damn - I've been conned!

gkr

Just thought I'd pass this on - thinking I was subscribing to a legit, legal mp3 download site, I handed over my c/card details etc to this site

http://mp3downloadhq.com

only to find that after subscribing and logging in, it lists various FREE software apps and some comments - Limewire is their favourite.

..... and I thought I was clever!

Here's their confirmation email ..............................

Welcome to the worlds greatest file sharing software website on the internet!

Please print out this page for your records.

Billing information
Membership type:1 Year Full & Unlimited Access for a total of 17.88 $ USD
Pro Version Upgrade - Movie Codec Pack for a total of 14.95 $ USD
NetSpyProtector Option - Protect yourself from malware for a total of 9.88 $ USD

Grand total: 42.71 $ USD

Membership information
Order ID #: 55702005061

To login please use the email address used for signing up.

To begin enjoying your membership, please go to <http://mp3downloadhq.com/me/login.asp>

Note: You will find your additional upgrade software in our member's area under the 'bonus software' section.

Sincerely,
Customer Support department

Deer Slayer

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Crabbyappleton

Whoa! Thanks for tipping us off! I wonder if you can't contest this charge with your credit card company. Or at least tell them what happened. Surely you are not the first and maybe they can help you stop payment.

I can see how you could get fooled, that's one slick looking website. Good luck dude and thanks again for alerting the community.

Seán

Unfortunately, it looks the FAQ covers this:
Going by a first glance at the website, the flash demo and FAQ, they do try to make it appear like their service is a service the equivalent to Napster or one of the other flat-rate unlimited download sites, especially with the mention of requiring Windows Media Player and a DRM compliant portable player!:

Before subscribing to any music store, there are a few checks I would recommend performing to reduce the likelihood of falling for a scam or some thing like this. All the following steps should be possible before signing up for the service:

1. See if you can browse their music library. Some services such as iTunes require the user to download software first in order to do so, however it should not be necessary to subscribe first.
2. Check if you can download their software. Pretty much all legitimate sites I'm aware of allow the consumer to download the software without having to sign up first. Examples include Real, Napster, iTunes and so on.
3. Have a look for preview tracks. Pretty much all legal music services offer samples of their music in an aim to lure in customers.
4. Find out the track pricing. Very few music services just offer an unlimited subscription service without selling songs individually. For example Napster offers an unlimited download service for a flat fee, but also charges one for individual songs in order to record them to CD or keep them permanently.
5. Check the site for screenshots of their software, such as in the help section. Most legitimate sites show screenshots of how to use their software.

swifty7

you should've investigated them first before the plunge!!!

JayC30

That's been written about in a couple of magazines and the help isn't worth the money. It is similar to the site in this thread: http://club.cdfreaks.com/showthread.php?t=141825

1969

Here is one of the largest free live music sources I have yet to see.

http://www.archive.org/

ILikePie

your not the first one that happened to, their also trying to sell open source p2p programs!! (along with a couple of trojans now and then)
they are working together with this site and/or are actually the same company: http://www.shareza.com/ or http://www.shereaza.com/ - note this sites are trying to lure ppl off from the real http://www.shareaza.com/ site, a good open source p2p app that runs on ed2k, Gnutella, Gnutella2 and bittorrent

TheRabbi

Even if it were legit, I wouldn't of signed up as it says "Average Download Speed - 128kbps" now my math is a bit shite after a few beers but that is only 16kB/s so not worth the effort.

This is the 1 problem with the GPL/GNU license.. if I understand it properly, you can use the code in your own programs and then do whatever the hell you want. So if you copy the entire code and recompile it, it becomes your own program that you can sell if you want. (Please correct me if I am wrong and be happy to flame my ass)

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phil_

you aint the only one,search google for active publishing and "mp3downloadhq.com" with quotes and youll see,anyway have a look at this info http://www.networksolutions.com/en_U...questid=473691
that domain had been registered at http://www.register.com contact em tell em your story and stuff maybe they will remove it also contact the company that hosts it which is http://www.techienetworks.com

Id33k

SHIT my brother sigend up to that I knew he was FUCKING getting conned!! Ha now I can rub it in his face!!

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homer6969

he's your brother man... i'm sure he's learnt his lesson once u tell him...

JayC30

Rabbi, yes and no, depends on the GPL in question. If they are supplying a p-2-p software like eMule they are legally bliged to provide the source code too, if they do not they are breaking the law. If they take the code to eMule, and don't modify it then complile it, then it is still eMule and not theres. Anyone is allowed to charge for open source software to cover the costs of "delivery" and storage, again as long as they provide the source code.

The thing about these sites is that they are not charging for the software but for the "customer service" which isn't worth the money.

Id33k

I should tell him.

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gilby

Looks like there is a seven day evaluation period during which you can get a refund.

"THE PURCHASE OF A MEMBERSHIP is NON-REFUNDABLE . After your evaluation period of 7 days, even if you are no longer using the service, you may not request a refund of the total or partial amount of your membership. Should you want a refund for any reason are within your evaluation period, you may request it by contacting customer service at 866-240-2760. We reserve the right to charge processing fees for any refund that you requested."

And if they try to charge a processing fee do a chargeback. Your credit card company, I assume, will take a pretty dim view of these scammers.

Muxix

euh...

I was doing a search on google about NetSpyProtector.

I do not really see why Gilby is dramaticaly upset about.

I made the search for knowing if it is good or not ?

Is it dangerous logicial ?

Thank you very much...