When the Fine Print is in Your Face

I find it funny when people ask me how Boston is treating me. I usually respond with "good", but I'm usually thinking about my finances. Things have changed dramatically since I graduated college. I have no school meal plan to cover my feeding myself for 4 months at a time, and I live by quite a few restaurants in Boston. You can probably see where this is going, but I am a proud foodie, and I'm learning to be a little responsible with my foodie moments. But this is not the point of my story. I tend to worry about my money because I don't balance my checkbook, which as a 25 year-old I need to get into the habit of ASAP. Because of this fun tidbit, I occasionally check my bank balance, and I'm usually in a good spot, but today scared me a bit.

Without sharing too much, I was checking to see if I was going to make a big payment, and I realized I was going to be able to, but without the cushion I had for majority of my summer. So I went through my transactions, and I discovered a few recurring payments from JustFab, a really nice online shoe store whose creative director is Kimora Lee Simmons. Most of their styles are $40, and they tend to follow the big trends that breeze through each season. They also tend to follow the big trends that pass through each season. You even get a monthly boutique based on a questionnaire you take when you first sign up.

Wait. Back up. Recurring payments????? I thought the service was free. It was at that moment that I realize I may have fallen victim to a common consumer mistake: not reading the fine print. I rushed to my computer with the quickness, visited the web site, and there it was: they take out $39.95 once a month. D'oh! How did I not see such a major part of their service? I called the customer service with a few questions: 1. Does my credit accumulate, and 2. Could I use them on sale items (haha). 

I was amazingly connected to someone within less than a minute to someone, and I finally saw the light. Based the credits on my account, I can purchase several pairs of shoes now (!!!!!), and I have the option to skip my month within the first five days. Thankfully, I had been paying attention to the emails I had been receiving, and I did notice the option to skip, but I didn't it was the option to skip being charged. Lesson definitely learned. Not only do I know how to prevent the same thing from happening in September, but now I can let the payment go through one month if I was itching for shoes. I also have another nudge to balance my checkbook and check my account often. 

You would think a situation like this would have a negative consequence, but I really love shoes, and I've thinking about fall. Happy shopping to me!