The Green Millionaire : Buyer Beware!

* Update - 4/16/12 - FTC orders Green Millionaire founder has to pay 2 million in damages!
I recently had a friend and reader suggest I check out this great new free book he found called The Green Millionaire. He said I could get a free copy at the website (I'm not even going to link to their site because it's too close to a scam for my taste). When I went there, I saw something that looked very "scammish". Anything promising "free" anything immediately sets off my alarm signals. So I did a little digging (a.k.a. google) and found this article from Fibomercials and Scams.

Basically, you sign up for the "free" book and they need your credit card for the $1 "shipping and handling" charge. But the devil is in the details! The fine print says:

*Start your free trial today and we will also send you a free 14 day subscription to The Green Millionaire eMagazine. Just pay a $1.00 processing fee. You will have 14 days to try The Green Millionaire eMagazine and discover how to become wealthier while saving the planet. If you like the simple, powerful solutions presented in the program, do nothing. At the end of your free trial period you will be charged the discounted price of $29.95, and every 60 days thereafter.

And then gives you the number to call to cancel your subscription. I wonder how hard it is to get through to a live person?

After doing my research I asked my friend to check his credit card bill and guess what? Here was his reply:

Argghh!!! Looks like I’m in the scam wheel. I didn’t even know it was from an infomercial (which I never watch). I think I found the link through another referral.

Well I got the book, and it’s OK. Nothing earth shattering, but some good ideas. I’ll give you my copy if you want it… I’m too pissed to hold on to it. They did charge me $29.95. I will dispute with my CC company, and maybe cancel my card.

So, if you need some green tips then go ahead and get your "Green Millionaire" book, pay $29.95 every 60 days or take the trouble to cancel your "subscription". Or you can read this blog and the other great resources that are out there that cost you nothing. I won't say it's free though because I do "force" you to glance at ads. Hey, a guy has to eat (I just bough some nice grass-fed steaks) doesn't he?

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Education

Comments

Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/23/2010 - 07:18

Yeah, they TELL you right on the site that you will be charged, & they just make sure that you are!! And then make it difficult to cancel. Hey Dude, why are you giving these criminals a hard time? Even crooks gotta make a living, right? Where else are those people gonna get a job?

Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/23/2010 - 07:10

You can complain not only to the BBB, but also to the Attorney General of your state. They are there to protect consumers.

Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/23/2010 - 07:05

Sounds like you work for this scam, Carl! Why do you have to get nasty and personal?

Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 08/26/2010 - 17:51

No, I do not work for this scam. I DO NOT think that kathi should go after this lady who was nice enough to help her. That's all. I hate scam just like the next person just don't go after the help.

Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/09/2010 - 00:22

F#&@ YOU GM REPRESENTATIVE, YOUR A WORLD CLASS D BAG.

Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 08/22/2010 - 07:04

I'm not defending these guys in particular, but it clearly states how and when you can cancel in the t&c. Which says a lot for them, because a lot of others t&c are real vague or wordy and not clear. I always check the t&c first before submitting any info.

Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/06/2010 - 09:44

Chris, thanks for the reply. To me it's this kind of mentality,,, say you go to a hamburger joint. You know what you want, you order the food, take a bite out of the burger, go to the counter and say, "I don't want this. I don't like it. Give me back my money or else I'm going to sue you!" It's just ridiculous and doesn't make any sense. You know for a fact they won't take it back. You knew exactly what you were doing. So why stress yourself out for over 30-80 bucks? Do you honestly think that a lawyer or attorney general is going to waste their time on that amount of money? Please! Your lawyer and filing fees are going to be triple that amount! It doesn't make sense. And we are upfront with our customers. If you watch the infomercials, all of the legal information is there. Nigel Williams himself says, give me a chance for 2 weeks with our emagazine. If you're not satisfied, simply call and cancel within that time. No hassle, no obligation, no worry. Now, how can we get away with that misrepresentation? Especially since the founder of the company states our program explanation. But draw your own conclusions. The terms and conditions are there. People just need to read them and not take a bite of the burger and then not want it.

ckmapawatt Fri, 08/06/2010 - 15:09

GM Agent, I don't agree with your argument. The equivalent would be if you go to a hamburger joint that shows a picture of a nice juicy burger, but then you get it and it's made out of black beans, and in the fine print they say "Vegetarian burgers only". Or, if you pay for your nice, $2 hamburger with a credit card and then they charge you every month for their "hamburger club". That is the equivalent of what Green Millionaire does. It's not fair to just put your revenue stream in the fine print and say, "it's your fault for not reading it". This is misleading advertising. And finally, why pay for the information when we offer the same thing for free on the Mapawatt Blog? :)

Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/11/2010 - 01:02

Dear GM Agent. $30 bucks every 2 months? My accout is being every month. I think since I have not made any waves untill now&lt; you think I am not going to make any noise about being ripped off. Your (fine print) is a load. My tactics are going to be different as to how I will bring light to Your Boss Nigel. Start the document shreders boys. The big guns are comming. And to just name one for you to chew on is the FTC. To add to my misery, the 19.95 for the book was waved, turned up on my bank account a month later. There is a growing community accross the nation that the GM hasen&#039;t, won&#039; and will not in the futrue, pass the BS sinff test. The more complaints the more the Feds are going to question wheter or not, there is somthing. What you should be doing is not allow any transactions and provide an &quot;Accept&quot; or &quot;Don&#039;t Accept&quot; Box to check with the latter, voiding the transaction, so that way it makes your case to answer the Scam issue to a close. However for now your boss is wide open

Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 08/08/2010 - 18:19

well the fire has been lit. i just saw my bank transactions!!! (steaming) thank you for the 411. im about to battle with GM for $90.00! unreal... i asked them if there were any more costs and they told me no, and never said after 2 weeks it would happen. sure the fine print is there, but if by phone they lie??? im a diabetic and my eyes are not good, thats why i asked. i was lied to. anyway, we will see what happens tomorrow. they were closed today, which maybe a good thing for us both because im so mad right now and it wouldnt be nice. they took the only money i had left to buy my insulin, so, they better refund it. this is serious ya know??? totally rediculous. some of us are on limited monthly incomes. thanks for caring about others and helping us all out. legally, the law should require the notice of charges in capitol letters for these companies to advertise. it should be a consumer protection guideline for us. well, at least after this website and all you fine people, i do feel much better, thanks...

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