[tombeck]

Hi

InsideMacGames (IMG) offers Trial Pro accounts for a week. After one week, your credit card will be charged $19.90 for a full-year membership, unless you cancel your account.

There is no way you can cancel the account. I've sent numerous emails to img@insidemacgames.com and using their contact form on the web, but they ignore my request. So I posted a message on their forum, and guess what, they deleted my post.

IMG is pissed because people sign up for a trial account, download something from their servers, and then immediately cancel the account. Well, that's how the system works. If they don't like it, then they should not offer free trial accounts.

If they charge my credit card after one week, I'll consider it fraud and will report it to my credit card company.

DON'T sign up for a trial account at IMG!

[usurp]

well according to their site, they state clearly that if you dont cancel after 1 week you will be charged, so it is your fault. Here check this:

in the FAQ it says:

Can I try it before I sign up?
Yes. You can get a one-week trial account starting today. Just head over the IMG Pro Subscriber and sign up for a trial subscription. You will need a credit card to sign up for a trial account; your credit card will be charged after a week, but you are free to cancel anytime before that at no charge.

And then on the signup page itself they say the following:

Free Trial
Not sure if you want to spring for IMG Pro? Try it for a week for free! Just sign up for a 1 or 2 year IMG Pro account and make sure to check the "Free Trial" checkbox. You will need a credit card to get a free trial account. Your card will be charged after one week, but you're free to cancel at any time before then at no charge.

[Bryson]

Toms issue is, I think, that they provide no mechanism to cancel, so their offer is fraudulent, not that they don't say they will charge after a week.

[tombeck]

Exactly. I can't cancel. The week is not over yet, but I can't cancel! I wrote them several times, they ignore me. I posted in their support forum, and they cancelled my post!

[MCQ]

Why don't you try calling them?

[tombeck]

Basically because I live in Switzerland and calling to the US is expensive. I feel I don't have to spend money in order to cancel a free trial account. They deliberately ignore me (they've proven this by deleting my post on their forum) so I don't see how calling them would change anything.

[MCQ]

Sorry to hear that... good luck to you then. Hopefully you can get it cancelled.

[usurp]

wow thats sucks then. sorry dude.

[scratt]

I have a very simple way to deal with this...

Fill out a complaint with the FBIs Internet fraud section. You can google for it.

They will send you a copy of the report as both an email and a pdf file.

Forward that to the company in question, inform them that you have reported them to the FBI, and then send that email to evey single affiliate company they have, or thwate style endorsement company that they have on their site.

Heck, send a copy to Apple on this occasion, but I doubt that will do much.

I have followed this procedure with two US based companies that tried to rip me off this year and lo and behold within 24 hours the situation was resolved.... to my complete satisfaction.

Just because a company is not in your country does not mean they can ignore you. The more companies that realise that the less of this we will have..

[tombeck]

Originally Posted by scratt Fill out a complaint with the FBIs Internet fraud section. You can google for it.

Excellent advice. I've done just that now. Thanks a lot!

[scratt]

No worries... Do let us know how it goes back here in this thread at some point...

[tombeck]

Ha ha, filing a complaint helped. Now they were suddenly VERY fast replying to me. They cancelled my account (and again deleted my posts in their forum).

[scratt]

Originally Posted by tombeck Ha ha, filing a complaint helped. Now they were suddenly VERY fast replying to me. They cancelled my account (and again deleted my posts in their forum).

Sweet!

We should try to make this common knowledge as it never fails for me...

Glad you had a good result.

[staph]

Of course, if the charge is really fraudulent, you just need to tell your bank and they'll cancel payment.

That would ordinarily send a pretty clear message, no?

[scratt]

Originally Posted by staph Of course, if the charge is really fraudulent, you just need to tell your bank and they'll cancel payment. That would ordinarily send a pretty clear message, no?

Have you actually tried that in the real world...

It a) takes a while and b) quite often they don't actually do it.

I choose my credt cards based on reports of those that do...

It's like so many things in life.. It may be wrong, you may have a case, but you may not be able to proove it by filling in the boxes on the form, or by dealing with the retard in the call center..

In my experience and to save having a heart attack I like to resolve these things within 24 hours. The solution in this thread, for now (and I've probably ruined it for myself now) is 100% effective, and does not mean that you have to take the crap that is customer service laziness any more.. Whether that laziness be from your own bank, or the idiots who are either scamming you or simply relying on the weaknesses in the system today.

[atomicbartbeans]

Awesome!

I'll bookmark that.

[Franz Josef]

Originally Posted by staph Of course, if the charge is really fraudulent, you just need to tell your bank and they'll cancel payment. That would ordinarily send a pretty clear message, no?

Credit cards (unlike debit cards) are guaranteed payment systems so the payment can't actually be canceled (ie withdrawn), only made good to you by your bank. The fraudster (if indeed there is one) gets the cash, albeit with other consquences if he himself is committing an offence. You get reimbursed and the bank takes the hit (which makes the bank is understandably keen not to do this).

[tombeck]

Get this: InsideMacGames has now filed a complaint with the FBI against me.

[Mac+]

On what basis? Can you post their letter or correspondence to you without getting yourself in any trouble?

[tombeck]

they wrote this:


I've gone ahead and filed a complaint with the FBI as well for slander.

------------------------
Inside Mac Games
1404 Laguna Cove
Hutto, TX 78634

email: tuncer@insidemacgames.com
http://www.insidemacgames.com
http://www.macgamefiles.com

Tel: (512)-853-9067
Fax: (512)-828-7681

[Enki]

Originally Posted by Franz Josef Credit cards (unlike debit cards) are guaranteed payment systems so the payment can't actually be canceled (ie withdrawn), only made good to you by your bank. The fraudster (if indeed there is one) gets the cash, albeit with other consquences if he himself is committing an offence. You get reimbursed and the bank takes the hit (which makes the bank is understandably keen not to do this).

No, the credit company has contractual relationships with the sellers that allow them to recoup customers charges in instances of verified dispute. There are many ways to make that happen. The credit card companies only eat the costs in pure fraud situations where the true cardholder never actually made a purchase.

[alcimedes]

Originally Posted by tombeck they wrote this: I've gone ahead and filed a complaint with the FBI as well for slander. ------------------------ Inside Mac Games 1404 Laguna Cove Hutto, TX 78634 email: tuncer@insidemacgames.com http://www.insidemacgames.com http://www.macgamefiles.com Tel: (512)-853-9067 Fax: (512)-828-7681

Bwa ha ha ha ha. Consequences for this to a company might mean something. To an individual? The FBI people are going to roll their eyes and throw it out. What a bunch of twits.

[staph]

Originally Posted by scratt Have you actually tried that in the real world... It a) takes a while and b) quite often they don't actually do it.

Yes.

(a) last time it happened, less than a week. The process involved two questions: (1) did you authorise this transaction? (2) do you believe it to be fraudulent?
(b) the Australian EFT Code of Conduct makes it pretty clear that where a transaction is unauthorised, the owner of the card is not obliged to pay unless they have contributed to the loss (through making their PIN easily available, not reporting a stolen card within a reasonable time, or through fraud). The onus is on the bank to establish on the balance of probabilities that a charge was authorised. This may help to explain why I've never had a problem.

[Mac+]

I don't know how they think they have a slander case against you. But I'm with alc - I think you shouldn't worry about it.

Also, it seems very poorly handled.

I've gone ahead and filed a complaint with the FBI as well for slander. ... and I'm taking my ball home with me too!

Some jerk just got cut up because you beat them at their own insipid game. More power to you tb and to scratt for the suggestion on how to illicit a quick and favourable response!

[tombeck]

I don't worry

[staph]

Originally Posted by alcimedes Bwa ha ha ha ha. Consequences for this to a company might mean something. To an individual? The FBI people are going to roll their eyes and throw it out. What a bunch of twits.

Is slander a crime in the US?

Why would the FBI give a f**k about about a civil law matter?

[Mugge]

Great idea with those FBI fraud reports!

On a legal note I might ad that sending FBI fraud reports to other parties than the ones directly involved (you, the FBI and in this case IMG) can get you in some serious trouble, if the reported party decides to come back at you. Because if they can somehow argue that you acted unreasonably by "spamming" their business contacts, they suddenly have a case against you. I've never heard about a company sueing a customer for damages, but theoretically it's possible. It would be better just to "suggest" sending out that report to their contacts, in words that aren't directly threatening. But choose you words wisely (!)

This probably isn't the best english legal lingo, so bear with me

scratt is absolutely right about the credit card companies. As long as it is obvious fraud they will take the blow. But as soon as they see a grey zone, they cease to advice in your interest. Ack. I learned that the hard way!

A good rule of thumb, I personally use*, is always to try and pretend you are the other parties lawyer, and roleplay his possible arguments, before doing anything that could have consequences for yourself.


*)Well, I mostly use it in class, because I'm fortunate not to be screwed in real life on a weekly basis.


EDIT:
Whoa that was a lot of posts while I was typing. Damn two-finger typing!

[Franz Josef]

Originally Posted by Enki the credit company has contractual relationships with the sellers that allow them to recoup customers charges in instances of verified dispute.

Yes, as part of the normal commercial negotiations.

Originally Posted by tombeck they wrote this: I've gone ahead and filed a complaint with the FBI as well for slander. ------------------------ Inside Mac Games 1404 Laguna Cove Hutto, TX 78634 email: tuncer@insidemacgames.com http://www.insidemacgames.com http://www.macgamefiles.com Tel: (512)-853-9067 Fax: (512)-828-7681

It would be libel (it's written not verbal) and as it would be a civil matter (ie a private matter between you and the vendor) and not criminal (unlike fraud which is a obviously criminal offence), of no interest to the FBI . They should be indicted for their stupidity but that's not an offence either.

[scratt]

Originally Posted by staph Yes. (a) last time it happened, less than a week. The process involved two questions: (1) did you authorise this transaction? (2) do you believe it to be fraudulent? (b) the Australian EFT Code of Conduct makes it pretty clear that where a transaction is unauthorised, the owner of the card is not obliged to pay unless they have contributed to the loss (through making their PIN easily available, not reporting a stolen card within a reasonable time, or through fraud). The onus is on the bank to establish on the balance of probabilities that a charge was authorised. This may help to explain why I've never had a problem.

Your case is a very simple one. And yes could be resolved very simply. It bears no resemblance to what we are talking about here.

[scratt]

Originally Posted by tombeck I don't worry

I wouldn't worry in the slightest mate. That's hilarious!

It makes me wonder if this company is really a spotty 13 year old in his bedroom!