If you watch enough TV, there’s a good chance you’ve seen ads for The Green Millionaire, which purports to be a free book that will teach you how to take advantage of government programs to do things like “keep your gas tank full for free” and “get big dollars to ‘green’ your home, even if you rent.” But some complain they’re getting more than the free book — they’re getting a pricey magazine subscription they can’t get out of.

According to the book’s site, when you order your free copy of the The Green Millionaire you are also subscribed to The Green Millionaire eMagazine and will begin being charged $29.95 every 60 days if you don’t cancel within the 14-day free trial period.

However, over at ComplaintBoards.com, there are numerous complaints from consumers claiming they were charged $89.95 — three times the quoted price on the site’s Terms & Conditions page. And some say the charge was made on their credit card before the 14-day trial period even ended.

One complainant says he ordered the book on July 24 and called to cancel on Aug. 3, well within the two-week time frame. But on the same day he canceled, he claims Green Millionaire charged his credit card the $89.95 fee:

I called them again, got a different rep who tried to tell me that I hadn’t called and that their system logged each call that was made to them. If so, they need to fix their system. What I suspect is true is that he was just trying to bluff his way through, but it didn’t work. At first, he said that he couldn’t refund the money. As I escalated it, he offered to refund half. I stuck to my position and he finally agreed to refund the full amount, but it will take 7-14 business days for them to undo what they did in seconds with their unauthorized charge.

So before you get sucked in by author Nigel Williams’ vaguely British-ish sort of accent and sleek bald scalp, you’ll probably want to give The Green Millionaire a pass.

The Green Millionaire Complaints [ComplaintBoards.com]

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