allcoolmusic is a big scam business. Get them off the net, see page 5 of this thread. And also get your $$$ BACK!!! (music members)

emmasdilema the only place to get LW is at this link http://www.limewire.com/english/content/download.shtml
Check your browser's history or that of your sister to find exactly what site she went to. LW Pro does NOT cost £30.00
BTW there is only minimal difference between LW Pro & LW Basic so go with Basic & you'll be fine.

I thought of something else that I wanted to mention here as well. Just for fun, some of you may want to try this as well. Go to the allcoolmusic.com welcome page. Where it has the link to the "members" area, click on that. (No worries if you aren't a member) Now think of the most revolting, disgusting user name you can think of and enter that. Below that enter your email address as (revolting, disgusting user name)@hotmail.com, yahoo.com, or whatever, and click enter. Well, suprise, suprise, you are a member! Wow! Now go to their support page and let them know of their site. Of course don't expect a reply but it can be theraputic for some. Obviously they are full of s**t regarding their members area as anyone can get access to this area with a fake username and email address. Pathetic. I have looked over this site and they really do skate on the edge of legality, but I could not find any claims that they make that could not easily be explained away in court. They obviously prey on people who don't know any better, and even catch a few who should know better (like me). Good luck everyone, and if you are reading this before your monthly credit card statement has gone out, I would suggest calling them today and disputing the charges. I don't expect to hear back from the scammers myself.

Adding Insult to Injury
 

I'm a long-time cyberspace guy, going back to the old BBS days. And it hurts to admit that I got scammed. But then they added insult to injury.

I'd used Google to lookup Limewire and one of the top hits was something called Limewire 2007. I took a look at it and it offered unlimited downloads for $39.00 for three years. That was much better, I thought, than the .99 cents for every tune on iTunes, so I started signing up, entering my credit card and etc. But when I got to the checkout page a bunch of other programs had been added, including something called Defensza, and I got suspicous. I backed out of the page without authorizing the purchase. No matter, it got put through anyway.

But because I was suspicious I'd checked my bank account online and found the request sitting there but not yet approved. I called US Bank's incorrectly named "fraud" department and told them of the scam. They told me they couldn't do anything about it until they actually authorized it because it was on my debit card and not my Visa. (They can't STOP a fraud, just investigate it later) Go figure? The charge got approved the next day.

Curious now, and more than a little P.O.ed, I did a bunch of research and eventually found a tech support number for one of the scam programs that worked. (Most of the scammer numbers don't, on the rare occasion when there is a number listed). The voice on the other end was a woman with an Indian accent. I complained, using a phony name linked to a real email account, that I'd paid and didn't get my software. She checked her database, several times, once using the phony name and once using a credit card number which I made up on the spot (which means all of my information is kept and stored in a database). When she couldn't find it, with me playing dumber than I really am on the other end of the line, she offered me a special, good only for three days. All the software, including music, movies etc, that I could use for only $19.95. She gave me the URL of this miraculous program download site and when I surfed there, with her still on the phone, it took me to a special site, full of fake testimonials and lots of buttons to download all kinds of free software. The software that I would have paid $19 for was Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0. Every one of the "free" software programs were shareware and freeware programs.

I went immediately to my bank and got a new ATM/Credit card with a new number and destroyed the old one (what a hassle).

By the way, a lot of these phony sites are located, I found when I pursued the URLs, in Malta and in St Kitts, locations where the arm of the law is very short and lots of money laundering and stuff like that apparently goes on.

What these SOBs are doing is not technically illegal, however. If you read the fine print on the license agreements - and who does, really - you'll notice that they're offering techical support etc, not programs. Nothing illegal about offering dolts like me a free program for $20. I really feel like an idiot, or as Bugs Bunny would say, "What a maroon".

I went to Winmix.com and was told that a lifetime membership was only 25 dollars or something like that and it was a one time fee. also there would be no other charges. well i have been getting charged ten dollars a month and because of it my bank is threatening to close my account because that is causing me to go into the negative. i do not know how to get a hold of them to get a refund. so what can i do?

Can you give the exact url address of the site?

It is www.winmix.com.

Beware of Fraud
 

We thought we had subscribed to Lime wire off a link from the site, but have been charged £48. 20 by a company calles Downloadserv.com from Haren i think its in Germany, any one else been done by the same company ??Can u get money back if paid by Visa ??

1st check their site to see if they have a support page & contact emails. If yes, request a refund. If no go, then go to your bank/CC rep. & let them know you were scammed & didn't get what you paid for despite their advertising.

Getting your money back....hahahahahahahahaha
 

Seriously, though. The folks running these scam sites, and some have twenty or more all aliased to a basic site, are really into keeping a low profile. They're operating on the edge of legality (most of the terms of service announcements say, in very small type, that they have no connection with the actual owners of the software being downloaded. They go on to say, on another page, that they are supplying technical support only, so what they're doing is not, technically, illegal).

Some folks are getting their money back if they complain, but most are being charged a $9.95 "handling fee", so the "vendor" is going to sting you for ten bucks regardless.

I went through my bank and had them challenge the charge and, wonder of wonders, I got it back. I can only guess that that is for one of two reasons: first, with all the money they're making, why mess around with a trouble maker like me, and with his bank. Two: they want to keep a low profile, and don't want the banks investigators snooping around.

So, you may be able to get some of your money back, but don't get your hopes up too high.

The Coyote