Complaint Review: NDR/Alto Jewels

I was shopping on Amazon.com and a survey request popped up on my screen offering me a $50 Amazon gift card if I participated in their survey.  Once I completed the survey I was directed to a page for my gift where I was told that their daily allotment of Gift Cards had already been claimed and to choose an item from a list and I only had to pay a shipping charge of $6.95 to receive my gift.  I chose a pair of earrings that I was quite happy with.  I kept getting this survey request from every website I visited during the holiday season and chose an item from Alto Jewels as my gift each time. 

I honestly thought I was getting a free gift for my time.  When I received my package theier was a card inside thanking me for supporting thier exclusive collection and notifying me that I had 14 days to return the product.  I thought they were a great company because they gave me the option of returning ior exchanging my free gift for taking their survey. 

I had been quite sick with the flu and had not been checking my bank statement until I received a third item from them in January and had not taken any surveys to select them as a gift for my time.   That is when I discovered that it was a 14-day free trial and that I was billed $98.97 each month for their costume jewelry that I was offered as a gift for the time I took to complete their survey. 

I called Alto to tell them I thought their practice was deceptive because they presented it as a gift and did not have any information on the page you select your gift telling us it was a 14-day trial.  Their representative told me it was my fault because I didn't read the terms and conditions that I supposedly checked off when I submitted my credit card information for the shipping charges for my free gift.  I explained they didn't offer me a 14-day free trial when they asked me to take the survey and I had no idea I was being ripped off by being sent a 14-day free trial instead of a free gift that was offered for taking the time to complete their survey. 

The representative told me I should have read the terms and conditions where it clearly indicates that it is not a gift but a free-trial.  That is very deceptive because you have already taken the time to give them their feedback for the company and that I wouldn't have taken the time ito do the suvey ifor an offer of a free trial instead of the gift they said I was going to get.  They informed me that I would have to pay the shipping charges to send the item back. 

I had done a lot of online shopping for Christmas and was not happy with these survey requests constantly interrupting me while I was trying to shop.  I honestly believed i was receiving a gift for my time and not signing up for a monthyly jewelry item to be shipped to me at a cost of &98.97.  My free gift for the time.  The feedback I provided for Amazon's website cost me $300.  This is a scam and people neeed to know it