I got an email today from someone wanting me to know about a scam she came across. She’d heard an ad on the radio for a e-commerce program from Internet Speedway. According to the ad, people could get information and free CD by calling. But when you call, the company wants your credit card information. The person that emailed me opted out and did some research. She discovered there many complaints against Internet Speedway.

In doing a little research myself, I too found many complaints. I’m not sure I’d call the program a scam in the same way that envelope stuffing is a scam, but it does appear to be sneaky. What happens is that when someone orders the free CD and pays for a trial period, they end up enrolled in the program. If its not cancelled within 30 days, the credit card is billed 5 installments of $70. Further, when people call customer service, either the help is bad, or they receive pressure to buy a bigger package. There are several complaints regarding rude customer service or being on hold for long periods of time.

Regardless of whether not its a scam, or just a company that makes it easy to get in but hard to get out, you do want to stay away from companies like this. Clearly its all about the money for them and not the business. To be rude and difficult to the people who could be making them more money is rediculous and shows that their main goal is to get your money, not provide a quality service.

So how you do avoid companies like this?

1) Always research before committing to anything.

2) Never give out credit card information unless you’re buying something. A free CD shouldn’t cost anything.

3) Before giving credit card information ASK what if anything else will be charged on in. Its appears that in the Internet Speedway case, people aren’t told that by getting the CD they are being enrolled in a program. Some report that its listed on the material they receive but never mentioned on the phone.

4) Read everything. Many people could avoid the hassles of canceling the feeling of being duped if they read the fine print.

5) Always get the name of the person you’re dealing with. This can give you more leverage if you have to fight the company over charged. Also record what you were told and the attitude of the person helping you.