Complaint Review: Serafina - California

My nightmare mirrors the rest of these stories.  I was "seduced" by a Facebook posting about some facial cream that had the "Sharks" fighting over it.  What's more, I could get a trial size free, just pay five bucks shipping and handling.  Before ordering, I learned that the "Sharks" claim was false, and that Barbara Corcoran had filed suit against this company for making this claim.  But the "Sharks" claim isn't what hooked me - it was the, seemingly, risk-free, inexpensive trial size product sample.  I went through the steps to order, and at some point got a solicitation to add a free trial size eye cream to my order for another five bucks shipping and handling.  At that point, I'd had enough and closed out the window, intending to not go through with ANY purchase.  Within a few minutes I got an email from Serafina thanking me for my order.  I was mad, but knew it would take more than $5 worth of effort to cancel the order, so I thought "Live and Learn" and let the order process.  When the order arrived I had to laugh at my $5 life lesson - it was a trial size......barely a dollop! 

The nightmare began on December 15th, when I noticed a peculiar charge pending on my Discover Card, and it wasn't Serafina.  I called, got some woman, never did understand her name, who, essentially mocked me!  Told me that I didn't cancel my trial membership in time, so, by the terms and conditions that were available to me on its website, I'd authorized Serafina to help itself to ninety bucks from my Discover Card.  She went on to mock that there was nothing I could do about it, and if I contest the charge with Discover, they have proof that I'm over 18 and that I'd agreed to its terms and conditions when I placed the order.  Serafina's marketing and ordering process is so deceptive that you'll think you're ordering a trial SIZE.  Huh-uh!  You're ordering a trial MEMBERSHIP!  This company, at no time used language like "membership", or "14-day trial", or "14-day money back guarantee".  What's more, its terms and conditions were not available as part of the ordering process, and no reasonable consumer is going to think, "Gee, maybe I should go visit the company's website to see if there is a terms and conditions link buried in there related to my purchase of a trial size bottle of cream."!  And this company knows that; it has exploited our shopping practices.  I immediately took to Facebook, intending to write a scathing review on its page.  Guess what?!  No page!!  BIG surprise!

It appears that this company has also operated under the name "Youth Renu".  Gee, I wonder why it changed its name?  If this product is so revolutionary, why does it have to lie about endorsements, and reorganize, and stoop to "trickery" to get us to buy it?!

My plan of action is to contest the charge with Discover once it posts.  I'm also going to lodge complaints with the Attorney General's office AND the FTC.  If this nightmare drags out much longer, I'm also going to alert national news magazines' producers.

IF there's a lesson to be learned here, it's to NOT do business with any unsolicited Facebook ads.  I'm going to stick with companies that I seek out myself.