'Free' trial offer could be costly, woman discovers


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SALT LAKE CITY — It's hard to turn down something for nothing.

Many businesses use freebie offers to hook you on their products. But if you sign up for one, you'll quickly learn "free" likely comes with strings.

Meli Derricott heard a radio ad touting a risk-free trial of anti-aging cream Hydroxatone.

"I just thought this might be something different that could help me out," she said.

So she called and asked for a sample.

"They said it was going to be $7.95 for shipping, and that's all it was going to be," she said.

Three weeks later Derricott received not one but two bottles of the stuff. It didn't even work for her.

"My face is broken out and it's dry," she said. "It's not helping, not making it any better."

But it's a risk-free trial, right? She should be able to return the facial cream.

What to do
Before you buy, check online for reviews of both product and whoever is selling it.

"There's actually blogs by the pages about people who've gone through the same thing that I've gone through," Derricott said. "If I had done that, I would've seen that as a joke."

Other advice from the FTC includes:

  • Find the terms and conditions for the offer. If you can't find them or can't understand exactly what you're agreeing to, don't sign up.
  • Look for who's behind the offer. Just because you're buying something online from one company doesn't mean the offer or pop-up isn't from someone else.
  • Watch out for pre-checked boxes. That checkmark may give the company the green light to continue the offer past the free trial or sign you up for more products — only this time you have to pay.
  • Mark your calendar. Your free trial probably has a time limit. Once it passes without you telling the company to cancel your "order," you may be on the hook for more products.
  • Look for info on how you can cancel future shipments or services.
  • Read your credit and debit card statements. That way you'll know right away if you're being charged for something you didn't order.

"They said, 'It's been 33 days. You can't send it back and you still have to pay for it,' " she said.

The company zinged Derricott $50 for each bottle even though she thought she was only getting one. Also, because she didn't send the stuff back within 30 days of her order, she'll be getting two bottles every eight weeks.

"I'm paying for something I don't want," she said. "I'm paying for something that I thought was for free. It's kind of ridiculous."

The Federal Trade Commission thinks so too. In 2011, nearly 2 million Americans reported being duped into some sort of buyer's club membership when they bought anything from teeth whitener to vitamins to streaming video.

The FTC said in many cases, consumers didn't understand those memberships would continue past a free trial period unless they take action. Many times, that information is buried in small print and easily missed by the buyer.

That's why the FTC encourages consumers to make sure they know what the terms and conditions are before buying into a free trial. If you can't find them, don't buy it.

Derricott called her credit card company, said she'd been cheated, and demanded the charge be removed. She did it in time to get out of the second charge and the membership.

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Bill Gephardt

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