Discovery Golf

This company sells golf clubs through telephone and fax soliciations. The company offers to allow people to test their clubs on a 90 day basis. Customers are asked to supply credit card information at the time of the transaction. On March 3, 1999, mail sent to the company was returned by the post office marked, refused. We urge caution. Our experience with similar offers indicates many golf enthusiasts have lost their money to telemarketers who used a marketing technique very similar to this company's method. Generally, the telemarketers contact golf enthusiasts by phone and offer a set of golf clubs to try on a trial basis at no cost or obligation to the purchaser. Participants are asked for credit card numbers for billing and security purposes. When attempting to return the clubs as agreed, they discover they are unable to reach the company to arrange pick ups, and their credit cards have been charged, sometimes in excess of $1500. In some cases, complainants who returned the clubs never received credit for the return or they find out the company went out of business. We suggest that anyone testing golf clubs for a company of this type, do so without giving credit card information or payment of any kind. That information should only be given after the trial period, and only then if you want to purchase the equipment. By law, consumers have 60 days from the billing date to dispute the charge with the credit card company. After the 60 day period, a charge cannot be reversed unless the seller consents. If the order is canceled, we suggest that the product be returned in sufficient time to permit a credit card dispute to be filed.