PriceShuffle.com Review Is It a Scam
Price Shuffle what an interesting name for a penny auction website. Now i am not here to tell you what to do with your money or your time i am merely trying to educate some of you on how in my opinion penny auction websites like Price Shuffle really work. I will let you know right off the bat that i personally do not use Penny Auction websites, my two main reasons are because they are time consuming and personally in my opinion i feel like the game is rigged sometimes. Another thing is i am hearing stories about peoples credit cards being charged $149.75 once they sign up.
I’m sure their are real winners but at the same time in my opinion i think the penny auction website has to make a profit before it will allow someone to win an auction. This is purely my opinion and does not make it true. To further help you to understand where this fear of mine comes from read the FAQ section on the Price Shuffle website this page can be found by going to https://www.priceshuffle.com/faq.php
Price Shuffle Terms and Conditions
I want people to get into the habit of at least skimming through the terms and conditions before they sign up for anything the terms and conditions can be found at the bottom of the PriceShuffle.com website before you hand over your money/credit card to Price Shuffle be sure to read the fine print. There is another penny auction site called Wavee.com and allot of people lost $179 there . That being said unlike some of the other Penny Auction websites Price Shuffle wants your credit card upfront. Usually penny auction websites will give you some free credits and then after those free credits are done they will give you a message saying if you want to bid some more buy more credits. Price Shuffle wants your credit card information upfront. This looks fishy to me plus like i said above i am hearing stories from people who were charged $149.75 once they signed up. If this is true this is terrible.
Understanding Non Refundable Credits
Penny auction websites make their money through non refundable credits. Once you give the penny auction website your money it is gone. Your money in this instance would now belong to PriceShuffle.com this is how they purchase their goods. This is one of the factors that separates penny auction websites from eBay.com. In eBay only the winner pays for the price of the item at a penny auction website every single bidder pays for the price of the item. This means although somebody might have won a $300 item for $120 the truth of the matter is PriceShuffle might have in fact made $600 because of all the bids placed on the item. and remember credits are non refundable.
Penny Auctions are Time Consuming
My advice if you want to get into penny auctions is make sure you are playing to win Penny auctions are time consuming most people will spend allot more money on bids than they would have had they just bought the item(s) retail. Also be aware of people claiming to be winners most of these people who make these claims work for penny auctions or even they are the owners. Most of the real stories about winners of penny auctions are people who spend the entire day on those websites its one of the reasons some people call penny auctions border line gambling. I will end this post by saying if you want to sign up don’t let me stop you just don’t say i didn’t warn you i wish you all the best.
Update Price Shuffles Price or Hidden Fees
I’m hearing stories about PriceShuffle.com charging peoples credit cards some unexpected fees of $149.75
please leave your comments below because it helps others.
This is true about being charged when signing up. I confronted them on this and they said it’s non-refundable and that it states you will be charged this about in the term and they said it’s on the website. The site does say “to have full access to the bidding, you have to purchase 300 bids” But in the sign up it never says you will be charged. They should at least mention it in the sign up and give you an option to either exit, or maybe purchase more bids but state the minimum is 300 bids which costs $150.
This is true.Price Shuffle is a scam.They took my $149.00 even i did not even used the bidding site for a minute.
I was one of those unlucky people that was charged 149.75. I have reported them as doing fraudulent business. I am working with the bank and getting my money back but I have had to cancel my card to go through this. I have tried to go back to price shuffle to find where it says you will be charged this amount when you sign up but I can’t find the sight to go back on. I have noticed there have been several comments on the web that have claimed them as doing fraudulent business. I did however get to see the terms and conditions for “Wavee” similar to
” Priceshuffle” and in there terms and conditions it does not state you will be charged any amount. Shame on them I hope people read these comments so they won’t be duped into anything like I have been.
IT’S TRUE – NO MENTION OF COSTS OR FEES FOR THE 1ST 300 BID POINTS OR THE 100 BONUS POINTS — AND DEFINITELY NO MENTION OF $149.75 FOR THE 300 POINTS … ALMOST ALL OF THE ITEMS ARE JUNK STUFF ALSO —- BEWARE, BEWARE, BEWARE
This is true. Price shuffle is a scam. They took my $149.75I didn’t even bid longer then 2 minutes
Very true!! Rip off!! This is a scam!!!!!
Priceshuffle is definitely a scam and involved in fraudulent activities. I’ve sent my complaint to the FTC and to the legal department for my credit card company. I’ve also keep copies and snapshots of everything on their site and terms and conditions. In addition, I have emails from customer service reps or someone basically admitting that they are engaged in fraud. Stay on it and don’t allow them to get over on you. The more we send these types of complaints to the FTC, BBB, credit card companies, that’s when they’ll get involved.
Priceshuffle is definitely a scam. I signed up using a promo for 100 free bids. The next day I looked at me credit card bill and saw that I had been charged $149.75. There is nothing on the website when you sign up that says you will be charged this amount and that you must buy 300 bids. The customer service is awful and unwilling to help. Also the merchandise they auction is terrible. DON’T sign up!
I am fighting the company about this right now. At no time did I agree to pay $149.75. On their site it says they will give a “FULL refund” if not satisfied. Their customer service reps are real jerks. When I mentioned the full refund info they wanted me to provide a link to the place on THEIR site where it appears. I sent it and am waiting for a reply. What a ripoff! You spend $149 for bids and use all the bids for a $50 item? Then you pay an additional $30 to purchase the $50 item? Somehow you come out ahead paying $179 for a $50 item? They should be shut down!
I am happy to say, I contacted Priceshuffle and they made things right. The refunded some of my initial cost, as well as giving me additional bids. They seem to understand the confusion. I did look at their registration page, and it did say to get full access you must purchase 300 bids. Bottom line you really have to read everything when you sign up for any auction site. Because of a persons lack of reading thoroughly, you can’t blame the site, and they at least realize the problem and try to make things right.
Borderline gambling?
It is 100% gambling. It is certainly not a legitimate auction (in a legitimate auction only the winner pay for bids).
Is it a raffle? Is it a lottery?..no, it is online gambling for PRIZES. Bids are nothing less then “virtual” poker chips.
her is “how it works” from THEIR website..broken down so the SUCKERS who do not understand..maybe will now..
Here goes..
“When you originally sign up, your purchase the first bid pack from the options offered. Bids cost $0.50 each.”
Ebay for example is an auction site. Does ebay “sell” bids? What the hell is a “bid”??? A VIRTUAL POKER CHIP. What is a “bid pack”? Does eBAy sell those? No, they do not. Why? Because eBay is a LEGITIMATE auction site..they do not sell “packs” of virtual poker chips which have no cash value..but certainly cost the “gamblers” cash. Am I wrong?
“Bidding works as follows. Each auction will start at a very low price and the bidding will start from there. Each time a bid is placed the price of the auction rises by 1 cent and the timer on the auction increases by anywhere from 2-20 seconds, depending on the type of auction.”
In a LEGITIMATE auction…the auction does not go on “ad infinitum”…it goes on until when?? When the time ends. If the time can never end..and no one LEGITIMATE bidder can possibly know when the time will end..how is this anything less then 100% gambling for prizes using online virtual poker chips?
“Within the last two minutes of the auction extra time will be added upon every bid placed in order to give other bidders a chance to continue with their bids and give everyone a chance to win the item.”
Uhhh..not quite. The reason the time is added..is so the owner of the gambling website can make more on each item. In a legitimate auction is is generally more then the auction house the makes money on the products. In these type of gambling penny auctions sites..the only seller is the gambling site. They do not care who wins..only that they make a profit off the final price of the item..and that as many gamblers “suckers” as possible LOSE…since the more who lose..the more they make. Can anyone NOT understand this. How much money or “virtual poker chips” do you lose on eBay if you do not win and auction? ANSWER: ZERO.
“When the timer hits zero, the last person to place the bid wins the auction portion and can purchase the product for the final price, plus shipping and handling if necessary.”
Since no legitimate member of this gambling penny auction site knows when the timer will hit zero….the fools who keep buying bids or “virtual poker chips” and keep losing, are doing just what any other losing gambler is doing….flushing money down the toilet.
If you want a good deal on an item shop for a bargain. If you decide to gamble to get a good deal..you will most likely lose. As far as the $149.00 deceptive membership fee…people WISE THE F^&K UP!!! How can they charge you a DIME if you do not give out your credit card/Bank info first. If you choose to submit bank and credit card info out on line..well here is a bet for you…you can bet your last poker chip that you ARE AUTHORIZING SOME CREEP TO CHARGE THE ACCOUNT. 100% of the time. Let me say this again…It does not matter what you “think” the reason is you are submitting credit card info online is…IF you submit credit card info online..you are most likely A U T H O R I Z I N G the account to be charge. Did that help???
I too was charged for 149.00 and did not recall authorizing this in a valid manner. I missed the fine print but guess I am not the only one. I got the same response from the company when I confronted them on their fraudulent practices.
After a response from the company that it was my tough luck that I didn’t read the fine print, I tried for a small item and won Italian sunglasses. I received a damaged pair. I have wrote them for replacements. I am on the 3rd pair which all have been damaged as the lenses come cracked or bubbled. The shipping and handling come to more than the products are worth.
I have tried to bid on a larger item since they refused to refund. When it gets down to the last bidder I have noticed it is a bidder that had just joined in and then wins. When this happens the site will not accept a bid in the last 10 second. It appears that this is rigged. Can’t prove it but it is highly suspicious.
Don’t fall for this fraud.
The same exact issue had has happened to me tonight! From a FB advertisment, I/we clicked a link and thought we were getting 100 free bids. Never did it state we would be charged $149.75. Same run around with emailing the customer service rep and they will contact me. I have also contacted my bank about disputing the charges. I have found so many other complaints online about PriceShuffle and other penny auction scams. Buyer beware.
Had the SAME issue.
I thought this was too good to be true, so I tried reading everywhere but didn’t find any initial purchase requirement. I was worried when giving out my CC number, but figured it was ok, since I never saw confirmation for “we are going to charge you XXXX dollars”. Then, I signed into my profile and saw that I had 400 bids. With a sinking realization, I immediately ran to my Credit Card account, and saw that there was a pending charge for $149.75.
P.S those credit run out after 60 days.
I hope I can still get my money back.
so how do you go about getting your money back?
Try visiting their contact us page located at the top right of their pagei think there is a phone number and contact form their please share your results
Here is the math:
when you see an iPad bid lasts for 5 hours (actually it’s way longer than that the entire bid) starting from the bid timer gets down to the last 10 seconds, there are generally about 5 or 6 people biding on the last 10 sec. For the easier math, let’s say there 4 users are biding in the last one minute (because each bid will add about 10 sec to extend the bid time). 5-hour = 60min * 5 = 300min. Within each min say 4 bids, so each min there is 4 * 50c = $2.00 gets into the site. That 5-hour the site gets AT LEAST $2.00 x 300min = $600.00. It is on just that one item.
People are clicking at the last a few sec of the bid for MANY MANY hours giving the site 50c/click. Why? Because they think they can be the last lucky person to get that deal, meanwhile extending the time of ending it. It’s going and going and going…
If your time is cheap, and you can exhaust the other 5 or more people by not going to sleep (this assumes that you exclude those who use the Auto Bid the site provides, they went to sleep and spend the money by allowing the system to bid for them), and assuming that their system is setup to play fair, you may have a chance.
This is what the business is about. Hope it helps…
p.s.
I consume quite some time on getting to know about the system, because I saw a posting from NBC Channel-4 about “amazing way to shop and save money…” (forgot about the exact wording) on the website…
Add me to the growing list. I saw nothing that said I would be charge. I am reporting them to BBB and anywhere else I can.
I visited PriceShuffle.com to check it out after reading a review. Sounded interesting. The stupid part was entering in my credit card number. I thought I would be buying bids IF and WHEN I decided to actually bid on anything. Ahhh, not so. I was charged $149.75, which I caught that day and I am now at war with this company. I have never placed a bid, nor did I purchase bids. That, apparently was done for me.
I have a string of emails back and forth over the past 2 days where I have repeatedly asked to close the account and to be credited the full amount for something I never used or knowingly purchased. I was first offered an additional 100 “courtesy bids” but no refund. Then I was offered a $50 “courtesy refund” and still keep my bids. I am now sending a 4th request to close the account and issue a full refund.
It was suggested by their customer service rep in their 1st response that I call that customer service number Steve mentioned in his post to discuss the issue. I did. The customer service rep said they do not handle financial issues over the phone, send an email. Hmmmmm.
The battle rages on.
Good thing I found this site before I signed up.. I saw the article for News 4 too and thought oh they would mention if there were any hidden fees… it seemed great… man apparently I was wrong
Thank you so much for your post its people just like you that really help others when you leave comments like this others can see for themselves what this company is all about. I am sure your comment will help many others in their decision making process
Follow-up. After my 4th message to PriceShuffle.com requesting to close the account and to issue a full refund, they finally agreed. In order to get the refund, I had to threaten to notify a number of consumer fraud organizations, the FBI Internet Crime Unit, my state Attorney General and better business bureaus and any other website I could find to notify. (You gotta get ’em where it hurts. If there is enough negative publicity, they have not customers and therefore, no income.) I also informed them that I would be contacting my credit card company to dispute the charge and (here’s the kicker) I’d discovered there were quite a few other PriceShuffle “victims” that suffered the same problem I did that I could easily contact to initiate a class action lawsuit.
The next message from them was that they would refund the charge and did I want that. Really? That’s what I repeatedly asked for in no uncertain terms AND to close the account!
Perhaps you can use the same tactic to get a refund. But, remember, I never bid on anything nor did I accept any other conciliatory offer.
SCAM! SCAM! SCAM! When I posed the issue, the customer service rep acted like I was the first to call with this. The website does not give accurate diclosure. You are charged right away – NOTHING IS FREE! $149.99 gone, and they offer no regrets for taking it. Shame on me.
WHAT CAN I SAY! EVERYTHING ALREADY MENTIONED HERE APPLYS TO ME TOO. I WILL ADD THOUGH THAT THE CHANNEL 4 NEWS ARTICLE IS PART OF THE SCAM. THERE WAS NEVER A REAL NEWS REPORTER DOING A STORY ON THIS. THAT WHOLE WEBPAGE WITH THE ARTICLE IS BULLSH*T! JUST A WAY TO GET YOU TO SIGN UP WITH THEM WITH CONFIDENCE. THE PEOPLE BEHIND THIS WEBSITE ARE PURE EVIL! SATANISTS OUT TO ROB YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE. I WOULD NOT BE SHOCKED AT ALL IF THERE IS NO MERCHANDISE EITHER. NO ONE WINS! PURE PROFIT FOR THESE SCUMBAGS! CRAP LIKE THIS MAKES ME THINK THERE REALLY IS A HELL AND THESE SUCKERS ARE GOING STRAIGHT TO IT.
Thought I was signing up for 100 free bids. Thought I’d check out their site. In reality they were checking out my charge card in the amount of 149.75. Ouch that hurts!And it sucks! BEWARE!
it does not randomly charge your card 150 dollars. it is hidden and VERY sneaky, but it DOES say on the left hand side of the screen that you need to buy either 75 or 150 dollars worth of bids, and the default option is 150. have to make sure before you just click continue.
The same thing happened with me! They charged me 150 USD just for signing up. At the beginning they said that this money is not refundable. I sent them another email and I told them that I will dispute the transaction, contact the FTC and a lawyer if needed. They agreed to refund me my money back. I changed immediately after that my CC info and contacted FTC to inform them about this scam to protect other clients!
Follow-up to the follow-up. Price Shuffle agreed to credit me a refund. Today I received notice that indeed a credit had been posted to my card…for $50. That is NOT what was agreed upon. Now, I’ve gone from ticked off to livid.
I’ve email them yet again. I don’t expect that I will get any further with them without legal representation. In the meantime, I WILL be contacting all of the consumer fraud sites, my state attorney general’s office, my credit card company and a few other places.
Still fighting the fight.
The same exact issue had has happened to me tonight! From a newssite http://channel4newstoday.com/indexps.html?t202id=188088&t202kw=18011, I clicked a link and thought I was getting 100 free bids. Never did it state I would be charged $149.75. I have contacted them but after reading all the comments above doubt I will get a refund. I bid on a few things and “won” a flash drive but had no idea I was being chg’d this amount to bid. Plus I received another email saying I had bought more bids a@ $75.75. When I pressed the submit button the first time I got a message about entering some info and when I resubmitted apparentally they charged me again. Sure hope I can fight this and get it straightened out and get my money back.
Hi everybody,
I filled-out the application and it said, how would you pay for an item if you won it, so I filled out that info and then it said where would we sent it, if you won an item and I filled that out, and then you go to the next page by hitting the “continue” link and PRESTO… It says you now havw 300 bids available and they expire in 90 days…
And I said ot myself, I didn’t buy anything. All I was trying to do was to join the site so I could look at stuff up for auction. I immediately called the number listed and had it out with a dude named Danny…
I then shot off an email to customer service and told them beyond a reasonable doubt, that they’d be way better-off just refunding me my 149.75 ASAP and we could both just go our seperate ways… And I visited with my bank…
My email included my intent on visiting my bank and when I got they’re return email,they acted tough but also told me in the last paragraph, ” in bold print” that if I didn’t start a formal complaint with them, they’d refund my money, but a formal complaint could take 90 days to get my money back, if at all… So another email and trip to my bank and a few days later the funds were returned to my account and my card canceled…
Now I have anew card and I can tell all of you, price shuffle is a scam. It doesn’t honestly represent itself and customer service lies to you, over the phone… No where on the application page does it say, to purchase bids and begin to take active part in winning a item, click here and you will be charged money… They told me it did but I went back to the site and printed everything out and showed it ot my bank, and no where does it clearly state, hitting the “continue” button to get to the next page, will cost you 149.50…
As soon as thet happened, I knew it was a SCAM…And then to tel lme my bids run-out in six months…Another scam…So if you get caught in this SCAM like I did…Just send them a strong email and refuse to be a victim…And SCREW penny auction sites, from this point forward…
Ok people same thing happened to me this morning. I called them in and stated I want a refund and they told me to email support. I emailed them with no response. I just emailed them I will contact everybody BBB, FBI, Attorney General and I will gather people to have a lawsuit against them. If need be we should all get together and have a class action suit against them about fraudelent.
Update: I received a message today from PriceShuffle.com after sending my 7th one to them last night where I informed them that I expected a FULL, not partial refund as we agreed upon. Surprisingly, they responded today by saying a full refund in the amount of $99.75 had been issued (that’s in addition to the $50 partial) and to please allow 3-5 days for it to post to my card.
Hmmmm, it didn’t take 3-5 days for the initial charge to go through. That was pretty much instantaneous.
This battle isn’t over yet but I am gaining ground.
Wish I’d checked first. Now I’m hoping for refund from credit card company like everybody else.
Can’t believe how foolish I was.
The site isn’t even protected with HTTPS. In other words your credit card, username, and password isn’t encrypted leaving them open for abuse from other malicious people on the net.
I would advise anybody affected to cancel their credit cards, and strongly think about what password you used too….. If its a common one amongst other websites other people may have it now !
I AM SO MAD AT MYSELF. My cc was charged 149.75, too. Talk about deceptive advertising! I have canceld my cc and have been emailing with priceshuffle customer service — they basically are telling me- “too bad” — everything is in the terms and conditions. Wow… you really have to look hard to find and understand that you’ll be charged 149.75 … I WILL report them to every agency I can if this is not resolved. I wish I had read these comments before I proceeded! Pls post if this has been resolved for anyone else.
They got me too! $150 gone! I called and was also told to email on financial issues, that has to tell you something right there. The battle has begun.
They got me as well – AND, in following previous posters advice – I got a call from Priceshuffle today, offering me a full refund and asking me to amend my complaint on RipoffReport.com. So, RipoffReport.com, the Better Business Bureau and the FTC is all it took for me to get my refund. Good luck folks. Hit em hard and stay the course!
The ad on the web I responded to clearly indicated I would get 100 “free” bids and when I signed up, BANG…my credit card was charged $149.75. I have a charge alert and within two minutes I contacted Price Shuffle asking for the charge to be reversed. They said no. Told me I had committed to buying 300 bids. Did not even give me the 100 “free” bids. They then credited my account with the 100 so I now have 400. I then emailed them I did not want even one bid as I had no intention in doing business with them and I was offered $49.99 refund. I just rejected that offer and again asked for a full refund. Clearly they need to be brought down for their business practices and would be glad to join others in a class action law suit. Anyone interested????. Might not get your money back but putting them out of business would be worth every penny.
This is true.Price Shuffle is a scam.They took my $149.00. The money was charged upon registered to get 100 bonus bids to test and check the process. This is total scam and should be stopped and the owners tried out for fraud or relevant laws.
Update: The remaining amount ($99.74) was credited to my card this morning. I now have all of my money back.
Lessons learned:
1) Don’t enter your credit card number anywhere BEFORE you decide to make a purchase. Reputable businesses do not ask for a card number up front.
2) When you know you’ve been taken, stick to your guns and don’t be tempted to give in or to accept a less than satisfactory resolution.
3) Be prepared to:
• threaten negative public exposure,
• file a credit card dispute,
• notify consumer fraud protection agencies,
• and to initiate legal action.
Next step, call the card company to change the number.
Good luck to the rest of you who got snared as well. If this technique worked for me, chances are it’ll work for you as well. Be persistent, even when they start to get tough back. They’ll tell you that the terms are clearly written in the offer page which had to be agreed to before you could sign up. Don’t doubt yourself. I asked them to show me where it was so clearly stated. They never responded to that request and that’s when they offered the refund.
Thank You very much to “FightingBack” for sharing your story with everyone i’m sure it will help many others in their battle as well. it can also help others in their decision making process. A big thank you to every else leaving comments I think leaving your comments based on your experience helps others come to their own conclusions about this company.
Thanks to “Fighting Back” for sharing your process. Today I sent my 4th correspondence, refusing their $49.99 refund compromise and reminding them that I never made a purchase of bids. I confirmed that I have a dispute in process with the cc company and will file complaints with the BBC, the FTC, and any other commission, even securing a lawyer if necessary, to ensure that I am NOT one of their victims. I further stated that I expected a 100% refund notification in their next response. After cancelling the dispute, I GOT MY REFUND OF $149.75 TODAY!!! I have received the processed refund notification and a confirmation email from the company! Thank you “FightingBack!” I hope this helps all of you have success!
I’ve been doing some serious background work on this whole PriceSuffle.com thing and I’ve learned a lot more about how this scam is perpetrated.
First, the “news” website where I suspect most of us got suckered is a fake. There are at least 4 versions of it:
http://channel4newstoday.com/
http://www.memphisgazette.com
http://newstoday9.com
http://consumernews-reports.com/shopping/penny-auctions/news2_bidsauce.php?t202id=81858&t202kw=swipe%20auction
Take a look and notice these things:
• All are supposedly owned by “The Memphis Gazette” implying that it is a newspaper. Yet in light grey tiny letters (that no one will read) on the Memphis Gazette site, it states: “This site is not affiliated with any newspaper publication”. This is a company that does not exist.
• The male “anchor” is the same person on all 4 sites but has a different name.
• The channel 9 and channel 4 sites use the same logo, modified from NBC’s Today show to imply an affiliation. The “anchors” are the same, different names.
• The article is exactly the same on all 4 and is written by “Johanna” on 2 of the sites but the photo of Johanna is of 2 different people. On the third site, the article is “written” by “Julie” and the 4th is “Julia”.
• The “comments” section is “closed” because of spam and isn’t it interesting that all of the comments are glowing???
• I’ve gone back to these sites repeatedly over the past few days and I’ve noticed that the penny auction site being promoted changes when the “special bonus promotion” expires. New penny auction site, new bonus expiration date. Comments, however, do not change. There are at least 7 penny auction sites being promoted:
PriceShuffle.com
Wavee.com
SpeedyBuys.com
SwipeAuctions.com
Swipebids.com
Bidhere.com
BidSauce.com
QuiBids.com
Of these, SwipeAuctions.com has shut down because:
“…our merchant bank refused to process any further transactions.”
Hmmmm, that translates to me as:
“too many of our victims disputed claims with their credit card companies causing our bank to discover our fraudulent practices.”
But, I could be wrong.
Question to those of you who ended up bidding on a auction:
Did anyone of you actually win something and receive it?
Just adding to my “investigation”.
Price SHuffle is a scam!!!!!! We just recently used our credit card for it and we were charged $ 150.00 we called our credit card company to block it. So we worked out a deal that they give us extra bids and we pay $74.00 instead. I bid on a necklace that was supposedly worth $60.00 and it was crap crap crap crap!!!!!! It was glued together! Don’t be sucked in!!!
I was able to get my cc fully refunded (149.75) after threatening to notify many of the agencies mentioned above. To those of you who have not tried this — you need to do so. Don’t let them push you into thinking that it was your fault. Agree with Fighting Back … definitely some lessons learned. Also, if you haven’t done so, you need to cancel the cc that you used to sign up for this — very important. Ask for a new number. Good luck.
Thanks to Tina and FightingBack, along with many emails I was issued a credit for the whole $149.75. I think the threat of RipoffReport.com and a few others got the point across. Be persistent and you will prevail, don’t let them win. The killer is, even if you use the bids all they have for auction is JUNK! Who would want this stuff? Nothing on the site is worth $150! Then on top of that the shipping is outrageous!
RifoffReport.com is full of complaints about this website. Warn others if you can, the links to the Channel 4 site can be found on sites you trust, this adds credibility to the whole thing.
I have sent an email to the website I was on, that had the channel 4 link I used to warn them of the scam, I hope they remove the link.
Good Luck
I’ve found 7 more fake news sites that use the same format:
http://newschannel8online.com/old/
http://www.consumertipsdigest.org/penny_auctions/vt/index.php?t202id=8655&t202kw=
http://consumernewsinsider.com/
http://www.washingtonreviewhub.com/index.html
http://news-8-today.com/
http://channel-8-news.com/
http://pennyauctionsexposed.com/?mkw=penny%20auction
and add BidRivals.com to the list of penny auction sites they promote.
Sadly, as Dave pointed out, there are trusted sites that link to these bogus news sites, such as MSNBC.com, where they are listed as “sponsor sites”. Too bad MSNBC.com didn’t check the sites that “sponsor” them. I’ve notified them as well. Hopefully, MSNBC.com will remove the links.
Another note. I now know that SwipeAuctions became Swipebids. As one auction site goes defunct, it looks like they reopen under a new name and the scam starts all over again.
We have all got to report this to the FTC and the BBB or nothing will ever be done…I have already submitted a complaint on both of these…but they will not investigate unless more peaople file a complaint!! HELP ME! and every other person on here
PriceShuffle.com is a COMPLETE SCAM. Call your credit card company and get a refund. They MUST refund you. Call your local district attorney and report the, They automatically bill your credit card $149.75 without disclosing it. BEWARE! Call your credit card company and dispute the charge and FIGHT BACK. Leo Gold is a scamster who steals and commits credit card fraud.
I would like to thank Steve for writing the article that spurred these comments, providing a pseudo forum to air our experiences and methods to combat these nefarious sites. It is my hope that our comments will help others to protect and/or defend themselves.
Boy, do I wish I had read all of these comments before joining. I too was suckered in by the newschannel and no, I did not see anything stating they would bill me $150 bucks for the 300 bids (300 bids free was what the newschannel was promoting). I do admit I got suckered in trying to bid on the VIZIO. Figured since they already had my money, I might as well use the bids. I waited till the last few seconds and got outbid each time, by the same bidder. I had been watching for a long time before I actually bid (when the price as around $60 – I didn’t start until around $75)and the same bidder came up repeatedly. Either it’s a scam or that bidder sure had really deep pockets to pay for the all the bids. Anyway, I flushed that $150 down the drain – did end up bidding on the wine bottle opener. Have not received yet. It’s Oster so I’m hoping it’s good. Went to the site today & noticed that they have very little to offer except for bid packages and few other sundries. The only large ticket item is the laptop and they have put a ridiculously long bid period on it. Anyway, even though I let myself get screwed by trusting the “newsmedia”, at least your complaints seem to be working. Lets all hope that a class action suit will be brought against them and we can all regain some of our money.
Hello,
I’m writing about a scam that is going on with companies offering the penny auctions. I would like help exposing these fraudulent companies. They trick you into acting like legitimized by this picture of the reporter below. This is only a trick to send people to their website. They offer free bids and you sign up. Once you sign up you fail to notice that they have a bid pack checked for $149.75 or even more. You enter your address and credit card. Once that happens they charge your credit card immediately. I did not notice the bid pack that was checked as for some many other people that this has happened to. They keep stealing peoples money and we are not able to get our money back after many e-mails with the company they refuse to refund money. Even my bank will not authorize a refund after I told them hat I was scammed. We cant get help from anyone and they just keep doing this to people. It is a huge internet trick and scam. I would love to see you do an investigation on them so that other people will not have their money taken. This reporters picture is being used over and over by all of these sites. I was scammed by Priceshuffle.com and it was the same picture of this report and a similar story. When I try to find it on the internet, they only have it posted for a week or so then remove it. I cant believe they are allowed to use all of these companies logos and no one cares. I’m embarrassed that this happened to me, but would love to expose them so they lose their company or start a class action law suit. If you even search the internet, you can see all the people that his has happened to.
thank you for your kind words “Fighting back”
Guys – I got my refund last Friday after my three week nightmare – if EVERYONE here just spends the time – go file a report FIRST on http://www.Ripoffreport.com – apparently Eli Smith, the General Manager who called me REALLY doesn’t like that place. Everyone who filed their report there has gotten a refund. He will ask you to amend the report once you receive your refund, but all I did was say I got my refund and how. Once you file with RipoffReport – go to the FTC.gov, the Better Business Bureau (try L.A. since they are in California http://www.la.bbb.org) the FBI’s internet crime unit and the Attorney General. PLEASE go do this – do NOT give up!! I sent 12 emails overnight, along with my statements that I filed with all of these places and he called and issued my credit. Wheels: KEEP SQUEAKING!!
The law provides consumers certain basic protections against fraudulent, deceptive, and misleading conduct by businesses that treat their customers unfairly. Every state in the country, has one or more laws (known as “UDAP” statutes) that prohibit businesses from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts and practices Nichols Kaster, PLLP (NKA)
After a few statements like this, they gave me a full refund. Keep at it, go on the internet, list sites that receive complaints, you need to invest some of your time that is all it takes.
I sent an Email to FTC long time ago and I think lot of you guys did the same. however, this scam is still live!
Does FTC really care about US customers?
It does take time to build a case that will stick. And, once you uncover one area, it often leads to other areas that need to be investigated and then the case mushrooms. You are all doing your part in making these reports and fighting back. Justice isn’t always swift. Keep those reports coming. Keep complaining and keep all of your correspondence.
I was scammed as well by priceshuffle.com. Read through the signup process and never saw that i was going to be charged. It took about 2 weeks of nasty emails, they even threatened me with legal prosecution…lol. but i got a refund of $99.25 because i has used some of the bids. Just keep messaging with them and let them know you won’t give up!!!! Hope this helps somebody out, I really hope they go down for this soon, one of their customer support people said how “she believed 100% in her company and they were doing nothing wrong”…yeah right!!!!!!!!!!
This website is a total scam. I got lured in by an email offering 100 free bids. I registered and I did read the Terms & Conditions (T&C) which says that when you click “I agree” you are stating that you have purchased a bid package. When my registration page came up, there was no option to choose the bid package I wanted (which was 50 bids for $25). Seeing as I had 100 free bids, I presumed the site would send me an email to purchase my bid package once the free bids were gone. Now, this month, I get the infamous bill stating I am being charged $149.95 (which is the charge for 300 bids). Their T&C document lists 5 available bid packages but a review of theis site today shows that the new account holder can only pick from 3 packages, defaulting to the 300 bid amount and only being able to select 125, 300 or 500 bids. You cannot select the 50-bid package until you go to buy more bids. Their T&C is full of holes and when you call to complain at the number given on the site, it says claims about billing can only be handled via email. I email and got a prompt, canned, threatening email back saying it was my fault for selecting te 300 bid package. So, whatever you do, DO NOT trust the site or their policies. They are not getting paid because my cc company is handling it and this fraud is being reported to the BBB and the CA Attorney General.
I just got scammed by priceshuffle
I heard about this through what I thought was a real news report on fox’s website and it turned out to be paid advertising.
The terms and conditions state by agreeing the terms and conditions you are agreeing to buy a bid package listed in the T/C but they never give you the choice to pick your bid package during the registration process. Below is the T/C. I have asked Priceshuffle to at least let me choose the bid package if I must buy one.
The bidding is rigged so that during the last 10 seconds if someone else bids 10 seconds gets added back on to the clock. I watched on item for an hour that was down to two minutes and someone always bid at the last minute which reset the clock.
I guess I should have known better, the deals they claim to offers are to good to be true.
Billing and Payment
To the extent you purchase any goods and/or services from PriceShuffle.com, you agree to pay for all goods and services ordered from PriceShuffle.com and/or its Third Party Providers except as set forth in a writing signed by an authorized representative of PriceShuffle.com. You will provide PriceShuffle.com with valid and updated credit card or approved purchase order information and with complete and accurate billing and contact information. If you provide credit card or other authorized payment method information to PriceShuffle.com, you authorize PriceShuffle.com, or a credit card processor of its choosing to bill such credit card or to make such charges as applicable. If PriceShuffle.com, in its sole and absolute discretion, permits you to make payment using a method other than a credit card or other authorized payment method, PriceShuffle.com will invoice you at, or within a reasonable period of, the time of the purchase request. All amounts invoiced hereunder shall be due prior of delivery of any goods or services.
Bids are non-transferable and valid for 60 days after they have been credited to your account.
Once a Bid is placed in an auction, it is deducted from your account and can no longer be refunded. Refunds will not be issued for bids placed in an auction and/or expired bids.
Bids are available for purchase in the following increments:
50 Bids for $25.00
100 Bids for $50.00
125 Bids for $75.75
300 Bids for $149.75
500 Bids for $199.75
NOTE: BY COMPLETING THE REGISTRATION PROCESS AND ENTERING YOUR CREDIT CARD YOU ARE PURCHASING ONE OF OUR NON-REFUNDABLE BID PACKS
I’m one of many who obviously got scammed by this penny auction. I was charged 149.75 for 300 bids I didn’t authorize. I’m sorta embarrassed to say I gave my credit card number for what I thought was a hundred bids. When I said I agreed to the terms I thought it was for the 100 bids. And to boot
they have nothing worth while being sold. I could go down to the dollar store and pick up some the majority of what their selling. I am not backing down. I will not touch my bids, and I will continue to email them. I will also go to the BBB …Thank you Tina I will go to ripoffreport.com. These sort of people need to be stopped
I was also scammed by these crooks.
I am getting ready to file a complaint with the Attorney general in California and the City Attorneys office in Glendale, Ca where this business is located. Anyone wants to join me in this complaint please email at [email protected]. Lets stop these suckers now.
Don’t get discouraged ……I just was refunded 100% of the 149.75 that priceshuffle scammed from me.
Don’t accept anything less than 100 percent. They kept offering partial refund, adding bonus bids.
Follow thru with BBB, that’s what did it. After I told them that I had filed wham. There was my receipt for a complete refund. 3-5 day it will appear on my credit card…Scroll up and follow tina’s links.
I too got scammed for the $149.75. I called my credit card company, who opened a file. A few weeks later, they sent me a letter saying the $149.75 charge will be rebilled to my credit card because priceshuffle.com sent them their terms (no refunds) and obviously had proof I “signed up” with them.
THEY ARE A TOTAL RIP-OFF. STAY AWAY FROM PRICESHUFFLE.COM
I take back the comments I left regarding price shuffle. The explanation of the fees are stated in the terms and conditions. Price shuffle also does have some high quality products for bid such as an Ipad, Tv’s and other electronics. Bottom line is just make sure you check what you are signing up for before entering in your credit card number.
RUN FROM PRICESHUFFLE AS FAST AS YOU CAN, MAJOR RIP OFF ARTISTS TO THE TUNE OF $149.75
Total scam, rip-off. Is there any way to report to FTC?
Priceshuffle took $149.75 from my account on 12/7/10 when i signed up and never stated i would be charged anything. I read that the first 300 were free and my cc account was only required if i won a bid. I understand some people are not very computer litteriate, but I use the computer 8 hours a day and I have never seen crap like this.
Is it possible to go on the BBB site and log a complaint?
These people also took my money.I WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES WHO BOUGHT A 15.00 ITEM WHICH WAS A TOOTH WHITNING KIT. BOUGHT I FOR A XMAS PRESENT AND WHEN IT ARRIVED THE PACKAGE WAS SEALED UP FOR SHIPPING.WHEN I OPENED THE PACKAGE IT HAD BEEN USED! I WAS FURIOUS!! CALLED THEM AND ALL THEY COULD SAY WAS THAT I NEEDED TO CONTACT CUSTOMER SERVICE..I DID THAT AND SHE MUST HAVE BEEN ON DRUGS.HER WHOLE CONVERSATION WAS TOTALLY SLURRED AND MADE NO SENSE..WOULD SOMEONE PLZ HELP ME GET MY MONEY BACK.
***WARNING***BEWARE*** When you sign onto their site, it lists brands like Wii, xbox 360, Cannon, Apple. Don’t fall for it. They do not sell any of those items. It is all junk… all the time. Do not complete any forms with them or fill out any credit card information. They will charge your card before you even realize that you have bought bids. When I complained to the company, they referred me to the sneaky fine print. I basically flushed over a hundred bucks down the toilet by giving it to these thieves.
I too have tried to get Price shuffle to credit my card that they charged they gave me the same information about the fine print. I even disputed this with my credit card company, Then they sent the same fine print garbage to my credit cared company. This website is a total rip off. The stuff that they have on their website to bid on is CRAP that you could by at the dollar store. I have never seen an iPad, camera or any thing else that they show on the front of their website. You don’t find that out until you sign up and they alreday have charged your credit card to the $149.
Because I have not gotten any satifaction from Priceshuffle.com my only recourse is to go on all websites and educate people to NEVER Use PriceShuffle.com. This companyis a TOTAL joke.
I am going to contact a news program to have them investigated, and show what kind of a rip off company they are.
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Warm Regards
Katherine Debord