http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/feb/21/consumer-affairs-wine-clubs
The reader was offered a £40 voucher, redeemable at the new internet wine company Naked Wines, set up by the man behind Virgin Wines before he sold it – to Laithwaites.
Again, the voucher promises a big discount on a first purchase – in this case, a £90 mixed case would be sent for £30. But buried in the small print is a clause stating that anyone taking up the offer will automatically find themselves paying £20 a month into a wine fund. This money could later be redeemed to buy wines at any point in the future – with a 33% discount.
The vouchers sent out by Amazon have a different small-print clause which means anybody taking up the offer commits themselves to paying £5 a month to Naked Wines.
“My first reaction was ‘great – a £40 wine voucher’,” said the reader, who does not wish to be named. “It even said they had sent it as a ‘thank you’ for shopping with See. It was only when I went through the small print that I discovered that, by buying the initially low-priced case, I would end up paying into a savings account to cover future purchases. What sort of offer is that?” The reader decided not to go ahead.
A spokeswoman for Naked Wines conceded the offer could have been made clearer and said changes have since been made to its marketing materials. “If the customers prepay £10 or £20 a month, we don’t have to spend money marketing to them,” she said. “We would rather pass a 33% saving on to our loyal customers. They can cancel at any time and get their monthly payments back – which are kept in a secure trust account.”
Just to be clear, like.
Oh and just to be clear, I never discriminate between alcohol, heroin, crack or skunk when it comes to consumer protection 🙂 Serioulsy, nothing wrong with a voucher system, but Naked Wines is still a subscription club despite the ability to opt out at will.
