Scam sylk skin care

Ellabella2012 · 27 September 2012 at 6:08PM

I bought a trial sylk skin cream online for £2.99 When it came in the mail the post man wanted me to pay £19 for each one which I am not doing, I already paid shipping. i Phoned the number listed on my email receipt, they have now debited my bank acount by £65.8 which I didn't authorize. I have not received anymore products and if I get anything in the post I will probably be charged £19? The company told me to call and get a return authorization when it comes in the mail which means I would have to pay that high post fee if I wanted to return it. They told me on the phone that I would get a confirmation email to say that they have refunded my money. I haven't received an email. I also sent the company an email to cancel this account and to give me back my money which I haven't authorised.
Has anyone else had this trouble from this company online and advertised on Facebook!
My bank said they can't get my money back as I entered a subscription when I bought the trial offer. They said all they can do is stop further debits from this company.
Surely I am entitled to a refund as I haven't received anything? I am not going to pay the postman a further £19 to get the product in my hands!!

wealdroam · 27 September 2012 at 7:00PM

Ellabella, welcome to the forums.

You haven't told us who you ordered from, so it is difficult to advise on your next action.

These schemes usually work by sucking you into a free trial, just pay p&p, and if you don't cancel the trial within a certain time, maybe 14 days, you're subscription continues at £xx per month.

I think you'll probably find you did agree to these terms, which is why your bank are reluctant to help with a refund.

You say that you haven't received anything, but you can hardly blame the company for your refusal to accept the delivery.
I've not heard of this 'pay £19 on delivery' idea though.

larryb · 30 September 2012 at 9:44AM

I feel the need to clarify a few points about Sylk Skin and this 'free offer' that many people are being caught out on, and in particular to the last person's response on this subject.
The web-site clearly states that it is a 'free offer', and with only post/packing to pay for, regardless of where in the world the offer is posted to. So people are responding to this offer. There is no mention whatsoever that in ordering this free sample that the person is entering into any sort of agreement to buy anything else, on a roll-on basis or anything. That must be made clear.
When the company then starts taking more money from the same account details given in the first instance to pay for the post and packing for the free sample, it is fraud, plain and simple. The unsuspecting customer has NOT entered into any kind of commitment to buy anything else.
The companies 'terms and conditions' are irrelevant in this instance, and when they refer to cancellation procedure, they are referring to an ongoing order basis only, and not the free sample- the two are not connected. All this can be seen on their web-site- simply google 'sylk skin'.
It will also be apparent that many people have been taken in by this company, reading the number of scam alerts.
The extra postage charge that people are incurring is based on custom import charge (and not incorrect postage?) and post office admin charges- this is affecting customers both in Europe and the USA, presumably out of state customers?
The banks have a duty to block all future withdrawals, and recompense for illegal withdrawals that have taken place. Just check 'chargeback' facts here on the MSE web-site! Some bank officials do not know this, and advise distraught customers that they have no come-back 'as they have entered into a subscription' whereas this is not true- there was no subscription agreement, period!
The customer service at this company is appalling- according to the online reports, and also I speak from experience, as my wife was taken in by this scam. They told her that in order to cancel any orders coming through, she would have to return the free sample. There is absolutely no mention of this on the web-site, and nor should there be! What is the point of requesting a free sample if the customer cannot do so without further obligation?! There is no mention of a time period in which one has to respond; besides, many of the people taken in by this scam had more money debited from their account within days of the sample being posted, well before they even had a chance to sample the product.
Everyone must stop thinking that somehow the customer has done anything to create this situation, and the bank officials giving out wrong advice should wise up too. A free sample, without any mention of any kind of contract or further obligation is just that- a free sample. Instead, some people have had hundreds of pounds taken out of their accounts for no legitimate reason whatsoever!

wealdroam · 30 September 2012 at 12:34PM

Thank you for clarifying things Larryb.

You will have seen that I replied asking the OP for further information.
Still waiting for that.

In the absence of the details, I offered opinions based on similar schemes that have been reported on this board... like this one.

Since this company appears to be based in USA, there is not much that can be done from here, except perhaps contacting the Better Business Bureau.

crystaljanet · 24 October 2012 at 1:51PM

I have also been taken in by this and I have now discovered they have taken out two payments and with that and the 'sample' under three different names! I have asked for and obtained a returns number but it took me a while to find contact details from them on the web and they have no website or email address only a 'phone number that costs money to ring. It also seems that it will cost a fair amount of money to return the cream and I only have received one so far. The samples I never received as I was not prepared to spend £19.30 per parcel duty from the post office. Strange how the actual goods that we never wanted in the first place have incurred no duty at all. I know I have been very stupid as it was just a link from Facebook. I will be contacting Facebook and letting them know what has happened and I hope they will ban them, but lets face it they are only interested in the ad money aren't they. I am so angry with myself and it has cost me over £120 so far and I just hope I can get my money back. I have realised today that although I asked for a returns number I didn't cancel my subscription so will have to double check this is done. I hope my bank can do something about this. The chap on the other end of the 'phone mumbled something about 14 days but in their terms and conditions it says 30 days! If anyone has some help to give me please do as I can ill afford this money and the irony is that I hardly have any wrinkles!

dalesrider · 24 October 2012 at 5:26PM

Address. is in the T/C
Vitalyze
Returns Dept
18015 Sant Angelo Dr.
Lutz FL 33558

Calling the US is not that expensive.

Contact you bank and ask tell then you want to cancel any future payments.
They will not be able to, but what this then enables is any further debits can be returned and you credited straight away. On the basis that the agreement is cancelled.

I really wish people would read T/C on sites before clicking YES to any trial.....
Think if the product is so good... Why do they want you to pay the P/P.....
These are not fraud.

crystaljanet · 25 October 2012 at 9:37AM

My bank are dealing with it for me as they have had dealings with the company before, I cannot praise them enough for their non-judgmental efficiency. I also found an email address, for the company, to which I sent an email but don't have any hopes of any reply (support@appearhealth.com). They trade under several different names all at the same address in Florida. Should have remembered the old saying 'If it looks too good to be true it probably is'.

brittel · 27 October 2012 at 1:27PM

My wife also fell for the "Free Trial Offer" for Sylk and Vitalyze products whereby she would only be charged the shipping costs of $4.75 each.
Two weeks later a parcel arrived with a label on it for $98 so I returned to sender. The postman has just left a note informing her that a parcel is to
be collected and customs require me to pay £20.00 import duty and £8.00 postage.
I have checked her bank account on line and they have taken three payments of £ $98.78 between the 4th and the 24th of October 2012.
Contacted the bank and they have cancelled her debit card as they are unable to do anything else, good old "Yorkshire Bank".
Any advice welcome.

wealdroam · 27 October 2012 at 1:39PM

brittel wrote: »

Any advice welcome.

Yes, here's some advice... Cancel your subscription with Sylk Skin.

Cancelling your debit card is unlikely to stop them asking your bank for more money.
After all, Sylk Skin don't know that you no longer want the product that you have agreed to buy, do they?

dalesrider · 27 October 2012 at 8:03PM

brittel wrote: »

Contacted the bank and they have cancelled her debit card as they are unable to do anything else, good old "Yorkshire Bank".
Any advice welcome.

Interesting advice give that this is a CPA and the retailer can simply get the new card details from Visa/mastercard and still process the debits.
But given they have stopped the card. I take it they also took that date a cancelation in case they take more payments.

AnnatPreston · 8 December 2012 at 4:23PM

I too, have been caught out by this scam.
I applied for the free-trial, which they sent and I thought that was that, then they sent me more which I did not want and which I did not order and they charged my credit card with £62.52 on 13th October 2012.
I have rung them twice so far and in the last conversation with them they told me that they would reimburse my credit card, but this has not yet happened.
If you look on the Scambook site you will find that they have to date taken $45,528.25, wish that was in my account. There have been 194 complaints so far and they are still coming in thick and fast.
Not only have then not placed the money back onto my credit card but they sent me another package in November, and tried to charge me again but I had already requested my credit card company not to pay them anything again.
Today Paul Lewis mentioned chargeback, a system whereby you can ask the credit or debit card company to get the money back from the merchant.
The Company is called Evening Sky, LLC. Their address is 18015 Sant Angelo Drive
Lutz, Fl 33558. Their telephone number is 001 855 9373 871. The account your money is scammed into is called Relive. I just bet they are reliving, and with your money too.
Try the chargeback system. I am.

Scam sylk skin care

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