Do Not Order "Free Trials"!!!

[martha1014]

I just put an email in to innnovape for a free trial of eliquid for review. I hope this was not a mistake.

[highping]

martha: if you mean innovapor, then no, they are a reputable supplier. 'innovape' doesn't return any results on google except this post and "did you mean...innovapor", so that's probably what you are talking about.

In general people should be skeptical of ANYTHING 'free' if a credit card number is required to get said 'free' product.
As a previous poster mentioned, this does not just apply to the ecig world. Anytime, something is said to be free, but you HAVE to pay for S&H with a credit card, you should avoid it. There is usually a 'catch' with these things. Either trial periods that expire, or recurring shipments and charges are almost always involved.

On another note:
Some have mentioned the mall kiosks. I would not lump these into the same 'scams' category that I am referring to in the OP.
The mall kiosks are way overpriced, but they are not trying to 'pull a fast one'. To me, being overpriced does not make a business "shady" or "scammy"...just expensive.
Most of these kiosk operations are legitimate retailers and will take care of their customers. I have read many stories about how customers have had problems with devices purchased at a kiosk, and the operators were very willing to make refunds and/or exchanges. But the main reason I don't consider them a "scam" is that you are not going to get "surprise charges" when dealing with a kiosk.


BTW: Welcome to the forum Bianca!!

[ladysolitary85]

This is exactly why if I ever order something from online I try to use a prepaid card rather than my own credit card. Just so I have that sense of security of knowing they can try to charge me all they want but it still wont affect me.

Now I'm not saying go get those free trials. Just saying that's what I do if I order from online.

[ladysolitary85]

This is exactly why if I ever order something from online I try to use a prepaid card rather than my own credit card. Just so I have that sense of security of knowing they can try to charge me all they want but it still wont affect me.

Now I'm not saying go get those free trials. Just saying that's what I do if I order from online.

[HOPE2QUIT]

I know alot of people that have been drawn into this.

[Dkrom68]

Nice info Highping and good advice for the noobs

[shelman1234]

thanks for your info

[Clem68W]

I had an experience that I laid out in another post, and it's more or less what the original poster outlined, so I won't go into the details again. What I will add, if it hasn't already been mentioned, is the way I got the company in question to not charge my card, refund the initial fee and unsubscribe me from their service. It might seem obvious, even if it is tedious.

First off, don't take "no" for an answer. You will probably have to call their call center more than once. It took five calls in my case. They will probably be reading off of a script. They've heard your complaints before. Two times, operators hung up, and once, the transfer simply dropped the line. They will offer you appeasements. One operator offered a free month's refills, or to negate the price of the initial kit while retaining the subscription fee. I was finally offered half my money back in an attempt to placate me. Absolute refusal to accept any of these half-steps was my only response. You have to be perfectly clear about that, or they'll take it as submission. My wife was calling them before I got home that day and "bless-her-heart," she was not being firm enough.

Side-note: Be polite. My wife was hung up on most likely because she was fuming at them.

Secondly, ask to speak to their supervisor. This might cause some confusion (the first guy I talked to didn't seem to know who his boss was, nyuck yuck yuck). Keep asking. If you can't get higher up the food chain, they will have to start dealing with you more directly.

Third, don't bother making threats, simply state what you will do if they don't do what you want. I said I was going to call my credit card company, I was going to call the better business bureau, and that I would rather close out my line of credit than let them charge another dime. I wasn't lying.

Finally, make sure you get them to clearly state what they are going to do for you. I wasn't satisfied until I made the guy on the other end of the line tell me his name, and what he was going to do (twice). If you get off the phone and there's any doubt in your mind, call them again.

I know it isn't exactly ingenious, but it worked, and I hope if you're the victim of one of these scams it can work out for you, too.

[Koman]

Yeah, I also want to say that never order free trial like acai or something similar because they will only bill your card recurringly and rip you off big time!

[Cubilas]

We've all read the stories here and on the other forums where folks find the forums and all this information AFTER making a purchase.

I'm one of those folks. I fell for the Kn*ghtSt*cks offer, their Terms of Service changes after you have placed the order. Also, after ordering these, 9 days in to my '10 day free trial' I received a pack of Roya1 B1ues instead. Opened them, battery wouldn't charge & carts were leaking..? Gross! After an extreme wait on hold and an uncomfortable talk with a rep, I was able to cancel my monthly enrollment as well as skate the $99 they were charging once the trial is up. I promptly sealed & shipped this back to the supplier.


After all is said and done, I am currently the happy owner of a E-Cigarette E8.

Thanks for the warnings and great advice from everyone here. I consider this forum site the #1 resource for new and experienced users!