I usually am not so naive to fall for these tricks, but recently I must have hit an all time low or something because I opted in.  I ordered 3 products solely to try their “free trial.”

Well, guess what? NOTHING IS FREE!  Newsflash right?  I know, I know, like I said, I know better but I did it anyway.  I ordered Raw Minerals make-up, Acai Berry Supplements and Ultra Slim XS.  I just lost control and went on an ordering spree.  I’m not sure what got into me.  I read an article/testimonial on the local news station’s website.  Channel 7 KIRO in Seattle had run a story where this woman lost 37 pounds quickly while only taking Acai Berry supplements and Ultra Slim XS.

I am currently on a weight loss regimen and I was having trouble motivating.  I thought I would see what all the hype was about.  I ordered everything on the 30th of December.  The Ultra Slim XS came first and it arrived on the 12th of January.  I read the bottle ingredients it seemed pretty harmless.  Then I read the packing slip.  It seems if I didn’t return this stuff by the 14th day after ordering (January 13th) I would be charged about $55.00 for my “free trial”.  Now tell me, how on earth could I determine if these silly pills were going to “energize” me in two darn days?  I quickly rushed to the post office and returned them.  It cost me $4.95 to get them shipped to me and about 4.95 to send them back.

Two days later I received my “free trial” of Raw Minerals.  I received 3 brushes, 2 tones of mineral foundation, 1 jar of over all veil, a bronzer, and some lotions, one for eye circles and the other for overall facial moisture.  I reached for the packing slip and found that I had 20 days to return these items used or not but if not returned it would cost me $98.50.  I tested the product.  My two daughters and myself had a makeover nite.  It was great fun, and I enjoyed the look the product gave and the feel of it.  It’s fairly weightless.  I’m sure I could go to Sephora at the mall and get a similar product for a similar price but I already had the stuff in my hands so I decided I would keep the make-up.

I did however, call the next day to cancel so that I would not be charged more than the “free trial” price of $98.50.  It was an annoying phone call.  Eleven minutes of hold time but I finally got to a rep who was helpful and seemed to cancel my future orders without issue.  We’ll have to wait and see.

Today, January 16th I received the final “free trial”.  The Acai Berry supplement.  The packing slip says that if I do not return it within 14 days of ordering which would have been 2 days ago, (impossible) I would be charged $55.00.  Crazy!  This I will send back as well ($4.95) and probably have to dispute the charge when it comes on my credit card.  Afterall, I didn’t even get the product prior to the 14 day return deadline!  So all told I am out about $114.00. 

Let this be a lesson to you as it has been to me.  Now mind you, had any of these “free trial” offers mentioned in the advertising that I would be signing up for memberships, or that I would be responsible for hefty monthly charges I never would have ordered these goofy things.  If I would have fully read the “terms and Conditions I would have known exactly waht I was in for because it was stated.  No one ever reads those contracts.  Bingo!  That’s how they get us! 

It was curiosity that got me to order these things in the first place.  I think these companies bank on the laziness of our society and they know that many of us will not return these products.  Well, I am returning them!  I will never sign up for anything again that is supposedly “free”.  I know and always knew that “nothing is free”.  What I didn’t know is that “free trial” means automatic membership and a pain in the ass.

So, I am back to weight loss the old-fashioned way, eating smaller, smarter portions and exercise.  The way nature intended! :0)

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