Done
I can't believe I have made the same mistake twice. It was bad enough the first time, but to fall for it the second - unbelievable.
I am now, I was going to say $350 out of pocket, but when I went to my bank account to check the exact amount, I see there is a second deduction of $71 bringing the total to $420. I will most likely receive some pills in a week or so, but nothing is worth that amount of money, especially when I thought I was only spending $40.
It all started back in 2006 when I left my journalism job and travelled to Outback Australia to work in a shearing gang. I was hankering for the land again and thought that would be a good way of satisfying that appetite.
Between sheds, I stayed in a Youth Hostel in Broken Hill, which was run by a very large, unwell man. He'd had a heart attack and had been suffering from blocked arteries. Each morning he would cook up a concoction to drink during the day, which he said, had totally cleaned out his arteries. He no longer needed heart surgery that had been scheduled for him. I thought I had written his recipe down, but have been unable to find it. I seem to remember garlic, lemon and cayenne pepper amongst his ingredients but couldn’t find anything similar in internet searches.
My cholesterol has been steadily rising. I have refused traditional medication so when I saw an ad on Facebook last year, for a product from Australia, containing cayenne pepper, for clearing blocked arteries, I decided I must try some.
Yesterday, again on Facebook, I was reading a blurb about an Australian who had discovered a way, again, of clearing blocked arteries. This came in capsule form.
Why I had completely forgotten my first experience, I have no idea, but it didn't even come into my mind. I trusted the fact I was dealing with an Australian company.
The method in both cases was the same.
They advertise a deal, in this case, a bottle for only $39 instead of a hundred and something. You fill in all your bank card details, push next and it makes you accept a special deal. There is no other option that works. I tried to push the not now button to no avail. Then I figured, what the he'll, another bottle won’t hurt. Then it comes up that I have been charged $209 for five bottles. That's when I first realised I had been done and last year's experience came to mind. But that's not the worst of it. That amount is in U S dollars, with no mention anywhere of this. Heaven knows what the second charge is for. I could have handled losing $200 and put it down to a stupid mistake NEVER to be repeated, but when it turns out to be $420, that hurts. I think of all the things I could have spent that money on. What a waste.
The pills will turn up, just as the drops did. I stopped taking those as they made me feel unwell. How could I have forgotten that experience?
To make matters worse, I checked the internet again and this time found a recipe to clear arteries with garlic, ginger and lemon. Could have done it all myself for virtually nothing.
I am beating myself up for my stupidity. Twice.
Am I getting Alzeimers? Why didn't I remember last year's experience?
Last year, I immediately rang my bank but there didn't seem anything they could do. The product still arrives, so it's not a scam in that sense. It is how they go about it, leaving no option but to order extra, and no mention of US dollars. I have tried contacting their 24 hour chat line - doesn't work, and Spark tells me the number they have doesn't exist. Perhaps I won't even receive my product this time.
I’m not feeling very happy at the moment.