e-tailer

New York examines Web marketing 'scam'

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has launched an investigation into the marketing practices of 22 online retailers, including Staples, 1-800-Flowers.com, and Orbitz.

Cuomo's office said Wednesday it issued subpoenas to the merchants and requested information about the retailers' relationships with three marketing companies, Webloyalty, Affinion, and Vertrue. These firms have allegedly misled consumers for years into joining membership programs and paying monthly fees.

Webloyalty and the other companies are so-called post-transaction marketers that have compiled a long history of consumer complaints and class-action lawsuits. Typically, the three firms present pop-up ads to online shoppers when they're … Read more

Affinion stops buying credit-card info from e-tailers

Affinion Group, one of three Web marketers accused of misleading consumers into signing up for membership programs and paying monthly fees, has vowed to do away with some of its most controversial practices.

The post-transaction marketing firm informed the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee that it will no longer acquire credit-card numbers and other information from anyone else but a card owner, the Commerce Committee announced Friday. From now on, Affinion will require a consumer to input their own transaction before the company will sign them up to a membership program or charge their card.

Affinion and competitors Vertrue and … Read more

Scam probe casts harsh light on Web retail

The sheer number of retailers accused of betraying customer trust, and the scrutiny being directed toward credit card companies, has churned up an unprecedented scandal for the e-commerce sector.

New York examines Web marketing 'scam' The state follows up U.S. probe of "misleading" marketing practices by Orbitz, Barnes & Noble, and other online retailers. (Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval) January 28, 2010 12:54 AM PST

Affinion stops buying credit-card info from e-tailers In a victory for consumers and a Senate committee, one of the marketers accused of duping Web shoppers into joining paid programs … Read more

Another e-tailer named in probe changes course

Another e-tailer criticized by federal lawmakers two weeks ago for profiting from "misleading" and "deceptive" marketing practices appears to be rethinking its position.

VistaPrint, an online printing company, announced Monday it has "terminated its contract" with Vertrue, a so-called post-transaction marketing company that has come under scrutiny along with competitors Affinion and Webloyalty. This summer, the U.S. Senate Commerce committee began looking into scores of consumer complaints about the marketers--some going back years.

VistaPrint said in a statement that the company's contract with Vertrue ends December 20.

The three Connecticut-based marketing firms … Read more

For the Record Podcast: E-tailer 'scams' deceive consumers

As CNET's Greg Sandoval has been reporting, a number of well-known e-tailers have been implicated in marketing schemes that have led to people purchasing services that they were unaware they had signed up for.

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee has been investigating these practices, as has Professor Prentiss Cox of the University of Minnesota Law School. Members of the Senate and angry online shoppers have used such terms as "scam," "robbery," and "theft" to describe such practices.

To find out more about how these work, Larry Magid spoke with Cox and CNET'… Read more

Amazon to store, ship goods for other merchants

Any mom-and-pop retail operation can now tap into Amazon's logistics and fulfillment expertise.

The Web's largest retailer has launched a fulfillment Web service. Fellow merchants can hire Amazon to store, pick and pack, and then ship products for fellow merchants, according to an announcement on Amazon's Web site. The service is free once a merchant signs up with Fulfillment By Amazon and pays the FBA fees.

Participating retailers use a Web interface to send inbound shipments to Amazon, post and track orders, and attach branding information. The service enables merchants to sell goods on Amazon or their … Read more