I thought only stupid people could got scammed by online fraud until I also got trapped lately. Fortunately, I got most of my money back (I have to pay the exchange rates difference between USD and CAD, that is the tuition for the lessons learned)
On July 24, 2009, I ordered Acaiberry Exclusive online, then I got an email from them said CAD$1 will be charged by Viv3Labs. They didn’t mention any additional changes.
On July 25, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$1.43 (CAD$1.60) by VIV3 +442031399027
On Aug 11, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$118.63 (CAD$132.35) by FOCUSCLEANSE 3618088234
On Aug 26, 2009, my credit card was charged USD$119.02 (CAD$134.14) by FOCUSCLEANSE 3618088234
I received my first bottle of Acaiberry in August, I don’t remember the date but there is nothing in the envelope indicated I would be charged additional.
I called my credit card company (CIBC Visa) and they told me the FOCUSCLEANSE is the same company of Viv3. As I gave Viv3 my credit card number, they cannot do anything.
on Aug 31,2009, I called Viv3 to cancel my membership and they did it for me. Then I asked them to refund, but they refuse to refund the transaction on Aug 11. And they said the 2nd bottle is on its way to me, and I need to contact them for return after I receive it.
On Sep 3, 2009, I received the 2nd bottle of Acaiberry. This time they put the invoice of £69 in the envelope.
On Sep 4, 2009, I called them for refunding. They said they will send me an email in 72 hours to tell me what to do.
On Sep 6, 2009, I received their email which told me why they charged me twice, and confirmed my account is cancelled. So I wrote back to ask how to get a refund.
On Sep 7, 2009, I received the 2nd email, they said they cannot credit me as I accepted the terms and conditions. So I wrote back that I didn’t accept the terms and conditions at all, there is not checkbox for me to check. And I attached the original email they send me of charging $1 for shipping the free trial, there is no terms and conditions in that email.
On Sep 8, 2009, I received the 3rd email. They said I did agree to their terms and conditions, but they were going to give me a refund of 118.63 USD, as they prefer not dispute with clients. I wrote back I never accepted the terms and conditions, and if they will refund me, the refund amount should be 118.63 USD + 119.02 USD.
On Sep 9, 2009, I received the 4th email. They said they credited 118.63 USD and 119.02 USD to my credit card.
On Sep 15, 2009, the credit transactions appeared on my credit card (The transaction date is Sep 10). I got my money back
Lessons learned:
Before ordering:
1) When some free trials asked for a very small amount of money for shipping, you should be aware of they actually want to get your credit card number.
2) Never give your credit card number before researching the company. Don’t assume your credit card company will protect you.
3) Read the terms and conditions carefully. You don’t care about wasting a few buckets but you may be trapped into some memberships that cost you hundreds of dollars.
4) Google the company to see what kind of reputation it has, especially in the www.complaintsboard.com
5) If you really want to order the free trials no matter how many complaints you found for this company, buy yourself a visa gift card of $25 or less and use this visa number to order.
If you already got scammed
1) Calm down; don’t upset yourself too much for a few hundred dollars.
2) Google the success stories of getting a refund from that company, so you could get an idea of what kind of difficulties you can expect and how to deal with them.
3) Contact the scam company immediately. The earlier you call them, the smaller your loss.
4) Contact your credit card company, but don’t expect them to dispute all the charges.
5) Try to follow up with the scam company. If other people could get refund from that company, you definitely can as well. If other people cannot, you may also get refund.
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