Worldgroups.com This company claims their basic subscription is FREE yet when I signed up I was charged $19.99 Internet

We think it's very important to respond here directly to Jim's assertions that we did not credit him with a full refund, and that our company is "lying." In fact, we promptly processed the full refund to Jim on January 17, 2007. (He can have his own bank confirm that fact.)

If Jim has not seen the refund reflected on his banking statement, that is the result of his own bank's internal processing policies -- not ours.

Wow! With all that fake goodwill they almost convinced me they were good folks! I offer you proof these guys will lie and cheat:

The undisputed facts:

1) It is 2/10/2007. I just checked online and as of 20 seconds ago they still haven't refunded a single cent even though their above response indicates it has already happened. "The customer service representative confirmed the refunds" (Yeah right!)

2) Notice how their response cleverly doesn't dispute my original claims:
a) "When a group is joined, on the form where you set email options, on the VERY LAST LINE at the bottom of the form is a checkbox called "Super Features" (that is always default checked) If you click the ok button your card gets billed $19.99 without your knowledge.
b) "There is no request for your credit card, security code or address info"
c) "there is no confirmation screen to make you aware you just made a purchase"

It truely amazes me how these folks can operate this way and still come across clean. Sort of like a good politician!!!

I do still have an active account with them (The free one) but I would advise anyone to be careful. If you do fall for one of their tricks you won't know it. It will just show up on your credit card bill. After that they don't have any trouble lying to you.

Be careful my friends!

Jim

Jim stated in his first complaint that the contact telephone number provided on his credit card statement was 1-866-768-2006. This number, as he stated, is for a company called "Conference Center" and is unrelated to us. However, our number, as we provide to users in the United States and Canada, is in fact 1-888-768-2006.

Shortly before posting his second complaint, Jim contacted us directly to discuss the charges which appeared on his statement. As he stated, he transferred his existing MSN Groups account to a WorldGroups account. The standard WorldGroups account is a free account and carries no monthly or access charges. WorldGroups account managers (users who have chosen to create their own group) can designate certain features on their individual Group as "Super Features."

To access these certain features, a user must have a "Super Features" account, which does carry a monthly charge of $19.99. This charge is clearly disclosed through prominent notification icons and information. The user must affirmatively choose and consent to the account upgrade and the charge prior to billing. Jim chose to upgrade his standard, free WorldGroups account to the "Super Features" account, and at that time provided his credit card details and billing information. He was then was charged for the membership that he chose to create.

We never share credit card, address, or other personal information with any other companies, persons, or entities. We value our customers' privacy and all personal information is kept strictly confidential. The charges that Jim received were processed through us - the manager of the WorldGroup has never seen, and will never see, Jim's personal information.

The billing that Jim received from "National A 1 Advertising" is unrelated to our company. We suggest that Jim speak with his bank regarding ways to contact the company who billed this charge to him.

During Jim's discussion with the customer service representative, Jim said that he would like to keep his account open, but cancel the "Super Features" membership. He also requested refunds of the charges that were billed. The customer service representative confirmed the refunds, and confirmed that Jim's account was still open and active.

Jim indicated that he was satisfied with this resolution. We are disappointed that he was not truly satisfied by our response, as evidenced by this complaint, and would appreciate the opportunity to resolve the problem to his complete and total satisfaction. We encourage Jim to contact us toll-free at 1-888-768-2006, and ask to speak to a manager who can work with him to resolve the issue.

Customer service is our number one priority, and we always strongly encourage anyone with questions or concerns to contact us directly so that we can address the specific issues that may have arisen. We welcome customer suggestions and ideas, and are always open to innovative ways to serve our customers. We prominently post our contact information on every page on the site, and next to every charge on a credit card bill. We have been in business for 11 years, and during that entire time we have been registered in good standing with Truste and/or other leading independent consumer protection agencies.

I finally got the correct phone number and had a chat with their customer service rep. These people are sharing your credit card & billing address information with all of their associated individual "groups" without my consent.

When a group is joined, on the form where you set email options, on the VERY LAST LINE at the bottom of the form is a checkbox called "Super Features" (that is always default checked) If you click the ok button your card gets billed $19.99 without your knowledge.

There is no request for your credit card, security code or address info and there is no confirmation screen to make you aware you just made a purchase. What a rip-off!!!

When I disputed this charge they said they would credit my account for both the $19.99 charge and the $1 verification fee.

Look out!