subject: Free E-Cig Offer or Clever Marketing Ploy [print this page] Free E-Cig Offer or Clever Marketing Ploy
The CPA offers selling a free electronic cigarette starter kit are clever marketing schemes. They are not free.
You are shown a banner of a mini electronic cigarette starter kit. Plus a model enjoying electronic smoking with smokeless cigarettes. The starter kit consists of a cigarette battery or two, a box of cartridges, and a cigarette battery charger.
You are hooked by having a token amount charged to your credit card for shipping and handling to receive a free complete $100 dollar e cig starter kit for a 14 day trial. Of course the token amount is usually less than $10 to snag your credit card number. If you take no action to contact the vendor and decline the offer after 14 days your credit card will be charged $100 and your account setup for a monthly bonus shipment of 30 cartridges and your credit card charged $60 dollars monthly until you cancel it..
If you decide to return the e cig starter kit and cut your losses. You must call the company and receive a restocking number. Then prepay the packaging and postage costs to return the e cig starter kit. Expect them to charge you a $10 dollar restocking charge. Plus their individual prices for any missing items including $7.50 per used or opened cartridges.
Note, you do not get two weeks to try out your new e cig starter kit. A 14 day trial means 14 days from the time you punched in your credit card number not when the package was delivered. If you are fortunate this will be an American company and you do not have to ship the package back to China.
Unfortunately you can not just log in to your Paypal account and cancel it. Paypal no longer processes electronic smoking products.
Lets sum up your costs: $10 shipping, $10 return shipping, $10 restocking , $75 for using up the 10 cartridges. Plus they get their electronic cigarette starter kit back or charge you more for the missing pieces you misplaced.
It is unfortunate they are using this marketing scheme. The kits may be quality products on their web site for sale for $100 which is a competitive price. If you have already been took by one of these offers and you are really interested in smokeless cigarettes, keep the electronic cigarette starter kit. After all it costs more to send it back, accept the charges and chalk this up as another internet lesson learned.
If you would like to see this scheme illustrated and in action click
