
“Regardless of how convincing these offers seem consumers need to be aware that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Promises that customers can simply cancel after the ‘free trial’ period ends, or that they will guarantee to refund your money if you are not happy with the goods are worthless if you cannot contact the firm later.
“Always bear in mind that no matter what your rights are, and no matter what promises are made, once the firm has your money it can be very difficult, if not impossible, to get it back.”
Anybody who thinks they have been a victim of a scam like this can get advice from the Citizens Advice Consumer line by calling 08454 04 05 06, or by visiting their website www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
These scams can also be reported to the national fraud reporting authority, Action Fraud, by calling 0300 123 2040 or by visiting their website at www.actionfraud.police.uk
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