Webcertificate and multiple personality disorder, or, why the dot-com crash is all my fault
Written: Apr 11 '01
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The Bottom Line
If you need another credit card number -- for sinister or legitimate motives -- Webcertificate is the answer. But don't tell them I said that.
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| Full Review |
I have a confession to make… the dot-com world is going bankrupt and it’s all my fault. Well, I can’t take all the blame. Blame it on Webcertificates, because they were the source of my evil power.
What’s a Webcertificate? It’s available at http://www.webcertificate.com. They call it an “online gift certificate.” To the consumer, it acts just like a debit MasterCard. You buy a certificate for a certain amount and are given a credit card number and an expiration date (a year from the date of purchase, though the date is extended when you add funds). When you have used up your balance, you pay a small fee to add more funds. It works just like a MasterCard when shopping online. For shopping in “brick and mortar” stores you can pay extra for an actual card.
In the beginning it was so simple, so innocent, so harmless. Webcertificate.com was offering a free $5 certificate to anyone with a paid e-mail address. I signed up for one. I signed my husband up for one.
Fees associated with the Webcertificate include (as of April 2001):
Purchase a Webcertificate in denominations of $20-$49 $2.95
Purchase a Webcertificate in denominations of $50-$99 $3.95
Purchase a Webcertificate in denominations of $100-$200 $4.95
Add Funds to Webcertificate Account $1-$50 $1.00
Webcertificate "Plastic" Card $6.95
Account Dormancy Fee $3.00
Overlimit Fee $15.00
Then it happened… my first “one per customer” deal. One of my favorite online retailers had a coupon for $20 off any purchase of $20.01 or more with free shipping! So many possibilities -- toys, books, a snazzy new diaper bag, that neat umbrella stroller -- almost free. But I could only do it once. Unless, of course, I found a way to become another customer… and so it began.
Once you have your account number and expiration date, you can shop without ever visiting the Webcertificate site again. But if you do go back to the site, you can log on to your account and see an online statement or take advantage of special offers from certain merchants. After you log on, a “shopping bar” pops up, giving your account number, expiration date, available balance, and other information. It’s easy to go back to this bar and cut-and-paste your number, for example, when you get to the checkout. I have had no problems shopping at online stores with my Webcertificate. However, I have been unable to use it with PayPal or at sites that require you to enter a credit card number to establish a unique identity, such as Flooz.
I used my own credit card to place an order which I had delivered to my office. I placed another order in my husband’s name, using his new Webcertificate, to be delivered to our house. But then I got greedy. Using my supply of AOL addresses, I created identities for my mother and sister, getting free Webcertificates for them and placing orders in their names. The loot rolled in. Hey, couldn’t I get a Webcertificate in my maiden name? What about my infant daughter? My dog? Anyone with a paid e-mail address can get $5 free and start shopping!!!
In addition to being a gift certificate that can be used anwhere, Webcertificate could be an option for those who can’t or shouldn’t have a credit card, but find they need one to shop online. However, you may have to use your own willpower when it comes to your spending limit, since I have been able to charge more than my remaining balance (For example, when I ordered a “free with purchase” product at Staples, they actually charged for the free product and then credited my account later. I think this is a tacky way of doing business, but I suppose I should save that for another review). Webcertificate “reserves the right” to charge a $15 overlimit fee “at their discretion.” In my Staples incident, and in another case where a careless merchant charged more than the correct amount and put me over my limit, I was not charged a fee.
The free $5 offer ended, and now the only way to get a Webcertificate is to pay for it like everyone else (though you do not have to use a paid e-mail address). But I didn’t care – I had plenty. As other internet retailers offered great “first time customer” and “one per customer” deals, my Webcertificates got plenty of use. I justified it by saying it was unfair to only reward new customers and not the ones who came back. But then, one by one, those wonderful dot-com stores started going out of business. I couldn’t help feeling a pang of guilt… how much was I to blame? Did I suck them dry, getting all those “one per customer” deals over and over again? Did the entire internet economy collapse because I had a multiple personality disorder????
Blame me and Webcertificate.
Recommended:
Yes
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About the Author
Member: Tracy
Location: Oklahoma
Reviews written: 76
Trusted by: 22 members
About Me: Fifteen words? Shopper... user... reviewer... wife... mother... employee... from infertility treatment to cosmetics and toys!
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