- Report: #48270
Complaint Review: MKS*SIMPLE ESCAPES - Stamford Connecticut
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Author Not Confirmed
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MKS*SIMPLE ESCAPES
750 WASHINGTON BLVD Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A.
Phone:
888-404-5629
Web:
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MKS*SIMPLE ESCAPES I found out how they got our money stay away from pop up ads! Stamford Connecticut
I too have been ripped off by this company..and I have found out how it happened. Tonight, I went on line and checked my checking account out. It had a debit to my account from MKS*SIMPLE ESCAPES for $134.95. I had never heard of this company before nor did I purchase this "offer" that they told me I did when I called them.
They had all my billing info correct, and of course they have my check card credit card number. The only thing they did not have correct was my EMAIL address. The address they had was my 12 yr old son's address.
You see, I have AOL as my internet provider. I have set my son up a screen name and set his controls as "YOUNG TEEN". According to AOL, this prohibits him from seeing porn, and shopping on AOL using the master screen info that I gave to AOL. Boy are they wrong.
After 2 1/2 hours on the phone with not only "Simple Escapes" and AOL, this is how it happened:
My son was online one afternoon and one of the annyoing "pop-up" adds came on the screen that said "click here" and you will get a $25 gift card to Kmart. When he clicked this add, he authorized AOL to give MY credit card info to this company, and to bill me the $134.95. The 6th AOL rep told me this himself.
However, there is another issue in itself. According to AOL, this should have never happened because I set his parental controls as "Young Teen", ages 13-15. As they recomended.
This is a direct quote from the AOL web site:
Kids Only, Young Teen, and Mature Teen screen names can visit AOL or Web-based shopping areas, but they are unable to make purchases in these areas without a credit card. Some of the shopping areas may be available for browsing; however, they will not be able to actually make purchases with your account.
They are wrong. AOL has the proof on their system that shows this was done. So now I have to fight everyone to get my money back.
Heather
Elkin, North Carolina
U.S.A.
They had all my billing info correct, and of course they have my check card credit card number. The only thing they did not have correct was my EMAIL address. The address they had was my 12 yr old son's address.
You see, I have AOL as my internet provider. I have set my son up a screen name and set his controls as "YOUNG TEEN". According to AOL, this prohibits him from seeing porn, and shopping on AOL using the master screen info that I gave to AOL. Boy are they wrong.
After 2 1/2 hours on the phone with not only "Simple Escapes" and AOL, this is how it happened:
My son was online one afternoon and one of the annyoing "pop-up" adds came on the screen that said "click here" and you will get a $25 gift card to Kmart. When he clicked this add, he authorized AOL to give MY credit card info to this company, and to bill me the $134.95. The 6th AOL rep told me this himself.
However, there is another issue in itself. According to AOL, this should have never happened because I set his parental controls as "Young Teen", ages 13-15. As they recomended.
This is a direct quote from the AOL web site:
Kids Only, Young Teen, and Mature Teen screen names can visit AOL or Web-based shopping areas, but they are unable to make purchases in these areas without a credit card. Some of the shopping areas may be available for browsing; however, they will not be able to actually make purchases with your account.
They are wrong. AOL has the proof on their system that shows this was done. So now I have to fight everyone to get my money back.
Heather
Elkin, North Carolina
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Heather
Elkin,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
I WON! ..Thanks to this web site
#2Author of original report
Thu, March 13, 2003
Simple Escapes refunded my money on 3/11/03. I guess when I told them that I would be filing a lawsuit because they took an authorization from a 12 yr old's internet account, they got off the stick and made sure I recieved my money back quickly. I know for a fact that my bank received the notation for the credit back on monday, 3/10/03, it took the bank an extra day to process. Thanks to this web site for providing me the phone number to call them the night of the 6th. I called and spoke to a person who could barly speak English as a 3rd language. At first they said it would take 2-3 billing cycles to credit back. It seems like when I told them that they took this on the word of a 12 yr old, they quickly got off the money. Thanks again for all your help, and I have already passed the word about this web site to everyone I know, and will continue to pass it on. I hope that anyone that needs this site finds it BEFORE they are out of their hard earned money.
Heather
Elkin,North Carolina,
U.S.A.
I have found out how to get your money back.
#3Author of original report
Mon, March 10, 2003
I posted my rip off report a few days ago. I have found out how to get your money back. I too had called AOL billing/customer support, with no sucess. I was treated rudely, and told that it was my fault that this happened. In truth, my 12 yr old son clicked on a link in a chat room that said "free $25 gift card to Kmart" and in turn, I was charged $134.95 to my Visa Check Card. After hours on the phone Thursday night and Friday, I decided to call the main office of AOL. I called 703-265-1000 and spoke with an executive leason (forgive my spelling). I told him my story, and he said not only would AOL refund me my money, he would start 2 investigations for me. One to handle the RUDE customer service by the people I had spoken to the night before, and the other to investigate AOL's association with this company. I will let you know when the money is back into my checking account.
