General

A few weeks ago I came across a problem every newcomer should pay attention to. I received an invitation from my internet service provider to do a survey, and I accepted immediately because I am satisfied with their service.

I completed the survey on January 21, 2017, and to thank me, they offered me a choice, FOR FREE, between five different products. I chose toiletries and agreed to pay just the shipping. Because I was informed that this product was provided to me free of charge to thank me for completing the survey, I didn’t read a very long and too small printed text before accepting the “gift”. I received the product on January 27 and discarded the packaging. On February 4 the company charged my bank card $369.93! Surprised and shocked, I called the customer service department immediately to complain. The customer service representative informed me that the products are for trial so they must be paid after the 14 day trial because I accepted them. Adding to this, I had signed up for automatic renewal. I was also told that I couldn’t return the products because I had discarded the packaging, even though I had not used them. However, I decided to return the products immediately anyway to try to get my money back. I also cancelled the automatic renewal and decided to make my complaint official in writing.

I wrote a letter explaining that I am a newcomer to Canada, working to improve my English, and that this is a kind of marketing I am not familiar with. I understood that I must be ever vigilant to avoid a similar adventure.

Fortunately, I got my money back as they received the products and my complaint letter. This is a happy ending due to the fact that I didn’t use the products. I now will be extremely cautious about accepting any “free” products offered over the internet or phone or even at my front door. I must read and understand all documents before I agree to anything. I now monitor my bank account every day. I feel lucky and grateful that everything worked out.