Finallyfast.com To Refund Thousands to Idiots Who Believed a Word of Their Infomercial
Oh, Finallyfast.com. This infomercial is a dear old friend of mine. I've written a little post about this in an older iteration of this blog (if I can find it, I'll re-post it here), basically pointing out how much of a bastard the kid complaining to his mom is, and wondering how airplanes grunt (just watch it, you'll see what I mean).
Anyway, Ascentive, the company behind FinallyFast, is a scammy outfit of people who want you to believe that your computer is a ticking timebomb that's ABOUT TO EXPLODE INTO DEADLY SHRAPNEL ANY SECOND. Unless you give them money. Here are a few of their questionable practices, from the Attorney General's press release:
Misrepresented that consumers’ computers are at risk of harm through banner ads that resemble warning messages, pop-ups and graphical images.
Sent deceptive e-mails that suggest the company’s software is recommended by Microsoft.
Offered free scans that were bundled with other programs that launched excessive pop-up warnings and nagging alerts until the user either purchased the company’s product or uninstalled the software. The scans often identified harmless files as errors.
Failed to disclose that by downloading one program in its suite of services, an additional program – essentially an advertisement for other software products – would also be installed.
Added additional products to orders during the checkout process. Consumers had to uncheck boxes next to the products in order to avoid being charged.
Failed to clearly disclose that consumers who purchased products were actually buying an annual license and would be automatically billed each year unless they cancel.
Made it difficult for consumers to cancel orders or obtain refunds.
So there you go, dummies! You're lucky you're getting your money back, because... have you actually watched the infomercial? Please don't pay companies that air infomercials at 3AM or Best Buy's Geek Scam Squad any money to "fix" or "optimize" your computer; give your nerdy nephew $50 to help you out or something. He can use the money. Better yet, stop clicking ads that promise you free iPods in the first place, OK?