Smartycashback: why you should have read the T&Cs, and how to cancel

[countessalmirena]

So many people have come to these boards in respect of this Smartycashback thing that I thought it might be useful to put together a general thread about it. It is obviously distressing for people to find money coming out of their account without their realising they'd given permission for that, and equally obviously those people want to stop those auto-charges.

(Unfortunately, so many people have posted the same questions here - and apparently don't read the replies - that it's become quite irritating to see those questions, and I suppose it is understandable that replies increasingly become either testy or non-existent.)

BACKGROUND

If you find that a charge of $19 or so is being withdrawn from your bank account/card each month, with the money being charged by Smartycashback, it's because you have subscribed to Smartycashback.

You may have subscribed without realising it, through an advertisement on eBay offering what looks like a "free voucher" or cashback on a purchase.

You may not have realised that the offer was a thinly-disguised membership subscription to SmartyPlus.

You probably didn't read the Terms and Conditions - and I just cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to read those T&Cs! I don't care if you're thinking TL;DR. Read them.
Any time you provide your financial information (purportedly for the purposes of getting money), bear in mind that what goes up also comes down - aka, money going INTO your bank account (or card) can also come OUT of your bank account/card.

Check: did you give permission for your account to be charged any fee or subscription/recurring charge? You don't need to sign anything; electronic permission is just a devilishly easy click these days.

WHAT ARE THOSE T&Cs?

I'm reasonably sure that these are the T&Cs to which you agreed (and which you should have read).  You would have been presented with them at the time, and you would have clicked to say that yes, you've read them and you agree to them. You almost certainly received email confirmation with the same information (but no one who's come here looking for Smartycashback help has confirmed that).

BUT I DIDN'T GIVE PERMISSION/SUBSCRIBE, BLAH BLAH!

People have been posting that they didn't subscribe, how dare Smartycash (or eBay, because there's a lot of confusion about eBay's role in this) take people's money out of their accounts, they never gave any permission... but if you read the T&Cs carefully, you'll see that you probably did. Check through this bit (rubrication mine):

8.5  Subscription Fees. Smarty may offer you the chance to sign up for a trial period of SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree (each such trial subscription, a "Trial"). The fees for each service’s Trial and the subscription costs will be disclosed to when you sign up SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree. An offer to try SmartyPlus or ShipmentsFree may be shown to you on the next page after you complete your registration of SmartyPlus or ShipmentsFree. Smarty will automatically charge your specified payment method ("Payment Source") for each Trial fee you authorize to be charged and the subscription fee(s) that were disclosed to you for each service you sign up to receive, each month thereafter, unless you cancel the Trial(s) before the end of the Trial(s),or before the end of the applicable renewal term. At the end of your Trial your Payment Source will be automatically charged the monthly subscription fee(s) that you authorize to be charged, unless you cancel your Trial(s) before the end of each applicable Trial period. SmartyPlus and ShipmentsFree subscription fees are charged in United States currency.

CUT THE CHIT-CHAT - HOW DO I CANCEL?

Okay, you're not a big fan of long posts. Let's get to the nitty-gritty. To cancel, follow the instructions in the T&Cs. I'll post the relevant bit here:

IN ORDER TO CANCEL SMARTYPLUS AND/OR SHIPMENTSFREE AND AVOID FUTURE CHARGES TO YOUR PAYMENT SOURCE, YOU MUST CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IN THE "MY ACCOUNT" TAB OF YOUR ACCOUNT ON THE SMARTY SITE AND ALSO THE SHIPMENTSFREE SITE PRIOR TO THE DATE OF YOUR NEXT BILLING CYCLE OR BY EMAILING SUPPORT@JOINSMARTY.COM TO CANCEL SMARTYPLUS OR SUPPORT@SHIPMENTSFREE.COM TO CANCEL SHIPMENTSFREE. EACH SERVICE MUST BE CANCELLED SEPARATELY. FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO SMARTYPLUS AND SHIPMENTSFREE, AND YOU CANCEL SMARTYPLUS, YOU WILL CONTINUE TO INCUR CHARGES FOR SHIPMENTFREE UNTIL YOU CANCEL SHIPMENTSFREE.

Further information

(Click the spoiler)

Spoiler

It is not a good idea for you to simply ignore the situation if you don't want to be charged by Smarty. It's not a good idea to cancel your card or account in the hopes of dealing with it that way. That is NOT the way to stop a recurring charge.

You must contact Smarty in the way that they indicate in the T&Cs, and specifically cancel the trial or subscription, and you need to prove that you are you.

In the event that Smarty does not cancel your trial or subscription upon your specific request (in the form required with all necessary ID provided), you would then be able to contact your bank and request that the recurring charge not be paid. (You can prove you've requested the subscription be cancelled but the body charging the recurring fee haven't complied.)

Read this to know what is involved:

8.10  Trials. Smarty may, but is in no way obligated to, offer a limited Trial of SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree. The Trials are offered at a discounted price for the period of time disclosed to you at sign-up, when compared to the subscription fee for the subscription based services of SmartyPlus and ShipmentsFree. Smarty reserves the right to cancel any Trial at any time, and to change the features and services offered by the Trials at any time, including but not limited to, in the case of SmartyPlus, the SmartyPlus Cash Back, Bonus Rebate (defined below), and in the case of ShipmentsFree, the shipping rebates or any other services provided by ShipmentsFree. The Trial price will only apply to the duration of your Trial period(s), and the Trial may have different features and services than those offered to SmartyPlus Subscribers and ShipmentsFree Subscribers. The cost, benefits, services, and the duration of the Trial, if such Trial is offered by Smarty, will be presented to you on the Smarty Sites, ShipmentsFree Sites, and/or Smarty Mobile App. Details regarding your Trial(s) will be made available to you in your Account. Trials of SmartyPlus and ShipmentsFree are charged in United States currency.

If Smarty is unable to charge your Payment Source the fee for any Trial that you authorize to be charged when you register for SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree, then you agree Smarty may, in its sole discretion, attempt to charge your Payment Source again after providing an email to you that your Trial access to SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree is pending. You are responsible for any fees you incur by your bank and/or credit card as a result of your Payment Source being declined. Email notices will be sent to the email address you provided when you signed up for SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree. At the end of your Trial your Payment Source will be automatically charged the monthly subscription fee that you authorize to be charged when you register for SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree, unless you cancel your Trial(s) before the end of the Trial period(s). Smarty reserves the right to deny any request from you for a Bonus Rebate (defined below) in the event Smarty determines you have engaged in any fraudulent or suspicious activity, or have already received a Bonus Rebate (defined below). If you are a SmartyPlus Subscriber and you receive more than one (1) Bonus Rebate (defined below) as determined by Smarty in its sole and absolute discretion, then in addition to any other legal and equitable remedies Smarty may have, you shall be liable to return any Bonus Rebate (defined below) that was sent to you.

BY SIGNING UP FOR A TRIAL OF SMARTYPLUS AND/OR  SHIPMENTSFREE, YOU AGREE THAT YOUR TRIAL(S) WILL AUTOMATICALLY BECOME A MONTH-TO-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION AT THE END OF THE APPLICABLE TRIAL, AND YOU AGREE TO ALL SUBSCRIPTION PAYMENT TERMS DISCLOSED TO YOU WHEN YOU SIGNED UP FOR EACH TRIAL ON THE SMARTY SITES, SHIPMENTSFREE SITES, AND/OR SMARTY MOBILE APP. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO EACH TRIAL AUTOMATICALLY BECOMING A MONTH-TO-MONTH SUBSCRIPTION AT THE END OF YOUR TRIAL(S), YOU MUST CANCEL YOUR TRIAL(S) PRIOR TO THE END OF YOUR TRIAL(S). IN ORDER TO CANCEL YOUR TRIAL(S), YOU MUST CANCEL YOUR TRIAL(S) IN YOUR SMARTY ACCOUNT, OR CONTACT US AT SUPPORT@JOINSMARTY.COM TO CANCEL YOUR SMARTYPLUS TRIAL OR SUPPORT@SHIPMENTSFREE.COM TO CANCEL YOUR SHIPMENTSFREE.COM TRIAL.

Smarty reserves the right to terminate, deny, or modify the terms of any Trial at any time in its sole discretion and with or without notice to you. The duration of the Trial will be the number of days specified on the sign-up page of the services you select, SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree, commencing from the date you activate your Trial(s). To view the end date of your Trial(s), your upcoming subscription plan details, and other specific details, please access and review you're the "Billing" tab in your Account.

8.11  canceling Your Trial or Subscription of SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree. You may cancel your Trial or subscription to SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree at any time. The Payment Source you used to sign up for your Trial will continue to be charged until you cancel your SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree Trial or subscription. If you signed up for both SmartyPlus and ShipmentsFree, and you wish to cancel both services, you must cancel both services separately. To cancel your Trial and/or to prevent automatic renewal of your SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree subscription, you must cancel the services you desire to be canceled in your Account, or in the case of SmartyPlus by emailing us at support@joinsmarty.com and in the case of ShipmentsFree by emailing us at support@shipmentsfree.com. To cancel you must indicate your desire to cancel your Account or subscription, and provide sufficient details to allow to verify your Account. You agree Smarty shall not be required to comply with any request to cancel your Trial(s) or subscription(s) if any cancellation request is made by a third party, including but not limited to, subscription cancellation or bill negotiator services, as Smarty requires verification of your identity before cancelling your subscription to SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree. If you are an authorized agent or have power of attorney on behalf of a SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree Subscriber, you are required to email all documentation and evidence of your relationship to the SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree account owner along with your cancellation request to support@joinsmarty.com and/or support@shipmentsfree.com. Third party subscription cancellation or bill negotiator services are not authorized to cancel your SmartyPlus or ShipmentsFree account on your behalf as Smarty has no way of verifying if the third party subscription cancellation service or bill negotiator is authorized to act on your behalf. Unless otherwise required by law in your jurisdiction, you will not receive notice from Smarty that your Trial is ending or that your Payment Source will be charged, except we will provide you a receipt for your purchase(s) in a welcome email after you sign up for one or more subscription based services and provide you with a reminder about the costs of your subscription.

You will continue to be automatically billed based on your subscription terms disclosed to you on the sign-up form for SmartyPlus and if applicable, ShipmentsFree, until you cancel. If you cancel SmartyPlus and/or ShipmentsFree, you will be charged as follows: (i) if you are in a Trial, the full price of the Trial, and (ii) if you are on a monthly subscription plan, through the end of the month if you are on a monthly subscription plan.

You agree you will be obligated to pay all collection costs imposed on Smarty for any payments owed to Smarty and not received by Smarty within ten (10) days after Smarty's last attempt to charge your Payment Source. If your Payment Source is unable to be processed by Smarty or is otherwise declined by your financial institution for any reason, your payment obligations will continue to accrue in accordance with the terms of this Agreement until you cancel your Trial(s) or subscription(s). You may cancel your Trial or subscription at any time in your Account or by contacting us at support@joinsmarty.com for SmartyPlus and support@shipmentsfree.com for ShipmentsFree, and requesting your Trial or Trials or subscription to be cancelled.

Good luck.

And... be careful. No one's going to offer you free money unless there's something in it for them. Don't click onto vouchers without knowing what permissions you're giving!

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

a good thread that we can direct members to.

[davewil1964]

Unfortunately those who didn't read the SmartyCash T&Cs probably won't read the Countess' succinct and accurate post.

Especially those who come to the boards claiming victim for their own failings.

[*sons_and_daughters*]

Great post. Shame it can't be pinned. Sadly, it will drop off in a few days and then the same questions will be asked in a new post. 

I'm actually not even sure what smarty cash is, and I'm not game to google it!

[papermoon.lady]

As I said before in one of these threads, it would be great if we had a FAQ section, considering how many similar threads we have (particularly concerning Smarty and eBay Plus), although if these people don't read the T&Cs, they will probably not read the FAQs either.

I have seen boards where, when you are about to submit a new thread, a window pops up referring to similar threads or FAQs. Very, very useful, but I don't think we can hope this will happen here, unfortunately.

[papermoon.lady]

There are even Aussies who ask on the US board what the charge is. I am more on the US board at the moment (like kat) because there are so many topics, so I noticed an Aussie was asking the usual question, and they were told to ask here.

And... it looks like most people there were very suspicious of entering their cc details when signing up for a $20 offer/free gift, so they didn't. If it is too good to be true, it just isn't true. I never ever had to enter cc details to sign up for any site. That alone raised the alarm for me.

[springyzone]

I have come across the smartycash or coupon thingy on ebay too. I do think ebay is partly to blame in this whole thing as it would be better if they blocked any such offers from appearing on their site.

I'm sure they collect money/commission for hosting those ads. It is confusing for customers as I am sure some buyers think it is associated with ebay.

I think I did once have a look at the coupon thing but backed out when I noticed they were expecting me to sign up for something.

There are in fact sites where you can get a bit of a discount on purchases from a lot of different places. Ebay is sometimes listed as one of those places, sometimes not. You can sign up for free, you don't hand over financial details. I have collected a few hundred dollars, but over years. It won't make you rich but every little bit helps. Cashrewards. It's an aussie site too. I can recommend that site but as for the smartypants and coupon thing, it's a bit of a scam in that you can get discounts and discount codes for free from a lot of sites anyway when they have special promotions.

[papermoon.lady]

I use Cashrewards too, springy. No eBay discounts at the moment, but they will be back. It has been like that for years. Sometimes they offer no rewards because they just have to catch up with old rewards, apparently.

Once I was very lucky with iHerb. The normal reward was about 3.5%. I waited a few hours to check out because I had a question about a product, and by the time I got a reply just a few hours later it was 15%, which is good, particularly if you have spent more than $150.

[papermoon.lady]

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@springyzone wrote:

I have come across the smartycash or coupon thingy on ebay too. I do think ebay is partly to blame in this whole thing as it would be better if they blocked any such offers from appearing on their site.

In the past they were not quite clear about eBay Plus either. Their ads were a bit deceptive, particularly for people who don't like to read T&Cs. I mean, it was not clear (from their ads) that people would only get a voucher after they join the paid membership. Now they are clear though, most probably because they received too many complaints from people about missing vouchers when they joined the trial. Having to address this problem again and again in live chat was probably too much for them.

Like for Smarty, in the USA people don't complain about not knowing what the unknown eBay Plus charge is, I think because in the USA they know better how the economy works and that nothing is free. No company would give away thousands of vouchers to people to join a free membership without making any profit.

[greenwallaby]

Thank you for this post.  I have done as you suggested.  Next step will be to change my banking details which I don't want to do.