Encante Pie' Apineye Cream, VLM* Sunay Face Serum deceptive "trial period" and charges before trial is over. Santa Ana California

I saw a trial offered for an eye cream and anti-aging serum. I think the ad implied that Jennifer Anniston used this product. The trial period included shipping charge of $5.95 and I did not receive any paperwork with the product-no invoice or receipt. My period started on the 8th of Dec.  On Dec 22 I got a fraud alert email from my credit card, and then a phone call from them. It alluded to the charge being a "subscription". I did not recall any subscription I had gotten for $98, so I called in to the credit card company. I had no idea what the charge was for and requested the name of the product and a phone # for the company, which they gave me. The product names were Pie' ApinEye Cream and VLM* Sunay Face Serum on the credit card. I was sitting at my makeup table and the product name on both items was Encante-there was no mention of the 2 names on the credit card.  The 2 products had 2 different phone #s. 

I called the respective numbers and got an argument from the agent who answered the phone. They said I had agreed to the 14 day trial and it began on the day I signed on (not when I received it). That seems ludicrous to me-I do business with a lot of online companies and most of them have ethical marketing practice, ie, your return period starts when you receive the item, etc.  The lady for the eye cream said it could not be returned, I had agreed to this, but she would extend to me her professional discount of $35 so I would only pay $65 instead of 99.  I declined-the visa company had declined the charge due to the fraud alert, and I finally got tired of arguing with her, told her Merry  Christmas and hung up.  Then I called the # for the face serum.

That was a guy and he gave me the same company line. I told him I had used the serum a few days and got bumps on my chin, so had backed off and gone back to my previous cosmetic line, and the bumps had gone away-so his product did not agree with me.  He said that was the retinol, blah, blah-however I use retinol all the time, I have not problem wtih it. I do have allergies and skin sensitivities so I suspect it was some of the plant extract stuff in the serum.   This charge had gone through and he said I could not dispute it with the visa company because he had me on a recorded line saying I had ordered it, so it was not a fraudulent purchase.  I reflected that no, what was fraudulent was their marketing, pretending that people actually got a 14 day trial. I also got tired of arguing with him, told him Merry Christmas and hung up. He called me back a few minutes later, said he had consulted with his "management team" and they would agree to me returning the product, gave me a return # which had to be on the outside of the package to get a refund. I sent it back today, with signature confirmationi because these people seem to be real weasels and I figured they would lie and say they never got it.

There are too many good cosmetics out there, and too many reputable companies and sales people to put up with this kind of nonsense. I will never again agree to a trial period so narrow- so pay attention people. Sometimes what seems like a good deal will only end up being a huge aggravation. People who are honest and selling a good product don't need to resort to threatening, strong-arm policies and the kind of argument I received on the phone.

Let the buyer beware!!!!