Advertisements on Instagram, Facebook, and even pop-ups are designed to grab our attention. If you start reading and then click on “Learn More,” you can easily find yourself pulled into a long, convincing, interesting, high-pressure sales pitch.
I know because I got sucked in—and I can tell you once you are in, it’s hard to get out!!!!
In this case, the product and program itself was legitimate. The problem was getting out of the autopay once I signed up and then immediately cancelled.
The advertisement offered a “30-day, no-questions-asked return policy,” so I felt comfortable giving it a try. What I didn’t realize was how difficult it would be to actually stop the recurring charges.
Trying to Cancel Wasn’t Easy
The product was a little mis-advertised. It certainly was not appropriate for vegans nor anyone out of shape especially seniors. When I took a look and immediately decided I wanted to cancel, finding the right customer service information wasn’t easy. I spent a lot of time searching, waiting and waiting and waiting on hold, and trying to get through to an actual person.
Eventually after an hour of searching, I did speak with someone who assured me that my subscription was canceled. I was still well within the 30-day period, so I thought, Okay, that’s that. I’m done.
Except it wasn’t!!!!
The following month, I noticed another $59 charge on my account again.
So I called again. Once again, after a lot of time waiting on hold and a lot of effort, I finally reached a person. They were apologetic and assured me that everything would be taken care of.
I thought I was finally home free.
Then the $59 charge appeared again the following month and again following month.
At that point, I had had enough. I searched online and of course there were a ton of complaints about that company and their tactics.
PayPal to the Rescue
Fortunately, I had originally paid through PayPal. I went into my PayPal account and stopped future payments to the company. I also had PayPal deal with the company directly.
Eventually, after all that time and frustration, I noticed that once PayPal got involved the three charges were actually credited back to me.
But honestly, it shouldn’t have been that upsetting and difficult to get out.
The frustrating part wasn’t simply paying for something I didn’t want within the return period. It was spending so much time trying to figure out who to contact, how to cancel, and how to actually make the charges stop.
Have I Learned?
Recently I Saw Another Convincing Advertisement- and almost got sucked in….
This time it featured what appeared to be Oprah and a famous doctor.
It was extremely believable and very engaging. I actually wanted to buy the product. And because Oprah herself, in person, appeared to be endorsing it and the advertisement seemed to have her speaking directly to the viewer, I assumed it must be legitimate.
But this time, I decided to check with AI before I clicked the “Buy Now” button.
NOPE!
There were mucho numerous complaints about the product and its advertising. Even more shocking, the well known people who were actually appearing in the advertisement and endorsing the product had never agreed to it.
The images and videos had apparently been created or manipulated using AI.
Can you believe it?
** I learned that Oprah has reportedly stated that she did not endorse the product and that claims about her personal experience with it were not true.
How are they able to do this? I honestly don’t know. But apparently, the technology has become sophisticated enough that these advertisements can look incredibly convincing.
The Old Rule of Consumer Beware !!
The whole experience has definitely changed the way I shop online.
My biggest lesson isn’t necessarily “don’t buy anything you see advertised.” It’s more like- don’t automatically trust what you see—and be especially careful with autopay.
Because baby- once you get in autopay, they’ve got you and your credit card and getting out can be surprisingly difficult.
So now, if I see something that looks interesting, I’ll do a little research before I buy. And if I can possibly avoid it, I will never ever sign up for autopay again.
Sometimes a few minutes of research can save you a whole lot of time, money, and frustration.
Have you ever had trouble canceling an autopay subscription from something you purchased through an advertisement?
I’d love to hear your experiences.
What do you think?
