Auto-Ship Plans

Dealing with Auto-Ship Companies When You're Dissatisfied

Dealing with Auto-Ship Companies When You're Dissatisfied

OK, you didn't see my articles about companies which enroll you in an exclusive "club" and then automatically charge your credit or debit card each month for a new shipment. NuGlow and Guthy-Renker are two of many companies that use auto-ship sales policies.

I've not heard of many complaints about those companies.

[Some companies like drugstore.com offer a similar option when you buy vitamins or drugs, as a convenience to the customer. It is voluntary and easy to stop. This is not the type of plan I am talking about.]

You had no idea what you were getting into when you ordered your free trial or special introductory offer. I hope the company wasn't one of the so-called "Botox Alternatives" vendors, because those are the companies that most customers allege to be the most difficult to deal with.

So you've been taken advantage of. You don't seem to be able to get any satisfaction from the company - if you can even locate them.

Sometimes, the phone number and e-mail you were given are bogus. The company's address may turn out to be a vacant lot or abandoned building. Yet, your credit card or bank account continues to be charged.

Act quickly. Do not waste weeks trying to get the company to be fair and reasonable. Do not accept their assurances that the charges have been stopped and all money will be refunded.

Remember the saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

If you used your credit card to sign up for the auto-ship program, contact your credit card company A.S.A.P. If they tell you they cannot stop charges that you yourself authorized, demand that they assign you a new credit card number or simply cancel the card.

If you signed up using a debit card, contact your bank immediately and report the scam. Demand that no more automatic payments be allowed from your account to the company in question.

Be insistent. Be persistent.

If they try to say there is nothing they can do, ask for a Federal Reserve Board Regulation E form to file a complaint (against the bank).

Regulation E covers electronic fund transfers. It establishes the rights, liabilities, and responsibilities of parties in electronic funds transfers and protects consumers when they use such systems.

Finally, join the effort to stop the offending companies by reporting your problem to the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau.

You may also want to post your experience on RipoffReport.com.

Good luck!