# How can companies be allowed to charge me for things I never asked?! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 27, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587 "2009-02-27T00:31:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/1 "2009-02-27T00:31:51Z")
What the hell is this? I order the Bender ball method exercise thing a couple of months ago for my SO and now I realize they’ve sent me diet pills and more videos UNSOLICITED and have charged my account for over $80! Fuckers are stealing from me. I don’t want any of this. I didn’t order any of this. And apparently I have to now pay postage to send this crap back to these thieves or else they keep my money. Can someone tell em how this is legal? I’m never ordering anything from infomercials again… hmmm, maybe I should of realized something like this would happen. Nah, still doesn’t excuse this crap. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/2 "2009-02-27T00:41:54Z")
FUCK! Turns out the unsolicited dvd’s are from the bender people, but not the pills! Someone FUCKING SOLD my credit card info to these scammers: [[Resolved] Lose Weight Systems Review: unauthorized supplements sent - ComplaintsBoard.com](http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/lose-weight-systems-c165424.html) The fuck am I supposed to do now? I just received bottle number 2! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/3 "2009-02-27T00:44:21Z")
You call your CC company and initiate a chargeback for fraudulent transactions posted to your account without your permission. You don’t owe a cent for unsolicited merchandise and are generally not required to pay to ship such merchandise back. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/4 "2009-02-27T00:46:12Z")
I think I’ve seen every episode of Futurama, but I never noticed Bender having balls. Ball bearings maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/5 "2009-02-27T00:50:02Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Can someone tell em how this is legal? They can’t, because it isn’t. Call your CC company now. Maybe your state AG, too. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/6 "2009-02-27T00:51:40Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > You call your CC company and initiate a chargeback for fraudulent transactions posted to your account without your permission. You don’t owe a cent for unsolicited merchandise and are generally not required to pay to ship such merchandise back. Better yet, have your credit card cancelled and a new one issued to you immediately. This will help prevent you from getting more crap on the same number. I’ve been through this just recently. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/7 "2009-02-27T01:45:14Z")
You will have to be more specific. Which things did you not ask? And what didn’t you ask them for? Go ahead, end the sentence with a preposition. It’s OK, really. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/8 "2009-02-27T02:53:01Z")
> [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](#): > > Go ahead, end the sentence with a preposition. It’s OK, really. That is something up with which I will not put. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/9 "2009-02-27T03:19:37Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > That is something up with which I will not put. And what did you bring that book that I didn’t want to be read to out of about Down Under up for? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/10 "2009-02-27T03:22:43Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > And what did you bring that book that I didn’t want to be read to out of about Down Under up for? If you like, I have another book all about how Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/11 "2009-02-27T04:20:18Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I think I’ve seen every episode of Futurama, but I never noticed Bender having balls. Ball bearings maybe? Nope. Just a shiny metal [removed by new pit rules] ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/12 "2009-02-27T14:25:05Z")
Are you sure the Bender ball commercial doesn’t say they’ll start sending you other stuff too? This is not an uncommon scenario; it’s how \*Girls Gone Wild \* turns a profit. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/13 "2009-02-27T14:48:17Z")
I ordered something from an infomercial a couple of years ago. The operator kept me on the phone for a good hour, trying to include all sorts of extra free stuff for a small additional fee of $19.95. It was like trying to navigate through landmines. “No, not interested, please just send me the product I already agreed to” became my mantra in that hour. It got so that I pre-empted nearly every sentence she said. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/14 "2009-02-27T15:26:44Z")
Update: canceled my card where the pills were being charged and spoke to my bank about reversing the fee for the unsolicited bender ball vids. Still pissed that these people get away with doing this. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/15 "2009-02-27T15:33:04Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Update: canceled my card where the pills were being charged and spoke to my bank about reversing the fee for the unsolicited bender ball vids. > > Still pissed that these people get away with doing this. They get away with it largely because people DON’T charge it back or cancel their credit card. A lot of people will just sheepishly accept being scammed. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/16 "2009-02-27T17:46:39Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > They get away with it largely because people DON’T charge it back or cancel their credit card. A lot of people will just sheepishly accept being scammed. Or, in my case, I’ve been fighting Capital One about a monthly charge from a company that doesn’t exist for a year now, and they still won’t refund my money or even cancel the card. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-companies-be-allowed-to-charge-me-for-things-i-never-asked/487587/17 "2009-02-27T22:09:15Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > They can’t, because it isn’t. Call your CC company now. Maybe your state AG, too. If that crap was mailed from out of state, maybe the Feds will want a piece of it too. it’s worth a phone call at least.