Jonathan
Auburn,#2Consumer Comment
Mon, April 24, 2006
Carol, Reservation Rewards is definitely a sneaky-ish program, but definitely not someone SmartBargains is directly passing your info over to without your consent -- you actually have to opt-in for this. I know this because a) my mother-in-law had the same issue (with SB), and b) I have set that program up for a couple of companies I worked for. The goal of the program is to generate additional income for the company offering it, and provide the customer with coupons for websites (that's what you're paying for). The opt-in process for this happens during checkout, and more often than not, RR tries to make it look like part of the checkout process so that you're more likely to opt-in. You have to watch the little checkboxes and read the language carefull *every* time. I've worked for e-tail companies for over 10 years (both contract and salary), and know that there is a certain level of trickyness that happens with these. Some even go as far as randomizing the pre-checked language on every load (like, one time, you get a pre-checked box that says, "Yes, sign me up for your additional program", next time you get a non-checked box that says, "No, I'm not interested in your additional program" -- both mean the same, you get charged $9.00 if you take no action) FYI, both of the places I've "installed" this feature for got a chuckle out of my summation of Reservation Rewards being like virtual gym memberships -- something that someone would just buy and then never use. The worst part about RR is that most anit-spam software filters them out (so, you're paying them to send you offers you'll never *see*, let alone use).
Jonathan
Auburn,#3Consumer Comment
Mon, April 24, 2006
Carol, Reservation Rewards is definitely a sneaky-ish program, but definitely not someone SmartBargains is directly passing your info over to without your consent -- you actually have to opt-in for this. I know this because a) my mother-in-law had the same issue (with SB), and b) I have set that program up for a couple of companies I worked for. The goal of the program is to generate additional income for the company offering it, and provide the customer with coupons for websites (that's what you're paying for). The opt-in process for this happens during checkout, and more often than not, RR tries to make it look like part of the checkout process so that you're more likely to opt-in. You have to watch the little checkboxes and read the language carefull *every* time. I've worked for e-tail companies for over 10 years (both contract and salary), and know that there is a certain level of trickyness that happens with these. Some even go as far as randomizing the pre-checked language on every load (like, one time, you get a pre-checked box that says, "Yes, sign me up for your additional program", next time you get a non-checked box that says, "No, I'm not interested in your additional program" -- both mean the same, you get charged $9.00 if you take no action) FYI, both of the places I've "installed" this feature for got a chuckle out of my summation of Reservation Rewards being like virtual gym memberships -- something that someone would just buy and then never use. The worst part about RR is that most anit-spam software filters them out (so, you're paying them to send you offers you'll never *see*, let alone use).
Jonathan
Auburn,#4Consumer Comment
Mon, April 24, 2006
Carol, Reservation Rewards is definitely a sneaky-ish program, but definitely not someone SmartBargains is directly passing your info over to without your consent -- you actually have to opt-in for this. I know this because a) my mother-in-law had the same issue (with SB), and b) I have set that program up for a couple of companies I worked for. The goal of the program is to generate additional income for the company offering it, and provide the customer with coupons for websites (that's what you're paying for). The opt-in process for this happens during checkout, and more often than not, RR tries to make it look like part of the checkout process so that you're more likely to opt-in. You have to watch the little checkboxes and read the language carefull *every* time. I've worked for e-tail companies for over 10 years (both contract and salary), and know that there is a certain level of trickyness that happens with these. Some even go as far as randomizing the pre-checked language on every load (like, one time, you get a pre-checked box that says, "Yes, sign me up for your additional program", next time you get a non-checked box that says, "No, I'm not interested in your additional program" -- both mean the same, you get charged $9.00 if you take no action) FYI, both of the places I've "installed" this feature for got a chuckle out of my summation of Reservation Rewards being like virtual gym memberships -- something that someone would just buy and then never use. The worst part about RR is that most anit-spam software filters them out (so, you're paying them to send you offers you'll never *see*, let alone use).
Jonathan
Auburn,#5Consumer Comment
Mon, April 24, 2006
Carol, Reservation Rewards is definitely a sneaky-ish program, but definitely not someone SmartBargains is directly passing your info over to without your consent -- you actually have to opt-in for this. I know this because a) my mother-in-law had the same issue (with SB), and b) I have set that program up for a couple of companies I worked for. The goal of the program is to generate additional income for the company offering it, and provide the customer with coupons for websites (that's what you're paying for). The opt-in process for this happens during checkout, and more often than not, RR tries to make it look like part of the checkout process so that you're more likely to opt-in. You have to watch the little checkboxes and read the language carefull *every* time. I've worked for e-tail companies for over 10 years (both contract and salary), and know that there is a certain level of trickyness that happens with these. Some even go as far as randomizing the pre-checked language on every load (like, one time, you get a pre-checked box that says, "Yes, sign me up for your additional program", next time you get a non-checked box that says, "No, I'm not interested in your additional program" -- both mean the same, you get charged $9.00 if you take no action) FYI, both of the places I've "installed" this feature for got a chuckle out of my summation of Reservation Rewards being like virtual gym memberships -- something that someone would just buy and then never use. The worst part about RR is that most anit-spam software filters them out (so, you're paying them to send you offers you'll never *see*, let alone use).