Last month we posted on this blog an article entitled, "The High Cost of Free Trials". We noted that various companies offer free trials of so-called "miracle" nutritional supplements and cosmetics. But these companies actually make cancelling and returning the product difficult, if not impossible, so that they can charge consumers full price and more.
One such "free" trial scam that many consumers have complained about is for the cosmetic product Mineral Elements by Eden. Consumers seeking to take advantage of the "free" trial of Mineral Elements makeup, have reported paying up to $9.95 for a 10-day free trial of this makeup on the promise that they could return the product if they did not like it for nothing more than the cost of shipping. According to the Eden company, all that must be done is that within the 10 days of the product having shipped from the company, the dissatisfied consumer must call and obtain a Request for Merchandise Authorization number ("RMA#), and mail back the unused portion with the RMA# on the outside of the package. All shipping costs and some unspecified ‘processing fees" are to be paid by the customer and are non-refundable.
In fact, return of the make up is virtually impossible. Under this scam, the 10 days of the trial begins to run at the time the product ordered and allegedly shipped from Mineral Elements. By the time the consumer receives the product, the majority of the 10 days is already up and a person would have to scramble to call and to arrange to return the two month supply of product without ever trying it at all. One customer reported having ordered the product on the 13th of the month and did not receive it until the 23rd. Then the customer immediately called to complain but was told it was already too late to return the cosmetics, and that the full $130 cost of the product had been charged and could not be refunded.
Other consumers who tried to return the product to avoid being charged reported being treated rudely, hung up on, and never given the required RMA#, or at least not until it was too late according to Eden.
What is worse, consumers who pursue the free trial are also required to cancel a club membership to a Beauty Club that they may not even realize they were enrolled in unless they delved deeply into the fine print buried on Eden’s website. This club membership involves automatic shipments of more two-month supplies of makeup every 60 days for approximately $40, that is charged to the credit card initially provided.
The make up is made and distributed by Eden Cosmetics, LLC, which, by its own ominous admission, "operates a network of websites offering a variety of products and services."
If you attempted to take advantage of a "free" trial of Mineral Elements and believe you were deceived by the advertising, or were dissatisfied and unsuccessfully tried to return the product and believe you have been wrongly charged for something you did not want, please contact us to discuss your legal options.