Thanks for giving us the heads-up, Brad. I've used my work procurement card for Code4Lib registrations, and I haven't seen anything like you've described.
Peter > On Mar 12, 2015, at 8:08 PM, Brad Busenius <bbusen...@uchicago.edu> 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
