Beware "€10 cashback!" Ticketmaster,IrishRail,Ryan,eBay

Well done. I only remembered when I saw this thread that I had seen this 'offer' when I was booking a ticket with Irish Rail earlier on this year. I don't travel by train much, but saw something about an offer, and followed the link. I saw then that it was going to cost me, so I abandoned it, without looking into it any further.
 
I would think the issue is they pass you on to another merchant and then say "nothing to do with us" for the record Irish Rail say they don't pass on your details you re-enter them. You sound foolish saying "that doesn't ring a bell"

The U.S. class action linked to above features this and the settlement involved lead to several changes in the process including numerous warnings. I have not seen that here so it is a question as whether the courts would expect that here
 
mmclo said:
I would think the issue is they pass you on to another merchant and then say "nothing to do with us" for the record Irish Rail say they don't pass on your details you re-enter them.
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I dont know about Irish Rail but with ticketmaster credit card details are passed on to the third party and you are not asked to re enter the details. The "mark" still thinks he is on the ticketmaster website and not at completesavings.

Incidently I have done several transactions with irish rail (paid by visa debit) and have never got these messages.

Updtate - 24 March 2014

I now understand that Ticketmaster do not pass on the details. But they do pass you onto Complete Savings Website without making it clear and conspicuous that you are doing so. I thought I was giving my credit card details to Ticketmaster. I would not have given them to a company which I had never heard of before.
 
I used the Irish Rail site today and yesterday and on the final confirmation page it says click here to obtain €10 off next booking with Irish Rail. It dose say terms and conditions apply under the bright red writing.

I do think it is sharp practice that Irish Rail put it right next to the continue button, and do not clearly say you are leaving the Irish Rail site.
 
Yes, that's interesting, of course I can't remember what happened in the transaction, wonder could anyone get screenshots. Passing the info to a third party is a whole different kettle of fish and in fact featured in the class action.
 
My GF just got caught with this.
The only thing she used her card for was Grabone and Dealrush!

Had to call the bank and cancel card etc
 
Brendan Burgess said:
Why had she got to cancel the card?

Could she not just cancel the subscription to the site.

Brendan
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when she rang the bank, they told her they were cancelling it. She didnt subsbribe to the site so is also worried how they got the details in the forst place.
 
Just got confirmation it was through the Ryanair website that she obviously clicked on by mistake. Cancelled now.
 
Have made a complaint to the Data Protection Commissioner today as Irish Rail would not provide me with any info on DP aspects of this arrangement
 
I got caught by this and only noticed the €12 deduction per month on my bank account yesterday. €72, it has cost me so far.
I called the completesavings.ie 1800 number and spoke to a guy who said it was not a scam and that I had willingly signed up to it when I booked tickets with ticketmaster last August. I demanded that he cancel it immediately and he said he would and sent a mail confirming so. He is to refund me some money within 10 days. It will be interesting to see how much.
He said he was based in Switzerland and had all my details, visa card, email address, home address, and even IP address. Was this a veiled threat, should I cancel by Visa card?
I may have willingly signed up for future discounts when it was offered, but there is no way that I would have signed up for a €12 per month deduction from my account.
It is a disgrace that Ticketmaster and others would facilitate this
I was an irregular user of Ticketmaster, not anymore.
 
Conor Pope (Pricewatch Irish Times every Monday) has dealt with the "sneaky Complete Savings trick" (on Ticketmaster, Irish Rail, Argos and Ryanair).

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/pricewatch-readers-queries-1.1725782

Note this "trick" has been illegal in the US since December 2010.

On December 29, 2010 President Obama signed into law the "Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act".

The Act prohibits the transfer of certain consumer information by internet merchants to third party sellers engaged in post-transaction marketing soliciting sales from the merchants' websites.
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It amazes me that ordinary decent companies like Ryanair, Argos and the state owned railway company are complicit in "tricking" their paying customers in this way.

These companies should be asked to produce a flash screen stating "your transaction with XXX is now over, thank you."
 
Hi AJ

Great to see it getting a bit of mainstream publicity.

What is amazing is that most of the people affected are savvy consumers.

Brendan
 
Is Complete Savings/Save a con or a scam - Ray Darcy Show (audio on youtube)
Published on 18 Mar 2014
Following several complaints Conor Pope talks to Ray Darcy on the Ray Darcy show to discuss his findings. People who have bought tickets through Ticket Master, Ryan Air and Irish Rail claim that without their knowledge they have been signed up with "Complete Save" or "Complete Savings" and their accounts have been deducted on a monthly basis.




Ray Darcy and Conor Pope two days ago.
 
Hi AJ

Very interesting.

Conor Pope points out that there are many complaints in the UK as well, so it's not just the Irish are falling for this.

It appears on your bank account as "complete save" . I would guess that most people don't bother following up amounts like €12 or just don't get around to it.

I think he said that 800 Irish Rail customers a month sign up with Complete Savings, and only 6 or 7 complain. I wonder how many of the others know that they have signed up.
 
Here is the wikipedia entry for webloyalty "complete savings" parent company. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webloyalty

Note the close relationship that exists with Ryanair in Spain and some other countries.

Webloyalty (and other loyalty programme companies) have contracts with popular retail websites to offer various 'online membership programmes'. When a consumer has made a purchase on one of contracted retail websites, the consumer will be offered a cashback or money-off voucher for the next purchase via a pop-up ad or image banner.
By clicking on the link, the consumer is offered a sign-up page where personal details are required to complete the registration for the service. The consumer is asked to fill in their personal details, payment method and agree with the terms and conditions.
Up until 2010, Webloyalty and other loyalty companies used a different method for registration. Via the so-called 'data-pass', these companies were able to instantly make use use of the consumer's credit card data after its initial purchase on the retailers’ website and bill the consumer a monthly membership fee.
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I signed up for the Irish Rail discount last October because I was making a second booking and knew I could avail of the Cashback offer straight away. I received a cheque in the post within a few weeks and made sure to cancel my subscription within the 30 days allowed.
I remember thinking at the time that most people would forget to cancel on time and that is how they make their money.
Is there any value in being a Subscriber; do you actually receive other discounts?
 
Hello Dermotneary:

I just read your post on this forum and would like to respond to your query.

Thank you for your interest in the Complete Savings programme. We are glad that you made use of cash back benefit during your free trial period. Active members of Complete Savings have access to a wide range of benefits. The benefits include:

• An initial €10 cashback following your second purchase at the website you joined through.
• An ongoing €10 member bonus when you make another purchase from the site you joined Complete Savings through.
• Earn a minimum of 10% cashback on purchases from many leading online retailers. These discounts are in addition to any other online discounts that the retailers may offer. You can earn up to €300 cashback every month when you shop though Complete Savings and we'll send the cashback cheques to you automatically!
• 20% off giftcards from some of Ireland's favourite retailers. You get free standard shipping with every order and you can buy up to €100 worth of giftcards each month.
• The first 30 days of membership are free so that you can try the programme out, and then it is €12 per month. You can cancel your membership at any time.
• A dedicated customer service centre with a freephone number.

We are proactive with our communication to our members by sending them monthly reminders of their membership benefits. In fact, during the 30 day free trial period, members are sent five emails to remind them of their membership and its benefits. One of these emails is sent fourteen days prior to the end of the free trial period to remind the member that their free trial period will be ending in fourteen days and that they will be charged the monthly membership fee if they do not cancel before the free trial period ends.

I hope I have resolved your query to your satisfaction. Should you wish to contact us for further information or assistance, you can do so by telephoning 1800 806 167 or your can contact me directly at mary@completesavings.ie.

Kind regards,
Mary
Complete Savings
 
dermotneary said:
...
Is there any value in being a Subscriber; do you actually receive other discounts? ...
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Isn't it a bit odd that you needed to ask that question in a public thread on askaboutmoney.com?

According to their publicist, your correspondent Mary, your in-box would have been positively bombarded with emails in the first 30 days detailing the benefits of membership of their "post transaction marketing scheme" or have I missed something vital?

Obama introduced special legislation in the US outlawing post transaction marketing schemes. In essence these operated by taking money first and outlining any benefits after the event.
 
Brendan Burgess said:

Irish Rail and Ryanair should be obliged to “clearly and conspicuously” tell their customers that they are being passed onto another website. They do not do this at present. Hitting a button saying “continue” does not suggest that the person is leaving the site.
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dermotneary said:
I signed up for the Irish Rail discount last October
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Hi Dermot, when you signed up in October did you still think you were on the Irish Rail website or (unlike me) did you realise that you were entering and agreement with a third party? (Complete Savings)

aj
 
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