One of the hardest things to avoid online is a simple four-letter word that is almost as bad as any profanity – “free.” There is a cliché that says that nothing in life is truly free, and this is one of those circumstances that nothing could be truer.
As scams evolve in the industry past the offers for free trials for weight loss supplements and muscle-inducing remedies, the offer for free CBD has risen to the surface.
CBD Offers Are Anything But Free
Most people are apprehensive about engaging in products online that have a high out-of-pocket cost, which is why most companies have become much stealthier in how they advertise their products. Usually, it all starts with a sampling of something for “free.”
The free CBD is usually part of a trial, which is the first way that companies lock in the financial information of the user. The product itself comes without any cost at this time, but there is usually a reason that the company states that they will need the user’s credit card information. The easiest way to snag consumers is with the cost of shipping and handling. While they will not sell information to other retailers, this information is kept on file for future billing purposes.
Due to legal issues, most companies are incredibly careful about the way that they notify consumers of their intents. While there is nothing listed on the page that most consumers place their order, a search through the Terms and Conditions of the applicable website will soon reveal the underlying fraud.
By hiding the details of future purchases in this area, the company protects themselves from allegedly misleading the consumer, allowing themselves to hide behind technicalities.
Even though there are plenty of ways that the companies find other charges that they can impose, the easiest way that these websites continue to get income is with the use of a subscription.
Freebies Normally Come With Commitment
The offer for free CBD allows the companies to insert a clause into their Terms and Conditions for ongoing charges. However, most companies choose to setup a subscription or automatic payments, based on shipping a new supply of the CBD product, or a subscription for continued access to information.
Most people do not notice these changes right away. Instead, since many individuals only check their credit card charges when the statement arrives, the charge has already been billed each month without any way to reach the company to cancel the charges. Even with a phone call to the customer service team of the supplier, some companies even sneak in a clause of how long the user is required to received repeated charges on their card.
The deciding factor on how significant these charges will become is often at the mercy of the way the user paid. Credit card companies are usually much more familiar with charges that are erroneously added to the customer’s statement, making it easy to cancel the transaction and block the company.
However, debit card owners that use their bank account’s money are in more trouble, since filing for fraud through a bank has many steps and procedures to even come to an end. Most consumers end up having to replace their card, or create a new bank account all together.
Stay Safe
It is easy to get lost in a free offer, and want to be rewarded for your online research skills to find the promotion in the first place. With something as sensitive as CBD, any consumer should know that this chemical will not be offered for free in the first place, especially if it is authentic.
If someone is in doubt about a free offer, or they have other questions, most companies offer a phone number or email address to reach them. While this is not a sure sign of a real offer at all, the absence of a customer service department should send consumers running in the opposite direction.
Remember – nothing is free with CBD.
