In this day and age, it is nothing new whatsoever to buy something online.
It is almost the expected way to do things anymore!
It honestly adds so much convenience, just getting on the internet and ordering a service or product that you need.
We love the internet for this convenience!
Or wrong?
What happened?
I was recently analyzing the online market in search of some sort of recruiting or hiring online service to help me place ads for employees. I needed to hire some specifically credentialed professionals for a project I’ve been working on.
I needed these employees fast, and I needed to recruit on the national scale for this one.
Since I was looking for some very specific professionals for hire, I was trying to locate some type of online recruiting or hiring service to help me place the ads in multiple job seeker sites. I wanted to avoid actually having to go to each site separately, create accounts, input all of my info, and advertise the jobs in that tedious and repetitive manner.
I located one. Great!
All the bells and whistles!
You could place 1 ad or multiple ads all at once! You were able to choose where you wanted your employees to geographically be recruited from. You could choose interview questions for the candidates to answer. This website also maintained the clients in separate, amazingly user-friendly, files for each different ad!
Wow, I thought I was in heaven!
And, to top it off, the service was advertised at just $19 a month!
I was practically breaking my fingernails trying to type my credit card number into the computer as fast as humanly possible with a price like that!
Come on, under $20 a month and it offers you all that! Wow, nice!
So, as you might imagine, I went for it.
All in!
Credit card numbers, 3 digit code on back of card, expiration date and all!
The outcome?
Interesting.
Well, late one night last week, I noticed that my bank account was overdrawn. I jumped right on the computer and checked the banking situation out.
Of course, initially I tried to blame my husband for carelessly renting too many movies, but had a clue that this could be due to something else.
After investigating the banking situation a little further, I discovered that the culprit of the bank overdraw was that convenient online recruiting and hiring service I had signed up for.
The online hiring service was advertised at $19 a month. Which, as I mentioned previously, is a great price.
The online hiring service had charged me for an entire year’s subscription all at once.
Wow, I was not expecting that!
I immediately got on the phone and called the company.
I was warmly informed by the co-founder, the person who answered my call, that my money would be refunded immediately and without question.
I was also told that there was some amount of small print on the online hiring service website that revealed that this transaction would actually appear on my credit card as a one time yearly charge.
Well, that sure changes that $19 a month appeal for me!
I was expecting to only be charged the $19 that month.
My money was refunded and I know I will never deal with that particular service provider ever again. Case closed, right?
Maybe!
After getting off the phone with the online hiring service, I came to an interesting realization.
About a year ago, I managed and structured my finances very differently than I do today.
Because of that difference in financial structure, I can guarantee one thing….
I would not have noticed if $240 had been removed from my account as opposed to $19.
So, if I wouldn’t have noticed, I can only assume that there are other people out there who would not notice this difference too!
And, I was treated very politely by the co-founder when I called. I did easily receive my money back and was able to completely cancel the service.
So, what’s the problem?
Well, this could be the development of an online epidemic.
Some of the online companies could be hoping that you are one of the individuals who would not notice $240 withdrawn from your account, as opposed to just $19.
It almost seems like they actually could be preying on people who keep their financial records in a less “organized” manner.
I mean, the small print is there, and I did easily receive my money back, but, only because I NOTICED!
Now, what do you think the outcome would have been had I not noticed?
Yes, I agree, I believe I would be out $240!
The main point being, you have to watch what you buy online!
You have to be careful in choosing who to do business with online!
You would be wise to be consistently checking all of your banking accounts on a regular basis!
Please, just watch out for this online “trouble.”
No one needs any of that at all!