Many of the customer service complaints that we find relate to free trial offers for wrinkle creams, anti aging creams, and other skincare products. We find that customers either don’t understand the terms of the offer, or they have trouble getting the company to adhere to the terms.
This is one of the reasons why our top recommendation goes to Lifecell. They offer a “risk-free trial” but not a “free trial.”
What is a risk-free trial?
With Lifecell you actually order the product and authorize full payment, but they don’t charge your credit card for 30 days, and if you return the product within that period they won’t charge it. (You also have an additional 90 days where you can get a refund.) This policy is friendlier to the customer than most of the others.
What is a free trial?
Most of the other companies we rated offer “free trials.” That means you pay typically $5.00 or so in shipping charges to receive a supply of the product, but you agree to pay full price at the end of the trial and they sign you up to receive additional shipments at full price after the trial period. If you don’t cancel in time, you will be charged for the first shipment and the next shipment. That’s the part that most folks miss. Then they get angry and file complaints.
The bottom line? Be sure you read the fine print. Watch out for those “free” trials. Stick with our top recommendations and you won’t get burned.
