TravelingWebGuy

This is just a quick rant here! This morning I saw a charge on my account for $139.99 from something called Buyers Advantage. I have never signed up for anything like this, nor was I aware of what this was. SO naturally, I’m a little upset and want to know just what the hell this is. I do some Googling for “Buyers Advantage charged me $139.99″ and I find hundreds of pages where people are asking the same exact question I was… “What the hell is this charge?” So feeling a little better that I wasn’t alone, I started to read some of the post and saw that a good amount of these users bought a tool called Pedi-Paws, a dog nail filer. We were sent an $8 dollar check from the company thanking us for the purchase and a “Rebate” check. What was written in, very fine-small details, that is if you cash or deposit this check, you are “opting” in for this buyers advantage program in which they will bill you $139.99 per year.

Give me a break! That was no rebate check after all! Damnit! So I call the company up, explain that myself, along with hundreds of others did not know it was an “opt-in” check and that I want to cancel my account and a refund. She huffs and says fine, I am canceling your blah blah blah. Then she says that I am due a credit of $108.99, why not the full $139.99 was explained as a pro-rated refund. Really? Your charge hit my account this morning, I call a few hours later and request the cancellation. But I guess a few hours equals out to $31 dollars. Phuckers!

Then when she told me she has processed the cancellation and that I will be refunded in 7-14 business days. Huh!? So let me get this right, you guys can charge my card, get the funds instantly, but when you have to return the money, it can take up to 3 business weeks. And then I remembered that this question has been hanging around in my head for a few years. Why is it the “standard” that companies are allowed to charge our accounts and take our money at the drop of a dime, but when it comes time to refund that, they can take their pretty time and not have to return it for up to 3 business weeks? What kind of rule/law is that?

The law should be, however long/fast it took for you to take the funds from said bank account, you have that amount of time to refund said funds into the original account.