Complaint Review: Norm Thompson

Norm Thompson offers $15 off your next purchase of $50 or more when you make an internet purchase with your credit card. What is not so obvious is the fact that buried amongst the hundreds upon hundreds of small words accompanying the offer is that by providing your e-mail address, zip code, and clicking YES on the offer, you are giving the Norm Thompson Rewards program the right to bill the same credit card you used to make the purchase a charge of $1.95 for the first 30 days and then $14.95 a month thereafter because you said yes you wanted the $15 off offer!

When I discovered I had made a mistake, I phoned them within 5 minutes. This was on a Friday evening. I got their answering service who used an excuse that the purchase might not register in their system for at least an hour and that she did not want to "forget" to tell them of my error, so she asked that I call back in an hour+. Little did I know that she knew she would be off duty then..Thus, when I called back I got a pre-recorded message stating that their hours were Monday-Friday until 5 p.m.

So, I e-mailed Norm Thompson customer service. I got response from them stating that they did not administer the program. It was administered by Encore, and that since I pushed the button, I was obligated to pay their fee, and that I had to contact the Rewards program to cancel the service.

Therefore, they entrapped me with their little offer, buried the fees in hundreds, if not thousands, of accompanying qualifying words, then denied all responsibility for resolution by stating that it was not them who administered the Rewards program..It was another company.

I contacted the program and got a cancellation number, but my Discover Card charges arrived today and I was charged the first month's fee.

I tried to e-mail their management, and it is impossible. I was given a number to call and when I asked for a manager, I was told that they were busy. I thought Norm Thompson was a quality company, and I am so disappointed as to the depths to which they have sunk.

James
Hermitage, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.