Free Trials Aren't Really "Free"
A popular way to get consumers to buy products is a free trial offer. The problem? These free trials are not really free. Companies promote a wide variety of products that range from diet pills to teeth whiteners. They promise a "free" trial of their product and all you have to do is pay for shipping. They ask you to provide your credit card or debit card to "receive" the sample.
Hidden deep in their long and complicated fine print is the provision that if you do not cancel within a certain amount of time, usually about 2 weeks to thirty days, you will be automatically signed up for monthly deliveries and they will continue to charge your debit card a monthly fee. Trying to stop these charges is extremely difficult. The trial period does not begin from the time you receive the product, but from the second you place the order for the “free” sample. Because you willingly turn over your card information, you are consenting to let the company charge your card, and therefore, the Bank cannot dispute the charge for you.
So, before you take part in a free trial offer, read the fine print. Ask yourself if the proverbial saying, “If it is too good to be true, it probably is … ” applies to the “free” trial offer you are considering.
