Ripped off by a website

[bigissue]

Hello,

 

Last September I paid for a one month premium membership of a music forum. It was a small amount $10 or £6.50. The forum was not much use to me so I did not renew or so I thought. Today I have discovered that this forum has continued to take payments out of my account for a futher 4 months. I am furious as I did not sanction these payments. When I bought the membership it said 1x1 Monthly Membership, nothing about renewals. When I contacted them to complain they basically said no refunds and that I could cancel if I wanted. Trying even to find where I could cancel took me about an hour as it is well hidden and I really feel this website has employed underhanded tactics to con me out of money.

 

The website is based in the US and I am in the UK and I am not sure how much I can do. Is there anyone I can make a formal complaint to regarding this?

 

many thanks in advance

[mikeymack2002]

Reading the terms and conditions is always a good start.

 

A second point is always check out a website before you part with money.

 

Finally is the cancellation really going through umm?

 

Best check with your bank. Finally never pay for something if you cannot be sure if it's safe...

[bigissue]

I do undersand that and I should have checked more closely but as I recall it wasn't mentioned. It seemed like a reputable website. As you say I am worried they will continue to take money even if I cancel. I am an experianced internet used and have never had an issue like this before so I do feel strongly that they have misled me even if they did bury information of the automatic renewal.

 

Again I would really appreciate if someone could advise me if there is any body that I can make an offical complaint to in the USA as a UK citizan. Failing this any review sites to warn other users of this websites underhanded tactics.

[mikeymack2002]

Ok lets start with the basics, if you used your credit/debit card to make your subscription then the site saying it has been cancelled could be wrong, if by direct debit then make sure via you bank, if by card write to the bank and demand that they cancel this CPA.... EITHER WAY PLEASE GET IT CHECKED OUT...

[mikeymack2002]

Secondly if you cancelled your membership of the site as per T&C's then make a claim against your bank for a refund. Was this file sharing site or other are you prepared to name the site in question?

[bigissue]

It wasn't a file sharing site but a singing forum so nothing illegal or anything. It was called the Modern Vocalist World.

[mikeymack2002]

just had a look at the T&C's and it says this... "12). Any purchase made from the TMV Store or TMV Downloads Store are final. There are NO REFUNDS from The Modern Vocalist World. If the seller wishes to grant a refund, that is an arrangement that must be made between the customer and the seller, no The Modern Vocalist World."

 

That took all of 1 minute to find some of the T&C's found here http://www.themodernvocalistworld.com/register/

 

 

So how come did you come to pay for this service?

[mikeymack2002]

Even at the point of sale for a premium service the T&C's are NOT displayed so you maybe able to argue that you were not given the full details of the purchase so were unable to check the T&C's until after the purchase... This does not look right, also how can anyone give advice on how someone sounds via Skype? It baffles me I am afraid.

 

 

Just a thought here ok...

[bigissue]

In order to upload a file to the website for feedback from other users you need to be a premium member. I required some help with some creative work however the site was largely unhelpful and so I did not consider renewing. I feel very foolish now as I think the site is really little more than a con to try and get people ot buy various premium services most of which are not helpful. It was not my best idea and if I felt I had really just been stupid I would accept the charges but in this instance I do think they were not up front about the recurring charges. I am currently in dispute with the website owner and he says he is currently busy and will deal with my complaint in the next few days so I will need to wait and see and am not hopeful.

I will point out to him what you say about the T&C not being displayed, he should certainly make it much clearer that the membership is renewed.

[mikeymack2002]

Having just watched the video on YouTube about this site he states clearly that he has 100's of 'students' around the world seems to me that he does NOT offer a personal service. One quote was sometimes name here will respond to you, that is not a service worth paying for. especially at the price quoted on the site.

 

 

I will not add a link to this because from the short time I have looked at this it is not my scene, it looks like a money making site that may not offer what it says it can...

[citizenB]

I think you must speak to your bank tomorrow and ensure that no further payments are made going forward.

 

Was this a continuous payment authority that you entered into ?

[mikeymack2002]

In order to upload a file to the website for feedback from other users you need to be a premium member. I required some help with some creative work however the site was largely unhelpful and so I did not consider renewing. I feel very foolish now as I think the site is really little more than a con to try and get people ot buy various premium services most of which are not helpful. It was not my best idea and if I felt I had really just been stupid I would accept the charges but in this instance I do think they were not up front about the recurring charges. I am currently in dispute with the website owner and he says he is currently busy and will deal with my complaint in the next few days so I will need to wait and see and am not hopeful.

I will point out to him what you say about the T&C not being displayed, he should certainly make it much clearer that the membership is renewed.

 

 

This was my only thought about this site and you have agreed with me. Obviously you know the name of the man concerned why not see what he has to say and then you will think it was a waste of money. As far as getting your money back it looks like you will be flogging a dead horse, put it down to experience and forget it.

 

 

But please make sure that you have cancelled any payment by ANY method with your bank in the morning... Just to be safe....

[bigissue]

To be honest I really don't know. I am not usually an idiot and quite careful about things online so I am sure I would have noticed if it had said it would renew, in fact I remember thinking about it at the time but feeling ok because it wasn't mentioned in the screens I went though to purchase.

I have canceled the renewals on the site and will speak to my bank tomorrow. I will still pursue this website for a refund and will let you know if I am successful.

[mikeymack2002]

I know its a bit late for this instance but please always check out a website the best you can, I always look at doing this by putting the name of it in Google and adding complaints at the end then hitting enter. It will always bring up useful information..

 

 

To me it looks like you have dreams and feel ripped off why not look locally and see if you can find a real teacher it will always be best in the long run due to them being right there in front of you and can ACTUALLY hear what you sound like...

 

 

PS I am a great music teacher I only charge $9.99 for a consultation, will you buy one? Tongue in cheek here, but the music industry is very brutal and you can be in for some serious let downs so please be careful....

[bigissue]

Just to update you all I managed to get a refund from this site so it turns out the guy was ok after all. Thank you again for all your advice and help.

[Hammy1962]

I do undersand that and I should have checked more closely but as I recall it wasn't mentioned. It seemed like a reputable website. As you say I am worried they will continue to take money even if I cancel. I am an experianced internet used and have never had an issue like this before so I do feel strongly that they have misled me even if they did bury information of the automatic renewal.

 

Again I would really appreciate if someone could advise me if there is any body that I can make an offical complaint to in the USA as a UK citizan. Failing this any review sites to warn other users of this websites underhanded tactics.

 

To answer your question, because no-one else has, there is an organisation in the USA called the ' Better Business Bureau'. Find out the address of the company and email the local office of the BBB. They helped me once and the service was way better than the idiots at our Consumers Association.

 

H