America, the beautiful

If anyone has ever wondered about (traditional) American economic superiority, I'd like to enlighten you with a simple example of the types of tricks, deception and fraud that has been a mainstay of American business. We won't get into the intimidation, threats and empty promises in this piece, but they, too, are part and parcel of what makes America "great".

Subpoenas have been issued by the New York State attorney's office to three marketing companies: Webloyalty, Affinion and Vertrue. These firms have allegedly misled consumers for years into joining membership programs and paying monthly fees. Typically, the three firms present pop-up ads to online shoppers when they're finalizing a transaction with one of as many as 22 known "respected" web retailers such as Staples, 1-800-Flowers.com and Orbitz. Some consumers have said the ads appear to be a discount coupon from the retailer.

From ZDNet: The ads offer discounts or cash back coupons if the shopper will only provide an e-mail address or username. Buried in the fine print however, are the full terms, which state that by providing an e-mail address, the customer is agreeing to sign up for a membership program and authorizing their credit card to be charged sometimes as much as $20 a month. How can these marketers charge credit cards without the owners giving them their card information? Simple, they buy it from well-respected merchants, such as Continental Airlines, Priceline and Buy.com.

Gimme a break. These bastids are happy to sell their loyal customers' credit card numbers to unscrupulous, perhaps criminal companies. Proof, once again, that when it comes to ethics, morality, and relationships, the almighty dollar trumps...especially in America.


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