What's not to love about a Snuggie? Sure it's no Slanket, but it keeps you warm at home, at sporting events and even makes it easy to identify the members of your cult, erm...family, when you're out at the mall. But a company is using the warm and cozy covering to try and extract $150 from your credit card by pretending to send you a rebate check for $8.95. Snuggie lovers aren't the only ones at risk by these As Seen On TV scammers: People who purchased a Ped-Egg or an Aqua Globe are also receiving the same check.
Small checks that enroll you in some service aren't new; credit card companies have used them for many years to trick customers into signing up for balance insurance and other extras. As horrible as these tactics are, they always have a paragraph on the back of the check telling you what will happen if you cash it. According to user stickfig on The Consumerist boards the warning on this check reads;
"I authorize Great Fun to charge the annual membership fee after my free trial. I agree to a thirty-day trail offer in Great Fun. I understand that the $149.99 annual membership fee will be charged to my credit card on file with Snuggie unless I cancel my membership by calling 1-866-709-4170 before the end of the trial period. My membership will be automatically renewed and I will also be charged every year thereafter at the then-current fee unless I call to cancel for a refund of the unused portion of the current year's fee. By cashing this check I authorize Snuggie to securely transfer my credit card information to Great Fun for enrollment, billing and benefit processing"
It's pretty clear what will happen once you cash this check. What you really need to ask yourself is whether or not the "rebate" -- which won't even cover the cost of a movie ticket -- is worth the time and hassle to call and cancel your membership to Great Fun. If you have any doubts about the danger of dealing with Great Fun, the 24 pages of complaints at the Complaints Board should make it very evident that you're not dealing with a straight-up company
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2009/07/13/how-cashing-a-snuggie-rebate-could-cost-you-150?icid=main|main|dl3|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walletpop.com%2Fblog%2F2009%2F07%2F13%2Fhow-cashing-a-snuggie-rebate-could-cost-you-150
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