Website Fined for Customer’s Stupidity
I know you've heard them - the "come to www.whatever.com and get your FREE credit report!" ads on the radio and television.
I've been there, and I've gotten my free credit report(s). I also noticed that I had to provide a credit card number in order to get my free credit report. The reason? Because after 30 days, unless I cancelled, I'd be automatically subscribed to a credit report monitoring service for around $80 per year. It sounded like a great service - you get an email anytime anyone accesses your credit report, so that you'll know if someone is trying to open accounts under your name, or if that rip-off credit card company just bounced your introductory 3.9% interest rate up to 29.99%.
However, I didn't want it, so five minutes after I got my credit report, I cancelled the subscription… no problem.
Now it looks like the FTC doesn't like this type of marketing - Site Settles Deceptive Credit Report Claims
In fact, they liken this "get something for free, and unless you cancel within 30 days, we're going to charge your credit card for something additional" marketing to "deceptive practices", and one of those free credit report companies has agreed to pay just under a million dollars in fines.
Give me a freaking break! If you enter your credit card number into a site that is offering something for free, your little "WTF" radar should be pinging like crazy. "OK, they want my CC info - what are they going to charge me for later?" Find it, cancel it, no problem… but I guess the FTC has decided that stupid people who just willy-nilly enter their credit card numbers into websites need to be protected from their own stupidity. Never mind the fact that these poor abused people could simply request a refund or, if need be, a chargeback. Never mind that a site that is asking you for your credit card number in exchange for something FREE is obviously going to charge you for something else. And, with the exception of those few scam sites out there, I'd be willing to bet that WHY they want your credit card and WHAT it is going to be charged for is CLEARLY stated on the website (God forbid someone actually READ a page they are putting their credit card number into!)
So, what are the ramifications of this moronic fine? What about all those Time-Life books and records out there? You know the ones - "Get the Obscure 50's Classics CD set for only $9.95 plus shipping and handling. Then, you'll receive a new Obscure 50's Classics CD every month - keep the ones you want, cancel anytime!". Those poor people just wanted a CD with Enis Thatcher's number 56 song from 1952 on it - they didn't *understand* that they'd keep getting more CDs every month until they *gasp* cancelled! Oh, the humanity!
But my guess is that this really only applies to the Internet - you know, that lawless "wild west" place where slick salesletters are waiting to take granny's Social Security check. I wonder if this would apply to any of those "one month free" offers I've been seeing lately - get the first month of a membership site free, and, unless you cancel, you'll be charged $X per month for your continued membership… "Oh, Mr. FTC agent! I just wanted my free month! It's not fair that they started charging my credit card just because I didn't cancel! They're using deceptive practices!"
Ok, end of rant - if you're offering something "free" and, for whatever reason, you're getting a credit card number up front to be billed later (unless they cancel), you might want to watch your back
Marc