My mother was caught in this scam, and we were unable to get the support of visa to reverse any charges nor block the company from such behaviour. I was appalled at how little anyone could do to help the situation, and it's an expensive lesson learned. You can also read about this scam through various reports on marketplace, where the police are declaring it fraudulent, yet visa and mastercard refuse to protect the consumer:
I am deeply disturbed by the unethical, misleading, and inappropriate marketing practices of an online company called Retinol MD. My wife, recently unsuspectingly signed up for a trial beauty kit not reading the fine print they have deliberately hidden at the bottom of their web page and even worse behind a “Read More” caption. The screen capture below shows how misleading the web site is. It was not until her bank called her about a possibly fraudulent charge on her credit card that she became aware of what the company had done. The bank told her that it was probably too late for her to do anything about the $179.98 she was charged when she believed she was getting a free trial of their product.
Retinol MD, www.retinolmd.com/Canada, an online company, is offering a free trial beauty kit claiming all you have to pay is $5.97 shipping and handling. THIS IS A SCAM! They ship you the sample but unknowing to you charge your credit card an additional $179.98 for the first month of a monthly subscription. They will then ship you another package every 30 days and charge you an additional $129.88 until you cancel the subscription. All this information is hidden in the fine print at the bottom of the ad that reads:
By clicking the "RUSH MY ORDER" button, you represent that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age, have read and agreed to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy, and you understand that are enrolling in a trial offer. You will be charged applicable S&H fees upon placing this order and will have ten to fourteen days to evaluate the products and return them if you are not fully satisfied. If you choose to keep them, you will be charged the full cost as per our terms. Furthermore, you agree to enrol in our preferred discount rate membership program and receive replenishment products once a month. Your card will be charged accordingly upon dispatch of each additional package. Membership can be cancelled or modified at any time.
Some of it, you even have to click on a "Read More" button to see.
In the event that you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, for any reason, you can return the products in their original packaging up to 14 days after your order was delivered. You will then be eligible for a full refund of the purchase price, less shipping & handling charges. You must bear any applicable return shipping charges. Please note that a restocking fee is applicable to all returned orders.
Risk-free trial offer: By ordering our special trial Retinol MD Beauty Kit, you agree to enroll in our AutoRefill Program. You will be charged applicable shipping and handling fees upon placing the order and will then have 14 days to try our products and return them if you are not completely satisfied. If you choose to keep the kit, you will be charged the full cost of C$179.98. We will then automatically send you a replenishment of the products you have ordered according to our common replenishment guidelines (normally, every 30 calendar days). Your card will be charged C$129.88 accordingly upon dispatch of the replenishment package. AutoRefill can be cancelled at any time by simply logging into your account.
Retinol MD employs a marketing strategy that deliberately misleads the customer into thinking they are getting a free trial of the product. It is only the fine print on the web site that will reveal the company’s intention to not only charge the customer’s credit card the full price for the product but also to automatically sign them up for a monthly subscription for the product, all without their knowledge or explicit permission. This can catch many unsuspecting people off guard as the fine print is seldom read. While Retinol MD’s actions may not be technically illegal, they certainly border on fraud as the company has made every effort to conceal the facts of the offer on their web site. Companies such as Retinol MD do a disservice to consumers everywhere and must be made to either change their unethical practices or be put out of business.
Retinolmd Reviews
My mother was caught in this scam, and we were unable to get the support of visa to reverse any charges nor block the company from such behaviour. I was appalled at how little anyone could do to help the situation, and it's an expensive lesson learned. You can also read about this scam through various reports on marketplace, where the police are declaring it fraudulent, yet visa and mastercard refuse to protect the consumer:
Https://www.Cbc.Ca/news/business/marketplace-skin-cream-trials-1.4349777
I am deeply disturbed by the unethical, misleading, and inappropriate marketing practices of an online company called Retinol MD. My wife, recently unsuspectingly signed up for a trial beauty kit not reading the fine print they have deliberately hidden at the bottom of their web page and even worse behind a “Read More” caption. The screen capture below shows how misleading the web site is. It was not until her bank called her about a possibly fraudulent charge on her credit card that she became aware of what the company had done. The bank told her that it was probably too late for her to do anything about the $179.98 she was charged when she believed she was getting a free trial of their product.
Retinol MD, www.retinolmd.com/Canada, an online company, is offering a free trial beauty kit claiming all you have to pay is $5.97 shipping and handling. THIS IS A SCAM! They ship you the sample but unknowing to you charge your credit card an additional $179.98 for the first month of a monthly subscription. They will then ship you another package every 30 days and charge you an additional $129.88 until you cancel the subscription. All this information is hidden in the fine print at the bottom of the ad that reads:
By clicking the "RUSH MY ORDER" button, you represent that you are at least eighteen (18) years of age, have read and agreed to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy, and you understand that are enrolling in a trial offer. You will be charged applicable S&H fees upon placing this order and will have ten to fourteen days to evaluate the products and return them if you are not fully satisfied. If you choose to keep them, you will be charged the full cost as per our terms. Furthermore, you agree to enrol in our preferred discount rate membership program and receive replenishment products once a month. Your card will be charged accordingly upon dispatch of each additional package. Membership can be cancelled or modified at any time.
Some of it, you even have to click on a "Read More" button to see.
In the event that you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, for any reason, you can return the products in their original packaging up to 14 days after your order was delivered. You will then be eligible for a full refund of the purchase price, less shipping & handling charges. You must bear any applicable return shipping charges. Please note that a restocking fee is applicable to all returned orders.
Risk-free trial offer: By ordering our special trial Retinol MD Beauty Kit, you agree to enroll in our AutoRefill Program. You will be charged applicable shipping and handling fees upon placing the order and will then have 14 days to try our products and return them if you are not completely satisfied. If you choose to keep the kit, you will be charged the full cost of C$179.98. We will then automatically send you a replenishment of the products you have ordered according to our common replenishment guidelines (normally, every 30 calendar days). Your card will be charged C$129.88 accordingly upon dispatch of the replenishment package. AutoRefill can be cancelled at any time by simply logging into your account.
Retinol MD employs a marketing strategy that deliberately misleads the customer into thinking they are getting a free trial of the product. It is only the fine print on the web site that will reveal the company’s intention to not only charge the customer’s credit card the full price for the product but also to automatically sign them up for a monthly subscription for the product, all without their knowledge or explicit permission. This can catch many unsuspecting people off guard as the fine print is seldom read. While Retinol MD’s actions may not be technically illegal, they certainly border on fraud as the company has made every effort to conceal the facts of the offer on their web site. Companies such as Retinol MD do a disservice to consumers everywhere and must be made to either change their unethical practices or be put out of business.