I'm sure there's an actual term for it, but you may already know what I'm talking about. A company reals you in with, what's this? A total steal! Get this FREE thing we sell, get it right now! No gimmicks, just give us your email and you'll get this 100% FREE thing!

And then you put in your email, GREAT! One more thing, it's going to cost $1 for shipping and handling, THAT'S ALL! You'll get this GREAT FREE thing that's worth $40! Just pay a dollar, that's ALL!

So you're thinking, "alright, I expected a shipping fee. But I still get a free thing, it's worth it!"

But, then it goes a little further.

I'm getting into specifics now with an incident I just had with a little company called Graze, they sell healthy snack boxes. I had been wanting to try their stuff for a while, I'm not a super health nut or anything but I do appreciate organic foods that taste good, and these were very interesting. They have these trail mixes that are styled like desserts, like jelly donut and caramel apple pie, very delicious looking stuff.

Anyhow, I got this "deal" in which I'd get 1 graze box with 4 snacks to try, and all I'd have to do was pay S&H, which was totally fine with me. I put in the mound of information they requested, answered their questions on my taste preferences, and I was constantly hit with the words "FREE" and "GREAT DEAL" "TRIAL" "CANCEL ANYTIME" "ENJOY" just to drag me along the process and not pay attention to the fine print.

I get to the checkout screen, and suddenly, as I'm hitting OK, I see the tiny print, "by proceeding, you agree to receive one free snack box and pay $13.99 for a full sized snack box subscription."

What.

The.

F^ck?

Nowhere before this screen did it tell me I was buying a subscription. It said free box.

I tried cancelling only the subscription, and they ended up cancelling the free box too.

So basically, in order to try their snacks, you get a "free" box of four snacks, but only if you agree to pay $13.99 for another box of 8 snacks.

And if I don't like the trial box I still get charged for the regular box?

That's what I took from it at least, otherwise why would they cancel my "free" box?

Basically, it's not a free box. It's a box and a half for the price of one full box.

This company doesn't seem to know how a "trial" works. See, you let someone try your product, and then you let them decide to go forth with the full thing.

This stuff happens with companies so much, and yeah I get it. You're a business, you have workers to pay and yachts to buy, you can't risk being taken advantage of for free samples, can you?

They do realize this is like going to Wal-Mart, trying a sample of a cookie, and then being told you have to buy the entire box of cookies at full price, right?

And then they have the balls to email me constantly telling me my "free box" is waiting for me.

If it's waiting for me, then go ahead and take my $1 for the sample box and send it to me, ass.

(Note, if they somehow do send you the free box and there's a way to cancel the subscription before they charge your card, then let me know. From what I saw on their website, you have to buy the full subscription, and yet I'm seeing reviewers claim otherwise. I just don't trust this shady tactic, they are very obviously waiting for someone to slip up and not realize they have bought a subscription box along with their "free box.")

Is it too much to ask that companies try and be a little more honest with their consumers?