Trial beauty kit costs £57.95

josie_2_shoes

I too have fallen victim to this scam ... but hopefully all is resolved. I had already realised I'd been a fool - again not reading small print properly, whereas I do normally - as other contributors have said .
My kit arrived today - no returns lable so I started tracking the company down on the internet - found the same address as stated before788-790 Finchley Rd london. The email address doesn't work as I tried it and it bounced back and there was not contact phone number , looking further this companys office moves around approx once a year.
Anyway I called my bank and explained the situation to them and the only way to prevent this company getting £59.95 from my account has been to cancel my bank card which I have done . Hopefully I will have foiled them on this occassion and should they contact me to retrieve their goods i will gladly return them . But I have learnt my lesson !!

ps should they contact me - which I very much doubt I'll post their contact details on here !

chuck_the_bear

Well, following up to my posts from earlier in the month.
I returned the items (at their request) to Israel via Royal Mail (cost about £8 tracked within the UK).
Today I received the following email from Support@deadseakit.com - please note where it says "The GBP 59.95 charge...has been refunded in full"
Guess what - they've actually taken £59.95 OUT OF MY ACCOUNT!!
My first step when this started was to start a dispute with my bank - can't speak to the fraud dept until tomorrow, but have phoned the bank and they confirm the note on my account is "customer dispute - refund any payments taken by this company" - they are so shifty:

"Dear XXXXX
This is just a quick note to acknowledge that we have received your returned Dead Sea Beauty Kit. The GBP 59.95 charge, where applicable, has been refunded in full. There will be no further shipments or charges to your account.

We appreciate your consideration, even though we are sad to see you leave. We hope to welcome you back to the Dead Sea Beauty Kit family soon.

Sincerely,

Stan Nathaniel
Customer Satisfaction Specialist
Dead Sea Beauty Kit, a product of DS Marketing Limited
https://www.deadseakit.com

chuck_the_bear

The postal address - if anyone is interested - is:
Dead Sea Beauty Kit
c/o Paloma Dead Sea, Ltd.
PO Box 5381
Caesarea 30889
Israel
If you look them up online, there is a phone number (not that I'd personally phone Israel!).

malchish

antrobus wrote: »

Indeed it is.

Of course, whenever someone ventures onto MSE to complain or ask for advice having been caught out by the now bog standard 'free trial scam' they are met by the calls from the 'but-you-should-have-read-the-T&Cs' mob.

Would that we had the equivalent here in the UK of the Federal Trade Commission that doesn't muck about and just shuts these people down and seizes their assets without the slightest regard to whatever T&Cs they purport to inflict on their victims.

Because the mob has a job to discourage consumers, so that other people, when they google any problemsm could see as if nothing can be done...

Luckily, the DSR do not require a consumer to return the product . If a contract is cancelled ( in writing, by post or email) under DSR, th refund is due even if the goods have not yet been returned. It is good that the address has nt been supp,ied - it means that the cancellation rights will be extended from 7 days to at least 90 days, until the company supplies the required information.
You can sue for the full refund, and it is up t th compsny to sue you for the cost of collecting the product. Of course, the won't do that, because they are in breach of DSR and their scam would be obvious to any judge.
I would advise a letter before action to be sent to their address, whichever is known, and by email if known as well.
after that just do thr moneyclaimonline, you will probably get judgement by default.
A chargeback is likely to be successfull.
why not. An obvious scam, laws breached, t&c ridiculous.

somethingcorporate

malchish wrote: »

Luckily, the DSR do not require a consumer to return the product

If it is in the T&Cs that the customer needs to return the product then they have to, more info section 3.55 & 3.60: http://www.oft.gov.uk/shared_oft/business_leaflets/general/oft698.pdf

Whose responsibility is it to look after the goods if an order is cancelled?

3.60 Consumers have a statutory duty to take reasonable care of the goods while in their possession. Where a consumer cancels an order under the DSRs they have a duty to return the goods to you or make them available for collection. The DSRs do not require the consumer to return the goods but if the contract says the consumer must return them and they do not, you can charge them for the direct cost of recovery.

Tua

OK, I've been duped by this 'free trial' offer too.

And, please ... I don't want any know-all cyber-bullies to jump onto this thread and tell me that I'm gormless because I didn't read the full terms and conditions: that really isn't a helpful contribution! In fact, I quite often apply for 'freebies', and have done for years, but this is the first time that I've fallen foul of this sort of 'trickery' ... and 'trickery' it is: without a doubt!

I noticed the following:
"100% Satisfaction Guarantee: If you are not 100% satisfied for any reason, you can return the product up to 30 days after you purchase it for a full refund of the purchase price (full terms under T&C's). Return address: PO Box 5381, Caesarea 30889, Israel."

Well, I'm still within my 30 day limit ... and guess what? I'm dissatisfied with the product! So I will be sending the almost empty jars back to Israel ... and I'll be expecting a full refund of my £59.95 plus the £3.95 that I paid for postage (I believe that will be in compliance with the UK's DSRs?)

Tua

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

If that's very small print to you, you need new glasses. It's obvious twice when purchasing that you're entering into a trial.

Ummmm ... in fact, mattyprice4004, the text on the website is in a far smaller font than has been used in the comment that you've read in this thread!

DevCoder

Tua wrote: »

OK, I've been duped by this 'free trial' offer too.

And, please ... I don't want any know-all cyber-bullies to jump onto this thread and tell me that I'm gormless because I didn't read the full terms and conditions: that really isn't a helpful contribution! In fact, I quite often apply for 'freebies', and have done for years, but this is the first time that I've fallen foul of this sort of 'trickery' ... and 'trickery' it is: without a doubt!

I noticed the following:
"100% Satisfaction Guarantee: If you are not 100% satisfied for any reason, you can return the product up to 30 days after you purchase it for a full refund of the purchase price (full terms under T&C's). Return address: PO Box 5381, Caesarea 30889, Israel."

Well, I'm still within my 30 day limit ... and guess what? I'm dissatisfied with the product! So I will be sending the almost empty jars back to Israel ... and I'll be expecting a full refund of my £59.95 plus the £3.95 that I paid for postage (I believe that will be in compliance with the UK's DSRs?)

No offense, but good luck in that, what will you do when they ignore you or just outright refuse?

Put it down to ad luck, ring your bank and ensure there isn't a CPA setup to take further charges (if so then cancel it).

Tua

Actually, I've delved a bit deeper ...


Cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery products (cosmetics) are subject to European laws that ensure that they are safe. These laws also require certain information to be printed or labelled on packaging. This includes an ingredient list, the contents, any warnings that might be necessary on how to use the product safely, and a "period after opening" or a "Best Before Date" to show how long the product may be kept.

But there is no such labelling on the Beauty Kit that I was sent ...

Tua

krisdorey wrote: »

No offense, but good luck in that, what will you do when they ignore you or just outright refuse?

Put it down to ad luck, ring your bank and ensure there isn't a CPA setup to take further charges (if so then cancel it).

I emailed them, and received a surprisingly quick reply.

Firstly they offered to sell me the grease for £34 instead of £59.95 so that I "wouldn't need to go to the trouble of returning it". (They did however provide the return address 'just in case'.)

Secondly, they offered to "put my 'autorefill' programme on hold" until I had a chance to reconsider what I'd be missing out on.

So I replied that I didn't want the product for any amount - including their generous offer of £34. And I also told them that they needn't bother holding my autorefill programme because I didn't want that either.

I've let them know that they're breaking the law re: failing to include an ingredient list.

And apart from the email I've put all this stuff in a letter to them, and I'll be sending it via recorded delivery tomorrow morning.