- Report: #323082
Complaint Review: WPI*IFRIENDS - Internet
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Author Confirmed
Why?
WPI*IFRIENDS
www.ifriends.com Internet, U.S.A.
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WPI*IFRIENDS Credit Card Fraud Unauthorized charges Internet
Ifriends asked for credit card information to verify "my age" when I created a "free" account on their site. Subsequently I have been charged $1.00, $8.95, $9.95, $9.95, respectively, over the course of three months. I have read through some of the other complaints and I know they will try to rebutt this by saying I "agreed" to their "elite" membership, though that is not the case. I have a degree in computer science and work for a Fortune 15 company developing advanced web applications. I know what I do or not do on the internet, and I certainly did not "accidently" sign up for any recurring "elite membership" with iFriends. I have no intention of contacting iFraud to resolve this, I will dispute these fraudulent charges directly w/ my credit card company and ask that my card number be changed. I recommend anyone else who has given this company their credit card info do the same, and will recommend that their credit card accepting merchant account be revoked.
Pedro
Durham, North Carolina
U.S.A.
Pedro
Durham, North Carolina
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Sarah
Lake Worth,Florida,
U.S.A.
Reply from iFriends
#2UPDATE Employee
Fri, April 11, 2008
Although we searched our databases for an account that matched the details provided by Pedro in his complaint, we were unable to locate any accounts. We very much wish to resolve the issues that Pedro mentions, and will be happy to process a full refund of all charges. Unfortunately, until we can find the account, we are not able to take any further action. Quite frankly, we are puzzled as to why Pedro states that he will not contact us so that we can resolve the issue. We provide a toll-free telephone number on each and every charge that is sent to a customer's credit card. Our Customer Care department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can be reached by calling 1-800-243-9726. If Pedro wishes, he can call and speak directly to a manager. We do urge Pedro to contact us it is likely that his issue can be resolved within minutes. Additionally, Pedro can contact us by email or he can simply cancel his account online at http://www.ifriends.net/legal/cancel.htm. The $1 that Pedro mentions in the complaint is in fact a credit card authentication fee which is billed to every customer who creates an account, and which is necessary to process in order to comply with the federal Child Online Protection Act. This fee is prominently disclosed in advance, and the customer must affirmatively acknowledge and accept the charge in order to create an iFriends account. The $1 charge is effectively refunded by being automatically applied towards any purchase of premium services on the iFriends service; if the customer does not purchase services of $1 or more, the fee is fully refunded upon request by the customer at any time. This policy is clearly stated on the registration form that each customer must complete. The basic iFriends membership is indeed free at the time of signup, a customer has the option to upgrade to a premium level account, which will bill at a monthly rate. Again, this information is prominently disclosed to all users visiting the site. While we are saddened that Pedro has not had a satisfactory experience on the iFriends website, we are confident that, once he contacts us, we can quickly and satisfactorily resolve the issues discussed. Our company has an exemplary 11-year-record with all of the leading consumer protection agencies, and we are best in class in our industry 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."
