Complaint Review: AuraVie Skin Care - Van Nuys California

I was on the internet searching for coupon websites.  I filled out a few questionaires and at the end of one of them the AuraVie company offered a free sample of their product. ONLY pay shipping/handling charges for less than $3.  And that was ALL it said.

I am very aware of the small "mice type" that most companies use to offer trial periods and explain extra charges that will be billed.  NONE of that was EVER displayed.  I remember thinking that this must be a really great product if they'll let you try it with no strings attached, so I decided to give it a try.

I received the product within a week and the only paperwork in the box was a coupon and the invoice for the S/H.  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that explained I was on a trial period and would be billed within 10 days or that I was on an auto-ship program, which is now what I'm thinking I'm now on after reading other victim's posts. (I'm guessing that I'll be receivng more product in the mail soon that I didn't order.)

Yesterday, 11-8-12, I was checking my credit card statement on-line and I saw a mysterious charge for $97.88 and beside it the initials SV and a phone number.  I called the number and an AuraVie rep named "Moses" was very pleasant and listened as I explained that this charge was never advertised when I placed the order.

He continued to say that the website where I entered my credit card would have had to have the print to the LEFT of it that explained the charges and the 10 day trial.  He gave me the website for me to check.  And what do you know?? (sarcasm here) There it was!!  OF COURSE IT WAS ON THEIR WEBSITE!!!  That is NOT where I ordered the product from!  IN FACT, I had NEVER seen this website!!  That's because I didn't go there to order, THEY CAME TO ME on the coupon website I had been on.

I was adamant that the fine print was never there to read when I ordered.  He said it would have re-directed me to their website to enter my credit card and that I couldn't have ordered it without being on their website and seeing that fine print...Actually on their webpage, it isn't even fine print.  It is huge and jumps right out at you.  There is NO WAY you could miss it.  There is no way that I MISSED IT.  That's because it WASN'T THERE FOLKS!!  I wouldn't have ordered it if it had been there, or I would have cancelled before the ten days was up.  In fact, it says the product takes 30 days before you notice any difference.  So why would I want to pay $100 after only a 10 day trial???  I wouldn't know by then if I even wanted it or not.



So now, I don't know if the rep is in on the fraud or if he really doesn't know how they are sucking people in to buy their product.  You would think if he's been at it a while, that he would be hearing LOTS of complaints such as mine and would be on to it by now.  So many people from so many states couldn't be making this up.  I do not know what to do but except dispute it on my credit card, which is a pending charge as of now.  I am going to try and go back to the coupon web site that I was on that day and see if I can get the AuraVie ad to come back up.  If I can copy and print it out, I will have proof.  It will probably be difficult to find again, as I spent a lot of time I shouldn't have, filling out many surveys before I got to it.



It is a shame that the company is ripping off so many people.  I don't know if the product is doing me any good yet cause I haven't had it that long, but I really do like it and probably would have ordered more but who wants to be forced to buy a product in a deceptive and fraudulent way?



WORD TO THE WISE: If you feel that you just have to have an on-line or TV product that requires a credit card, never use your debit or regular credit card to pay with.  ONLY use a prepaid credit card with just the amount to pay for it.  That way the company cannot make any extra charges without your approval.