It's Free I Swear!

2/12/2017

At Christmas, Jeff bought me a very thoughtful and unexpected gift.  I have a "wisdom" (okay, age) spot beneath one eye and I don't like it.  I think it makes me look old and tired.  Jeff found an advertisement for some anti-aging cream that was/is supposed to help with those spots.  And yes the cream was free, you just had to pay for shipping of $4.95.

I was really delighted with my gift although it hasn't made any difference, at least that I can see.  In yesterday's mail, a box came with the two creams that Jeff had bought in December.  The problem was there was no company name on the box, just a P.O. Box for an address.  It took me several hours to find that the creams came from a Dr. Sears from a company called Pure Radiance.

It was a search to find the right phone numbers for this company.  But, with the arrival of the new box on Saturday, I was sure that Jeff had been put on some kind of "auto ship" for the creams.  I called the phone number and the operator told me that customer service would call me next week.  I'm pretty sure that the box I received on Saturday, cost more than the original $4.95.  I told the lady that I wanted to cancel all future shipments.  We'll see what happens next week.

According to one website that I found the "small" print on free items such as these is: 



Some skin cream manufacturers will have a small section below the ordering form that says something like this: “By accepting the terms and conditions, you’re agreeing to pay Beauty Product Scam Company $4.95 for shipping and handling today. 14 days after your order is complete, your credit card will be charged the low price of $84.95 for the full-sized product you just received. You will also be signed up for the Beauty Product Scam Company’s exclusive VIP pricing program. You will continue to receive orders of Beauty Product Scam every month at our discount rate $84.95 + $4.95 shipping and handling. If you wish to cancel, you can do so by calling xxx-xx-xxxx and cancel at any time.”

So, buyer beware of said "free" times and read the small print!

P