VistaPrints - Scam?

pandamoanium

Ok, so Vistaprints is often recommended here on Boards and I know a lot of people use them.

Anyways, a few days ago I decided to try them out and order a few "freebies", all well and good so far.

However today, I googled them and was shocked to find countless reports of them scamming people - it goes like this, you order your "free" items, and somewhere along the ordering process you inadvertently end up signing up to their "VPRewards" program which automatically takes out £9.95 from your CC each and every month.. with nothing to show for it.

At first I didn't believe it as I was always led to believe that VistaPrints were a reputable company with many happy customers, but the more I looked into the more and more complaints I saw, it appears that a LOT of people have been fooled by this.

They do not remember seeing anything about agreeing to sign up to a VPRewards scheme when purchasing, others claim it's written into the T&C's of the site which you *have* to agree to in order to make your purchase...

It also seems that it's extremely hard to get VistaPrints to cancel this membership, e-mails are never replied to, phone numbers ring out or do not work etc..

If you want more info on this do a quick search for "VistaPrints scam", "VistaPrints review" etc..

Has anyone here had this happen to them? I'm worried now that I too have been taken in by this..

The debit shows up on your CC as either being from VPRewards, or Wards.com

Be vigilent guys!

Random

I've used them twice for "freebies" and paid just the 2.95USD or whatever they wanted for postage. Other than the constant offer emails no further money was ever taken from my CC monthly or anything. Nor did I see any option or condition that did this.

Maybe I got lucky though?

pandamoanium

I registered with them a looong time ago, like you I get all the promo e-mails every other day, but was never signed up to any membership program.

I only ordered with them for the first time a few days ago though.

At first reading through all the "ZOMG I've been scammed, die VistaPrint, die!!!" type posts I thought that people had genuinely been silly and signed up to it without reading properly, but the more and more I look into it, it does seem that people are being automatically signed up when placing their first order.

A lot of people have been paying out £9.95+ for the past 2 years or more, and never realised it til they came across such posts and checked their statements (Crazy I know not noticing a monthly occuring payment for over 2 years, it happens though!)

Apparently Watchdog did a piece on VistaPrint specifically about this matter also sometime last year/early this year.

Seems like a bitch to cancel if you have been signed up though! On looking through some small print on the site it states "once you place your first order you are immediately eligible for membership" (or something to that effect.)

Very disappointed with this, don't think I'll order with VP again now if they're engaging in this sort of unethical practice, not cool!

xbox36016

naver had a prob

miju

have used vistaprint plenty of times without issue. IMHO it's just people not paying attention to the check boxes on their screens.

I suppose I'm used to it cos I use goDaddy / globat alot (and they are forever making you opt out of things rather than opt in)

deckie27

There cool . got loads of free stuff the last time i ordered
have used them 7-8 times.
always google for offers. most of the time you can get the stuff alot cheaper