WPI IFRIENDS. VIP fraudulent charges Miami Florida
Ifriends charged $6.95 to my credit card this month spontaneously. When I contacted the tollfree number provided on my credit card statements, I was told that I'd been charged monthly since May. Having not seen this charge for the six months they claimed, I challenged them and was told that they "might have charged several months at once so it wouldn't have shown necessarily last month." They provided me with an email address that I've not used in some time as proof and then cancelled my account.
This is the third time I've called and had this account cancelled and the last. I'll be contacting Citibank in the morning and reporting them for fraud.
Matt
spartanburg, South Carolina
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Steve
Lake Worth,Florida,
U.S.A.
Reply from iFriends/WebPower Customer Service - (800) 243-9726
#2UPDATE Employee
Fri, November 17, 2006
Shortly before posting this RipOffReport complaint, Matt contacted us directly via phone to inquire about the charges and to cancel his iFriends account. We verified and explained the charges that were billed, and Matt indicated that he was satisfied with the actions we took. At no time did Matt request a refund or indicate that the charges were not authorized. However, because customer service is our number one priority, we have issued refunds for the charges in question. We have emailed Matt, at the email address we have on file, to notify him of the refunds that have been posted. If he has any further questions or concerns, we strongly encourage him to contact our Customer Support Department 24 hours day, 7 days a week at (800) 243-9726.
Our transaction records indicate, and Matt verified when he called, that the account in question was created using his personal information, including credit-card number, mailing address, email address, and IP address. In addition, the foregoing information was independently verified using records supplied by Visa/Mastercard, as well as by internet IP-address registries. Prior to Matt's call, we had received no communication from him, either online or via phone, indicating that he wished to cancel or that he was dissatisfied with the service. When a customer cancels an iFriends account, he or she is given a cancellation number and no further charges are posted after that time. It is possible that the cancellation Matt recalls was the cancellation of an account with another company, not with iFriends
The scenario presented in Matt's report is not one that realistically could have occurred on our web site. We offer several different types of memberships. While the standard iFriends membership carries no charge, the charges mentioned were for additional premium services requested by him. The membership in which Matt opted to enroll included the fees mentioned in his report, and it was charged monthly. All charges incurred by Matt on the account were clearly and conspicuously disclosed in advance. Because credit card processing procedures will sometimes delay a charge several days (or more, depending on the particular practices of the credit card company), it is possible that the charges did not always post on the same day each month, and this fact may have caused confusion, leading to Matt's belief that he was not charged each month. No customer could incur charges as specified in Matt's complaint without advance disclosure of such charges and numerous multiple click-throughs by the customer to indicate his acknowledgement and affirmative consent to such charges.
Our company has a spotless 11-year-record with all of the leading consumer protection agencies, and we are an industry leader in the development of model online consumer best practices. Every one of our web services is verified by TRUSTe to be on its sealholder list of "the most trustworthy online businesses." All prices and terms on our service are clearly and conspicuously disclosed, including use of prominent icons and multiple clickthroughs, in any instance in which a customer will incur charges. In addition, our "Customer is Always Right" policy ensures that we take action sufficient to obtain each customer's complete satisfaction, including making refunds for any charges which a customer has incurred but disputes. Again, we invite Matt to contact us with any questions he may have.