To cancel subscription? - DPChallenge Forums

09/24/2004 11:35:31 AM · #1

I had an account [paying $15USD/month + $2 per transaction] with respond.com which is a neat little site. If you're looking for a photographer you just go there, fill out a little info form, and it sends it to any photographer meeting your criteria.

I was getting a lot of inquiries but no jobs so I emailed them to cancel my account. An actual person wrote me back [2 months ago] saying that it was no problem and they wouldn't bill me anymore.

But they KEEP BILLING ME!

I emailed them a number of times, complained, threatened to go to the Better Business Bureau - anyone have any further suggestions?

PerezDesignGroup

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

09/24/2004 11:42:50 AM · #2

Originally posted by GoldBerry:

I used to work for a bank. Just tell your credit card company about it. They'll cancel the old card, issue a new credit card and remember to ask them to dispute *every single charge* since you requested cancellation.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

09/24/2004 12:00:59 PM · #3

Thanks! Will do :-)

Not that they're going to be eager to give me a new card ;-)

Canon EOS-20D

09/24/2004 12:02:56 PM · #4

Do you really have to cancel the entire card? Can't you just ask the credit card company to block charges from respond.com? I guess if you have no other automatic subscriptions set up, it wouldn't matter but otherwise it seems like quite a pain.

pcody

Canon PowerShot G6

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8

09/24/2004 12:03:54 PM · #5

Get it in writing. You should send a letter requesting them to cancel your subscription (I see they responded to you, so you can use that as your proof). You can ask your cc company to dispute the charges. Look on the back of your statement, there should be instructions for how to dispute a charge. You shouldn't have to get a new card. I think they have the ability to block charges from individual vendors or they will isolate the charges in dispute and indicate that on your statement. At least that's the way the company I worked for did it. The customer usually has 60 days to dispute the charges and the cc company has 45(?) days to resolve it. Not to sure about the time frames, but that's close. I'm in the states so this may not apply to Canadian law.

mrorange002

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L USM

09/24/2004 12:07:36 PM · #6

I had horrible experiences with respond.com

They sent me bogus leads all the time and I also had a hard time cancelling. I would try to call or email the people who "are looking for a photographer" and got several wrong numbers, disconnected, or returned emails.

09/24/2004 12:23:59 PM · #7

call your credit card company and let them know you cancelled your subscription on xx date and that they keep charging you. And that you have tried several times to have them stop charging you.

They should be able to stop the charges, plus maybe even get you a credit for charges that were billed to your card after the month you cancelled.

example, you cancelled on 6/20/04, but the $15 covers the entire month of june, if they charged you for july and august, you can get those 2 months creited back to your card.

Credit card companies have a lot of power, just have your emails and notes about the charges ready when you cal them

James

PerezDesignGroup

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

09/24/2004 12:31:40 PM · #8

Like I said earlier, I worked for a bank. I heard about similar issues like these 10 hours a day, 4 days a week for over 2 years. I actually worked in the fraud/chargeback department.

Cancel the card. Will it be an inconvenience? Ofcourse it will. But results are instant and with the knowledge I now possess, I regularly cancel cards every 6-8 months or so regardless of fraud or not.

Another word of advice...**Don't** use Checkcards. I wish I could relay the numerous phone calls I used to receive about fraudulent charges coming in just as mortgage payments were being processed. People crying their eyes out and requesting we give them instant credit that simply cannot be done. Banks are very lazy about the dispute process for Checkcards because -get this- it's not their money! Credit cards are a different story. They take chargebacks and disputes for credit cards very seriously and investigate thoroughly. Why? Because it's *their* money on the line.

Instead of checkcards, get an Amazon Reward card or a miles card. A card that actually pays a benefit. At the end of the month, pay it off. If you have the discipline with a checkcard, a credit card will be no different. Tip: Don't get a limit larger than a normal paycheck.

In the 4 years I've been using a miles card, I've accumulated $40k frequent flier miles that I plan to use for Hawaii. After only 3 months of using the Amazon card, Amazon will be buying ME a brand new 50mm 1.8 Canon EF Prime lens. Checkcards don't do that, but the banks still profit from them. Get your cut...you deserve it.

Just advice from a guy that's seen it all in the banking industry.

09/24/2004 12:33:14 PM · #9

Originally posted by jab119:

I had a similar problem with a different site. I called the CC company and they got the billing stopped. I did not wait until they billed me more than once after I cancelled, but I was told that the CC companies will get ALL unauthorized charges credited back to your account, provided you can show some documentation of your request. The date that you contact them is the cancellation date, not the date they reply. SO it looks like they owe you for at least 2 months.

09/24/2004 12:36:18 PM · #10

oh, I forgot to mention, while many people will threaten a company by saying they are going to report them to the BBB ( i have done it many times) , its always best to just report that company to the BBB and dont make any threats about it or even mention it to the company. I have a form letter on my other PC that I have used several times to make some reports to the BBB.

James

09/24/2004 01:33:13 PM · #11

I'm not sure what a checkcard is????

But I agree with cancelling cards every so often...I think I'll start doing that.

Can you give a bit more info about the amazon card you mentioned?

Thanks for all the help :-)

09/24/2004 02:48:57 PM · #12

Originally posted by GoldBerry:

I'm not sure what a checkcard is????

A check card is like an ATM card so when you buy stuff it comes right out of your checking account.

I use mine for about 70% of my purchases. Mine does have a daily limit of $800 (purchases and ATM wihdrawls). I still use my regular Credit card for electronic's equipment purchases and other items that usually have some type of warranty.

The Check card from your bank does NOT offer the same buyer protection as a credit card, but when buying groceries, gas and other items it goes on the Check Card.

James

09/24/2004 03:52:35 PM · #13

So a checkcard IS an ATM card?

Just want to clarify...I'm not purposely being dense.

I just call it a debit card.

AmiYuy

Nikon Coolpix 8700

09/24/2004 03:57:11 PM · #14

Originally posted by GoldBerry:

So a checkcard IS an ATM card?

Just want to clarify...I'm not purposely being dense.

I just call it a debit card.

Sort of but not quite. It draws from your Checking account, hence the name and you can write checks instead of using the card. From my undertanding a debit card only draws from an account.

dr rick

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

09/24/2004 04:09:51 PM · #15

A checkcard is basically an ATM card that works like a credit card. Like a credit card, it isn't protected by a PIN, and like an ATM card it draws money directly from your checking account instead of letting you garner a few cents interest by waiting until the end of the month to pay the bill.

09/24/2004 04:10:51 PM · #16

Originally posted by GoldBerry:

So a checkcard IS an ATM card?

Just want to clarify...I'm not purposely being dense.

I just call it a debit card.

With a debit/ATM card, you usually have to enter your PIN when you make a purchase or access your account.

A checkcard works like a credit card in that you do NOT need a PIN, you can make purchases online, and if you use it at a store, you sign something. So, if someone other than you has your checkcard, they do not need to know your PIN to access the money in your checking account. Worse, if you have overdraft protection, they can take all the money in your account AND the amount of overdraft protection you have. In some cases, overdraft protection is linked to a savings account, or a line of credit, potentially giving the thieves access to significant amounts of your money. The problem is that if you get ripped off in this way, YOU are the one liable for the full amount, the bank is under no obligation to help you recover the money. Whereas if it was a credit card, you are NOT liable for fraudulent purchases/access over some small amount ($50 or so)that is typically waived.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

09/24/2004 04:30:23 PM · #17

Yikes, never even heard of it before...I can't imagine many people would even want to own one. I think it's bad enough that CC companies have done away with needing the name on a credit card to make a purchase. Someone [ex a waiter] can write down my cc number and spend spend spend!

I thought cc's were getting photos on them or something? I guess that idea quickly died.

karmat

Apple iPhone 7

09/24/2004 04:36:18 PM · #18

My checkcard is the opposite, perhaps because it is also a credit card? If I use it as the cc, I don't have to remember my pin (a real issue somedays), but if it is the debit card, I do have to remember the pin.

09/24/2004 06:59:36 PM · #19

Originally posted by karmat:

But if it draws money from your checking account, it's a checkcard, not a Credit Card

PerezDesignGroup

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 USM

09/24/2004 09:06:14 PM · #20

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

Worse, if you have overdraft protection, they can take all the money in your account AND the amount of overdraft protection you have. In some cases, overdraft protection is linked to a savings account, or a line of credit, potentially giving the thieves access to significant amounts of your money. The problem is that if you get ripped off in this way, YOU are the one liable for the full amount, the bank is under no obligation to help you recover the money. Whereas if it was a credit card, you are NOT liable for fraudulent purchases/access over some small amount ($50 or so)that is typically waived.

Dude...you gotta have prior/existing bank experience 'cuz you just gave me some serious flashbacks. The scenarios you explained used to happen all the time, every day. Only a select few people even know that much detail (usually from experience) and every word is true.

The other day I got a call from my credit card company asking if I placed an $800 order at a website. I hadn't used that card in over 7 months and told them 'no'. Had it been my Checkcard they wouldn't have even bothered calling me. I would've figured it out the hard way once checks started bouncing. I beg thee...use ATM cards and Credit cards. DO NOT use Checkcards.

The Amazon credit card is here. They give you $30 upon signing up and a $25 certificate once you acrue 2500 points. At Amazon, $1=3 points and everywhere else $1=1 point.

09/24/2004 10:54:38 PM · #21

Originally posted by PerezDesignGroup:

Originally posted by Spazmo99:

Worse, if you have overdraft protection, they can take all the money in your account AND the amount of overdraft protection you have. In some cases, overdraft protection is linked to a savings account, or a line of credit, potentially giving the thieves access to significant amounts of your money. The problem is that if you get ripped off in this way, YOU are the one liable for the full amount, the bank is under no obligation to help you recover the money. Whereas if it was a credit card, you are NOT liable for fraudulent purchases/access over some small amount ($50 or so)that is typically waived.

Dude...you gotta have prior/existing bank experience 'cuz you just gave me some serious flashbacks. The scenarios you explained used to happen all the time, every day. Only a select few people even know that much detail (usually from experience) and every word is true.

The other day I got a call from my credit card company asking if I placed an $800 order at a website. I hadn't used that card in over 7 months and told them 'no'. Had it been my Checkcard they wouldn't have even bothered calling me. I would've figured it out the hard way once checks started bouncing. I beg thee...use ATM cards and Credit cards. DO NOT use Checkcards.

The Amazon credit card is here. They give you $30 upon signing up and a $25 certificate once you acrue 2500 points. At Amazon, $1=3 points and everywhere else $1=1 point.

I have some friends that are bankers. I do failure analysis as part of my job. That means I look for weak points in systems. To me, the fact that someone can access my bank account and I can get screwed out of every dime and then some in any acount linked to that card is a weak point.