"Complete savings"...scam??

Pollycat

flaneurs_lobster said:

Pollycat said:

Hoe much nannying do some people need?

Some people just plough on regardless, raking over old news 'till it's done.

It's called 'expressing an opinion'.
And I expressed an opinion to the latest MSE news and some very recent threads.

Darkness_93

DBL_folk_888 said:

I just spotted this on MSE today, and felt compelled to join the discussion. (Afraid that it was gonna spell the end of Complete Saver...) Yes initially I too hadn't a clue what they were touting when first offered (at the time) an ambiguous £18.67 Cashback on my eBay purchase. I'd take their money, set a reminder and Cancel Subscription before the end of the month. 

But when I got wise to the fact that one-hand-washes-the-other (the £15 monthly charge, is negated by a £15 Monthly Bonus, paid for making any purchase through their link) I finally saw the light: I buy something off eBay at least once a month. So having a regular 10-11% discount on all purchases is fantastic. 

Occasionally I make purchases for flights, trains, hotels, car hire and Ticketmaster, and aim to do so via Complete Savings links, all with a min 10% deduction. 

All in all, Complete Savings have paid out £625 (I think I've been using it steadily since circa 2019) and it hasn't 'cost' me a penny. With the exception that you must make a purchase to receive the Monthly Bonus. In that case I could filter eBay results by price and pay something at 99p if needs be. But there's always a CD or book or random item that I need to get anyway, so it never comes to that!

So yeah, that's my tuppence worth. It's kind of vague at the start but once you understand it - compare it to TopCashBack who pay back just 1% for eBay purchases - it's a valuable saver. Thanks for reading.

THIS EXACTLY! You gotta know what you're signing up for. If you're smart, you can actually rinse them for more than your initial purchase. They're definitely not a scam, but I do agree they're misleading. I hope the ads continue in a clearer manner for when I next purchase a railcard or concert ticket etc. and see the popup.

Here's what I do;

Sometimes for purchases especially for the Railcard (I had to renew mine last week before I turned 31) you'll see the "get 20 quid back with CompleteSavings" popup. Go ahead and fill the details in including bank details.

They hide away on their site under the "Payments" or "Earnings" tabs, where you put your bank details in once more and request the Welcome reward (the Railcard purchase). You can add to this with their "Monthly reward", by just adding an invoice of a recent Amazon purchase or so. Remember to request transfers as soon as possible to your account, as this could take 10 working days.

They have a partner program: "My Time Rewards" offering a similar scheme, which also may appear on their CompleteSavings main page to do a free month trial of. You can similarly request the Welcome and Monthly rewards using different invoices, remembering to transfer the amount also.

As long as you do each before the month's over, you can cancel each trial and walk away with a bunch more than the cost of the 30 quid Railcard When I first got the Railcard and when I renewed it recently, I effectively only got it for 10 quid (with the CompleteSavings 20 quid cashback).

I have reminders set on Google Tasks to make sure I stay ahead of them and not get scammed out of the monthly payment 😎

So yeah if you're also actively making EBay purchases etc and see the same popups (personally I only see it for Railcard renewals) then it's worth keeping the monthly payment if it doesn't outweigh the bonuses you get.

flaneurs_lobster

Pollycat said:

flaneurs_lobster said:

Pollycat said:

Hoe much nannying do some people need?

Some people just plough on regardless, raking over old news 'till it's done.

It's called 'expressing an opinion'.
And I expressed an opinion to the latest MSE news and some very recent threads.

Sorry, cheap (and unsuccessful) attempt to exploit your typo for mild humour. No criticism intended or made. 

Hoe, plough, rake, till.

KittaKatta

I made an order with Iceland (supermarket) last week and the ad was still there! I have always dismissed it (I did have a look at it the very first time it appeared, years ago), but always found it annoying.

jazzyb88

It's definitely not a scam. Having signed up this year, my only regret is not signing up sooner! The cashback far outweighs anything from TCB and Quidco.

The only story here is how moronic some people are to have let it drag on since 2017 and spent £1k on the monthly subscription! And even then, Complete Savings refunded them!

Shortlands_Shopper

I understand people’s confusion but you do have to do an application form and type in your card details and agree to T&C’s. I person joined last May (23) and I’ve not spent a penny that I didn’t get back and I’ve earned £1922.75 from it.You do have to do admin to get done if the rewards but you also get £200 of vouchers to buy at rates up to 20% off on top. It’s been a lifeline to me having money to spend on the house this year after ill health forced me to take a year sabbatical. 

You do not have to spend anymore money with the retailers who showed you the advert when you signed up, their wording is ambiguous there for sure. Any retailer they have listed will earn you the monthly bonus that covers membership fees. Evidence attached of my account as of today. I’d say that’s it’s worth doing personally.

Pollycat

And here we are again...
Just purchased train tickets and this came up:

Your booking is complete.
£20.87 cash back!

Click here to claim the above reward,
credited onto your card, when you next make a booking with East Midlands Railway!

Unlock cashback

By clicking above, you can join our third party partner programme
for 18 pounds/month and claim your reward.

Can everyone see the bit in bold ^^^?
Is it clear enough that it is a monthly subscription?

If you click on the 'unlock cashback' link you are taken to the Complete Savings website.

2. Provide us with a credit or debit card.

(A valid credit or debit card needs to be registered.) By providing your billing information below, you authorise Complete Savings to use the information you provide for billing the membership fee of £18 a month until you cancel, and to credit your Welcome Reward onto your card (visa card only). Our secure software encrypts your information as you send it to protect you and your privacy.

3. Create a password and click YES!

By entering my password as my electronic signature and clicking Yes, I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and the Offer and Billing Details and authorise Complete Savings to use my name, address and credit or debit card information I provided for billing monthly and benefit processing after my 30 day free trial.

It very clearly asks for your debit/credit card details.
It very clearly tells you that you get a 30 day free trial.
It very clearly tells you that there is a subscription of £18.00 per month after your free trial ends.

Stubod

..yes, but since I first posted they have been made to changed the add, so not really relevant now....

Pollycat

Stubod said:

..yes, but since I first posted they have been made to changed the add, so not really relevant now....

OK.
You posted on 22/2/2024.

On 15/5/2024, I posted the following:

Pollycat said:

I noticed on my eBay buying account the following:

Your order is complete.
£20.87 cash back!

Click here to claim the above reward, credited onto your card, when you next place an order!

Claim Your £20.87

By clicking above, you can join our third party partner programme for 18 pounds/month and claim your reward with

so pretty much word-for-word what I saw today.

So Complete Savings haven't changed that after the MSE intervention that they announced on 23/10/2024.

Even after I posted what CS said right up front i.e. that there is a monthly subscription, many people posted that they were scammed.
They weren't.
They just didn't read what was in front of them.

Stubod

..well I can tell you for a fact, that the above information did not appear on my screen, no mention of a monthly fee....and if this wording has appeared on other adds, why have they been told to change it??

...i guess we will have to differ....