I’ve begun to notice a widely accepted and predatory practice among business who are attempting to lure customers into their contract services. It’s called… the FREE TRIAL PERIOD.

It’s almost as bad as the whole FREE* issue. The difference lies in the fact that you are presented with every outward indication that this particular business is offering a trial period of service for you to evaluate your satisfaction with the product or service. What’s actually happening, is that a much more complex and risky deal is being hidden beneath a flashy advertising gimmick. What they’re really doing is attempting to play upon the natural human instinct of curiosity, desire, and forgetfulness in order to derive a profit.

Most “free trials” quickly end up annoying their potential clients because the simple exterior quickly peels away as soon as interest is shown. Let’s create a theoretical offer and I’ll demonstrate.

“New SuperTech3000 cellular phone offer! It allows you to make calls even while underwater!! 14-DAY FREE TRIAL! Hurry! Supplies are limited!”

You think, “Oh cool! I don’t know why I’d try to call someone from underwater…but that’s pretty cool. I’ll try it for 14 days and see if it’s worth the money.” Ah…will you now? Alrighty. You decide to contact this company and get yourself a SuperTech3000 for 14 days.

Oh! What’s this? You suddenly find out that the phone is $500, and requires either a yearly or monthly subscription for service. If you want the 14-day free trial…you have to give them your credit card information so they can bill your stupid butt if you happen to get forgetful enough not to cancel your subscription before the 14 days are up.

This is called the “ring through the nose”… if you don’t unclip the chain before 14 days pass…you are at the mercy of their contract. Oh are these people lovely? Wouldn’t you recommend them to everyone? If you participate in anything emblazoned with a “FREE” attached to the sign, you had best beware.

People are not in business to be kind to you, cater to your whims, do you favors or give out free things. Free…is never free. Free…is a way to get you to pay. Remember this, people. You’ll thank me for it.

Bottom line? If you can’t resist the “free trial period”….then invest in a memo book. Just because you’ve forgotten about Company X…doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten about you.

I’m outta here for now.