The Internet continues to grow as an important commercial channel for American consumers. More than half of American adults have either made an online purchase or travel reservation, and e-commerce revenue in the United States accounted for more than $165 billion in 2010. The rapid growth of e-commerce has been immensely valuable to consumers, offering easy access to a wide variety of goods and services, and it has led to valuable business innovations. The Internet offers significant consumer efficiencies; where a shopping trip to a brick and mortar store might take hours and entail substantial travel expenses, consumers can make quick and easy online purchases from the comforts of their own homes.
However, the Internet as a safe and secure channel of commerce is under siege by marketers such as United Marketing Group, who engage in what is known as “post-transaction marketing.” This scheme often begins with an offer of “free” rewards or “cash back” made to consumers after they have completed a transaction with a separate company. At the conclusion of that initial transaction (signified by a consumer’s submission of a credit or debit card number), United Marketing Group transfers the consumer to its own web page (which often includes logos and other cues from the original page that likely confuse consumers into thinking they are still dealing with the original company). United Marketing Group’s web page confuses consumers into thinking that they are merely being offered a free reward as a “thank you” for the prior transaction, and that entering an email address is only for the purpose of receiving that reward. Only in the small, out of the way print does United Marketing Group disclose that doing so will result in enrollment in membership programs with monthly charges. United Marketing Group does not in most instances ask consumers to enter a credit card number for enrolling in membership programs, because that would alert reasonable consumers that they are entering into a separate transaction (which they would most likely decline).
Unfortunately, tens of thousands of consumers have been unknowingly enrolled in United Marketing Group’s membership programs, and Meiselman, Denlea, Packman, Carton & Eberz, P.C. is investigating a potential consumer class action on behalf of such consumers. United Marketing Group’s membership programs include, among others:
· Simply Mine
· Buyer’s Edge
· Dental Protector
· ESPN The Magazine Club
· Field & Stream Club
· Hi-Tech Auto Hotline
· Money Ahead Now
· MyAdvisor
· OneCall Credit Card Security Plan
· Perfect Home
· Prescription Savings Plan
· Prevention Healthy Rewards
· TechXperts for Consumer
· Travel & Entertainment
If you or someone you know has been enrolled in one of these programs, or any other online membership program, without consent or authorization, please contact us to discuss your legal options.