**WARNING** Do not do business with...

[Ironhorse]

the web site Discount Books - Buy Books at Bargain Prices at DiscountBookSale.com. I bought a book (John Lott's "More Guns, Less Crime") from them about a month ago, and got a good price on it. About a week ago, a charge for $40 showed up on my credit card. I called the number given with the charge, and it was discountbooksale.com's customer service line. I asked for an explanation of the charge, and they claimed that when I purchased the book, I had joined a book club. The $40 was my quarterly dues to be a member of that book club.

The long and short of it is I am going around and around with them, trying to get my money refunded. I have filed a police report, and am in the process of formally disputing the charge through my card issuer. I hope that I can spare just one of you the frustration that I am currently going through.

 

[NMHunter]

Thanks for the warning!

 

[Thoth8]

Umm i checked them out on on the left hand side of the check out it says ..


<B>Your purchase today includes these premium benefits: </B>
Low Cost Shipping & Handling

Not only will you enjoy up to 90% savings on your purchase but you can choose from our low cost or free shipping methods.
Membership Benefits

Discount Book Sale members enjoy big savings. Get great members-only wholesale pricing on over 70,000 DVD titles, over 1,200,000 book titles, with new titles added every week! We make it easy and affordable to fill your home with great products and services at or below wholesale price!
Offer Details

Your satisfaction and your relationship are always important to us. You can try the Discount Book Sale service risk-free for the first 7 days. Unless you cancel your account during the trial period, your Discount Book Sale membership will be extended automatically at the low $12 membership fee per month, billed to the credit card or debit card you provide today. Your membership will be automatically renewed monthly at the then-current monthly fee, billed to the credit or debit card you provide. If you choose to discontinue during the trial period, simply call toll-free 866-707-5858 to cancel and you will pay nothing and owe nothing. There is no obligation to continue. Only one membership per household is permitted.

 

[Ironhorse]

Aye, but I didn't get there through their home page - I was searching through Yahoo for the title of the book, and landed on the page for that book.

 

[NMHunter]

"Your satisfaction and your relationship are always important to us. You can try the Discount Book Sale service risk-free for the first 7 days. Unless you cancel your account during the trial period, your Discount Book Sale membership will be extended automatically at the low $12 membership fee per month, billed to the credit card or debit card you provide today. Your membership will be automatically renewed monthly at the then-current monthly fee, billed to the credit or debit card you provide. If you choose to discontinue during the trial period, simply call toll-free 866-707-5858 to cancel and you will pay nothing and owe nothing. There is no obligation to continue. Only one membership per household is permitted."

This not something I would automatically look for when buying. I stinks of scam. I do believe that I shall not be doing business with this firm.

 

[Oregon Vet]

No scam, just a crooked way of doing business

This not something I would automatically look for when buying. I stinks of scam. I do believe that I shall not be doing business with this firm.

You must be a new user to the www then, because there have been companies doing this exact same thing for YEARS. It IS right there on the CHECK OUT page, you have to see that page to be able to buy anything from them.

It doesn't stink of scam, it stinks of people not paying attention. People who don't read what is shown to them on the CHECK OUT page are STUPID. They aren't conning you at all. You want to buy from them, you HAVE to play by THEIR rules.

Ironhorse can put a big ol' I'M STUPID stamp on his forehead so he sees it everytime he looks in the mirror. It IS your finger that clicks the mouse button without reading what you NEED to read, to SEE what the RULES for this website are that you are going to do business with.

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. LOTS of STUPID people out there.

It cost ME $269 last year because I was STUPID and NEVER READ the rules on a website. That REALLY PI$$ED ME OFF. Whose fault? MINE! STUPID ME.

We DO pay for our EDUCATION sometimes. It cost Ironhorse $40. It cost me $269.
Yes, I whined to the credit card company... they sent me a screen shot of the page where I clicked "YES"... and right there in nice clear letters was the info it would cost me $269 IF I didn't call and cancel within 30 days.

I paid.

But I tell you what. I pay attention now and HOPE I pay attention enough I don't get caught AGAIN.

There are places that I DON'T buy from... because I don't want to play their f***ing games.

Just chalk it up to education Ironhorse and get on with life. Pay better attention next time, or you might have to pay HUNDREDS of dollars like I did when I never paid attention.

Me? I think it is a $hity way to do business, but hey, it is their business.

Personally, I think the government should pass a law that ALL transactions like that have to be paid with PayPal, then they couldn't do that crap.

NOTICE, just about all of those "just pay shipping" for this or that ALWAYS ONLY accept credit cards. NO PayPal.

Because with PayPal, the sale is OVER, with a credit card, watch out, they have your number.

With PayPal, they couldn't do that little screw me later deal.

I looked. Yep, they do NOT take PayPal... they WANT/NEED your credit card number so they can slip it to you later. Same with the place I got took for $269.00... NO PayPal accepted. Ba$tard$.

 

[tattedupboy]

When I first saw the title of this thread, I thought that it was a list of anti 2A businesses. Nevertheless, this is good info. Thanks; to OregonVet, not Ironhorse.

 

[Oregon Vet]

Nevertheless, this is good info. Thanks; to OregonVet, not Ironhorse.

You might as well learn from me being STUPID. I really try to shy away from sites that don't take PayPal... thinking, WHAT do they want my CC number for?

Another FACT. And it REALLY PI$$ED me off. I had a subscription with someone whose initials start with McAfee. I got Comcast cable and they furnish McAfee for 20 computers with my cable for FREE... so, I don't need to buy it anymore.

So, I never updated my CC expiration date. Expired CC, no McAfee renewal.

Here comes the statement in the mail. McAfee = $xx. What the hell. I called them up and read them the riot act. I told them my CC was expired.

GET THIS: I was told by McAfee (and I'll bet they ALL know the following information), "Oh, we just called your bank and asked them for the NEW expiration date so we could continue your subscription."

AND>>> My bank TOLD them when it was.

THAT ISN'T RIGHT FOR THOSE BA$TARD$ TO DO THAT.

The are all in bed with each other. All of them are after the few $$$ we have.

I called my bank and said "Do NOT be doing that." I'll bet they forgot that as soon as I hung up the phone.

A person has to be REALLY paying attention these days. Read EVERYTHING on the CHECKOUT page. It cost STUPID me $269 to learn THAT.

How many other things am I going to have to pay to learn???

Are we having fun yet?

Bet you didn't know a company could ask for your new expiration date!

 

[ronwill]

You might as well learn from me being STUPID. I really try to shy away from sites that don't take PayPal... thinking, WHAT do they want my CC number for?

Another FACT. And it REALLY PI$$ED me off. I had a subscription with someone whose initials start with McAfee. I got Comcast cable and they furnish McAfee for 20 computers with my cable for FREE... so, I don't need to buy it anymore.

So, I never updated my CC expiration date. Expired CC, no McAfee renewal. Bet you didn't know a company could ask for your new expiration date!

I am also a student of the "school of hard knocks" and have learned from mistakes made. My bank, however, will not give out any info, including new expiration dates, without my express permission. I learned this when Consumer Reports canceled my subscription because my info wasn't up to date. I called the bank and they said their anti identity theft policy is not to release any info without permission. Oregon Vet, maybe you should contact your bank and see if there's a way of having them do that also.

 

[Oregon Vet]

My bank, however, will not give out any info, including new expiration dates, without my express permission.

I'll contact them again, ronwill. That was several years ago and McAfee has never renewed my contract again, I just received a new "expired" notice from them the other day. So maybe my bank DID pay attention when I told them "don't do that with my info".

Good info for others in this thread. May save some people some grief down the line if they read everything I (and you) have said several times until they understand how those people work.

Ken

 

[wolfhunter]

Thanks, OregonVet.
I once heard that a smart person learns from their mistakes, but a REALLY smart person will learn from the mistakes of others.

 

[Oregon Vet]

Thanks, OregonVet.
I once heard that a smart person learns from their mistakes, but a REALLY smart person will learn from the mistakes of others.

That is true. A second mistake I made was being on the www spending money when I wasn't feeling well. Had the flu and wasn't thinking clearly. We all learn. The times I learn by paying like that are few and far between because I really try to pay attention. But, once in a while... the old "STUPID" bug will bite me and... yep, everytime, it costs me. About once every 10 years it happens.

That has to be better than some I see. It seems they get the "STUPID" bug every week. AND, then... TRY to blame it on others.

IF it is there, even if in really small letters, then it is up to ME to read it and take appropriate steps that I don't get taken and have to pay.

I've tried, over my life time, to live by my creed of:

Self, LEARN from other peoples mistakes, because you will never live long enough to make them all yourself.

As long as I remember to do that, I can keep my money.

 

[wolfhunter]

Yep, that bug bites me every couple of years, too. It gets me about every 4-5 years, so I'm really trying to learn from the experiences others share. Thanks for sharing your lessons.