I am a former Government Employee who had to retire due to physical maladies that have left me permanently and totally disabled. As a result of my illness I am unable to drive and depend upon the internet to purchase some of the basic necessities of life, i.e., clothing, medical supplies, household materials, etc. When I the promotional intoduction to USA Platinum I was excited at the vast catalog merchandise that they used as "teasers" to induce an individual to buy. After my initial payment to join their site in order to purchase from the "phantom" catalog, that cost me $179.80 on my other credit card.
The Internet is a wonderful tool for those of us that are "homebound." We rely on this tool for communication to our loved ones, on-line banking in paying our bills, meeting others in Chat Rooms, and most of all in most of our purchasing power. We rely on many, many companies and there veracity in the statements for services that they can provide via the internet. People such as myself, who are homebound and terminally ill try to spend our monies wisely and rely on internet companies to provide what they offer.
The worst about these companies that pray on all individual's is the requirement of "up-front" fees before purchases can be made. At that point the consumer has just been "scamed," without a website to go to or a catalog being sent in the mail to select merchandise from and you never find a way of contacting them either by mail, internet or telephone.
Fool me once, but they or others won't fool me again!!
Tholman
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma