In the mail today, we got a check for $3.17 from something called Simple.Net. Also enclosed was a small piece of paper with tiny, tiny fine print. Somewhere in the center of that fine print, I found this clause:
"Simply cash or deposit the $3.17 check, your Instant Cash for accepting our service with our No-Risk Guarantee and you're signed up for your Simple Internet Access Account at just $16.95 per month."
Now, no one EVER sends checks to the Scrap Tire Management Council, so I was immediately suspicious; if I hadn't been, I might have just turned this over to Accounts Payable. But think of the thousands of businesses who regularly receive millions of checks daily - they don't have time to read every piece of paper that comes in a check. The envelope says nothing, apart from "Check Enclosed" - there's even a stamp, implying that the envelope wasn't sent in bulk postage. The check amount is uneven, implying that it's a specific payment, as opposed to a "cash bonus", as the fine print suggests. All of this adds up to a business that, obviously, is centered around tricking people into "signing up" for a monthly charge, and then probably ignoring their attempts to stop receiving bills.
How dirty.
"Simply cash or deposit the $3.17 check, your Instant Cash for accepting our service with our No-Risk Guarantee and you're signed up for your Simple Internet Access Account at just $16.95 per month."
Now, no one EVER sends checks to the Scrap Tire Management Council, so I was immediately suspicious; if I hadn't been, I might have just turned this over to Accounts Payable. But think of the thousands of businesses who regularly receive millions of checks daily - they don't have time to read every piece of paper that comes in a check. The envelope says nothing, apart from "Check Enclosed" - there's even a stamp, implying that the envelope wasn't sent in bulk postage. The check amount is uneven, implying that it's a specific payment, as opposed to a "cash bonus", as the fine print suggests. All of this adds up to a business that, obviously, is centered around tricking people into "signing up" for a monthly charge, and then probably ignoring their attempts to stop receiving bills.
How dirty.
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