Best Price • $5 Million Penalty Assessed • Probes Target Best Price USA • Consumer Complaints • America's Advantage Complaints • How To Quit

Penny of Barstow, CA, writes:
I am writing this for my 82-year-old mother who has had her bank account cleaned out by the fraudulent debit of her bank account. This was $96.00 plus charges for overdraft, $27.00. Now with a week left in the month she is without ability to purchase food until her check comes again on the 3rd. She had never spoken with this company nor had any reason to do so since she is elderly and financially limited.

She ordered a book on gov't-reposssed or drug-seized cars from this company who advertises in the San Clemente, CA weekly newspaper. Once she talked to them she said they insisted they have her bank account number which in turn they have now sold obviously to this Best Prices USA outfit. They said it would take a while to return the money and they could not divulge the source where they got the account number from.

Further they agree she has never talked to them but that they sent her a package that if she did not respond with in x number day her account would be debited for this amount. Why can't people like this who prey on people be caught and put out of business?

They frequently are caught and put out of business, but there is a never-ending supply of new ones who pop up and take their place, unfortunately..

Craig of Woodbridge, VA, writes:
In mid January, I ordered the squeegee mop for $14.99 on TV. Decent product ... but apparently this may have been how this company got my credit card number which I gave out over the phone when I ordered this product. Other people on consumer reports I've read claim that they ordered this product too, and then were charged $96 dollars for one year trial membership.

I have NOT received any info or brochures in the mail about BEST PRICE USA, nor did I EVER give them my credit card number.

Per advice of my VISA company I have canceled my credit card and will have a new card issued with a new number.

Barbara of Huntsville, AL:
I saw an ad on TV for the broom called the One Sweep. I called and ordered the product for $14.98 (included S&H). They asked me if I wanted to try the Best Price USA membership for 30 days free and after 30 days the membership fee would be charged to my credit card. I told him no, I don't do much buying or travelling so I wasn't interested. He said okay.

Well, about a month later, there was a charge for $96 and some-odd cents on my card for Best Price USA! I don't have any phone number, address, or anything to call them to complain. I was never sent any packet. I can only hope to see the ad again on television and start from there. In the meantime, I'm out the money.

I am out $96 and can only hope to get it back. I am unemployed, disabled, and have a 3-yr old at home. This $96 was supposed to go towards paying my bills this month. Now I won't be able to make my ends meet. I have already been diagnosed with depression due to my disorder, so this doesn't help. When I get upset or excited I get heart palpitations. This certainly doesn't do my disorder any good.

Sherry of Aurora, CO, writes:
I received a package in the mail and it told you all about this Best Price USA and that if you didn't want the service that you had to call and cancel in two days from the delivery of the material. I called the second day and asked to cancel the service, because I never ordered it in the first place and they told me okay. A couple of days later I received my Visa bill and they had charged me $96.00 for their service.

I called right away and told them I never authorized this charge and they told me it would be credited to my card in 10-14 working days. It has been over a month and it still has not been credited. I have disputed this charge and I don't know when it will be taken care of, I also asked just how they got my card number since I never ordered the service.

Robert of Beverly Hills, FL, writes:
On Dec. 20, 1999, I received a telephone solicitation from Best Price USA who promised a free 30-day trial period for their discount shopping service. They said that after a 30 day trial period, they would bill my credit card for $96.00 for a one-year membership. The material describing the service and my membership card arrived on Jan. 27, 2000.

I called Best Price USA on the day I received my materials and they said that they billed my credit card on January 20, 2000. I have called them several times for a refund of my $96.00 and they say my refund has been issued but as of today (March 1, 2000), a refund has not been credited to my Visa account. This seems to me to be an unethical way of doing business on the part of Best Price USA! As a retired person, I certainly don't need unscrupulous companies bilking me out of my retirement income!

HH of Parkersburg, WV, writes:
Received a statement from my bank that $72.00 was taken out of my account for this company which I had no contact with. My bank account was overdrawn. Now I am unable to make my car insurance payment and I was charged for an overdraw. I do not know how these people got my credit card number.

Gail of Cochrane, Canada:
I received an unsolicited trial membership in the mail accompanied by a letter apologizing for inadvertent changes on my credit card. The letter for Best Price USA stated several months ago I had agreed to a trial membership (30 days)and that due to an unfortunate computer error my trial membership was never mailed to me and my account was charged. The letter then proceeds to say that upon noticing this charge on my credit card statement I called their customer service center and have now been fully credited for the membership fees, however they have extended my 30 day trial membership to accommodate my request. They provide a phone number (877) 557-7890 to call their service center to handle this request for me.

THE FACTS:

• I have never even heard of this company before!

• I have never at any time agreed to a trial membership with this company.

• I have NEVER given my credit card number out to this company.

This was a totally unsolicited membership scam! I am currently in the process of researching this company and following up.

Tiffany of Charlotte, NC:
I do not recall making a purchase with this company. I received a packet in the mail during the week of 2/21/00. The packet included information relative to airline tickets, discount rental cars, etc. I tore the package up and put it in the trash. I received information from my bank on 2/28/00 that my checking/check card account was to be debited by $96.00 on 2/29/00 by "Best Price USA".

I did not authorize this transaction. My bank gave me the company's telephone number as shown above. I made several attempts to contact the company with this number on the morning of 2/29/00. The line was "busy".

I'm trying to purchase a headstone for my mother's grave. I can not pay the balance owed for the headstone because my account is short by this $96.00.

Kimberly of Seneca, SC:
I ordered some diet products over the phone and they told me I would receive something about "lawphone" and some kind of buying guide. I didn't hear any more till I got my credit card bill and it was on there. I am sending my credit card a letter to dispute the charges but it's not right for a company to be able to put things on your credit card without your okay. I am waiting to hear from my credit card company.but this has had me very upset. It's not really the cost as the fact that someone has my account number.

Patricia of Laurens, IA, writes:

Around 9/1/99, I received a telephone solicitation from Best Price USA, It was described as a buying service guaranteeing the lowest prices on consumer goods.  It also offered two free airline tickets.  They give you thirty days to examine the information and use the services.  After that date, the membership is billed to the credit card.  

I wanted two airline tickets, so I agreed to look at the program.  I gave them a credit card number and watched for the materials-promised in 8-10 days.  The materials never arrived.  I anxiously watched my credit card bill, worried that I had been scammed to get my credit card number.  

On my November American Express bill, a charge for $49.80 appeared.  It was from a company called Backend Company, a wholesale club from Boca Raton, FL.  I called Amex and got the information needed to contact the company.  I canceled the membership, and called Amex to file a dispute on the charge.  Amex took my cancellation number and filed the dispute.  

The package of promised materials arrived in my mailbox the next day.  No specific information is present in the materials.  A customer is to call a toll free number to ask about a purchase.  The free tickets are from some outfit called Fly Free America.  The customer is to send information to Fly Free to get a packet back.  

One piece of info in the packet requests all of the members credit card numbers.  Best Price USA will then notify all of the credit cards (as the customer's agent) if the cards are lost or stolen.  

Quoting from the form "All information will be electronically scanned into our data-base so that it can be recalled instantly when necessary."

Thomas of Goose Creek, SC, writes:
While checking my account online I noticed a $96charge that I did not authorize. I immediately called and canceled my bank card and investigated the source online. That is when I found the web site with all of the scam notifications. What I don't know is how this company got my card number.

What can I do to get my $96.00 back? That money was my gas money until the next payday. Emotionally? I am ready to take a drive down to Boca Raton and kick the **** out of somebody who stole money from a member of the armed forces who has 5 kids, has to work part time to make enough money to feed them all and pay the bills. Just think, I put my life on the line to preserve the freedom these ******** take for granted just so they can turn around and take my money.

Thomas and everyone else should immediately notify their credit card company by phone and in writing that they are contesting the charges. If the bank does not remove the charge, the consumer should sue Best Price and the credit card company in Small Claims Court.

Linda of Boulder, CO, writes:
I ordered a One Sweep Broom from a television ad using my credit card. I declined the operators "offers" of membership in Best Price USA. The following month, a charge for $96 appeared on my VISA bill (very clever of them to bill the item purchased in one month and then add the Best Price USA charge the following month). We had no idea where charge originated.

My husband found the Consumer Affairs.com site by doing a search for Best Price USA. Your site gave us the information we needed to deal with these scam artists. Fortunately, our credit card company immediately removed the charge. They cancelled our account and opened a new one for us.

We were lucky. How many others have been hurt by Best Price's reprehensible business practices? Isn't this sort of scam illegal? What can be done to stop them.

We're glad our site was helpful. The only way to shut down operations like this is for consumers to be extremely vigilant and to buy only from local or well-known national businesses. No one should order anything from a TV infomercial, soap opera magazine or other third-rate advertising medium.

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