St. Louis, Mo., March 30, 2011 – Consumers who tried to take advantage of “free” Internet offers for smokeless cigarettes say they were burned by unexpected charges that totaled $100 or more, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns.
Customers from 44 states have filed more than 360 complaints against
Direct E-Cig of Naples, Fla., and London, England, in the last year. More than 40 of those complaints came from Missouri and Illinois, including several from the St. Louis area.
Direct E-Cig has an “F” grade with the BBB, the lowest grade possible.
Michelle Corey, BBB president and CEO, said Direct E-Cig failed to answer 170 of the complaints.
“The complaints point to a significant and ongoing pattern of problems with Direct E-Cig,” Corey said. “In most cases, consumers say they ordered what they thought was a free starter kit, only to find out later that the company billed their credit cards for $100, $200, or more. The cigarettes may be smokeless, but there is no question that a lot of customers felt they were watching their hard-earned dollars go up in smoke.”
On its website, Direct E-Cig calls its product “a revolutionary electronic smoking device designed as a great smoking alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes.” The site says smokers can smoke “virtually anywhere, without the flame, ash, tar or carbon monoxide.”
Direct E-Cig is among several distributors of smokeless cigarettes. Other companies also offer free or discounted starter kits and then bill customers for the full price or enroll them in an ongoing program to receive cartridge refills and other products.
In response to some of the complaints, Direct E-Cig told the BBB its website notes that consumers must go through a cancellation process within 15 days “to avoid being billed the full price of the kit of $109.95 and future monthly shipments.” Several consumers said they received direct email solicitations from the company and never saw the cancellation policy.
Even if consumers are dissatisfied with the product and follow the return policy exactly, it appears that the so-called free trial offer will end up costing them money. The website notes that Direct E-Cig charges $7.50 for each opened or missing cartridge and a $10 restocking fee on all returns.
A woman from Villa Ridge, Mo., said she was searching the Internet for aids to help her quit smoking when she came upon a glowing review for Direct E-Cig on what she thought was an independent consumer site – Consumer Guide USA. She has since learned that the site does Internet marketing for Direct E-Cig. She said she used her credit card to pay $4.95 shipping for what she thought was a free sample of the product, but later noticed charges on her card totaling $179. She is now working with the BBB to get the issue resolved. She called the product “a piece of crap” that did not ease her smoking craving. “What scares me more than anything is they have my credit card number.”
A St. Charles, Mo., man said he signed up for the $4.95 trial offer after his son forwarded him an email about Direct E-Cig. He said he was stunned when his credit card later was billed more than $100 for the kit. “I wasn’t satisfied and I told them that, but they didn’t seem to want to listen.”
A woman from Desoto, Mo., said “I will never order anything over the Internet again” after a similar experience with Direct E-Cig.
The highest number of complaints about Direct E-Cig have come from Texas (28 complaints), California (27), Illinois and Florida (26 each), New York (24) and Ohio (23). At least 16 complaints have come from Missouri.
A warning in small print on the Direct E-Cig website notes that “This product contains nicotine, a highly addictive substance. It has not been approved by the FDA as a smoke cessation device.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers about potential health risks associated with electronic cigarettes. The FDA has said the products can increase nicotine addiction among young people and may lead them to try other tobacco products including conventional cigarettes.
The BBB offers the following advice for consumers who are considering taking advantage of free or low-cost trial offers for smokeless cigarettes or other products:
- Be very cautious of committing to trial offers, especially when you are asked to supply credit card information. Often, these offers require you to pay the full price for the product or automatically enroll you in an ongoing program as soon as the trial period is over.
- Consumers often report difficulty canceling their agreements, even if they try to follow all requirements.
- Understand that, in some cases, these companies can supply your contact information to other businesses.
- Check out BBB Business Reviews by going to www.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300.
Contacts: Michelle Corey, President & CEO, 314-645-3300, mcorey@stlouisbbb.org, or Bill Smith, Trade Practice Investigator, 314-645-3300, tpc1@stlouisbbb.org