Internet shopping can be a convenience but in some cases, it can be real sneaky too.
Take negative option billing for instance.
It’s a business practice whee goods or services are provided automatically and the customer must either pay for the service or specifically decline it in advance of billing.
Saugeen Shores Police Chief Dan Rivett says his department has received several calls from people believing they have been defrauded by this practice.
Rivett says they have not.
He says it’s a buyer-beware scenario and you have to read the fine print of any contract you agree to.
Rivett says the latest complaints surfaced as a result of a weight loss product that was offered free to try as long as you paid shipping and handling.
Then unsolicited pills were sent to the customer every month and their charge card was debited accordingly.
Rivett says you have to physically cancel the contract and he says make sure you get a cancellation confirmation number or something in writing.
If that doesn’t work, you may want to cancel your charge card and apply for another one.
Rivett says although it’s against the law to practice negative option billing in Canada, the internet has taken away those borders.
