Do Not Order "Free Trials"!!!
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Great sticky! I see a lot of these "free trials". Great info for newbies...like me 
ordered one of those free trial offers. The charger broke before we could get one cig charged. The company said if i paid to send it back to them, they would send a new one for only shipping and handling. 
We didn't, and for two weeks they kept calling wanting us to reorder product again.
We didn't, and for two weeks they kept calling wanting us to reorder product again.That is true IN THEORY. The reality is that if they operate strictly according to their contract terms, the chargebacks won't be honored by the CC companies, regardless of how much you complain. The vast majority of customers will cancel too late to avoid the initial hit, and that's where the big money is. I'd guess that a tiny percentage allow their cards be billed for more than a couple months before cancelling. The vast majority allow the first billing and cancel before the second one. That's ok with the sampler companies. They've made their real money.
Secondly, it's no big deal for these sleazy companies, even if they do lose their merchant accounts. They simply pop up under a different name and start all over again. It's in their business plan to periodically change identities to avoid the bad reputation that they know full well they will eventually earn. Their advertising is 0% word of mouth, so their names and reputations mean less than nothing to them.
Unfortunately, the whole concept of "free trials" has gotten smeared the same way that e-cigs have gotten smeared by unscrupulous companies. I see a lot of remarks to the effect that "all free trials are rip-offs" or "nothing is free". That's not entirely true, although in the realm of e-cigs, it appears that way.
I used to participate in programs wherein you earned points toward electronic gadgets by signing up for various free trials. It demanded meticulous attention to detail and scrupulous reading of the T&C's of the companies. The difference was that I signed up for these trials with the express intention of cancelling before any charges were made to my C.C.. (Some of the products were actually pretty good, but I was EXTREMELY broke at the time). I'd still get the points toward the Ipod or whatever, even though I cancelled. Over a period of about 6 months, I signed up for almost 100 various free trials of everything from weight loss pills to Blockbuster video memberships. Not once was I ever billed for anything other than the initial shipping charges for anything. So, I know a bit about "Free trials".
Free trials are a legitimate marketing technique IF they meet some conditions.
The thing is, I've never seen an e-cig free trial that met these conditions.
1. A reputable company
2. A decent quality product
3. A reasonable pricing structure
4. A reasonable trial period AFTER you receive the item.
5. Most importantly, a way to cancel that doesn't rely on your ability to get through on an under-staffed, a non-staffed phone line or a phone line staffed by high pressure telephone sales pros. You should be able to cancel by e-mail or, at least on-line. A printout of your email will suffice to prove to your CC company that you met the terms of the cancellation.
Like rebates, there is nothing inherently wrong with free trials and they can result in long term sales for a good product. But too many people who don't like the product also don't read the fine print, don't follow the correct procedures or don't get around to fulfilling the terms in time to avoid the initial billing. That's what ALL companies that offer rebates or free trials count on. It's just that e-cig companies stack the odds in their favor that the terms won't be met or be met on time.
I used to participate in programs wherein you earned points toward electronic gadgets by signing up for various free trials. It demanded meticulous attention to detail and scrupulous reading of the T&C's of the companies. The difference was that I signed up for these trials with the express intention of cancelling before any charges were made to my C.C.. (Some of the products were actually pretty good, but I was EXTREMELY broke at the time). I'd still get the points toward the Ipod or whatever, even though I cancelled. Over a period of about 6 months, I signed up for almost 100 various free trials of everything from weight loss pills to Blockbuster video memberships. Not once was I ever billed for anything other than the initial shipping charges for anything. So, I know a bit about "Free trials".
Free trials are a legitimate marketing technique IF they meet some conditions.
The thing is, I've never seen an e-cig free trial that met these conditions.
1. A reputable company
2. A decent quality product
3. A reasonable pricing structure
4. A reasonable trial period AFTER you receive the item.
5. Most importantly, a way to cancel that doesn't rely on your ability to get through on an under-staffed, a non-staffed phone line or a phone line staffed by high pressure telephone sales pros. You should be able to cancel by e-mail or, at least on-line. A printout of your email will suffice to prove to your CC company that you met the terms of the cancellation.
Like rebates, there is nothing inherently wrong with free trials and they can result in long term sales for a good product. But too many people who don't like the product also don't read the fine print, don't follow the correct procedures or don't get around to fulfilling the terms in time to avoid the initial billing. That's what ALL companies that offer rebates or free trials count on. It's just that e-cig companies stack the odds in their favor that the terms won't be met or be met on time.
I was envolved in a "FREE" trial. It said that For $4.75 s&h I could receive a free ecig. Well I orderd it but I didn't like it. About amonth later, I found out why I should have read the "fine print"!! They sent me $50+ of cartidgesthat they charged me for and they wouldn't let me return them !! So watch out for the "FREE TRIALS"!!
I did not know about free trials out there but will be aware of scammers. Thank you so much for the post
new to this and very curious to learn more -- learned a lot already!
Ok.....so I am getting a little frustrated. I don't just want to sit on the three or four threads that are available to post for newcomers and just keep posting, but that looks like all that is available. I am fine with my user name, so that one's out, and I don't care about live chat, so that's out. It says 5 posts are necessary to post in "other forums," but I'm already past five and I can't seem to post anywhere. I have 8 inane posts, and I guess if I can just figure out 7 more, I will get recognized by the system or something? Anyone have any advice here? Ay.
Oh, wait a minute, I figured it out. Forget all that.
Ok.....so I am getting a little frustrated. I don't just want to sit on the three or four threads that are available to post for newcomers and just keep posting, but that looks like all that is available. I am fine with my user name, so that one's out, and I don't care about live chat, so that's out. It says 5 posts are necessary to post in "other forums," but I'm already past five and I can't seem to post anywhere. I have 8 inane posts, and I guess if I can just figure out 7 more, I will get recognized by the system or something? Anyone have any advice here? Ay.
Oh, wait a minute, I figured it out. Forget all that.
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I'm not new and I'm looking or support for my big Mama tank. It came today and I can't get it to work.
Yep Yep... getting caught in the spider web or a lobster trap.
This post is on topic....just stay with me for a few paragraphs. I'm sure you've got the time or you wouldn't be here browsing in the first place.
I'm always telling my girl to not be so trusting of offers or people for that matter wanting to give her the deal of the century or something for almost nothing.
If it sounds too good to be true and you can't poke it with a stick and get away with it, then it's best to let it go and be on your way.
Damn these butter pretzels are good..... Anywhoooo...
I had been telling her since the day the earth was formed not to freely give out her personal information even if she anticipates that the stranger she is in conversation with has some, if any, information at all. Let them do the talking and keep your personal info to yourself. A while back I told her, (knowing she wouldn't have a clue) about CIQ <--- (I wonder if that underline thing will show up here...) If it doesn't CIQ = Carrier IQ. Basically for those that are not tech savvy or in the know - it's a mobile tracking software that either ships with most newer mobile smartphones and mobile cell phones / tablets, etc... or is pushed by the carrier of service, not necessarily in an update, but can be pushed at any time, even with the phone off via OTA <---(Will this one work...with the line underneath... ) if not OTA = Over The Air (If a mod or anyone that can add theses abbreviations to the DB <---(Database) feels the need, please do... another topic, but still relevant to my post...
It's still raining outside...
So... I'm attempting to yet again inject a glimmer of awareness into this girl's life and enlighten her with the detriments of the cellular spies.... She tells me that I'm making a big thing out of nothing, then goes on to babble about the benefits of mobile tracking... like in the case of an emergency and no-one can find you (I tell her, if someone doesn't want to be found - typically its by choice) she proceeds by asking me if I was planning to hide a body or ambush a diamond mine.. after 9 rounds I finally made my point and showed her to the light. The point was extraction of private and personal information without your consent or knowledge of where its going... who knows where and to whom and how it will be used. A few days ago she tells me that she saw a special report on the news about mobile phone tracking and the "dangers" of your privacy. I guess for her to see exactly what I was telling her about from another source gave her a little wake up call. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see her standing first in line all excited to get micro chipped one day....
So the meat of this topic is revealed in the upcoming paragraph(s)... She's surfing the web at work during her lunch and an add for some off brand e-cigarette pops up and she proceeds to click on links and so on.... well she winds up calling me to tell me that she just ordered an electronic cigarette from the internet for free and all she needed to do was pay the S&H. I tell her....Uhmmmm ooookaaaaayyyy, what kind of e-cig, what brand, where was the company located, etc... she had to look and insisted that this company told her that the e-cig was free minus S&H. She was so convincing I asked if she could get another one for free because I wanted one as well. She ordered a different one for me and again she was told that the e-cig was free and the only thing she needed to do was absorb the S&H.
Something didn't sit well with me after we spoke so I did a little digging with the confirmation email she sent me and found that she did, in fact, give out her credit card information to not one, but two different companies. I found that both these companies put delayed charges on her CC .... and get this... for over $110.00 each for 2 stand alone regular sized e-cigs with a box of 5 cartridges for each e-cig. and the one I had wasn't that bad quality, but the one she got didn't even work. She still didn't believe that she was going to be charged for the devices, just the S&H. I asked her to call both companies just for piece of mind. (I located their phone numbers one of them was out of service, but was able to get a hold of another line) She verified after asking them, that she was going to be charged $111.00 + for hers and $109.00 for mine. Needless to say I had her send them both back, and got the charges reversed on the CC.
Point being, there is a time lapse from initial purchase until the last possible day of return and if you are unaware of what's going on behind the curtain you can easily be scammed by people and business that specialize in scamming.
I'm quite pleased to know that after a week and a half of solid research I was able to research and find a very reputable company and ordered her a fantastic product - one that she actually wanted. And all the financial and product information was up front before we spent a penny. Not only that, the product is an entire kit with a few free bonuses on purchase and it was less than half the price of either single device from prior.
Now, it's my turn. I found the company I want to deal with and a product I'm very interested in - I now just need to be able to post to that particular forum to ask the questions I have (I have many) before I make a purchase.
The only snag is... I don't have enough posts yet to post to that forum. I was hoping to be able to have all my questions answered about a particular product by people who actually use or who have tried the product and if all went well, have the product by this weekend. Doesn't look as though that is going to happen right yet.....
Hence.. posting chatter in an e-cig forum at 2:30am in the morning when I need to be up at 7:30am in the morning....
The way I see it, if I'm going do the time, help a few out by responding to their posts and writing my own.. I might as well have some fun and enjoy it.
I'm one post closer to my goal ....
This post is on topic....just stay with me for a few paragraphs. I'm sure you've got the time or you wouldn't be here browsing in the first place.
I'm always telling my girl to not be so trusting of offers or people for that matter wanting to give her the deal of the century or something for almost nothing.
If it sounds too good to be true and you can't poke it with a stick and get away with it, then it's best to let it go and be on your way.
Damn these butter pretzels are good..... Anywhoooo...
I had been telling her since the day the earth was formed not to freely give out her personal information even if she anticipates that the stranger she is in conversation with has some, if any, information at all. Let them do the talking and keep your personal info to yourself. A while back I told her, (knowing she wouldn't have a clue) about CIQ <--- (I wonder if that underline thing will show up here...) If it doesn't CIQ = Carrier IQ. Basically for those that are not tech savvy or in the know - it's a mobile tracking software that either ships with most newer mobile smartphones and mobile cell phones / tablets, etc... or is pushed by the carrier of service, not necessarily in an update, but can be pushed at any time, even with the phone off via OTA <---(Will this one work...with the line underneath... ) if not OTA = Over The Air (If a mod or anyone that can add theses abbreviations to the DB <---(Database) feels the need, please do... another topic, but still relevant to my post...
It's still raining outside...
So... I'm attempting to yet again inject a glimmer of awareness into this girl's life and enlighten her with the detriments of the cellular spies.... She tells me that I'm making a big thing out of nothing, then goes on to babble about the benefits of mobile tracking... like in the case of an emergency and no-one can find you (I tell her, if someone doesn't want to be found - typically its by choice) she proceeds by asking me if I was planning to hide a body or ambush a diamond mine.. after 9 rounds I finally made my point and showed her to the light. The point was extraction of private and personal information without your consent or knowledge of where its going... who knows where and to whom and how it will be used. A few days ago she tells me that she saw a special report on the news about mobile phone tracking and the "dangers" of your privacy. I guess for her to see exactly what I was telling her about from another source gave her a little wake up call. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see her standing first in line all excited to get micro chipped one day....
So the meat of this topic is revealed in the upcoming paragraph(s)... She's surfing the web at work during her lunch and an add for some off brand e-cigarette pops up and she proceeds to click on links and so on.... well she winds up calling me to tell me that she just ordered an electronic cigarette from the internet for free and all she needed to do was pay the S&H. I tell her....Uhmmmm ooookaaaaayyyy, what kind of e-cig, what brand, where was the company located, etc... she had to look and insisted that this company told her that the e-cig was free minus S&H. She was so convincing I asked if she could get another one for free because I wanted one as well. She ordered a different one for me and again she was told that the e-cig was free and the only thing she needed to do was absorb the S&H.
Something didn't sit well with me after we spoke so I did a little digging with the confirmation email she sent me and found that she did, in fact, give out her credit card information to not one, but two different companies. I found that both these companies put delayed charges on her CC .... and get this... for over $110.00 each for 2 stand alone regular sized e-cigs with a box of 5 cartridges for each e-cig. and the one I had wasn't that bad quality, but the one she got didn't even work. She still didn't believe that she was going to be charged for the devices, just the S&H. I asked her to call both companies just for piece of mind. (I located their phone numbers one of them was out of service, but was able to get a hold of another line) She verified after asking them, that she was going to be charged $111.00 + for hers and $109.00 for mine. Needless to say I had her send them both back, and got the charges reversed on the CC.
Point being, there is a time lapse from initial purchase until the last possible day of return and if you are unaware of what's going on behind the curtain you can easily be scammed by people and business that specialize in scamming.
I'm quite pleased to know that after a week and a half of solid research I was able to research and find a very reputable company and ordered her a fantastic product - one that she actually wanted. And all the financial and product information was up front before we spent a penny. Not only that, the product is an entire kit with a few free bonuses on purchase and it was less than half the price of either single device from prior.
Now, it's my turn. I found the company I want to deal with and a product I'm very interested in - I now just need to be able to post to that particular forum to ask the questions I have (I have many) before I make a purchase.
The only snag is... I don't have enough posts yet to post to that forum. I was hoping to be able to have all my questions answered about a particular product by people who actually use or who have tried the product and if all went well, have the product by this weekend. Doesn't look as though that is going to happen right yet.....
Hence.. posting chatter in an e-cig forum at 2:30am in the morning when I need to be up at 7:30am in the morning....
The way I see it, if I'm going do the time, help a few out by responding to their posts and writing my own.. I might as well have some fun and enjoy it.
I'm one post closer to my goal ....
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