Please ladies (and gents) take heed.

Before sending off for anything marked "Free Trial" on the 'Net be sure to know precisely what you're signing up for. At the beginning of October I saw a 'not to be missed' offer of a "Free" Trial of a face product Clear Lift Ultra. All I was required to do was pay for postage and packing and I would receive a 14 day trial of what sounded a very good facial product - I'd read the many great reviews (I now wonder just who posted them). The terms and conditions applying were there but as a very tiny clicky amongst many at the bottom of the page and the advert's promise of a 14 day no strings offer sounded ok. The Advertisement to which I responded consisted of a single page comprising details of the offer and a form for postage details of which I have a screenshot.

Fortunately for me, no goods were ever received.

However, on October 24th I received a call from my credit card company to inform that they had blocked two attempts by different companies within moments of one another, to extract £53 from my credit card. I confirmed that these attempted withdrawals were unauthorized by me.

I telephoned (toll free to the US) the company offering the "Free Trial" to advise I'd never received their product and was issued with a cancellation number.

I thought that was the end of the matter but, oh no, on 2nd November an amount of £15.37 was taken from my credit card by a company of whom I've never heard nor with whom I've had any dealings. I immediately disputed the charge with my credit card company and telephoned the 'original' company whom, I suspected, were responsible. They informed me that they hadn't taken any money from my credit card but an 'affiliate' had and, therefore, I should 'phone them to cancel my *contract* with them direct. The 'phone number I was given to do this was 'unobtainable.'

I then had to cancel my credit card and obtain a new one with a different number, with all the inconvenience that entails, and thought that I would now be safe. Not so. I received a letter from my credit card company today to tell me that requests for payment from my credit card would simply be directed to my new one!! It seems I've wasted my time trying to protect myself by changing the card.

I 'phoned the card company to say that the only way out I could see was to close my bank account, debit and credit cards and move my cash elsewhere. Obviously the company didn't want that to happen and gave me an address to write to in the UK (probably a post box) stating that I had cancelled my original, undelivered, item and, therefore, had no contract with that company or any other party to whom my personal details had been given. I will then have to fill in dispute forms that are to be sent to me from my card company. I also have to monitor everything that appears on my credit card statement (thankfully online) and raise a new dispute for each dodgy transaction that occurs. I'm expecting a 'hit' on or about 2nd December but from whom, and for what I cannot guess and I'm not expecting the 'hit' to be for the same amount, or from the same company as previously.

I've been doing some Miss Marpling around the 'Net and have found I'm just one of a huge number of people who've fallen foul of the 'Free Trial' offers (a scam? probably not legally speaking). Some have used debit cards and have been taken for thousands of, mainly US dollars, but also involving people in Australia, New Zealand and, of course, the UK.

The offer states that the contract may be cancelled if the goods are returned within the 14 day period. However, the goods can take up to 14 days to arrive, or in my case not at all) and I've read that product must be received in the company's warehouse in the US by the end of the 14 day period and that the period starts at the time of placing the order. If not then the contract states the purchaser will be obliged to pay, in the case of my product, over £50 per month varying with the exchange rate, for a term of not less than six months. Also hidden within the almost unintelligible terms and conditions, the company maintains the right to pass on credit card details to all or any of its affiliate companies to which the unsuspecting victim has bought 'subscriptions.' Payment of these subscriptions is mandatory and part of the original contract. To cancel, one has to 'phone each and every one of the huge number of 'companies' who have been given the 'right' to raid one's credit card/debit card.

I've certainly never received anything in writing either by email or snail-mail to explain what it is I am supposed to receive in return for the 'hits' being made on my credit card although some others have said they're subscriptions to, in one case, a fitness club, others complain that they're receiving unwanted supplies on a regular basis for which they're being charged different amounts and by different company 'names.' Of course, once an order has been cancelled, any further goods received may be deemed "unsolicited goods" collection of which is the responsibility of the sender.

Remember too that when purchasing a product that states it will reduce your size, whiten your teeth, improve your skin condition, 14 days is not nearly enough to achieve your desired goal especially if you don't have time to use the product before sending it straight back from whence it came in order to save you from months of misery and inconvenience.

I'm so pleased I never got the opportunity to try the product for which I sent as I'm perfectly certain it would have proved useless as no reputable company would surely behave in the way this organization appears to, or would they? Passing on personal information to other so-called companies who don't even have the courtesy to tell their customers what they can expect to receive for the money that is 'lifted' from their cards is at least poor business practice; even more so when done despite the absence of any contract with the person whose information they distribute.

The moral of this story is if you need a non surgical face lift, whiter teeth, a skinny body, or anything else that sounds too good to be true forget it, it probably is!! There are some very nasty people out there who are only too pleased to improve their lifestyle to the detriment of others.

The various usernames who post the stock answers over and over again here neglect to inform you that the helpline will simply refer you to the dozens of other 'names' who will try to divest you of your hard earned income and that you will need to contact each and everyone of multitudes to cancel that which you never knowingly contracted for in the first instance. To those of us who used credit cards, the card company will work with you as they are only too aware of this unscrupulous business and can supply a single address to which you can write (applies in the UK). Make sure you keep a note of dates, names, amounts taken, telephone numbers given and all correspondence; also monitor your accounts regularly and report anything 'unauthorized' immediately.

Is it legal for an umbrella organization to permit personal details to be used to withdraw unathorized funds from accounts, by persons unknown to the account holder for goods/services never received and when the initial contract was cancelled - cancellation number provided?

If you find it all too much to bear, then the only answer is to close all your bank accounts/cards and move your cash elsewhere and be more careful next time.

Watch your backs.