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Bargain.com/Questsavers ripoff deceptive company Nationwide Internet
I signed up for free-trial membership at Bargain.com. If I didn't cancel in 30 days my CC would be billed $8.95 non-refundable, that I now read in the fine print. Why would a company offer a FREE-TRIAL if they bill you anyway at the end of the month for $8.95. Don't sound free to me.
Anyway, I received a membership package in the mail from Questsavers about a week later, stating my account would be charged $8.95 unless I cancelled membership. I never signed up or had given Questsaver my CC information, only Bargain.com. So I thought they were the same company.(timing and same dollar amount).
I called Questsavers 2 weeks before expiration and cancelled membership on an automated system (Mistake, I don't know).
My CC statement was charged $8.95 from Bargain. I called and they said I cancelled Questsavers not them. Bargain forwarded all my info to Questsavers and they WOULD have billed me also for $8.95, if I didn't cancel Quest. Bargain said a window popped up and I must have agreed to sign up with Questsavers also. Even though I might not be billed from Questsavers, what gives Bargain the right to distribute my CC information to whoever they please. Thats wrong! Thanks to this site, I hope someone else learns from this.
Laurien
Brewster, New York
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
John
Santa Barbara,California,
U.S.A.
For your protection, everything is recorded/tracked for both online accounts and sales department
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, September 11, 2003
While working at Bargain Network, the majority of the incoming calls were from irate members claiming that they never signed up for a monthly subscription to Bargain Network. When someone calls the sales dept responding to an ad in the newspaper or tv the salesperson HAS to read a very specific script which explains 2 or 3 SEPERATE times that they can cancel their service at any time before the free trial end date in order to avoid a monthly billing charge of $8.95 or whatever the current rate of membership is. Towards the end of the call, the salesperson states "to VERIFY that you understand that the (current monthly membership price) charge will be AUTOMATICALLY drafted from the account that you have provided UNLESS you cancel WITHIN you free 30 day trial, press any key on your phone pad now." The sale cannot process without that happening. After that sale is over, you are then offered some free trial promotions from seperate companies where it is explained what the companies name is, what they offer, and then AFTER you authorize THAT sale by either stating your city of birth or some other means of specific verbal authorization, you are given THAT companies customer service number if you need to modify you account with them within THEIR free 30 trial. EVERYTHING is record for both the customer's protection and Bargain Network's protection. Membership reps from one company can't cancel an account that a customer might have with a completely seperate company. That's like if you called up Mastercard to cancel you credit card with American Express. FOR ALL CUSTOMERS WHO SIGNED UP ON THE PHONE: If you don't understand something, either ask questions or don't agree. It'll just end up making you feel embarrassed when you ask to have the call pulled and hear that you readily agreed to and authorized everything.
Katie
Los Angeles,California,
U.S.A.
Not paying attention to what you're signing up for, doesn't make it fraud
#4UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, August 01, 2003
I have worked for Bargain Network, as well as several other telemarketing companies that offer Quest Savers. Bargain.com's compliance department is extremely stringent, so that it is very difficult, and very unlikely that the sales person on the line with you is giving you false information. Quest Savers is another 30 day trial membership that is offered immediately after you have already signed up for the website, both over the phone and through live chat on the internet. I think there are a lot of people who sign up for this second membership without knowing it is a seperate program (especially online when they are chatting with a live agent directly after ordering online) , or that it is an ADDITIONAL 30 day trial. However, they DO sign up for it only after the sales rep has made a FULL disclosure, including billing terms, description of the program (a program which, incidentally, bares little to no resemblance to Bargain.com's offerrings, so that it should be recognizable as a seperate package) and cancellation instructions. So if you receive a mysterious package that you think you didn't sign up for, you probably did but don't remember agreeing to it. This does not make it fraud, nor does it make you, the consumer, a victim. Don't mindlessly agree to things without asking questions. You MUST make sure that you know what you're signing up for, especially when your credit card information is at stake. As for Bargain.com, every single call they take is recorded/all chats are saved in their complete forms, so if you really think you got lied to, ask them to pull the call, and almost guaranteed, you agreed to it, and then you gave your city of birth to confirm it.
Helen
Santa Barbara,California,
U.S.A.
Please read and understand the terms of membership before you sign up with an online company
#4UPDATE Employee
Wed, May 07, 2003
Bargain.com is a consumer based website that provides discount pricing and contact information for houses and vehicles. It currently maintains the largest database of foreclosed homes in the US. They do offer a free 30-day membership to customers that are interested in the program. The reason why it is free for 30 days is so the consumer can decide for themselves whether or not the service will be useful for them. If a customer decides to keep the program it is $8.95 per month and the customer can cancel at any time without any further obligation. Questsaver is a separate company that we advertise for, in no way, shape or form do we forward our customer's billing information to Questsaver without their specific and expressed authorization. If a customer does not want to try Questsaver free for 30 days, they should not agree to it. This customer probably didn't read what she was getting into and that created confusion. Bargain.com is a legitimate company that is committed to excellence and helping Americans find discounted houses and vehicles in their area.