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"Risk Free Trial"
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PrinceJ View Drop Down
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    Posted: 19 Aug 2011 at 8:05pm
I've heard more advertiser offering a "risk free trial" for their product.  What exactly is a "risk free trial" anyway?  As far as I can tell--and if anyone can give me a better explanation, I'd like to hear it, a risk free trial is a money back guarantee, the idea is that if I order the product and don't like it for any reason I can send it back and get a refund.

However I think that the advertisers are intentionally trying to confuse listeners into believing that they are offering free samples or free trials of their product, when the only thing "free" in the trial is the risk of paying for something you don't want--in other words you still have to pay and you aren't getting anything for free necessarily.

I will never understand how the advertisers can get away with this.  A particularly egregious example is the guy who wants to sell a supplement called "Ageless Male" to us old farts. The guy on the commercial starts out by saying "What happened, man?' in this really annoying and patronizing tone of voice.  He points out that you, the listeners are listless and flaccid but if you order his product you will be like a teenager, and if you call RIGHT NOW you can get a risk free trial.  Every time I hear that commercial I get just a little more irritated! 
"Even an old fart was once a breath of fresh air"
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Points: 256 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zach6848 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Aug 2011 at 10:31pm
I'm incredibly tired of all the Male Enhancement ads I've been hearing.
I thought there were alot of boner pills on TV, but good God, I was wrong.
Radio is INUNDATED with them, and has been for some time now.

I love how these people prey on feelings of inadequacy so much.
Ugh.
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"Risk-free trial" is one of those meaningless buzz words that advertisers love.  Whenever I hear "risk-free trial" in a commercial, it immediately makes me think it is a scam.  Perhaps some companies actually do offer a one-time, no-cost trial, so you can sample their product and see that it works.  However, many companies advertise such free trials and then charge you if you don't return it within a week or they send you more stuff that you are charged for.  It makes it so you can't trust anyone offering a "risk-free trial".
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Thor View Drop Down
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Years ago, I ordered some vitamins off of the TV, using my credit card.  I thought it was a one-time thing.  It wasn't.  The next month, I got the vitamins again.  I cancelled my "subscription".  Lesson learned.
 
Unbeknownst to me, however, was that I'd also agreed to some other deal---some on-line coupon book thing---that was hidden somehow in my order, but was in addition to, and entirely separate from the vitamin "agreement".  It was months before I looked at my credit card statement and investigated this $15 monthly charge and was able to actually find out how to cancel my pseudo-order.  Probably cost me almost $100 in the meantime.
 
 
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Originally posted by Thor Thor wrote:

Years ago, I ordered some vitamins off of the TV, using my credit card.  I thought it was a one-time thing.  It wasn't.  The next month, I got the vitamins again.  I cancelled my "subscription".  Lesson learned.
 
 
 
 
Time Life did that to me.  I specifically bought certain videos, then they started shipping me videos that I never ordered.  Insisting that I return them if I didn't want to be billed for them.
Had quite a heated discussion with them on the phone about it, but they did relent.
 
 
 
 
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My mum and I found a rather fun way to get around those hidden charges.
 
Pre-paid cards. Figure out the ammount for the ones you want, pay the shipping or whatever 'small fee' they charge you for the trial, and then, when they're all happy and ready to hit you with a subscription you never ordered (And a lot of people have found cancelling these so hard they had to resort to cancelling cards), they'll find themselves unable to do so.
 
We figured with them scamming so many people on a daily basis, why not beat them at her own game?
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Originally posted by Codtaro Codtaro wrote:

My mum and I found a rather fun way to get around those hidden charges.
 
Pre-paid cards. Figure out the ammount for the ones you want, pay the shipping or whatever 'small fee' they charge you for the trial, and then, when they're all happy and ready to hit you with a subscription you never ordered (And a lot of people have found cancelling these so hard they had to resort to cancelling cards), they'll find themselves unable to do so.
 
We figured with them scamming so many people on a daily basis, why not beat them at her own game?
WinkThat is a really nice idea, especially if the product shows up before the seller start whining.
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"What we do for ourselves dies with us, What we do for others is and remains immortal." - Albert Pine
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Thor View Drop Down
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Good idea!
 
 
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RISK FREE TRIAL  has plenty of fine print.

Most offers have an autoship program that charges to your credit card.
The first autoship is usually before the buyer has had an opportunity to try the product to see if it works.
The autoship fee includes a hefty processing and handling charge.
Processing and/or handling and/or shipping charges are never refunded unless the explicitly say they are.
They usually say, Less processing and handling or Less shipping and handling, Less S & H, Less P & H.
The Processing and Handling fees not refunded are usually enough to cover the hard costs of the product and shipping costs.

So, Risk Free Trial of Just pay shipping and handling (often not mentioned but $10 to $15)

As someone said, Try to cancel the autoship program. You will need to call at the correct time and correct phone number.

The best way to cancel is to call your credit card company and tell them you have canceled the autoship and they are not to allow any more autoship charges. They will often take care of you.
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Thor View Drop Down
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Originally posted by SmartBuyer SmartBuyer wrote:


The best way to cancel is to call your credit card company and tell them you have canceled the autoship and they are not to allow any more autoship charges. They will often take care of you.
 
When I investigated the monthly charge I'd mentioned earlier, I called my credit card company and they deleted two months worth of charges.  Then, they investigated the matter, and provided me with proof that I actually did accept that charge.  But the proof included the correct phone # to call, and I was able to cancel the order directly with the vendor. 
 
 
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Originally posted by Codtaro Codtaro wrote:

My mum and I found a rather fun way to get around those hidden charges.
 
Pre-paid cards. Figure out the ammount for the ones you want, pay the shipping or whatever 'small fee' they charge you for the trial, and then, when they're all happy and ready to hit you with a subscription you never ordered (And a lot of people have found cancelling these so hard they had to resort to cancelling cards), they'll find themselves unable to do so.
 
We figured with them scamming so many people on a daily basis, why not beat them at her own game?
 
That DOES sound like a good idea.
 
Too bad I'm not interested in any of the crap those peolle sell!!!! LOL
 
 
"The American people are not a people anymore; they are an audience." - Kurt Vonnegut
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My g/f worked at a call center several years ago and told me all about these scams.  One of the biggest offenders was Video Professor but also numerous weight loss supplements.  The call center only processed the orders and didn't handle customer service.  Apparently, if you wanted customer service for these companies you would have to jump through phone hoops and even then it wouldn't be resolved.  So, she would get people calling in trying to cancel stuff but it was impossible for her to do so.  It was frustrating for the customer and frustrating for her because she was doing the limited capacity her job allowed.

What these scumbag companies do is charge you a nominal fee or take your CC info some way and try to make it seem like you are getting something for almost nothing.  Then they automatically sign you up for the monthly fees and getting out of it is like drowning in quicksand.  I have read so many posts online about people just canceling their CC because it just ends up being easier.
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Points: 11017 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Tiz Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2012 at 10:29pm
I've seen my share of these commercials. Most are some kind of exercise equipment that you can try "risk free" for 3 months. "Just include $14.95 for S&H."

The only way I'd buy some gadget from the TV would be with a prepaid credit/debit card.   
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