ECA Discussion Thread - WARNING: Some CAGs Who Cancelled Are Being Auto-Renewed

I just got the same email. I had used the feedback form on Saturday to try to contact them, never got a response from that. Then I called on Tuesday and was told to email them my name, address, etc so that they could check my account. I wonder if they only are refunding me because I contacted them or if they're doing it for everyone.
 
[quote name='badlieut']Well Holy fucking Shit....I *finally* got an email (a week later) from the ECA.
[/QUOTE]

I'd still do a chargeback... do you trust the cheque to clear? Nothing like the $50 your bank will charge you for cashing an NSF $20 cheque.
 
[quote name='FrankieFiero']I'd still do a chargeback... do you trust the cheque to clear? Nothing like the $50 your bank will charge you for cashing an NSF $20 cheque.[/QUOTE]

Oh yeah, I did the chargeback the first day. That's why I'm without my debit card because the bank says they have to issue me a new one. I guess the debate will come in when the chargeback posts and if I get a check as well. Would I cash the check as well?
 
[quote name='badlieut']Oh yeah, I did the chargeback the first day. That's why I'm without my debit card because the bank says they have to issue me a new one. I guess the debate will come in when the chargeback posts and if I get a check as well. Would I cash the check as well?[/QUOTE]

Assuming the chargeback posts and you get your money back that way, I wouldn't cash it. You want to be done with these people, not have to fight them over a double refund. In the long run, if they do decide to dispute it, it could end up costing you in fees and/or court costs, because you'd definitely be in the wrong.

For now, I'd just hold onto the check until you're sure that the chargeback has gone through.
 
Add me to the list, they sent me an email in December stating I was cancelled, and now I have been auto-renewed. My credit card info was obviously never removed as stated.

-GAC-
 
[quote name='badlieut']Well Holy fucking Shit....I *finally* got an email (a week later) from the ECA. Here it is:

Prentice,



We would like to apologize for the recent charge on your credit card. There was an error in our system and we will be refunding your money back. A check has been cut for the amount that was charged on your credit card. If you have any questions please let us know, again we apologize for the mistake on our behalf.



ECA





Valerie Marques

ECA-Marketing-

64 Danbury Road Wilton , CT 06897

(203) 761-6186

[email protected][/QUOTE]
It's absolutely ridiculous in this day and age for them to refund your money by check.

I'd recommend anybody that got charged "erroneously" to do a chargeback.

Maybe they got enough chargebacks that their CC processing company cut ties with them? We can only hope.
 
[quote name='confoosious']I wonder if we're gonna get more than 24 "me too"s.

"We typed 2400, but due to a system issue completely out of our control, the zeros did not post and it appeared to say 24."[/QUOTE]
fixed that for ya.
 
Here's my question for anyone who might know the credit card business:

why issue refunds via check instead of a charge reversal? What's the upside for the ECA in this?
 
[quote name='Lucian']fixed that for ya.[/QUOTE]

More like they typed 24k, but they didn't know they had a parsing program functional that took out the letter. They thought the feature was not implemented, even though it clearly shows up in the description.

Am I doing it right?
 
It cracks me up that they made the statement of this being an isolated incident, and yet we're still seeing people getting charged. I'd assume that there are at least 20 people to already post in this thread of being charged...

Think of all the poor saps that don't come to these forums, the ECA is having their way with them now...And I doubt they'll "cut checks" to people who don't complain.

fuck this company for being so god damned irresponsible, and deceiving everyone.

I vouch for a lawsuit. I honestly think anyone being charged should start a class-action case, fuck the ECA, I'm tired of this.


--

I will admit that I previously thought a lawsuit was ridiculous, because I previously thought this "was" an isolated incident. But apparently it's not. So yeah, this company needs to burn.
 
Add me to the list of people that got randomly "autorenewed" even though I canceled last year. Already been sent the "apology" email for getting charged on the 24th.

Gee, ECA, so nice to know that you actually removed my credit card information, as you claimed in my cancellation email.. What a class fucking act you are.
 
[quote name='elessar123']More like they typed 24k, but they didn't know they had a parsing program functional that took out the letter. They thought the feature was not implemented, even though it clearly shows up in the description.

Am I doing it right?[/QUOTE]
:applause: Nicely done.
 
This is bullshit and they know it...odds are some of the people who are getting checks will never deposit them...that is what they are hoping for.
 
[quote name='confoosious']Here's my question for anyone who might know the credit card business:

why issue refunds via check instead of a charge reversal? What's the upside for the ECA in this?[/QUOTE]

I responded to my refund email and got this response:

[quote name='ECA']You have been removed from the system completely as this is confirmed, and because your cc has been removed your cc can’t be refunded and therefore a check has been cut and sent out to you.

Again, very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.
[/QUOTE]

I suppose this makes sense, if they actually finally no longer have my credit card info.
 
[quote name='ECA']

You have been removed from the system completely as this is confirmed, and because your cc has been removed your cc can’t be refunded and therefore a check has been cut and sent out to you.

Again, very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.

[/QUOTE]

Seriously that is a total BULLSHIT LIE. CC merchant that they signed up with should have an API that allows you to void a transaction based on a transaction ID which they must be keeping seperately.

Also, the cc merchant usually has their own website portal available where website owners can login and view all the transactions and void it if they choose to.

I programmed cc merchant capabilities for few websites and I know there are tons of ways to void a cc transaction without the credit card number. All you need is a transaction number or a login to the cc merchant website portal.

Also if they removed your info completely and can't possibly get your cc number then how the heck are they able to figure out the address to send the check back to???? In order to do a cc transaction you need a valid address as well. Don't tell me they removed the cc info but somehow decided to keep your billing address???
 
Dear ___,

We sent out refund checks to the users affected by a recent error in the database. Unfortunately, there was an error with our check writing software and mail merge and all the checks were delivered to our office by mistake. Please note that this only affected some users, specifically those requesting a refund. In order to make sure that the mailing error does not repeat itself, we ask that you come to CT to collect your refund checks.

Thanks,

The ECA
 
[quote name='Callandor']I responded to my refund email and got this response:



I suppose this makes sense, if they actually finally no longer have my credit card info.[/QUOTE]


But see, this whole situation raised that very point. They declared that all credit card info had been removed back in December (or whenever a particular member canceled). This situation has shown that to be a lie. So when ECA says it deleted your CC info... its up to you if you want to believe that again (Fool me once...)

I was not charged (yet) but what worries me personally is, how can be sure, or even believe at this point, my information was deleted as promised?
 
[quote name='thehoweller']Can someone walk me through how to start a class-action lawsuit? Any lawyers!?[/QUOTE]

Good thinking! For anyone who has the know-how, we could sure use your assistance here. Sometimes, this is the only way for a company to learn from their mistakes and deter similar behavior from occurring again. Does anyone know the average cost of filing a class-action lawsuit? Perhaps we can create a fund on CAG where we can contribute funds (via PayPal or whatever) toward the costs of initiating litigation against the ECA. If we can organize and have all affected members donate just a few dollars, I'm sure we could come up with the retainer needed to pursue this type of legal action.

But first, can someone please estimate some costs for us and let us know what type of goal the fund would require to get things going? This would be a cause I sure as well would support and I'll proudly be one of the first to donate.

GypsyFlyPMS: "CheapAssGamers...lol these guys think they are planning a revolution or something"

If that's what they want, then that's what they'll get. C'mon, guys, I think at this point, they're basically forcing our hands with them acting like their above the law and can't be touched for their false practices. This bullsh!t has to end and if we can pull together and take action, it'd surely be one of the best things to ever come out of this community.
 
[quote name='RobnessMonster']Good thinking! For anyone who has the know-how, we could sure use your assistance here. Sometimes, this is the only way for a company to learn from their mistakes and deter similar behavior from occurring again. Does anyone know the average cost of filing a class-action lawsuit? Perhaps we can create a fund on CAG where we can contribute funds (via PayPal or whatever) toward the costs of initiating litigation against the ECA. If we can organize and have all affected members donate just a few dollars, I'm sure we could come up with the retainer needed to pursue this type of legal action.

But first, can someone please estimate some costs for us and let us know what type of goal the fund would require to get things going? This would be a cause I sure as well would support and I'll proudly be one of the first to donate.[/QUOTE]

Yesh!

And please! No "mental anguish" arguments.
 
What organization/government entity issues business licenses in CT? It's time we sent them a CAGbox of complaints against the ECA and request their business license be revoked.
 
If you want to attempt a class action lawsuit, you're going to have to look up an attorney or firm who specializes in class action lawsuits. Anything short of that, and you're going to fail doing it on your own, especially when the ECA hires a real attorney.

The attorneys would then have to determine the likelihood of success, the amount of time the action might take, and what amount of money they can get from the ECA. If they can't make enough money to justify the time and effort, then they won't take the case.

Although potentially thousands of ex-members could be affected from now until the end of the year, maybe only a couple hundred have actually been wrongfully charged (assuming the ECA is lying). That is big enough for a class. Only the people charged would be able to get in on the class too.

If you want to contact the CT attorney general, go to the FAQ that is linked in my signature.
 
[quote name='confoosious']there's no way this justifies time and effort of a class action suit.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. First of all, as kodave pointed out, only those people who have actually been charged would qualify to be in the class. While that number may eventually number in the hundreds (I'm doubting thousands -- our box of cancellations was what, 760-something?) if they keep charging people, right now it's much lower.

Secondly, no lawyer is going to take this on. A class action suit only works when the damages which can be claimed are enough to pay a significant legal fee as well as satisfy whatever settlement occurs for the class itself. Even if they could somehow claim damages that large, what are the chances that the ECA could afford to pay it?

Third, class actions usually occur when the offending company refuses to acknowledge and/or chooses to ignore an issue. If this were to somehow actually make it to court, the moment the ECA went before a judge and said that they were taking steps to rectify the issue prior to the suit being filed (no matter how retarded we may think that those steps are), the case would get thrown out. If the checks never arrive, or if they bounce, or if charges happen again next year, then you might have an actionable issue. Until then, not likely.
 
[quote name='confoosious']Here's my question for anyone who might know the credit card business:

why issue refunds via check instead of a charge reversal? What's the upside for the ECA in this?[/QUOTE]
The longer they keep the funds in their account, the more interest they earn.

Or they don't have the funds to reimburse, and will issue rubber checks.

Or they are hoping that not everyone will cash the checks which equals free money.

:whistle2:$
 
Looks like the ECA is at it again. Well I canceled via on the web site once they said it was working correctly. I don't believe my year is up until Sept. Guess I'll have to keep looking till the end of the year. Hopefully I won't get charged, but if I do I will file a disputed charge and file a complaint against them. These people are really not worth the time.

The best thing we can do is to ensure no one else signs up with them. Keep spreading the word that the ECA sucks and don't have a clue how to do anything correctly.
 
[quote name='thehoweller']What about one that'll take a 25% off of a $100 purchase?[/QUOTE]

No, that doesn't work anymore. A couple exploiters started triple stacking for 75% off and they shut it down.
 
[quote name='confoosious']No, that doesn't work anymore. A couple exploiters started triple stacking for 75% off and they shut it down.[/QUOTE]

AHA!

Sometimes you piss me off, but almost always you crack me up.

Thanks for the tip earlier in PM, although as you can see, it didn't help :D
 
doctorhal.png


haloil.png
 
I would like to know who here keeps receiving their ECA Newsletters via email even after you have canceled your account.

As I've mentioned before, my membership lasted until September, but I canceled completely. Yet, I still am receiving their newsletters. I've emailed them about this situation and sternly warned them about any unauthorized charges on their part come September. If my membership is truly canceled, and I cannot log into the site, then why an I still receiving their daily newsletters?

As far as I know, I still feel my information is still in their system. I do not trust their excuses concerning the accidental charges made to ex-members.

If any future charges are made, from this day forward, it will prove they are liars and do merit a class-action lawsuit, as what they are doing is illegal.

At the very least, everyone should be requesting chargebacks. One screwjob deserves another.



UPDATE:

So I finally found the stupid "Unsubscribe" link in one of their newsletters...but that's not what's interesting.

When I clicked on the link to unsubscribe it takes me to the "Update Preferences or Unsubscribe" page. In that page there's an option asking if you are currently an active member. It is currently set to "Yes" even though I canceled almost 2 weeks ago. I'm changing it to "No" and will unsubscribe from the newsletter as well.

They have way too many holes in their system. It is either through incompetence or by malicious design. That option could just pertain to the email listings only and not for membership charges...but at this point, I've had all I can stomach from the ECA and I don't trust them at all.
 
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^
Doesn't sound good.

EDIT: I just did the same. Change "active member" to "no", click update. Go back, refresh screen and then click unsubscribe.
 
Yup, ditto - I am also still getting their email spam.

I think it's funny that on top of everything else, they can't even figure out how to run a basic interweb site.
 
[quote name='amphigorey']Yup, ditto - I am also still getting their email spam.

I think it's funny that on top of everything else, they can't even figure out how to run a basic interweb site.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I think they know all too well on how to run a site. After all, they do make it hard as hell to quit. ;)
 
I hate to be that guy who didn't read through the whole thread but wants immediate answers....but....

The people who all of a sudden couldn't even log in anymore with a message about their account being blocked or terminated or something, are they getting charged?

They are basically saying the E-mail address I signed up with isn't associated with an account. So if I get charged I have nothing to dispute it.
 
[quote name='Grinchy']I hate to be that guy who didn't read through the whole thread but wants immediate answers....but....

The people who all of a sudden couldn't even log in anymore with a message about their account being blocked or terminated or something, are they getting charged?

They are basically saying the E-mail address I signed up with isn't associated with an account. So if I get charged I have nothing to dispute it.[/QUOTE]

In short, yes, they are being charged.

Read the FAQ linked in my signature block, that should answer your question.
 
It's for reasons like this that i use a virtual credit card for most sites. I made a card with a limit of $1 when I signed up initially.
 
i forgo to use a virtual card on this one but used one of my card but its number has changed now change they still charge i tihnk they cant charge as far as i know
 
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