A follow-up - the charge name that is listed on my statement for 2013
registration is WithdrawalACT*Council on Library which is different than
what you have listed in your statement. :-(
Thanks,
Becky
Sent from the ball and chain
On Mar 12, 2015 7:22 PM, "Becky Yoose" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello Brad,
>
> I'm sorry to hear about the suspicious charges! Per your request, I
> checked the history of the the account I used to pay for 2013 and did not
> find a reoccurring charge like the one you described. I wonder what
> happened with your account...
>
> Thanks,
> Becky
>
> Sent from the ball and chain
> On Mar 12, 2015 7:09 PM, "Brad Busenius" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Hi everybody,
>>
>> I hope this is the right place to inquire about this. I have some
>> information about a possible problem with the company handling registration
>> for code4lib. I recently noticed a suspicious charge on my credit card for
>> the amount of $64.95. The charge showed up as ACT*ACTIVE-NETWORK. After
>> some investigation I found out this was from a company called ACTIVE
>> Network, LLC. Apparently this company handles registration for events.
>>
>> To my dismay I found out that I had been charged for this annually since
>> 2013. I'm very embarrassed that 1. I didn't notice this during the
>> registration process and 2. I didn't catch the charges earlier. Anyhow,
>> after a quick email search I found something surprising; I had received
>> emails from this company at my /work/ email address. I never noticed the
>> emails because they looked like junkmail, however, upon reviewing them I
>> discovered that at some point I had supposedly registered for a free trial
>> that ended after a month, at which point I was automatically enrolled into
>> an annual subscription. Needless to say, I//did /not/ ever sign up for any
>> trial or subscription, at least not to my knowledge.
>>
>> Since I have only used my personal credit card for work purposes 3 times,
>> it was easy to tie this to code4lib 2013. I looked at my receipt for
>> code4lib 2013 and saw that something called RegOnline (owned by Lanyon
>> Solutions Inc) was used to process my event registration. Though I'm not
>> sure this is the same company, RegOnline, Lanyon Solutions Inc, and ACTIVE
>> Network, LLC all share the same physical address. I suspect these three
>> companies are one and the same and will refer to them as ACTIVE Network,
>> LLC for the rest of this email.
>>
>> I did a little investigating and found out that ACTIVE Network, LLC. uses
>> unscrupulous business practices to trick people into singing up for their
>> annual subscription. The crux of this is an "automatic opt-in" they employ
>> while processing enrollments for third parties. Though I'm very embarrassed
>> I didn't catch this, in my own defense I wasn't expecting it while
>> registering for an academic conference. I'm not blaming anyone nor am I
>> angry with anyone on this list. I only send this email to inquire and
>> inform:
>>
>> 1. To see if anyone else has had a similar experience.
>> 2. To warn other people from code4lib to check their bank statements.
>> 3. To plead with the community to stop using ACTIVE Network, LLC and
>> anything affiliated with them for registration.
>>
>> Let me be frank for a moment. ACTIVE Network, LLC engages in highly
>> unethical business practices. I did not intend to enroll in any annual
>> subscriptions when I registered for code4lib and I never would have agreed
>> to anything of the sort had I noticed what was happening. Additionally, the
>> subscription isn't at all relevant to code4lib. I'm not even sure what
>> value is being provided by the subscription. I think it has something to do
>> with coupons for outdoor exercise equipment but I'm not even sure. Also,
>> these guys are bad. They lost class action lawsuits in Iowa and Vermont. In
>> fact, this whole thing is just bad all around. Since noticing the
>> fraudulent charges this morning, I've already disputed them with my bank
>> and filed a formal complaint against ACTIVE Network, LLC with the better
>> business bureau. Apparently I'm not the only one:
>>
>> 1. http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness/bodywork/the-fit-list/
>> Active-Network-Consumer-Complaints.html
>> 2. http://www.yelp.com/biz/active-network-san-diego?sort_by=date_desc
>> 3. http://legalnewsline.com/news/253622-active-network-will-
>> pay-160k-to-consumers-after-action-by-vermont-ag
>> 4. https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Iowa%20ACTIVE%
>> 20Network%2C%20LLC#hl=en&q=Active+Network+scam
>>
>> I apologize if I've made an error in my investigation or if I've done
>> something inappropriate by emailing this list. I can't imagine that anyone
>> would have intended anything like this but I thought you should all be
>> aware.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>> Brad Busenius
>> Web Administrator
>> The University of Chicago Library
>> (773) 702-4391
>>
>
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