Fighting Fraud
By Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland
Free trial offers are extremely popular marketing tactics, especially for subscription services. With so many online consumers, there is no way to touch, see, or experience a product before buying it. That means free trials can be a win-win situation for sellers and buyers. Consumers get to “try before they buy,” and sellers get to cultivate interest in their product and hopefully make a sale. That said, consumers should be aware of a few aspects of free trials if they want to avoid unwanted charges. Here are some tips to take advantage of free trial offers:
- Start with Trust. Research the company online at BBB.org. See what other people say about the company’s free trials — and its service. The FTC points out that “complaints from other customers can tip you off to ‘catches’ that might come with the trial.”
- Review the signup form and look for pre-checked boxes. If you sign up for a free trial online, look for boxes that have already been checked, advises the Federal Trade Commission. That checkmark “may give the company the green light to continue the offer past the free trial or sign you up for more products.”
- Mark your calendar. Your free trial probably has a time limit. Once that passes, if you haven’t canceled your “order,” you may be on the hook for more products. Know the cancellation date and put it on your calendar.
- Always review your credit and debit card statements. This will help you know immediately if you are being charged for something you didn’t order. If you see charges you disagree with, contact the company directly to sort out the situation. Call your credit card company to dispute the charge if that doesn’t work. Ask the credit card company to reverse the charge because you didn’t actively order the additional merchandise.
- Understand how to cancel future shipments or services. Know the policies for canceling or pausing your subscription. Do you need to respond or cancel by a certain time each month?
Have additional questions? Reach out to your BBB at 216-241-7678 or [email protected]. Have a scam to report? Report it to BBB.org/ScamTracker.
