The European Consumer Centre Finland has received many complaints about the LuxStyle online store, based in Denmark. The store apparently considers that goods have been ordered if a consumer selects a product and enters their contact information. To find out about the price, the consumer must move one step forward in the ordering process. Even if the consumer abandons the order after seeing the price but before selecting a payment method, they nonetheless receive an order confirmation and the product is sent to them. LuxStyle has run advertising campaigns lately, at least on Facebook.
Update on 3rd January 2017: Important information about LuxStyle complaints for non-EU residents
A “traditional” subscription trap is built around a free product or a cheap trial pack that acts as bait and is followed by a fixed-term subscription. In LuxStyle’s case, the trap is built around an order that is placed too early and a product that the consumer receives without having ordered it. The hook is the price information, which is not revealed to the consumer before a certain stage in the ordering process. For example, LuxStyle sells the QuickMax lash growth serum.
A defective process – instructions for consumers
The European Consumer Centre in Finland has tested LuxStyle’s ordering process and found it highly defective. For an online purchase to be made, the consumer usually needs to select a product, place it in the basket, fill in their contact information, select a payment method and then confirm the order. In the LuxStyle shop, the consumer selects a product and then fills in the contact information. Most consumers continued from this stage in order to see the price of the product, as it had not been revealed elsewhere. Upon seeing the price, they interrupted the ordering process. However, the company claims that an order was placed at the previous stage when the consumer filled in the contact information.
The European Consumer Centre states that an online purchase has not been made in such a case. As a result, the consumer does not need to pay or return the product that was delivered to them without an order. The Consumer Protection Act also requires traders to ensure that the consumer provides explicit consent to paying for the ordered product – if this is neglected, the agreement is not binding.
If you have visited the LuxStyle website following their Facebook campaign and received a product and an invoice, do the following:
- Email the seller at info@luxstyle.fi and tell them you have received a shipment.
- State that you have not made an order.
- For instance, you may write as follows: “I have received a product and invoice from you on (DATE). As I never ordered the product, I will not pay the invoice. Furthermore, I am not obliged to return the product which I have not ordered. If you are able to prove that I have placed a binding order, please email this proof to me as soon as possible.”
- Do not send back the package you received without ordering it.
- Do not pay the invoice.
Please note that you may send the complaint in Finnish. If these instructions do not help you resolve the matter or you need translation help in order to understanding the company’s reply, please contact us.
The European Consumer Centre in Denmark will help you resolve the matter. The Danish and Finnish Consumer Ombudsmen are also monitoring the company.