katakat.com bytes from a participant observer

I always see ads like this, usually from Facebook. Check out these two ads, supposedly from two different people:

• http://myteethtrick.com/my-white-teeth.php?t202id=55083&t202kw=PN
• http://www.momswhiteningsecret.com/2/index.php?sub=ABLTB01

Would you buy products from vendors who use deceptive practices?? Don't these two ads look suspiciously similar? Note the "family" photo and the comments are exactly the same, even if the body text varies the words (the same meaning, however). And these aren't the only ones out there; they seem to be dynamically built from whatever zip code you're in. I'll bet there's another by a different name selling to housewives in New York somewhere.

BTW, be sure to read the fine print at the bottom of these ads that describes these as negative option sales, meaning you have to tell them to stop billing your credit card. One of these products, (Dazzle Smile) will bill you over $87 for your "trial" (since $4.95 is only for SHIPPING) and then continue to bill thereafter until you tell them to stop: 

"When you place your order today with DazzleSmile, you will automatically become a part of our elite customer club. Your active credit card will only be billed $4.95 for the shipping of your 14-day day trial. If you choose to keep your trial, your active credit card will be billed the low member price of only $87.62 for your trial, and each additional month you continue to use DazzleSmile. (Shipped as a fresh, 3 month supply every 90 days.)"

Is that $87.62 per MONTH? Yep. READ the fine print. And if there's a hyperlink for more print, read that too. And remember, this is for only ONE of the TWO products you have to buy to make your teeth white. DentaSmile will bill you an additional $92.37 per month! Plus, these "subscriptions" also enroll you in other "services" and pile on more charges. Looks like you'll be really paying around $200 per month for white teeth. What a fine business, if you ignore the fine print.

I think whitening strips would be a lot cheaper, or even going to a real dentist to get their gel stuff.

Wow. Snake oil lives on in 2009!