MLM Directory

Why is it legal for some companies to make unauthorized charges on your card/accounts?

I track my purchases pretty closely, and when buying online, I try to do it from trusted sites. The other day I found my account charged by some BS service I know I didn't order. I filed a fraud claim with my bank and I'm keeping my fingers crossed it'll work out in my favor. My question for any marketing experts here is...WHY is this legal? "Because it's in the fine print" is not acceptable. Internet commerce is becoming the primary means by which the world does business. When buying a home or financing a $50,000 automobile, you bet I'll read the fine print. But reading the fine print for buying everyday merchandise online!? Come on... no one has time to do that. Productivity would grind to a halt. So when will Congress wake up and tell online marketers that without EXPLICIT and OBVIOUS consent from the consumer, dishonest sneakery and phony billing to a person's account is grounds for criminal charges and the revocation of their ******* business license? WHEN?

Public Comments

1. maybe it's not legal. if you are being charged for a purchase you did not authorize, that sounds like consumer fraud. there are some crooked people out there, and they might try to justify what they are doing but that doesn't make it OK. this same sort of thing happened to me once with an extra charge on my card.
2. speak to your Rep.
3. so let me see if i understand you correctly.. you are saying you are to lazy to read what you sign.. and want mommy government to take care of you?? if you can show that the buisness intentionally defrauded you then the DID violate the law.. but if you simply want to be able to click ok through everything and never be responsible for your own actions not happening
4. It is not legal and you can sue them on a class action but the cost is enormous. There are cases where the gov't investigates and there is a big fine but no admission of guilt. There are actual legal cases where there were big award but the victims got back the improper billing of a few dollars and the lawyers went home very happy and very wealthy! I bought the $1 grant CD and with it came billings on several sister products I never even heard of. My credit card actually flagged it as Fraud before I caught on to it. It was unbelievable. The only solution was to terminate my card and give me another.