Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Credit Card Hijacking shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Credit Card Hijacking offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Credit Card Hijacking at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Credit Card Hijacking? Wrong! If the Credit Card Hijacking is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Credit Card Hijacking then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Credit Card Hijacking? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Credit Card Hijacking and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Credit Card Hijacking wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Credit Card Hijacking then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Credit Card Hijacking site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Credit Card Hijacking, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Credit Card Hijacking, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Credit Card Hijacking is the term used when a person’s
credit card information is used for undesired charges for goods or services where the credit card owner has trouble reaserting control. This can occur in a few major forms.
Credit Card Hijacking by Identity Theft
The first form of credit card hijacking is basically
identity theft, which is the deliberate assumption of another person's
Personal identity. Identity theft is usually the result of serious breaches of
privacy and often involves the victim compromising a great deal of financial and personal information allowing the thief to open up new credit card accounts in the name of the victim.
Credit Card Hijacking by Cancellation Barrier
The second form of credit card hijacking, which most people have fallen victim to, is the continued charging of a person’s credit card for a
subscription to goods or services no longer desired by the credit card owner. This type of credit card hijacking was pioneered by major Internet service provider, credit monitoring services and
online dating services, is perfectly
legal, and is still common today in a wide range of subscription based goods and services. Credit card hijacking of this type came about as online subscription based marketers realized that traditional subscription systems, such as the annual subscriptions that paper magazines use, were an impediment to enrolling customers. A typical dial-up ISP, at US$24.95 per month, is US$299.40 annually. By breaking the subscription period into small units like months or quarters, and allowing direct monthly charging of the subscriber’s credit card, the psychological and economic barriers potential subscribers see are greatly reduced.
The issue which makes one subscription system a hijacking of the credit card is not the mode of entry into the subscription nor the billing interval, but the marketing organization creating barriers for the user to easily cancel the subscription. Organizations which use credit card hijacking as part of their marketing strategy make online registration for the subscription easy, enforce default automatic renewal policies, and create barriers to halting the subscription. (This is in contrast to traditional subscription based system such as paper magazines where the subscriber has to periodically proactively reauthorize the subscription, hence the default is to not renew.) The most common subscription exit barrier is to not provide any online subscription cancellation mechanism at all, but to instead require the user to cancel by telephone or by "on-line chats". Such organizations often add the additional barrier of making any subscription cancellation information difficult for the user to even find, thus creating an additional delay in the subscription cancellation. This is very common amongst ISP’s, who know the psychological barrier to making the call, which the subscriber anticipates will be unpleasant, is very high. It also allows the marketing organization to talk the subscriber into changing their minds and not cancelling the subscription. Another common subscription cancellation barrier is to have a relatively long subscription period, a no refund policy, and to require the user upon cancellation to forfeit all money covering the present subscription period. This is very common amongst online dating services.
This second form of credit card hijacking was created by marketers who recognized that subscription based services generally have relatively low periodic billings which will generally go unnoticed on any given credit card statement. So what happens is that long after the user loses interest in the subscription, they forget to cancel the subscription and because the periodic billing is so low, they don’t tend to notice it on their credit card statement.
Credit Card Hijacking by Negative Option Billing
Negative option billing is the practice of sending goods automatically and billing the recipient unless the recipient is proactive in declining the goods before they are sent. Negative option billing reverses the usual direcion of sales transactions. It assumes that unless you say 'no', you've agreed to have bought the goods. This is the common practice used in book clubs, record clubs, and magazine subscriptions with automatic renewal. Some practitioners of negative option billing prefer to call it "advance consent marketing."
See also
External links
- "How hard can it be to cancel an AOL account?" — One man's frustrating call, caught on tape, resounds in the blogosphere
- "Even dead people can't escape AOL" — Company keeps charging dead man; daughter unable to drop service for nine months...
- "Negative Option: When No Means Yes"
Credit Card Hijacking is the term used when a person’s
credit card information is used for undesired charges for goods or services where the credit card owner has trouble reaserting control. This can occur in a few major forms.
Credit Card Hijacking by Identity Theft
The first form of credit card hijacking is basically identity theft, which is the deliberate assumption of another person's Personal identity. Identity theft is usually the result of serious breaches of privacy and often involves the victim compromising a great deal of financial and personal information allowing the thief to open up new credit card accounts in the name of the victim.
Credit Card Hijacking by Cancellation Barrier
The second form of credit card hijacking, which most people have fallen victim to, is the continued charging of a person’s credit card for a
subscription to goods or services no longer desired by the credit card owner. This type of credit card hijacking was pioneered by major Internet service provider, credit monitoring services and
online dating services, is perfectly legal, and is still common today in a wide range of subscription based goods and services. Credit card hijacking of this type came about as online subscription based
marketers realized that traditional subscription systems, such as the annual subscriptions that paper
magazines use, were an impediment to enrolling customers. A typical dial-up ISP, at US$24.95 per month, is US$299.40 annually. By breaking the subscription period into small units like months or quarters, and allowing direct monthly charging of the subscriber’s credit card, the psychological and economic barriers potential subscribers see are greatly reduced.
The issue which makes one subscription system a hijacking of the credit card is not the mode of entry into the subscription nor the billing interval, but the marketing organization creating barriers for the user to easily cancel the subscription. Organizations which use credit card hijacking as part of their marketing strategy make online registration for the subscription easy, enforce default automatic renewal policies, and create barriers to halting the subscription. (This is in contrast to traditional subscription based system such as paper magazines where the subscriber has to periodically proactively reauthorize the subscription, hence the default is to not renew.) The most common subscription exit barrier is to not provide any online subscription cancellation mechanism at all, but to instead require the user to cancel by telephone or by "on-line chats". Such organizations often add the additional barrier of making any subscription cancellation information difficult for the user to even find, thus creating an additional delay in the subscription cancellation. This is very common amongst ISP’s, who know the psychological barrier to making the call, which the subscriber anticipates will be unpleasant, is very high. It also allows the marketing organization to talk the subscriber into changing their minds and not cancelling the subscription. Another common subscription cancellation barrier is to have a relatively long subscription period, a no refund policy, and to require the user upon cancellation to forfeit all money covering the present subscription period. This is very common amongst online dating services.
This second form of credit card hijacking was created by marketers who recognized that subscription based services generally have relatively low periodic billings which will generally go unnoticed on any given credit card statement. So what happens is that long after the user loses interest in the subscription, they forget to cancel the subscription and because the periodic billing is so low, they don’t tend to notice it on their credit card statement.
Credit Card Hijacking by Negative Option Billing
Negative option billing is the practice of sending goods automatically and billing the recipient unless the recipient is proactive in declining the goods before they are sent. Negative option billing reverses the usual direcion of sales transactions. It assumes that unless you say 'no', you've agreed to have bought the goods. This is the common practice used in book clubs, record clubs, and magazine subscriptions with automatic renewal. Some practitioners of negative option billing prefer to call it "advance consent marketing."
See also
- Credit card
- Credit card fraud
External links
- "How hard can it be to cancel an AOL account?" — One man's frustrating call, caught on tape, resounds in the blogosphere
- "Even dead people can't escape AOL" — Company keeps charging dead man; daughter unable to drop service for nine months...
- "Negative Option: When No Means Yes"
