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Report: #591512

Complaint Review: Internet Cash Machine - ICM Websites - Internet Internet

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  • Reported By: Frank — Cave Creek Arizona USA
  • Author Not Confirmed What's this?
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  • Internet Cash Machine - ICM Websites 26741 Portola Parkway, Suite 1E#912 Internet United States of America

Internet Cash Machine - ICM Websites portal.xyzwarehouse.com say it is $2.97 S&H fee to receive info, then hit you with surprise $139.95 3 days later Internet

*UPDATE Employee: Customer has been cancelled and refunded.

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I have been a CPA since the beginning of the internet in the 90's...this might be one of the most incredible scams (in that they scam you and then won't give a refund...most scammers, when called on, offer refund, not them, their robots are trained to have no emotions and talk over you by reading, over and over, the fine print) I have ever seen.


The company promises to provide information on how to earn money on the internet.  They state that for just $2.97, they will send you information on how to get started.  I figured $3.00 for shipping and handling, if it is a cd, sounds about right (I don't fall for any of the "free" stuff, and read the fine print.  I figured when I got the information, they would tell me what I would need to do and then find out the additional costs...but that is not the case!  In the email you receive immediately after you approve the $2.97, at the very bottom it states that after a 3 day trial period, you will be charged $139.95.  Now, rewind...when I was online, and the email receipt came through, I treated like any other receipt...I let it sit there.  little did I know that it contained this language (which I will copy and paste from there response to one of propbably 100's of complaines on this site).  Oh, but here is a really interesting factoid (that others who have been ripped off have noted) Once you are taken for you money, you can't get back to that site...they apparently capture your ip address to redirect you!!!  Back to when I signed up...I read the entire page and came to the conclusion that my risk, at that point, was $2.97...even if it wasn't worth it, it was 3 bucks...wrong.


When you call, the say that the terms and conditions clearly state (by the way, the fine print is several "clicks" in...easy to miss, and with the apparent simplicity of the offer, and no mention of other charges...at all, even easier to overlook...the risk was (seemed) so small...but not the case).  Now, I will give them the benefit of placing their own fine print, that they posted in response to someone's complaint, followed by additional statements from me:


"By placing my order I agree to the Terms of Offer, which explain this order includes the about for just $2.97 for processing. If you enjoy the 3-day trial and continue your path to making money, you will be billed a one-time fee of $139.95 and a monthly maintenance fee. You may cancel anytime by calling 1-877-863-3088."


O.K...so let's pretend I saw the fine print at the time I agreed to receive the information package for the cost of shipping and handling, or pretend I read the "receipt email" as I call it.  Note that I have never seen a receipt email that after you authorize a charge tells you that they are going to charge you more...this is a new one to me, but I digress again. (as a side note, I think they charge the shipping and handling, instead of doing it for free, so you won't suspect and continue to investigate, because it is immaterial in comparison to the $140 they are planning to take you for...just my two cents). I haven't recieved the materials that i ordered so I could look at the opportunity, review and decide, and therefore their "trial perid" is actually a negative period of time????.  When I called, they said that the materials take 2-3 weeks (hmmm, but you charged me in 3 days, admitting the impossibility of my 3 day trial?? without being psychic and knowing that i had to move fast and do something else online before receiving the materials???) the email contained a user name and password which would have allowed me immediate access.  But if I have ordered something through the mail, my next action would be upon receipt of such mail?  So even with thier terms and conditions, I have not "enjoyed" my trial period.  I told of this to the customer service robot and the manager!!!  They stick with the "you couldve accessed the site immediately"  are you kidding me?.  They refused to give me a refund or their names.


I have shared this information and I have a dispute in with Bank of America who has reversed the charge pending investigation.  I have offered the site, via a second phone call and via email another chance to refund my money and I will move on without taking the following actions:  (1) filing a comlaint with the BBB, (2) contacting Edmund G. Brown Jr., Orange County Attorney General, to begin an investigation (3) working with my contact at KABC channel 7 (their regional ABC affiliate,,,I won't name names, but he is on TV), contacting a certain columnist at the Orange County Register, and more (including starting several websites, the domain names of which I already have reserved at godaddy.com).  All I wanted was a refund and they basically spit in my face. 


Just give me my money back...that is all i want!


 

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 04/09/2010 04:55 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/internet-cash-machine-icm-websites/internet/internet-cash-machine-icm-websites-portalxyzwarehousecom-say-it-is-297-sh-fee-to-re-591512. 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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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:
0Author
1Consumer
0Employee/Owner

#1 UPDATE Employee

Customer has been cancelled and refunded.

AUTHOR: Director of Operations - (United States of America)

POSTED: Wednesday, April 14, 2010






Thank you for your correspondence in connection with the above-referenced matter. It is clear from the text of the complaint that all the information was not provided by the complainant in regards to the program was signed up for and the requisite charges for that program, and several facts have been omitted that once revealed will hopefully clear up this matter.



We have terminated this customers account and no further charges will be conducted on their account.

In the interest of Customer Service, we will also provide this customer a refund for the purchase in the amount of $142.92. 



Internet Cash Machine is a membership site that provides users with all the tools and information necessary to learn how to post websites and webstores and launch products for auction on eBay to make money online. 


In order to sign up for the Internet Cash Machine program, the customer MUST go thru the following steps.



         1.       Client reaches Internet Cash Machine site through different internet advertisements.



        2.        Client is directed to a sales landing page to enter preliminary information. Note that there is a      link at the bottom of the page to the Terms and Conditions of the signing up for the program.            



3. Then the customer MUST provide their credit card information on the secured payment page.?



?By placing my order I agree to the Terms of Offer, which explain this order includes the about for just $2.97 for processing. If you enjoy the 3-day trial and continue your path to making money, you will be billed a one-time fee of $139.95 and a monthly maintenance fee of $4.95. You may cancel anytime by calling 1-877-863-3088.



The 3 day trial is 3 days from the day the client signed up. Actually the $139.95 is billed on the 4th day after the signup.



 



The $2.97 charge is drafted immediately upon signup. If they do not cancel during the 3 day trial period the $139.5 charge is then drafted from the account.



 



If they cancel within the 3 day trial period, the authorization for the funds is lifted and the money is again available for them in their account.



 



The $139.95 charge is initially placed on Pending Status in their account. That pending states remains until the funds are drafted the hold is lifted.



As stated in the Terms and Conditions for the service the Starter Kit may take up to 8-14 days for delivery.  But the customers are provided the login information for their account via a confirmation page that comes up immediately after they signup for the service, this is in addition to the Welcome Email that is sent to their email address.



 



Again on the credit information page, the terms and conditions of the program are noted on the page in several different areas. First, there is a  link on the bottom of the page for the Terms and Conditions. Second,  the Terms and Conditions and charges for the program are listed on the page, directly to the left  of the Rush My Order button.  Those terms and conditions and charges for the service clearly state that there are 3 different charges for this program. The first is  the initial charge of $2.97 for processing of the account. The $2.97 charge provides the customer with access to the service for a 3 Day Trial Period.  The 3 day period provides the customer with access to the service so they can ascertain if they would like to continue with the service and incur the additional charges for the service. After the 3 day trial period has expired, as the terms clearly state, the customer is then charged the second charge, which is a one-time $139.95 charge for the service membership.  The customer then has access to the full service until they elect to cancel the service. Each month that the service is active the customer will be charged a monthly maintenance fee of $4.95.  The exact terms that are on the credit card information page are enlarged below for better viewing. 



In addition to clearly spelling out each fee required for the service, we provide the number for the customer to call to cancel the account.



The link to the terms and conditions that is listed on each page involved in the signup process, take the user to the Terms and Conditions page. Again, ALL the program costs, charges, terms, conditions and cancellation procedure are clearly spelled out on the page.



Immediately after the credit card information page has been completed and the customer clicks on the "Rush My Order button, the terms are again presented to the customer in the form of a pop-up on the page that again lists the terms for the program and service.



It is at that point that the customer will see a Confirmation Page that confirms their signup is complete for the service and provides them with the username, password, and customer service contacts for their account.   Then a Welcome Email is sent to the email address the customer provided us upon signing up for the service.



After the customer has reviewed the Confirmation Page, and received the Welcome Email at their email address, all that is left for the customer to do is to login to their ICM account.  Below is the sign in page to access the ICM customers accounts.



Once they are into their account, they must confirm their personal information to make sure that they are in the correct account and their account was set up correctly. From their the customer can set their own path to begin to create their website. Within the administration of their website they will periodically be presented with additional tools and services for their business, such as a Merchant Account to accept credit cards for their products and services on their website.  These services are entirely optional and the customer can bypass them with a simple click, if do not wish to obtain that certain service.



Based on the above representations and facts, there can be no question that ICM has taken every step to assure that all the terms and conditions are displayed multiple times throughout the sign up process and after the signup is complete.  For any customer to state that, they were not made aware or did not see or was not informed or did not authorize the charges about the pending charges for the service, would be a mistatement of the obvious facts.



We have terminated this customers account and no further charges will be conducted on their account. 



Internet Cash Machine is committed to the success and satisfaction of all of its clients and conducts its business in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations.  Please contact me directly if I may be of any further assistance. This customer can keep any materials that were received as our gift.



Respectfully yours,



Internet Cash Machine Staff



 





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