SkinEndear EyeEndear Deceptive advertising practices, unauthorized credit card charges Don Mills Canada

I received a special offer through CVS for a free trial for this product.  The only thing that was allegedly required. NOPE.  When accepting this "free trial" you are taken through multiple screens that look like they are taking you to the final page to accept the shipping charge.  

Well that is not the case.  Every screen you advance through to enter your credit card information is a page for a different product (free of course, just shipping costs), As you click to get to the shopping cart, you are agreeing to receive each separate product.  It is not blatantly obvious either.

There are additional teeny tiny boxes for Shipping Insurance" that are checked and the print to uncheck them is so small that it appears you do not have a choice but to accept it. By the time you realize what you have just ordered, By the time you realize you don't want the shipping insurance, it's too late.

You reach the end page where your card information is to be entered.  There is no indication you have ordered multiple items (that comes later after your card is charged).  There is no shopping cart to remove the items you don't want (even if there was, you wouldn't know you had ordered them at this point)  

After the credit card is purchased, you start receiving multiple emails from "Customer Service" for ALL of the items that you just ordered.  Naturally you will want to cancel the extra items.  I believe a reasonable person would reply to the email that contains the order number, requesting a cancellation.  The email will have a canned response "Please call our Customer Service".

Ok, fine.  If you are lucky enough to notice that each item has a different 855# (that all lead to the same place, by the way) you have to call each number to cancel each item.  Herein lies the money making scheme for this company.  This nefarious tactic is hidden.  

When you call, you are asked to enter your phone number by an automated system.  It leads you to the FIRST PROMPT in the recording.  The recording says to "cancel your trial press 1" and of course you select one immediately. When you stay on the line to receive confirmation that your "free trial" has been cancelled, the confirmation immediately lets you know your card will be charged $36-$38 (per item), then your "membership" will be cancelled after you receive your first shipment.  

Immediately you want to speak to someone and cancel the whole thing because by you had no intention of ordering any more than the first product.  If you listen long enough, you will get the option to speak to an "agent".  You'll be on hold so long you will get frustrated and call your credit card company, who at this point has likely flagged your card as "fraudulent charges".

That was not a sufficient enough for me.  I called this Skin Scam Customer Service line again and parked myself on hold.  I immediately got an agent, however, the line was so filled with static, I couldn't understand what she was saying at all.  That of course will force you to call again and hold again. Is this part of the ploy? I don't know. 

When you finally reach someone to reverse the charges, you are informed that the $36-38 charge is imposed because you "terminated your trial membersip early".  I can assure you, you will have NO IDEA that you enrolled in a "trial membership". A normal person would think they just attempted to order a product for the cost of shipping alone.  You will not only have the shipping charges billed to your card but the; .99 for shipping insurance per item (that appears mandatory) and the cancellation charges per item.

The Customer Service agent will act reluctant to reverse the charges because you "agreed" to the trial.  You probably did but you had no idea.  You thought you were getting a "trial"size item. You're not, you are enrolling in their membership.  I'm sure the committment to enter a "membership" is buried within the order page somewhere and by clicking you are likely agreeing to join. 

I know deception when I see it.  This company has perfected the art of deception.  I am certain most people will see the original item and the companion products and think "it's only $5.00 per item for shipping, why not"?  People won't know that they just got hit for $36-38 each item until the statement comes in.

After arguing with the CS agent, I informed her she had two choices; refund my credit card or pay merchant fees and wait for me to dispute the charges.  I was placed on hold so the CS agent could consult her manager.  She returned to the call and informed me "they would reverse the charges".  

Lastly, it is unclear why you are being charged $36-38.  The recording implies that it is for the first delivery of the items you ordered.  Customer Service will tell you it is because you cancelled your membership early and it's an "early termination fee".  It's still unclear to me what the charge is for but either way it isn't obvious you are spending that amount of money on a "free trial" offer.