| Many of the fat burners and weight loss | | | | into a huge page of boring "legalese" that no |
| products sold online offer a 5 or 7-day free | | | | one in their right mind would read. |
| trial to tempt you into trying the product. | | | | |
| On the surface, this seems like a great deal. | | | | In most cases, the "deck is stacked" in favor |
| After all, you get to try the product free. | | | | of the retailer, by making it very unlikely |
| At the same time, the retailer seems to be | | | | that the consumer will be able to cancel the |
| demonstrating confidence in the quality and | | | | autoship program in compliance with the terms |
| effectiveness of his or her product. | | | | of the agreement. For instance, here's what |
| | | | one retailer says... |
| That's how it seems anyway. The reality is | | | | |
| dramatically different... | | | | If after trying , you decide you do not wish |
| | | | to receive the 30-day supply, simply contact |
| In order to receive the "free trial" offered | | | | us within 14 days of the day you placed your |
| on the product Web site, you must pay a small | | | | order. It is as easy as that. How fast do you |
| shipping and handling fee -- usually between | | | | think the retailer is going to get that free |
| 5-7 dollars (in my opinion, this hardly makes | | | | trial out the door? |
| the free trial "free" -- since the shipping | | | | |
| costs of a couple of pills would be | | | | I'm guessing not so fast at all. Factor in |
| negligible as would be the handling). Of | | | | that delay, the shipping time, and the 7-day |
| course, you must pay this small fee via a | | | | trial period and... BAM. The 14 days are up. |
| credit card, and this is exactly what the | | | | Remember, that's not 14 days from when you |
| retailer wants... | | | | receive the order, that's 14 days from when |
| | | | you place the order. Theoretically, you could |
| ... your credit card information. | | | | be added to an autoship program before you |
| | | | even try the product. |
| Because in most cases, you'll be | | | | |
| automatically added to a recurring billing | | | | Sure, most retailers claim to be happy to |
| program (a bottle will be sent to you each | | | | assist customers with cancellation requests. |
| month and your card charged accordingly) | | | | In reality however, customer reps, if they |
| immediately following the cessation of your | | | | can be accessed at all, are often deceptive, |
| free trial period. | | | | rude, misleading and downright dishonest. |
| | | | |
| Just for your information... you may see the | | | | Good luck getting off that autoship program. |
| recurring billing program also referred to as | | | | |
| an "autoship program" and occasionally, a | | | | On top of this, some retailers refuse to |
| "membership program." | | | | offer refunds on any "autoship" products. |
| | | | Some offer a credit towards other products, |
| And here's the kicker... | | | | and some don't even bother with that. |
| | | | |
| You do not have to indicate your satisfaction | | | | The other thing to keep in mind is... |
| with the product, or provide the company | | | | |
| permission to charge your credit card and | | | | No matter how good any fat burner or weight |
| send you more product, or anything. They will | | | | loss product is, you're unlikely to see any |
| begin sending product and charging your card | | | | results within 5-7 days. But that doesn't |
| regardless of whether you want it or not. | | | | matter to the retailer, because by the time |
| | | | your free trial is over, you'll be receiving |
| In all cases I've investigated, the retailer | | | | the product on a monthly basis. |
| has been forthright in revealing to the | | | | |
| customer that they will be enrolled in such a | | | | Bottom line? |
| program following the cessation of the free | | | | |
| trial. However, some retailers are very | | | | The vast majority of 5-7 free trials are |
| deceptive in the way they do so -- burying | | | | completely bogus, and only work in favor of |
| this information on a "terms and conditions" | | | | the retailer. If you are investigating any |
| page hidden away in a dark corner of their | | | | product offering such a trial, be sure to |
| web site, for instance. | | | | search carefully for the complete terms and |
| | | | conditions. Remember, if you agree to the |
| Others sandwich this material into a ton of | | | | terms and conditions -- even without reading |
| text between their sign up pitches -- knowing | | | | them, the retailer can add you to the |
| very well that their audience is likely to | | | | autoship program without legal ramifications |
| scan this text and miss this information | | | | (but the retailer cannot refuse to remove you |
| (online, people tend to scan pages rather | | | | from the program however!). |
| than read every word). Still others bury it | | | | |