GasGiveaway300.com

This company sends notifications to consumers advising them they are entitled to receive a gift card good for $300 worth of free gas. Instructions on the card ask for a money order for $29.95 as a redemption fee. The company promises delivery of the card within three to four weeks. Some consumers are also being referred to a Web site, http://www.gasgiveaway300.com/, which makes the offer seem even more attractive by offering those receiving the gas card a $1,000 Shopping Spree Gift Card. Both the card and the Web site display an old version of the BBB logo and falsely claim to be a proud member of the BBB. This company is not a member of the BBB.

The company also advertises a distributorship or business opportunity offer on it's website, and in National magazines and other publications re-selling coupon books. The coupon books are said to include coupons for savings on airlines, resorts, cruises, hotels and pharmacies. The books are sold to Distributors with a 1 year money back guarantee. Distributors are required to pre-purchase their inventory of coupon books. Distributors may purchase as many books as they can afford. The books retail for $49.95. The average initial investment appears to be between $400 and $4000.

California law requires SAMP offerings to provide certain disclosures early in the process of the sale, including exactly what the seller will do for you, any training required and promised by the seller, payment information, etc. If the seller made any statements to you about earnings potential, he/she is required to provide you data substantiating such claims when they are made or soon after, if they were made by mail or telephone. If such representations were made, the disclosure statement must include a statement that no guarantee of earnings or ranges of earnings can be made.

Other information, such as whether the seller or others connected with the company have ever been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or filed bankruptcy, must be provided at least 48 hours before you execute the contract or pay anything, but this information may be combined in the disclosure sheet. If the seller represents, either orally or in writing, that a “buy-back” arrangement exists or that your initial payment is protected from loss or “secured,” those arrangements must be fully disclosed and explained. If the seller makes such representations, he/she must obtain a bond or deposit money into a trust account and include information about it in the information or disclosures you are to receive. And if you must pay more than 20% of the cost as an initial payment prior to delivery, the contract should reflect an established escrow account.

You have the right to cancel a SAMP contract for any reason within three business days of the date you and the seller sign the contract, and your contract must give you full information about how to cancel. You may also void your contract within one-year from the contract date if, for example, the seller uses any misleading statements, does not provide the required disclosures, or if the company’s contract does not comply with legal requirements. The law does not allow you to waive any of the rights this law allows you, even if you should actually sign a waiver of them.

We recommend that you evaluate any SAMP offer carefully. Read your contract very carefully before signing, since verbal and even written representations may be made in person or in other documents that are not included in the contract. Use particular caution in accepting earnings claims or potential at face value.