Hey guys, this is just an update on my situation with myus.com, an international mail forwarding service that engages in "bait and switch" practices with consumers. After my order arrived, I logged in and was prompted to pay a their shipping and handling fee. Nowhere was this fee labeled an estimate.
2 days later, I see that my credit card was charged nearly triple the amount I was prompted to pay. I attempted to dispute this charge directly with them-but they refuse to acknowledge the original prompt. As of today, there is zero evidence of the initial fee or related actions on my account (when I last logged in). There is no receipt. I have no physical evidence that this occurred. After some research I see that it has happened to a lot of people. I was denied access to the account for a few days but eventually was able to log back in.
I put in a claim with my credit card, and as others have mentioned here, the credit card company will deny your claims because there is no evidence of the bait and switch.
After a consultation and a bit of research, I was able to confirm that not only is this practice illegal, it is considered criminal activity in some jurisdictions. They're decision to make their US based HQ in Florida is not accidental, but even by Florida standards, it is NOT legal to prompt a customer to pay one fee, then charge the customer another without their consent.
I've been able to consult with a very helpful lawyer pro-bono, so if you have been scammed by Myus.com there ARE things you can do if you're willing to spend time on this. I believe they are relying on you to give up, especially after your credit card company (understandably) refuses to push the case further.
I'll provide another update soon, but here are a few related policies in the U.S and UK regarding their illegal activities.
Laws Pertinent to the United Kingdom
1. Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs)
- Misleading actions (false or deceptive price information)
- Misleading omissions (withholding key price information)
- Practices that cause the average consumer to make a different purchasing decision
- Businesses must not present one price and then charge a higher one at checkout
- “Drip pricing” (adding mandatory costs later in the process) is prohibited 2. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCC Act)
- Requires clear, upfront “total price” disclosure
- Explicitly flags that changing the price after the consumer proceeds to checkout can breach the law
- Allows regulators to impose fines up to 10% of global turnover
- If the price shown differs from what the consumer must pay after entering checkout, this may be a misleading action Under UK guidance your actions qualify as civil and criminal offences. Federal Policies Per)nent to the United States 1. Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits:
- “Unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce”
- Withholds the true price until late in the transaction **The legal test is whether the practice is likely to mislead a reasonable consumer in a material way** 2. FTC Guides Against Bait Advertising prohibits
- Advertising or presenting a price without a genuine intent to sell at that price
- Then steering consumers to a different (usually higher-priced) option 3. FTC Guides Against Deceptive Pricing prohibits false or misleading price representations:
• Prices must not be presented in a way that creates a false impression of the actual cost
4. FTC enforcement policy on “drip pricing” (hidden or late fees)
While historically enforced under Section 5, the FTC has formalized rules on hidden fees.
- “Drip pricing” = revealing part of the price upfront and the rest later
- The FTC has stated that failing to disclose the total price upfront can be deceptive
- It is illegal to prompt consumers to pay and then increase the price due to undisclosed mandatory charges
Laws Per)nent to Florida, USA
In addieon to the federal policies, the state of Florida has very clear guidance on your decepeve and illegal praceces:
1. Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act Core provision:
• Fla. Stat. § 501.204(1) prohibits:
“Unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce”
Under FDUTPA, it is unlawful to:
- Induce a consumer with one price
- Then require a different price in a way that misleads or alters the consumer’s decision Courts interpret this broadly using an “objective consumer” standard—whether the practice would mislead a reasonable consumer. Specifically relevant doctrines under FDUTPA:
- Bait-and-switch pricing (advertise one price, sell at another)
- Drip pricing (revealing mandatory costs late in checkout)
- Hidden or changed terms after consumer reliance These are all recognized as deceptive pricing practices under Florida law. 2. Florida Statute 817.41 What it says:
• It is unlawful to disseminate “misleading advertising” intended to obtain money under false pretenses
If a business:
- Presents a price to prompt payment,
- Then changes that price or adds undisclosed required costs, that can qualify as misleading advertising, which is a statutory violation (and potentially fraud). 3. Florida Statute 531.44 What it says:
• A person may not:
“misrepresent the price... or represent the price in any manner... tending to mislead or deceive” It prohibits:
- Any pricing representation that is misleading
- Including situations where the displayed or implied price differs from what is actually charged Laws Per)nent to California, USA (residence of plain)ff) 1. California Business and Professions Code § 12024.2 It is unlawful to: “charge an amount greater than the price... advertised, posted, marked, displayed, or quoted” . It is illegal to:
- Show or quote a price to a consumer
- Then charge a higher amount at the time of sale This applies to:
- Checkout price increases
- Register overcharges
- Any situation where the consumer is prompted to pay based on one price but must pay another This is a criminal statute (misdemeanor) if violated. I will pursue this as a criminal and civil issue if necessary. 2. California Civil Code § 1770(a)(29) (SB 478 – “Honest Pricing Law”) Businesses may not advertise or display a price that does not include all mandatory fees. This law directly targets price changes during checkout (often called “drip pricing”). It makes it illegal to:
- Show a lower price
- Then add required charges later (e.g., at checkout)
- The final payable price must be disclosed upfront
- The price cannot increase later due to hidden mandatory fees 3. California Business and Professions Code § 17500 prohibits:
• Any false or misleading statement about price
If a business:
- Presents one price to induce a purchase,
- Then requires a different price,
that can be considered false or misleading advertising, even if the change happens during checkout. 4. California Unfair Competition Law prohibits:
- Any unlawful, unfair, or fraudulent business practice
- Violations of the above laws (false pricing, hidden fees) automatically become violations of §17200
- Courts use this to enforce bait-and-switch and deceptive checkout pricing