That's too bad. You cannot say they didn't tell you, but still if it literally was "small" print, it really is kind of sneaky. Well--maybe you will be happy with the product and it will be worth it.

You know, if you know the name and location of the company, you can post a rating on yelp.com warning people to read the small print.

Almost everything (well, I am sure EVERYTHING, but am hedging myself) that advertises this way "Free trial, pay only S&H, etc" will bill your credit card (NEVER use a debit card for this sort of thing) and they will bill you. Or they will bill you for the next month's supply, whether you want it or not.

Here's a challenge.... next time you order something like this, don't give a CC, but ask for a mailing address and say that you will mail them a money order. They don't want your business like that.

Did you ever cancel it as per the agreement? You didn't say you did so if you didn't, you weren't scammed. If you canceled it then you could challenge the charge unless you agreed to other terms you haven't mentioned.

I think her point is that it said she had 15 days, but they charged her in fewer than 10 days. If that's the case, and if you're still within the 15 days, then do call the company and cancel as is the deal, and they should cancel the charge. If you're over the 15 days and didn't cancel (even though you got charged in fewer than 10 days), you're out of luck.

I don't see this as a scam. I think that this is the way it is usually done on those "try it for x days", etc. They process the charge and will remove it if you cancel within the required time. I don't like it and know that I likely will forget to cancel, so I don't bite.

Thanks for the warning, but it's like knocking at my door, I do not buy. If they knock on my computer, I do not buy. I also do not buy from businesses who advertise on TV again and again, practically yelling.

I think you can still challenge the charge because you were within the 15 days, and also most credit cards allow you to disbute an order within so many days after you receive your statement. I would disbute it anyway and check your rules from MC not where you ordered it.

I did call to cancel the day it appeared on my statement. I can't use the product due to sensitivity. I cancelled MC or they would send me a monthly supply at $90. a pop and charge it to MC. Simple Whites still insists that I pay $129. for nothing!! MC can do nothing to help and insist that I remit the total amount . I appreciate the input.

Ok, then since you did cancel in under 15 days, I agree that you have cause to be furious. I don't understand why you are required (by the company and by MC) to pay. Something's not right about that.

Did you get in touch with the company within 15 days?

You don't mention if you did or not.

If you did, and the company still won't reverse the charges, then Master Card should enter into the picture as a disputed billing.

I think the problem may be that the terms don't easily state when you have to call to cancel by. You say the trail period is 14 days...but I don't think that is necessarily the time period you needed to call and cancel in. Confusing, but that's how they get you. I got that info. from reading other complaints where they noted that the terms were that you had to call within 10 days (not 14) to cancel. Possibly you just missed your cancellation by a day?

I would think if you followed the rules as noted and are getting billed when you shouldn't, MC should be crediting you account or noting it as a disputed amount. But, they are not? Maybe there's more to the small print. It sounds like the company was able to legally bill you even though you didn't realize it. I think you had to call within a shorter amount of time to cancel than what you thought.

"Did you get in touch with the company within 15 days?

You don't mention if you did or not.

If you did, and the company still won't reverse the charges, then Master Card should enter into the picture as a disputed billing."

That's what I was thinking...
did the OP call the company and cancel within the 15 days?

Yes she did. If you read all the replies you'll see it.

Hmmm....reading that again (my post), it sounds nasty. I promise I didn't mean it that way. Just pointing out that she does give that information.

Sorry if it reads poorly.

No problem... but, where?

I see twice that she contacted MC.
Where does it say she called the company and canceled?

OP here.
I called Simple Whites the moment that the $129.95 appeared on my MC account. I frequently check my account on the net. When I called, I was told that I didn't cancel in time, that I also would be charged a monthly fee for future replenishments. That's when I cancelled my MC.

She said "I did call to cancel the day it appeared on my statement." And in her first post she said it appeared on her statement less than 10 days after she ordered it. I might be interpreting wrong; it's happened before!

Out of curiosity, I went to the web site and read the privacy and conditions of buying the product. Go back and read it and it does look like you are stuck with the charge, BUT, right now sit down and write a letter to the company (does not tell where it is made or by whom), stating you are allergic to the product, and you will not accept any future orders, and will not pay any future charges. They have a lot of stuff in the website, as to sending you more, charging you more, for just viewing the web site, etc, Go over it very careful (print it out) and notify the credit card company you are paying the charge under protest. DO NOT use the card again, close the account and notify the CC company in writing the account is closed, and no further charges will be paid. I saw a lot of very dangerous and veiled threats in the conditions. And notify the BBB, your attorney general and the health dept. Who knows what is in it? Where made?
and keep copies of everything.
Marie
PS: Just reading the website, they threaten to charge a credit card--we will see.

Just curious - who makes the product or or is this the company name? i want to avoid this.

No statement where it is made or what is in it, but indications it comes from the Philippines. NOT FDA approved, but go to privacy and conditions and read. After reading it, they disclaim everything. I do not understand why MC won't charge it back as a dispute.

If she told MC that she was canceling the account, I'm sure that's one reason why they don't want to bother with her relatively small $129 claim (small to them, not to us!).

I have filed disputes with my MC issuer--but you have to do it in writing, not on the phone. One dispute concerned a furniture store that never fulfilled my order (from what I've heard from someone familiar with the store, they routinely had money issues and probably never even placed the order with the manufacturer). That's a bit easier to prove--they had my money (charged), I had no table, there was nothing showing my signature on any receipt of said table.

But how would the OP prove to the MC folks that she called to cancel before the 15 days were up? That would be very hard to prove! I'm sure that was the main reason they wouldn't fight the company. And they probably also saw very quickly that it was an overseas company--I'd think that'd be a fight whose costs would surpass the original purchase price.

I think the best the OP can hope for at this point is that no ill health effects result from the little bit of the product she used.

This OP is very appreciative of your input. I'm out the $$$ but if this post helps even one person from being scammed, I'll be pleased.

I was also scammed by a dual ad for Bright White and Simple Whites. My bank was not very helpful a month ago. On Sep 23 I was billed for S&H. On Oct 1 was billed $87.47. On Oct 4, I disputed that charge with White Bright and my bank, mostly unsuccessfully. On Oct 7, a $129.95 "membership fee" from Simple White was posted, unrefundable, of course.

Too late, I found this on the Visa website: "As many as 29% of U.S. consumers have claimed being duped by a growing deceptive online marketing tactics using "negative option" features.* It can occur with instances of "free trial" or "sample" marketing incentives that carry with them an agreement to be automatically billed monthly, with no further notification to the consumer."

This does not add up. I had a similar experience only the charge was delayed a few months. When I called my card they were more than happy to cancel the charge. They called the company right then while I waited and when they did not answer began the process. It took me three months of this before the company got the message and quit charging me. I couldn't have been happier with my charge card's service. I have to wonder who you talked to, if you did cancel the product with in the allotted time. Maybe I was just lucky.

An over seas company are the easiest to deal with, they just don't pay them. When you get a package adn there is no shipping invoice, be ware. My order came in two separate packages. All it has was a packing slip that looked unimportant. When I read the minuscule print I called the company that very minute and canceled. They did not want to take no for an answer. They wanted me to wait a few days, try the product..FORGET TO CALL AGAIN. I was told by my credit card co. this is becoming a leading scam for foreign companies. They deal/cancel on these companies every day. Your charge card company sounds like a bad one. You need to cancel them regardless. They are not acting in good faith.

There are many scams like this one on the internet. Both my sister and a friend were involved with one. Don't cancel the credit card you have to close the account and they will issue a new account number. The credit card company should issue you a dispute form. Google the company name and the word scam. I'm sure something will come up about them being unscrupulous. Send that information to the credit card company.
Be careful. These scams usually are contained in a Pop Up. You don't even have to click it, just a touch and it comes up.
Donna

Here is a good thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scams

These scammers are very clever. The Simple Whites ad appeared as a pop-up on MSNBC.COM It showed a picture of a lady from my hometown, raving about the results when she combined 2 different free trial offers.I charged the S&H on Mastercard who gave me no help. How can we stop the scammers? 29% of the population has been cheated and there will be more.

I got into this situation also...It is 14 days from when you make the agreement- not when you recieve it, they explained to me...I called my card co. and they took it off.
Mine happened to come at a time when my father was hospitalized in another state. It came while I was gone. It wasn't even opened...I sent it back-unopened. I guess they will get you one way or another....