Complaint Review: Affinion Group

My experience with Affinion began when I received a "membership renewal notice" in the mail.  I would have normally thrown away the letter as junk mail, but I didn't recognize the company name.  The alleged "benefits package" contained no description but came with three or four pages of legal boilerplate.  A quick Internet search led to "Ripoff Report" where I discovered that Affinion likes charging checking or savings account without any authorization.

I reviewed my bank statement (something I should do more often and more carefully) and lo and behold... I found a $2 charge for "ben package" and a toll free number.  It should be relatively straightforward matter to file an ACH dispute and prevent the firm from charging my account in the future.  If the bank gives me any grief, I'll simply close the account and open an account somewhere else.

Affinion provided a number to cancel the non-existent membership, however, I have no interest in providing any personal information to a company obviously intent on defrauding consumers.  A simple review of the wiki entry for Affinion will show the long and less than stellar legal history of the firm.  The most recent class action lawsuit accuses the firm of "colluding with numerous online merchants in an effort to sell memberships in the above named discount clubs. According to the complaints, consumers were induced into "joining" these clubs when they made purchases at websites. The complaint alleges that Trilegiant paid these reputable online retailers for customers' billing information, including credit card and debit card numbers, through a process known as 'data pass.'"

In addition to filing an ACH dispute, I'm going to send a certified letter to Affinion and I've filed a complaint with the Maryland Attorney General.  I'm only out a few dollars, but hopefully continued consumer pressure will force some regulatory agency to put a stop to Affinion.