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Report: #333661

Complaint Review: CD EARTH, LLC - Wylie Texas

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  • Reported By: Ashville Alabama
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  • CD EARTH, LLC P.O. Box 2949 Wylie, Texas U.S.A.

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This company signs you up for their "software subscription club", even though you may have only been looking for a specific title. That is what happened to me.
I wanted a copy of "Open Office Office Suite", a generic clone to MS Office. After a quick search on the net I clicked on CD EARTH. After making my request I started to get multiple screens of info telling me I would also receive 1 free piece of software. Only S/H charges would apply.
I continued to get multiple screens asking me to make 2 more selections for a FREE trial. What I didn't realize was, in doing so, I was giving them permission to deduct $14.99 per title for the software that I "reviewed" from my bank account.
It gets better. They continue to send you 4 selections, about every 6 weeks or so, and if you do not return it during the "review" period, they will bill your bank account or credit card $59.96 + S/H for software that you can get from Office Depot for $9.99 a title.
The deception here is the amout of info you are hit with while you are online, with lots of fine print and multiple screens, becomes confusing and you are not even sure you actually signed up for the service.
Customer service is helpful, IF you are not asking for a refund. They do not refund shipping/handling and will not refund money on software kept past the 21 day review period.
Customer service will cancel your subscription, if you call. They will not bill you if you mail the software back at your expense.
Before it was over I had received 2 shipments of 4 titles. I had been billed for 2 pieces of software, shipping for 2 shipments, plus I was out the postage to send back the second shipment.
All total they got me for around $50. Not a lot of money, but when you add up how many people get sucked into this scam every day I bet they are doing quite well.
My raiting- A+ customer service, IF you do not want a REFUND. Software-D, the software has issues, ALL of it. Software Club-F, unless you have lots of money for wortheless software. Recommendation-F, just another way of removing money from your pocket and staying just inside the law.
I guess that is why they made it an LLC. They knew going into business what they were going to do to their customers.
I am also sending a letter to the Attorney General, State of Texas concering this fine company. Sleep well, CD EARTH, for now.

Mike
Ashville, Alabama
U.S.A.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 05/20/2008 05:23 AM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/cd-earth-llc/wylie-texas-75098/cd-earth-llc-deceptive-software-subscription-scam-wylie-texas-333661. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#3 Consumer Suggestion

Always Read Online Contracts Fiirst

AUTHOR: MASTER13 - (United States of America)

POSTED: Thursday, January 27, 2011

For those interested in receiving software on a regular shedule, CD Earth is an average club with a detailed set of terms. The software is low grade and not of great interest to serious users and is also a bit over priced. In a free market, the consumer sets the price by simply not paying for software that comes off as too expensive. The terms are clear to anyone who reads them. Folks who fail to read terms fall into traps of their own making. This site does nothing illegal but it is over priced. Also, the company does not have a large inventory. I did buy some animation software and it does well in limited form. compared to others, it is a low price item for those who do not need the complexity of expensive software. You get what you pay for. Most folks get exactly what they ask for. The company is not at fault. The consumer always must exercise due dilegence and read everything, maybe even ask questions. From what I read in your list of complaints, consumers failed to completely read the terms.

Conclusion: CD Earth is not guilty of any wrong doing. Customers are failing to read the terms.

Thank you.

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#2 Consumer Comment

Read the Terms

AUTHOR: Tabbi - (U.S.A.)

POSTED: Saturday, August 08, 2009

I love to create email stationery and went online to find more animation. I found CDEarth and the first thing I saw was a huge picture of a Cd and either a book or the Cd holder. Right below it was a button that read "Click here for this free cd."

Right below this button are their "terms." When you start to read the terms you can click on the word "details" to read the whole thing. I read their terms and they tell you exactly what you will get. I was not hit with a lot of info. I was not hit with a lot of windows. I could see what I was getting if I joined and I could read their terms right there on that page. And the terms are specific.....

"...As an added benefit and to help you expand your computer software library, about every seven weeks after you receive your first set you will receive another shipment of four full-version software CDs specially selected based on your preferences or probable interest to evaluate for just USD$5.96 shipping & processing, as long as your account is active and in good standing. For each shipment, you will have 25 days from the day you receive them to review all four evaluation CDs under the same terms above. Of course, you can cancel your participation in this program at anytime just by visiting the website http://www.cdearth.com/freecd or contact our friendly customer service team. There is never any obligation and no minimum required purchase. Cancel anytime.

Due to the nature of this trial offer, all charges are non-refundable and we cannot accept returns after the trial ends."

For the most part that is the terms...I did not include the part about getting them free but if you want to know what it reads I am adding the link.


I even went a little further and clicked on the button for the free CDs. The next page asked for my personal information...they did not ask for credit card number on this page....I clicked on the button when I was done and was sent to another page that asked me to pick the 3 CDs I wanted. I picked them clicked the "click here" button and was sent to the check out page. Here is where I would put in my credit card info.

What I found so amazing about this window is the fact that not only do they give you a chance to read their terms before you even start the process but when you are finished giving them your personal information, and your CD picks, when you get to the billing window right next to the credit card info you can read the terms again. The terms are right there. You don't even have to click the word "details" because it is all there.


They are being legit and if you decide not to read the terms then what can you expect? When they sent the other CDs why not send them back? They give you 25 days. They are not freebies. You should've been more responsible and called read the terms and/or called them to cancel your membership or to find out why you have these extra CDs that you did not ask for since you did not read the terms.

If what they are doing is bad or a scam then you will have to include the "Time Life" web site. Oh my gosh that web site is something else. I went on there and clicked on the membership button. Gave them my personal information then looked around at their "specials." The Time Life web site has so many pictures, advertisements, words (Preview now!). It is a "noisy" web site. Too much stuff to look at and decide.
Well I decided to pick the CD collection "Flower Power," hey I'm a child of the 60's what can I say lol. There was a button that I could click on that read "Preview this entire collection for just 12.95!! Wow the entire collection is technically 8 CD's but if I decided to preview the collection I got 2 CD's free. There is a button that you can click on to buy them all at their asking price which was $149.95. But I clicked on the preview button. Then the button that read "Next" and a window pops up even before I can get to the billing dept. And this window Tells me that they will "Sweeten" the deal and add 8 more CDs that I can preview. Wow 8 more CD's of "Flower Power!" So I click on the "Yes I want this offer instead" and continue to check out.

Right below the box that shows me what I am previewing is the following statement..."Preview this collection for 30 days. If you are not completely satisfied, return it within the preview period. You will be charged no further. If you choose to keep this collection, you will be charged $274.90." But when you read it on their site the words are in a very light grey color and its hard to read. But I was going to be charged $274.90 instead of the $149.95 that was offered in the first place if I decided that I wanted to keep the entire collection after I previewed them for 30 days. When that box popped up and offered me 8 more CD's!!! It did not say that I would be charged the $274.90. I could have assumed that all I would be charged was $149.95 for the 18 CD's but I read the "fine print" after being bombarded with different windows and found that I would be charged more if I did accept the offer.

I was able to find their "Terms of Use" at the bottom. When I clicked on it and started reading it I thought they were speaking in a different language! Word like "Here Unto" "Where for" and all that stuff. They listed each term with numbers. It wasn't until I got to the number 14 that I was finally able to read the "14. Special Terms and Conditions for Products Offered in a Series."

The "Terms" on the CDEarth website are right there to read. No windows, no trying to find them..they are right there! I think this website should be taken off the ripoff report website.


I am not trying to be mean in any way but people need to be held accountable for their mistakes.

cdearth.com/blender-animation-editor.htm?gclid=CIW-vbD1lJwCFSUMDQodj1xOdQ

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#1 Consumer Comment

CD Earth Ripped me off

AUTHOR: Anon - (Australia)

POSTED: Tuesday, June 02, 2009

CD EARTH ripped me off got the first cd cost me $8.00 something then go to my bank to find out they took $75.00 out for the next lot of CDS. which they told me was 4/5 cds, I havent read nor got told that there was an extra fee for so many CDS of the value of $50 something... Im not happy they took money out of my account without my knowledge, let alone now I broke, im on a pension with 5 children which i need to feed and they cant help me they said its my loss, im not happy about this... Please people who are out there find out more info and be careful they took me for a bruiser and now im paying the price for their mistakes. DONT GO THERE unless you have the money to pay for their scammies.

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