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Orbitz Sharing Customer Credit Card Information
tstorm writes "ConsumerAffairs.com has a warning about Orbitz and their affiliation with a company called MWI. Apparently numerous people who have booked travel through Orbitz are finding unauthorized $9.95 monthly charges on their credit card bills from MWI for membership in a 'discount entertainment service,' despite that fact that MWI doesn't appear to provide any actual product or service. It's also very difficult to opt-out of this membership, some people have gotten refunds for what they were already charged only to have another charge appear the following month."
maybe it's because I
.. people think I'm some kind of dork for reading them all the time (which I am, of course :) but that's where they hide this bullshit. READ IT BEFORE CLICKING!
1) READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
2) I use a one-time virtual number from Citibank. Not sure if this can thwart the scam but they seem to do the trick.
3) READ THE TERMS!
if it were a $1 a month charge, how many people wouldnt have contested it? or even noticed?
MWI have been doing this in conjunction with Harris Publishing (aka those idiots who call you up trying to sell you class reunion directories) for a long time. Just WONDERFUL to see Orbitz in bed with them.
7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
Scary as it sounds, many courts have found that similar "browse-wrap" and "click wrap" conditions are valid contracts. So long as you have to affirmatively agree to the conditions, and either are presented with them, or giving the option to read them, they can be valid.
h orpe/
For some background on these types of contacts check out:
http://gsulaw.gsu.edu/lawand/papers/su03/darden_t
It's hard to tell from the consumer warning if that's the case here, of if they're just jerks and are overtly committing fraud.
Ryan Kennedy opposes comm
Here is the Orbitz response and the Better Business Bureau's take on the issue.
I just booked a flight through Orbitz this morning and was going to book one later tonight for Memorial Day weekend. This is the last time I use Orbitz! Honestly, where has all the trustworthiness gone?
I encourage every to delete their credit card information from your Orbitz account. That probably doesn't grantee privacy but it is well worth it.
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One is born into aristocracy, but mediocrity can only be achieved through hard work.
If it is difficult to get them to refund your money, contact your bank instead. Usually they will refund the charge and deal with the investigation themselves just on your word that the charge wasn't authorized. Last time this happened with my American Express card, they just said "the charge has been reversed, if we need any forther information we will contact you, otherwise consider it taken care of". Your bank and ultimately visa/mastercard has a lot more leverage with a given buisiness than you. They can threaten to not allow them to process visa/mc/amex transactions if they are the cause of too many fraudulent charges or complaints.
IMHO, Clicking 'yes' 2x and entering your e-mail address, while definitely interactive, is not sufficient enough process to allow sale of your CCard info. I'd prefer an e-mail/reply system, or something more explicit
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Orbitz Statement on Inaccurate Media Reports Regarding Memberworks (MWI) Connections
Chicago, IL, April 20, 2004---Orbitz has partnered with MemberWork's Connections program to offer customers increased savings opportunities at America's most popular retailers and restaurants. MemberWorks assures us that it follows National Best Marketing Practices that go far beyond its competitors in pro-consumer protections and the company maintains a "no questions asked" refund policy.
To ensure Orbitz's customers are aware they are signing up for a paid membership, they must enter their email address twice and click "yes" to enroll in the Connections program. Each step of the sign-up process includes disclosures about the program and how much and when the customer will be billed. Customers who change their minds about membership receive ongoing opportunities from Memberworks to cancel and request a full refund through its "no questions asked" policy.
*disclaimer - I previously worked for Orbitz, this post is my own opinion, not that of my previous employer, this is not based off of any information I have, purely speculation and guessing based on general business practices*
I tend to avoid any "special offers" because they almost always have some sort of string attached. I don't like strings. From tstorm's follup posts, it looks like some of the methodology is at least changing. It is very possible they have some sort of contract with the company so that they can't drop the promotion. I would not say this is an example of a company being bad. This is an example of how the standard web based sales company works. Most of them have contracts with people, some good, some bad. Sometimes you just don't know until its too late and you have to ride it out.
I would say that contacting customer service before you decide to never use Orbitz again makes more sense. If you are upset enough to not use them again, let them know why. They need to be better informed as to what customers like and don't like. Thats the only way a company can better serve you, the consumer. Without you, there is no company.
-Tim
-I just work here... how am I supposed to know?
Using your credit card on the internet and with non major companies is like giving your pin and card number to everyone on the street. I would trust my baby with a dingo before i would give my credit card number out in this way.
Something for you to do that won't piss everyone off...
I love Orbitz's searching (especially the +/- 3 days matrix price comparison). But I've never bought through them, as I can just to directly through the airline's website after arming myself with Orbitz's information.
IIRC, Orbitz was using Linux. I thought it was kind of cool. Guess the guys are scumbags after all.
I guess it just goes to show that like with anything in life, just because a corporation or government is "good" today, doesn't mean it will be "good" tomorrow. All the more reason to keep corporations and our governments from collecting unnecessary information in the first place.
A company willing to pull dirty tricks in advertising is of course willing to go the extra mile and blatantly steal from their customers.
I used to work for Orbitz a long while ago, and this is pretty typical of the kinds of complaints we would get. Often, cards would be double/triple charged and we would not be able to get refunds out for at least 21 days, "On the following billing cycle. The one after the next."
From my perspective, this seemed to be normal and I often felt "slimy" having to explain to various customers why the refund took such an inordinate amount of time. Often times, I had to make stuff up simply because no one at our call centre had any idea. I'm glad I don't work for the company now, much less stress. Layoffs are sometimes a good thing.
After the third or fourth time I used Orbitz, they totally screwed up my itinerary, unilaterally changing my return flight to a different (earlier) date and a different airport in a foreign country, during the trip. They notified me with an email, which I generally wasn't checking on pleasure trips. I happened to be at a computer with some time available, so I checked email, and saw their notice. They had my phone number, but didn't call it, nor make any attempt to ensure that I had received the message. If I hadn't unexpectedly checked the message, I would have missed the earlier flight, and been stuck overseas. It also took a half-dozen calls and several hours to force them to revert to my original reservation.
Orbitz has one of the best cross-airline search engines. I use it for searching, but then effect the actual sales transaction directly with the airline. I have thereby avoided repeats of Orbitz's bait & switch scam. And I have also found that the airlines often offer even lower fares, on the identical itineraries, than reported in the Orbitz search.
Orbitz is a con. They sell tickets at an undisclosed markup, they change your itinerary without your consent, risking stranding you, and now they hand your money to a parallel scam business. They should be prosecuted, and a stake driven through their corporate heart. But they're the product of the US airlines cartel. So there's not a chance in hell that any accountability will be sought. Orbitz is way down the list of abuse dealt by these airlines, in exchange for billions of dollars in handouts, that is happily enabled by corporate protectionism from the US federal government.
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make install -not war
"On April 27, 2001, the California Attorney General announced that MemberWorks and its affiliates had settled charges of misleading telemarketing practices. The sale of a 30-day free trail membership with a "negative option" cancellation resulted in complaints from consumers who were upset to find charges of $49 and $89 on their credit card accounts. Without admitting liability, MemberWorks agreed to pay $1.5 million in civil penalties and costs. The firm also agreed to change its' business practices and improve notice to purchasers."
MWI paid out 1.5 mil without admitting guilt -- hopefully they'll be hit hard enough to sink them this time.
Don't let these fuckers have a penny. It's your hardearned money, not theirs.
Nathan's blog
In its early days, TrustE meant something, but they've sold out completely. Now they're even running ads for Bonded Spammer, er Sender.
Read TrustE's own "Watchdog Reports". In the last six months, TrustE never took any enforcement action whatsoever based on a complaint. They get 100-200 complaints every month, and do nothing. Over the past five years, according to their own figures, they've requested that a web site operator make some change about once a year. All other complaints are described, in their words, as "Issue Handles with no changes necessary to the Privacy Statement nor the Site".