subject: A Guide to getting the most from free trials [print this page] A Guide to getting the most from free trials
It's an age old marketing trick to provide consumers the opportunity to consider using a service or product before committing to buy it. On many occasions this helps out both parties, as consumers could get a taster of something which they could like to buy in the future and then the merchant can share their wares, improve their reputation and maybe win many clients. Inside the digital age you can get free trials for all sorts of things, whether it's DVD rental, antivirus software or an internet credit checking service and all of these things have negative and positive aspects which might be worth considering prior to signing on the dotted line.
The first question you'll want to address is whether or not the corporation is providing the trial offer for the best reasons. The most beneficial type of trial offeris one with completely no strings attached, although this is becoming much rarer with all the growth and simplicity of online payment. Many firms would require you pass some personal information in order to register with a free trial offer. At the very least it will mean passing on your current email address, although this can be done relatively safely providing you get the opportunity to stop the firm passing it through to alternative advertisers.Sometimes you need to give credit card details and it is at this time that you should be cautious. Often firms will make reference to something as a free trial offer when it could be better described as a free first month of service. You need to opt out as soon as the limited free period is up to be able to make sure you are not charged for something you will no longer want, or within the worst case scenario committed to a lengthy contract.
It is important that you read the terms of a free trial offer prior to signing up, as the length and content of the free sample will differ in each circumstance. Many will last for a fixed period of between a few hours and a month, at which point you may find that your service becomes inaccessible until you buy the full version. Alternatively you may be automatically charged as stated before, so get ready with all of the details from day one. Some trials may operate slightly differently, with a set level of usage based on variables such as time or data being determined when the trial begins.
When you're coming to the end of your free trial and you have decided to cancel the service, you will have to contact the firm and make them aware of your intentions. Make sure that it is explicitly clear in any correspondence you are not going to continue, particularly if you have given card details and do not wish to be charged. It is usually sensible to set a reminder on your PDA, phone, computer or calendar highlighting the period at which the trial offer concludes so you remember to get in contact, as you should never rely on the firm to contact you because it is in their interest to keep you signed up for as long as possible.
In essence the simplest way to benefit from free trials is to read all of the small print in the fine print before you pass any details. The large, established firms act relatively transparently and must make it easy for you to opt out before any kind of payment is taken, but this is not always the case, so caution is suggested.
Some free trial sites are better at offering transparent offers than others. For some of the best on the net take a look at: freetrials.co.uk
