Adaptive Enhances Existing Best Practices with Additional Consumer Protections

NORWALK, Conn., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Vertrue Incorporated and its indirect subsidiary, Adaptive Marketing LLC, today called for industry-wide post-transaction on-line marketing standards that will provide enhanced protection for consumers.

Adaptive has for years adhered to a set of Best Practices - both on-line and off-line - and it believes that protecting the consumer on both the front- and back-end of every sales transaction is vital. As the result of discussions with industry leaders and consumer advocates designed to address concerns specifically identified by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation with regard to certain post-transaction marketing practices on the Internet, Adaptive is strengthening its existing Best Practices and is implementing an additional layer of consumer protection:

• In every post-transaction membership program offer that includes pre-acquired account information and a free-to-pay conversion feature, Adaptive will obtain from the consumer the last four digits (at a minimum) of their payment account as further acknowledgement of the offer.
  

This new layer of enhanced consumer protection reinforces the company's existing, longstanding pro-consumer Internet marketing policies, which include the following:

• Providing consumers with clear, conspicuous and repeated disclosure of all material terms of the offer, including membership fee and cancellation terms (e.g., how and when the membership fee will be charged/debited and how the consumer may cancel by calling a specified toll-free number and other convenient and readily-accessible means).
• Obtaining and confirming the consumer's unambiguous and express consent to charge/debit the membership fee to/from a specified account.
• Obtaining an "electronic signature" (as defined by the E-Signature Act) from both credit card and debit card users authorizing the membership fee to be charged to/debited from a specified account.
• Sending e-mails to consumers to verify enrollment.
• Providing a toll-free customer service number on all Adaptive enrollment/confirmation webpages, enrollment verification emails and payment card billing descriptors, so that consumers can readily call with questions or cancel their enrollments.
• Providing a full and prompt "no questions asked" credit or refund to any consumer who is charged a membership fee but claims that he or she did not authorize that charge. Members wishing to cancel online also have 24/7 access to the company's easy-to-use website: www.MembershipCenter.com.
  

As the Committee this month continues its leadership role in examining post-transaction Internet sales practices, Adaptive's enhanced Best Practices provide a strong foundation for marketing standards to which the entire online marketing industry should be held.

For more than 20 years, Vertrue's subsidiaries have been providing millions of consumers with access to substantial savings and best of class services that improve their daily lives.

About Adaptive Marketing

Adaptive Marketing is a category leader in membership programs and loyalty programs, bringing value directly to consumers through an array of member benefits in the categories of Health & Wellness, Discounts, Personal Property, Security and Personals. Adaptive is headquartered in Norwalk, CT.

About Vertrue Incorporated

Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Vertrue Incorporated is a leading Internet marketing services company and premier marketing partner to corporate clients. Vertrue, through its various subsidiaries, gives consumers access to services that offer substantial discounts and convenience for important decisions in their everyday lives. The services offered by the Vertrue family of companies span healthcare, personal property, security/insurance, discounts and personals and are offered online through an array of marketing channels. Partners can enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs offered by subsidiaries of Vertrue.

    Contact: Ashley Burke
    aburke@prismpublicaffairs.com
    202-207-3632

SOURCE Vertrue Incorporated

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RELATED LINKS
http://www.MembershipCenter.com