*SCAM ALERT!* From Flowers.com...

[HeatherBelle614]

So, my (sweet) DH sent me flowers at work for our 1 year anniversary a month ago. Today, I log in to our account and see a charge from something called TLG Livewell for $38.99.

I know DH and I did not sign up for something AT ALL. DH calls the number next to the charge, and the guy tells him "Oh, it is perfectly understandable you do not remember authorizing us to charge your account, but you signed up for this GREAT benefits package that will get you discounts with our online vendors."

DH had to fight with the guy for 10 minutes that we DO NOT WANT whatever they're trying to tell us we "forgot" that we signed up for a month ago, and the idiot on the phone finally said he'd credit our account within 48 hours.

Now, we're on the phone with the bank to make sure this company is blocked from withdrawals from our account.

I just looked this place up on the BBB, and apparently, flowers.com has some sort of deal going with this scam company that automatically signs you up for this benefit package if you place an order online for flowers.com. Apparently, there are other online vendors that work through the same company.

Just a reason to make sure you constantly check your accounts; and, to my budget board friends, find somewhere else to order flowers that isn't going to scam you and cause you this hassle!!!

 

[secretpantssam]

This happened to a friend of mine a few years ago! Sometimes at the end of a transaction on some sites it has a big thing saying "$10 off if you take a survey!" and in teeny tiny print it says "clicking here signs you up for such and such and we'll charge you automatically". I don't see how it's legal to just start charging people's accounts without them actually knowing what's going on.

 

[3boymthr]

We had something similar happen when my DS signed up for a game site for kids last year!! He had my permission to sign up but supposedly the site was free.

They were charging us through our phone company. I had set up the bill to pay automatically in advance so didn't notice at first that the bill had gone up a ton!!!!! (Yup, no more automatic bill payments if this is what's going to happen. Now I go in every month to authorize the payment.)

It took me several month to realize what had happened.

This was a third party company in no way obviously related to the game site he signed up for nor to my phone company.

I got the run around when I called the company to find out what they were charging us for and how it was authorized. Finally, they admitted they were charging me for long distance service which I had/have thru Verizon as a bundle so why Verizon didn't question this I don't know and after a while the rep finally said well Keith authorized it when he signed up for x and the contract says you have to stay with the service for 1 year

I said well Keith is 8!

No further arguments about reversing the charges.

What a Scam!

 

[Lisa_M]

my husband signed up for this when he got me flowers the last time (it was in 2004 ). He knew it was like a free trial thing and he cancelled it before we were charged, so we never got a charge, but I can see how people might be in a rush and not realize what the person on the other end is signing them up for. It's a shame.

 

[pumpkinfish]

Thank you so much for this!!! DH orders me flowers twice a year (valentines/bday and anniversary). I'll make sure he is aware in the future

 

[Chicago526]

All national florists are a scam, they charge huge mark ups and "service" fees. I save almost 50% by just ordering from a florist in the town of the person I'm sending them to. The flowers are just as nice, and many floriests have a website so I know what I'm sending looks like.

As for that service you "signed up" for, I've noticed a lot more boxes that are pre-checked whenever I sign up for something or am on a check-out page during purchase. Most of the time it's just a montly news letter or promotions mailing list, but ALWAYS read what they are and uncheck them if it's not something you want. I bet this is what happened, the box was pre-checked and you just didn't notice it.

 

[HeatherBelle614]

DH made sure everything was unchecked, and didn't check to be signed up for any type of rebate.

The guy on the phone told DH he was automatically signed up as a "thanks" for ordering.

Big, big scam!

(Like I said, we're still newlyweds, so he's still learning. I wouldn't order flowers online either, but I think it was still great. He knows now that we have a florist in the basement of our building, "for next time."

 

[pumpkinfish]

DH made sure everything was unchecked, and didn't check to be signed up for any type of rebate.

The guy on the phone told DH he was automatically signed up as a "thanks" for ordering.

Big, big scam!

(Like I said, we're still newlyweds, so he's still learning. I wouldn't order flowers online either, but I think it was still great. He knows now that we have a florist in the basement of our building, "for next time."

Totally agree about the thought of it! I learned how thankful I should be that DH even sends flowers. He does pick up bouqets at Trader Joes every now and then as a surprise...So it's nice to see how thankful and appreciative you are of his efforts .

 

[chellewashere]

You get flowers?? Id be willing to pay the extra bill just to get flowers

 

[HeatherBelle614]

You get flowers?? Id be willing to pay the extra bill just to get flowers

While I did absolutely love the flowers, I wouldn't love being charged $38.99 for them every few months. (Yup, that's what our membership that we obviously signed up for and just forgot was going to cost us.)

 

[Takodacaleb]

I know when you buy tickets from Fandango it has like one of the same offers that you have to make sure you dont get!!!

 

[lisabarr]

I worked for West at home taking phone orders for 1-800 flowers and we had to do these upsells for this package. So even when you said no we had to keep trying and eventually if you said yes, you would have to push some buttons on your phone to confirm.
Anytime you order on the phone from something you see on TV they are going to try and upsell you. Got to the point where I couldn't even work for them anymore the upsells were just horrific.

 

[Swmhc]

I wouldn't term this a "scam" as it does clearly state when you click the coupon, what you will be charged. I use ProFlowers frequently as their flowers are AWESOME quality and our mothers don't live anywhere near us. My mother is a flower nut and she just goes on and on about the quality and how long they stay fresh. It's just a standard marketing ploy that many companies use....the more buttons you click, the more you are likely to sign up for things you don't pay attention to. You must always read the fine print. If you sign up for a free month, remember to cancel before the end of your month.

 

[HeatherBelle614]

Well, as I said above, we WERE scammed. DH ordered on the internet and un-checked EVERYTHING. (We are both very careful when it comes to things like that.)

The guy on the phone even told DH that it was complimentary for ordering through flowers.com, and told DH that he did not actually sign up for it (after accusing him of just forgetting he signed up, he told him that it said on our account that is was actually a complimentary sign-up), but it was a "great service given to him for using the website."

So, yes, I would call that a scam. They had no right to give us this "complimentary" service and charge our credit card.

(BTW, no where on the initial order is a coupon, either. We were not given a deal or a discount. So no, DH did not click on something that would have given this Live Well place the right to sign us up.)