Making Cents: If an offer is too good to be true then it really is

If last month’s plans included a resolution or two, then chances are there was an online element to it, writes Gráinne McGuinness.

Whether you focus on getting fit, losing weight or finding love — if you search online you are tempted by all sorts of services, memberships, subscriptions and free trial offers relating to the topic.

While it is great to be brimful of enthusiasm, the European Consumer Centre Ireland is urging consumers to make sure that they also resolve to read the small print, to know what they are getting into.

“This is the time of year when we’re focused on New Year resolutions, which is great but it often

involves rushing into signing up to memberships or subscriptions without doing enough research,” said Martina Nee of the centre.

“We’ve received complaints from consumers who don’t know how to cancel the contract or are not able to because they are locked into a rolling contract after failing to cancel in time before automatic renewal kicks in.

"There have been cases of overcharging, double charging, and consumers signing up for ‘free trials’ only to be charged for far larger amounts than expected. There are even consumers who were just curious but then found goods mysteriously arrive on their doorstep along with a demand for payment.

“There have also been some worrying cases of consumers who signed up to a dating website but when they tried to cancel they were told to pay or face a debt collector.”

We are all guilty of ticking the terms and conditions box without reading them but Ms Nee strongly recommends a little research, even up to contacting the seller or provider to confirm details.

“People should read the terms and conditions fully, know when the charge will be made, how much (e.g. it may say €39 per month for three months but the total €117 could be taken straight away) and when there is automatic renewal what kind of notice would have to be given,” she said.

“You should always take steps to know who you are providing your credit details to and don’t be dazzled by special offers.”

The same care should be taken paying with Paypal and other payment services and when purchasing in-app, using your Apple or Google Play account.

While keen to emphasise that many dating websites are fine for the majority of customers, the centre has had complaints from consumers who signed up for a special offer with one online dating service but find they are charged far more.

“It would be important therefore for consumers to keep evidence, maybe take screenshots of special offers they see, know how long this offer will last, and when full payments will be taken,” Ms Nee said.

This is good advice for online purchase: “Keeping evidence, in case things go wrong, is the best approach to any online purchase as it can be often difficult for consumers to prove their side of the story.” If you have a problem, don’t delay contacting your credit card company.

“The banks and credit card providers tend to be quite helpful. They provide chargeback information

on their websites which shows the reasons for which a chargeback can be claimed (normally known as chargeback codes) and you can even download handbooks for some banks on this.

"They will usually assess the chargeback request on a case-by-case basis, so it’s important to note that it’s not necessarily automatic.”

You need to be able to show proof that you have tried to resolve the issue with the trader and Ms Nee

recommends taking the time to ensure your bank knows you want more than just cancelling your card.

“It’s important to clearly outline exactly what you want the bank to do or assist you with.”

European Consumer Centre Ireland provides free information to consumers who have a problem with a trader based in another EU/EEA country. If the trader is based in Ireland, consumers can talk to the Competition and

Consumer Protection Commission.

If a consumer continues to have problems with a trader they can also consider the small claims court (for Irish traders) and the European Small Claims Procedure (traders based elsewhere in EU/EEA).