Buy.com Scam

T

TheToE!

[H] Brewmaster
Joined
May 17, 2005
Messages
9,088
Guys,
I felt I needed to warm my brethren about a scam that apparently is affecting a lot of folks.
Feb of this year I made a purchase @ buy.com. Without me knowing, they signed me up for something called "Shopper Discounts". I never authorized "Shopper Discounts" to sign me up for anything , let alone charg my CC. They have been charging my CC $12.00/month for the past 8 months! A quick search turned this up : http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/shopper-discounts-c72280.html?sort=datea&page=3

Anyone who has ordered from buy.com before might want to check their transaction history for any charges from "Shopper Disounts" or "RESERVATIONS REWARDS".

I am not one to cry wolf, but I seriously had no idea that this was going on. I called "Shopper Discounts" and spoke to a supervisor who refused to refund all 8 charges, he said he could refund 6, but that I had to write a letter and mail it in if i wanted the other 2 charges refunded. What a bunch of douche bags.
 
That is simply unacceptable. I would definitely dispute that with your credit card company.

This makes me very weary of ordering with buy.com now. :(
 
Ah, the same guys that remove criticism from their Wikipedia page using their IPs.
 
Is this really a scam or did you forget to uncheck a box that was selected by default? Granted this is a really sketchy thing to do but this sounds like it may be a case of not reading the fine print.

I've ordered from Buy.com plenty of times and I have never run into this problem.
 
tuanster1119 said:
Is this really a scam or did you forget to uncheck a box that was selected by default? Granted this is a really sketchy thing to do but this sounds like it may be a case of not reading the fine print.
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Even so, that's pretty weaselly.

I've ordered from Buy.com plenty of times and I have never run into this problem.
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I wonder if he was redirected through a proxy of somekind?
 
Proflowers.com has a similar scam with a coupon that gives you 10 or 15% off your next order. I disputed it with my credit card company and it removed.
 
They are dirty, I posted about some crap they tried to slip by on me a while back. Have to read very carefully on checkout when using them.
 
AT&T did this to me when I signed up for their wireless hot spot access through the phone. I asked them if it was a contract and they blatantly said, nope just month to month and you don't have to call and cancel. Low and behold 5 months later I realize they have been charging me $19.99 each month when I had only used the service for one month. I called and they refused to refund anything. Then I told them I was going to dispute it with my credit card and they just said OK, whatever. So I took it up with american express and got that crap refunded!!
 
Same thing happened to me with FreeCreditReport.com, they make you register before giving you the credit report and what you are actually signing in for is a $14.95 monthly charge.

I had to get creative to get my money back for about 2 or 3 charges.

Now, I have purchased from Buy.com and I have yet to incur that charge. It could be a new thing they are doing now that the economy is in the dumps.
 
The weird thing is, I never remember clicking a button accepting/authorizing this company to charge me. I have refuted this with my CC company so hopefully something gets done.
 
Just head over to The Consumerist and search for articles on buy.com. You'll be surprised all that you find, though I will admit you'll always find something negative for just about every company there because the site focuses on solving horror stories.

Anyway, they might be interested in running an article about the scam. They may even have a few good words on how to fight it if your CC doesn't help you.

It is a little difficult to argue that you didn't notice the charge for 8 months ;).
 
motolube said:
Same thing happened to me with FreeCreditReport.com, they make you register before giving you the credit report and what you are actually signing in for is a $14.95 monthly charge.

I had to get creative to get my money back for about 2 or 3 charges.

Now, I have purchased from Buy.com and I have yet to incur that charge. It could be a new thing they are doing now that the economy is in the dumps.
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freecreditreport.com is a scam. that idiot that does those jingles needs to be shot. its is unbelieveable how many people think that is a righteous company. i tell them "thats the fake credit report website" and they go "how can it be? everyone goes there!" im like, "yeh, i know:("

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp is what you want, if you want to go official, that is.
 
GJSNeptune said:
I stopped buying from Buy.com two years ago.
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me also.. I haven't spent a dime with them since they took my money on an item they said was in stock, then never let me know it was out of stock.. after a week I finally called them and they said, "oh, it's out of stock".. they had no intention of letting me know anything unless I chased the information out of them.. that was the end of me shopping there.
 
Why should he be shot? He's getting paid to do the commercials. He has a living to make.
 
i have been burned by this kind of thing before my self, you have to be really careful, they hide the stuff under layers and make it look enticeingly like you are clicking no,
they are worse than pinnocchio in schrek, "I absolutly Positive dont know where he isnt!",

since i got burned, i always look carefully at the checkout pages.
 
motolube said:
Same thing happened to me with FreeCreditReport.com, they make you register before giving you the credit report and what you are actually signing in for is a $14.95 monthly charge.

I had to get creative to get my money back for about 2 or 3 charges.

Now, I have purchased from Buy.com and I have yet to incur that charge. It could be a new thing they are doing now that the economy is in the dumps.
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They're actually straight up that you're going to be charged though, no problems there. I've used it and just called to cancel right after I got the report with no problems. That's actually the only way I've seen to get your credit SCORE for free.
 
revenant said:
me also.. I haven't spent a dime with them since they took my money on an item they said was in stock, then never let me know it was out of stock.. after a week I finally called them and they said, "oh, it's out of stock".. they had no intention of letting me know anything unless I chased the information out of them.. that was the end of me shopping there.
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And last I dealt with them, their return policy starts when the item is shipped.
 
krupted said:
freecreditreport.com is a scam. that idiot that does those jingles needs to be shot. its is unbelieveable how many people think that is a righteous company. i tell them "thats the fake credit report website" and they go "how can it be? everyone goes there!" im like, "yeh, i know:("

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp is what you want, if you want to go official, that is.
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correction:
anything with "free" in the URL in any way is a scam

to the OP:
this is when you call Visa/Amex/MasterCard/etc and report the charges as fraudulent, you could also call your bank, and report the charges as such, they'll probably kill your card and you get a new one (you want this, because I'm guessing this service will keep charging you even after you've asked to be removed, because you know, in asking to do so, you've given consent to them contiuining to bill you until you get a supreme court injunction against them ;)), and refund you whatever ~$100
 
tuanster1119 said:
Is this really a scam or did you forget to uncheck a box that was selected by default? Granted this is a really sketchy thing to do but this sounds like it may be a case of not reading the fine print.

I've ordered from Buy.com plenty of times and I have never run into this problem.
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+1

I buy from them, I always read everything and turn down any special programs. It's apart of life, if you don't read all paperwork, you will get scammed a lot. Never trust anyone who wants your money in exchage for a product or service without asking questions or reading the fine print.
 
krupted said:
freecreditreport.com is a scam. that idiot that does those jingles needs to be shot. its is unbelieveable how many people think that is a righteous company. i tell them "thats the fake credit report website" and they go "how can it be? everyone goes there!" im like, "yeh, i know:("

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp is what you want, if you want to go official, that is.
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There's nothing fake about their results.
 
Based on their customer satisfaction rating only someone desperate for a sale item would be found shopping with them or someone new to shopping on the internet.
 
I order from them regularly and have not once had a problem. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
 
I recall seeing something similar at buy.com, and other places, on a seperate screen after checkout. Example "save X dollars on your next purchase". I never complete those, but I do agree they are fishy.
 
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ive never had any problems with buy.com either. from my experiences they are one of the better online retailers. that doesnt distract from the fact that the freecreditreport.com guy must die. im not saying the real guy the person, just him on tv. take a chainsaw to his throat and shit in his stump.
 
krupted said:
ive never had any problems with buy.com either. from my experiences they are one of the better online retailers. that doesnt distract from the fact that the freecreditreport.com guy must die. im not saying the real guy the person, just him on tv. take a chainsaw to his throat and shit in his stump.
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Is your animosity worse for real people?
 
lgestle said:
I recall seeing something similar at buy.com and other place on a seperate screen after checkout. Example "save X dollars on your next purchase". I never complete those, but I do agree they are fishy.
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This is exactly what it is. They are very sleezy and pretty much gigantic spam screens. I've stopped buying from buy.com due to them and just blacklisted an ebay seller that forced checkout through a system that also had it. It isn't enough that someone just patronized their business without them passing the person on to some scambait?

Yah, it is easy enough just to not click anything and ignore it, but I choose not to do business with companies that participate in such slimey business practices. They might as well say buy from us, and afterwards we'll sell your info to spammers!
 
i got signed up for something similar from getting a discount through buy.com, then saw my email which said i would be charged x amount every month, i was able to unsubscribe successfully online and was never charged on my card.

is a bit crap really but what do you expect from buy.com lol
 
This happened to me a long time ago from one of those save x dollars off your order now buttons on the order receipt page. If you click it they automatically get all your info and cc information and sign you up for their monthly program. Well just recently I got this in my email. It seems they were sued and came to an agreement.

You are receiving this notice because WLI's records indicate that you became enrolled as member of WLI's Reservation Rewards, Shoppers Discounts & Rewards, Members Specials, Buyer Assurance, Distinctive Privileges, PC Protection Plus, Travel Values, Travel Values Plus, Classmates Rewards, and/or Wallet Shield program (collectively, the "Programs") from September 11, 2000 through September 30, 2008 and may be eligible to claim additional cash payments from a Court approved class action settlement about which you were notified in March or April 2009.
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The Settlement resolves a lawsuit in which claims are made that WLI, et al. (the "Defendants"), among other claims, failed to disclose program enrollment details regarding monthly billing and transfer of billing information causing consumers to enroll in Programs without full consent in violation of state and federal law. You are included in the Class because, while viewing the website of an on-line retailer on one or more occasions, you were offered and selected a "Cash Back" incentive, a "Coupon," a "Discount," a "Reward," an "Award," or similar enrollment incentive and became enrolled in one or more of the Programs. Defendants deny any wrongdoing, and the Court has not decided the merits of these allegations. The parties agreed to settle and provide these additional benefits to Class Members in exchange for a release of claims by Class Members arising out of any of the allegations in the lawsuit or Class Members' membership and/or enrollment in the Programs.
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http://www.webmarketingsettlement.com/
 
The whole Reservation Rewards charge comes from a survey you agreed to take for a $10 discount on your next Buy.com order or something. Trust me, I fell for it before...

Call the Reservation Rewards number (you'll find a lot of similar complaints online) and ask them to void it. They'll comply.
 
haffey said:
The whole Reservation Rewards charge comes from a survey you agreed to take for a $10 discount on your next Buy.com order or something. Trust me, I fell for it before...

Call the Reservation Rewards number (you'll find a lot of similar complaints online) and ask them to void it. They'll comply.
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So what if he voluntarily took a survey for $10, it's still their fault because he doesn't remember :p


On a more serious note, i've been shopping buy.com and using their credit card + rewards for years and never had the same problem.
 
Buy.com has always been pretty sketchy. Their return policy and customer service is nonexistent from what I hear as well. That said I have gotten some really good deals through them. My Antec 1200 cost me $140 with free shipping like two weeks after it hit the market while other places were price gouging and I picked up my GTX280 for really cheap before the 285 hit the market. Buy.com is a gamble.
 
TheToE! said:
Guys,
I felt I needed to warm my brethren about a scam that apparently is affecting a lot of folks.
Feb of this year I made a purchase @ buy.com. Without me knowing, they signed me up for something called "Shopper Discounts". I never authorized "Shopper Discounts" to sign me up for anything , let alone charg my CC. They have been charging my CC $12.00/month for the past 8 months! A quick search turned this up : .
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Guys, this is not a scam. After you place an order with Buy.com, a page for shopper discount and rewards pops up. If you actually took the time to read this page, you can click on the No Thanks button and be redirected to your receipt. If you click on Continue or Yes, it will automatically charge your credit card. You'll also receive emails from these other firms offering you meager discounts. But, take advantage of their $10 cash back, cancel your membership within the free trial, and you can profit. Just take good records, and actually read when you place an order...
 
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