Bidmac is a company set up like like Beezid. My experience with this site began when I saw a small ad for it on my homepage. I am a single mother...looking for gifts for my kids that I can afford. So I clicked on the hyperlink. The Bidmac page opened up with all kinds of neat things and signs under each that said "BID" or "BID NOW" (I can't remember which.
At the top of the page, it instructed new users that they had to first register and create an account to bid...that it was as easy as 3 steps. So, I clicked on the first arrow and began filling out my personal information. When that was done, there was a submit button that you had to click on to get to the next step. So I submitted the information and it went directly to step 2, which is where it asked for my payment information. At no time did their page show me that I was actually buying bids, or give me an option to choose a package...in other words, I had no idea that by putting in my debit card information, they were going to charge me. I shop on E-Bay frequently, so figured it was set up like that...I think that these fraudsters count on people assuming that their site is like E-Bay (I'll get into that in a minute).
Anyway, I submitted my debit card information to establish my account. As soon as I submitted it, it showed me that it had debited my account $149.99 (Ripping someone off for $150 is a felony), and showed me that I'd purchased some large bid package.
The first thing I did was to try to e-mail them because it was not during their normal business hours. The next day, I tried to phone. Their automated system had no music or voice prompts...it just kept saying, "Our representatives are busy. Someone will be with you shortly." Well, no one picked up. I left my phone on speaker for nearly 2 hours, then another hour later in the day.
That day, I went to my bank and filed a fraud report, then went to the sheriff's department..I was told that the scam was "smart" because of the amount taken being a penny less than a felony conviction. I filed complaints with the BBB in Utah and Delaware (because the company shows it is based from a USPS store in Utah, but is registered to a woman in Delaware). I also e-mailed the company and told them that I had filed the complaints.
The next day, a representative from Bidmacs tried to call me. She left a message to call her back, but never left a number. I called the number I had and, low and behold, there was a completely automated system with music and voice prompts, etc... Now, just so you know, I had the bank and the police department call the number the first day, so then they could verify the differences that had been made by the second day.
The representative told me they were giving me a full refund and that it would post to my account immediately. Well, she had the authority to not take the money out in the first place because it hadn't been processed through my bank. Instead, she allowed it to process, which overdrafted my account. Then, I had to e-mail them 2 more times to get the refund into my account. It took over a week! This was over the Thanksgiving week...you know how hard it is to be a single-parent on a budget. My account was over-drawn for the entire week, so I didn't have money to buy gas (I live 6 miles from town), to buy food for my kids, or anything. It was terrible to have to tell my kids we couldn't have a Thanksgiving day dinner because someone had taken our money. Worse, I couldn't even buy necessities like bread or milk until I got paid again on Friday.
Companies that take money in this way should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law! They are scum!