[TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM] "Shopper Discount & Rewards"

msmaz_2

dealer_wins wrote: »

This thread wouldn't exist, and 100s and 100s of people wouldn't feel they have scammed by your company if you just did 1 simple thing.

Make it clear that customers are signing up for a membership that has a recurring monthly fee.

I agree.I have just went on to the site and cancelled my membership.Hopefully,I have do so in time before they try and take money out of my account!

thefenman

thefenman wrote: »

The Train Line never replied to my complaint - they can now take a running jump at themselves, I'll use the individual rail operators in future.

I have received an apology though I am puzzled as to whether it is The Train Line or My Time Rewards who wrote it. It tells me to cancel the enforced membership (which I have done and have proved it to have been cancelled) and the promise of a £10 credit to my account. Not sure which account, The Train Line? Dunno! Nothing shows at the moment but all donations gratefully accepted!

pollypenny

pollypenny wrote: »

I e-mailed The Mirror to complain about this scam, giving them a bit of flattery about them, as a reputable company not wanting to be associated with crooks. Had no reply! How much commission do they get, do you reckon?

Today we had a letter from the company used by The Mirror saying that they couldn't send the hose I ordered as the credit card had refused it. This is a card with a low limit used just for internet purchase and has no balance at present. Coincidence?:rolleyes:

thefenman

This I can hardly believe!

I just received a £10 cheque from Shopper Discounts despite cancelling my membership.

Better not bounce!

mickaherne

I emailed them on the 10th April. This seems fair enough to me...

This notice confirms that your Membership in Shopper Discounts & Rewards has been cancelled as of 11/04/2009.

Your cancel confirmation number is: 27172882.

We have issued a refund of your Membership fee. This refund will appear as a credit to your account within the next 10 working days.

Please let us know if your request was resolved to your satisfaction. All responses submitted will go to our Customer Service Director for review because your feedback is important to us.



The Shopper Discounts & Rewards Team

The_Rebel_2

I too have been a victim of this fraudulent practice. I finally paid attention to my monthly credit card bill and discovered the unauthorised £8 monthly charge dating back to March 2008 (i.e. 14 months' worth, or £112). It must have originated from an online booking with National Express back then and must have clicked on the '£10' discount whilst being unaware of the unauthorised charges and the fact that my credit card details had been passed on to a third party without my consent.

I rang up to cancel my subscription today but since it's a bank holiday, I only got through to an automated voice system which cancelled my subscription. I will ring them again tomorrow to demand a full refund. I have also sent them a strongly worded email and letter (recorded delivery) threatening both individual and class legal action if I do not receive a full refund within 28 days. I have also mentioned about notifying Trading Standards, OFT, Consumer Direct, Watchdog, Rogue Traders and a plethora of online consumer forums to 'name and shame' them along with their affiliates.

Will keep everyone posted.

Regards,
The_Rebel

thefenman

The_Rebel wrote: »

. . . the fact that my credit card details had been passed on to a third party without my consent.

The Train Line denies passing this information but passed it was, in my case my Bank Card. The supposition must be that the details were pirated. I successfully cancelled by email and unless the cheque gets stopped, as I mention above, I'm actually £10 better off.

In any case, The Train Line always adds £1 to the booking and makes a surcharge if you use a credit card.

I wish you luck and you have my permission to include any of my comments which may be of use.

tuna-fish

Well I sort of have my money back now. It was paid back to my credit card - only thing is, I had closed the account.

I rung the CC company today and they are sending me a cheque, but I have to wait a further two weeks for that :rolleyes:

Anyway, at least these scammers have had to pay up, I just hope more people notice and get their money back.

viktoriya

Hi all, and thank you for all the info you have posted on this forum.
Thanks to you I have avoided the same happening to me.
I have to say that I got to your comments only after deciding to check out the Shopper Discounts and Rewards - a link from the Booksdirect website offered 10 (15) pounds discount on my next order with Booksdirect. In all fairness there was some info on the Booksdirect's website that you have "to join their prefered partner's programme":

"Your purchase is complete. Click here to claim your £10 cash back incentive on your next Books Direct purchase.

By clicking above (it was a link on the named page), you can claim your reward from our preferred partner when you join their programme.
Terms & conditions apply"

And once you click through it boasts about the £15 pounds (hence it being in brackets above) discount on my next purchase from Books direct.


After seeing that they want my credit / debit card details - that just smells, even stinks, fishy - I googled them and came across this thread.

And this is what I found on the site in question:
at the bottom of the site , right of the "YES click here now" button, in a yellow field, is the information that says that you are actually signing up for not £8 but £10 pounds a month charge:



"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Offer and Billing Details :
Sign up for Shopper Discounts & Rewards FREE for the next 30 days, with our compliments, and enjoy ongoing savings for only £10 a month thereafter. Get your £15 cash back voucher, (if you make an additional purchase at Books Direct within the next 3 months), cash back rewards at hundreds of leading websites plus all the valuable benefits of Shopper Discounts & Rewards. It's a Special Reward! If you are 100% satisfied during your trial period, do nothing. All your Shopper Discounts & Rewards savings and protection will automatically continue for just £10 a month billed by Shopper Discounts & Rewards to the credit card or deducted from the debit card you provided. Shopper Discounts & Rewards is owned and operated by Webloyalty International Ltd. In the event your monthly membership fee were to ever change, you would be notified before being billed. Shopper Discounts & Rewards benefits may be enhanced or modified at anytime without prior notice. And you have our Guarantee! If at anytime you are not completely satisfied during your trial period or thereafter, simply call Shopper Discounts & Rewards on 0808 234 1539 (free phone) to let us know you wish to cancel your monthly membership benefits and owe nothing further. All your benefits and access will then be cancelled. All the money you have saved is yours to keep!

Consent to receive electronic disclosures: Please read carefully and save or print a copy for your records. Shopper Discounts & Rewards will communicate your benefit and other membership information to you, including payment authorisation made by clicking Yes, by electronic communications, including email and electronic postings on our site. Your Membership Pack email will also include a copy of the Offer and Billing Details for your convenience.




""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

PLEASE MAKE SURE NOT TO KNOWINGLY OR UNKNOWINGLY SIGN-UP FOR BEING RIPPED OFF. BE SUSPICIOUS, DOUBLE CHECK COMPANIES AND EVEN OFFERS FROM WELL KNOWN NAMES.

THANK GOODNESS THAT I HAVEN'T REGISTERED A CARD WITH "BOOKSDIRECT" SO THEY COULD GET ME LIKE THEY GOT YOU.

I AM HAPPY THAT MOST, IF NOT ALL ( I HAVEN'T READ THE WHOLE THREAD - A COUPLE OF PAGES WERE ENOUGH) WERE ABLE TO GET THEIR MONEY BACK.

The_Rebel_2

I'm glad to report that the scammers have agreed to give me a complete refund. I did three things : sent an email, recorded delivery letter and rang them up. The email generated a reply the next day. After a long statement claiming that they were a legitimate company and that they had done nothing wrong, they duly agreed to a complete refund. It's obvious that they are on shaky ground here, otherwise they wouldn't agree to a refund so readily. The phone call was the same. I was received by a courteous lady who spent 10 minutes extolling the virtues of the company and stated quite explicitly that I was fully aware of what I was signing myself up for. I then strongly denied that claim and asked to speak to her supervisor or manager, but at that stage she then promised a refund for the last 3 months and said that I had to complete a claims' form for the rest.
At least I've had a positive result from this unpleasant experience. I hope others will learn from this and avoid what can only be described as a scam, no matter how they try to legitimise it.

The_Rebel