Cheat and Eat Diet

This company offers a diet product known as the Cheat and Eat diet pill. The product is marketed via numerous internet websites as a "free, 7 day trial offer." Respondents are required to pay a shipping and handling fee of $1.95 to take advantage of the "free" trial, and are asked for credit card numbers to cover the charge. Further website disclosures explain that by agreeing to their free trial offer, consumers are authorizing the company to enroll you in a continuity program for a 60 day supply of the product for $99.95 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. The company does not allow refunds for the first shipment of the continuity program. Consumers may only cancel by contacting the company at least 30 days before the next autoship is scheduled to be delivered. Failure to cancel will result in a charge of $106.90 on their credit card, and a two month shipment of their product, to be shipped and billed on a bi-monthly basis until cancellation occurs. Careful reading of the terms of the agreement indicate that the shipping costs are not refundable

We urge caution before agreeing to trial offers or giving your credit card number to unfamiliar companies with unfamiliar products. Although this company's offer is advertised as free, the charge imposed for shipping and handling of the product, ($1.95) actually makes the offer NOT free. Once your credit card number has been provided to cover shipping and handling, it will remain on file with the seller for shipping and billing purposes. If you forget to cancel, or for any reason fail to do so, your card number is readily available to bill for your first shipment of product.

Although the company's many websites make cancellation procedures appear fast and easy, in reality customers report that cancellation requests are ignored, calls are not returned, credit cards continue to be charged, and unwanted product shipments continue to arrive.

This company's free trial is conditional upon accepting their offer for additional product. FTC Guidelines for advertising this type of offer require that all terms and conditions of the offer, as well as cancellation instructions, be clearly and conspicuously displayed in at least 10 point type before asking for payment or obtaining the customer's consent. Clearly and conspicuously means, NOT disclosed in microscopic print accessed by a weblink to another site, but rather, disclosed along with the free trial solicitation .

Regardless, many consumers overlook the advisory, and are unaware of the charge until their next monthly credit card statement. In this company's case, consumers complain they are unable to cancel services by using the instruction provided by the company. Even worse, they are unable to contact the company at all. Emails are not returned or acknowledged, and calls are not returned. Industry guidelines require marketers to provide a fast easy method of canceling, either by mail, phone, or website, Failure to do so may be a violation of consumer protection laws.

Most credit card issuers will allow the cardholder 60 days to dispute an unauthorized or inaccurate charge. Review your monthly statement carefully. If you discover a charge which is unfamiliar, investigate and dispute the amount with your card issuer as soon as possible to protect yourself from making unwanted purchases.