Pimsleur What a SCAM!! How can they get away with this? Credit card company refuses to credit charges (after initial credit from both Pimsleur and cc company)? Internet
Pimsleur contacted us with a supposedly discounted package - $9.99 for 30 day free trial. After receiving and reviewing, we decided this was not at all for us. We called the company, they sent us a return label, and we returned the product. We were credited our initial investment the first month. The next month, we were charged $64.00 on our credit card. After calling both Pimsleur and our credit card company (Capital One), they refused to credit the money even though we no longer had the product. This has been going on for over 8 months.
We have repeatedly contacted our credit card company, who will do nothing to help us. They claim they received a 6 or 7 page document from Pimsleur stating that anyone who orders is required to pay $64.00/month for perhaps eternity? What is this?
We are being forced to try to borrow the money to pay off our credit card in its entirety because the credit card company says they cannot cancel our card because Pimsleur has a legal right to continue charging the $64.00 every month.
What a SCAM! We are disgusted with both Pimsleur AND Capital One. Any ideas?
1 Updates & Rebuttals
TWSM
Southold,New York,
USA
That is new
#2Consumer Comment
Wed, August 15, 2012
there are quite a few complaints about Pimsleur on Rip Off Report and around the net. It seems to be one of those typical 'fine print' deals where if you are not careful to read all of the terms and conditions you will find that your 'free trial' has signed you up for a super deluxe package. I dont think it will be $64/month for eternity, but 4-6 months to pay off a big package of cd's. Check their site for the details.
What amazes is me is that Capital One will not allow you to cancel your credit card -- that is something new that I never heard of before. I wonder if it goes so far as if you report the card lost or stolen they will only issue you a new card, AND they will transfer the right for Pimsleur to keep charging you on that new card. Thus a common tool of the consumer to break the cycle of recurring charges -- canceling the card- has now been removed from the table. That really is not a service to Capital Ones clients, and even smacks of collusion with the retailer in question. Sort of 'make sure your site has X in the fine print, and we will make sure we collect for you (and us)'. That really stinks
Finally as a retailer I am amazed at what these big companies get away with on credit cards, esp recurring charges. Thank God I do not get much in the way of chargebacks or fraud on my site, but when I do as the retailer I always lose. No matter how clearly unfair.
I think the only way to avoid these types of charges is to NEVER give out your credit card number as part of a 'free trial' or to pay 'shipping charges'. I got stuff from Pimsleur before, and I know I had to really be careful to make sure what I was getting was really FREE, and when i did buy stuff from them, what I was buying was free from recurring charges or continuing deals. I was able to get it done, but I remember it took a bit of internet gymnastics, even to the point of buying some of it on ebay, just to avoid the Pimsleur billing foolishness.