The web is full of useful sites where discount codes, 
and online voucher deals can be used to good effect. There are also a lot of free trials available that gives the consumer the chance to try a product before committing to buying it. This often rewards both parties as the consumer can get a taster of something which they may choose to purchase in the future, and the merchant can share their products, improve on their reputation and maybe gain many new customers. Below I have highlighted a few things to be aware of when looking into sampling potential free trials.
Is it being done for the right reasons?
It is important to check that the company offering the free trial is doing so for the correct reasons. Obviously, the best free trials that are available are the ones with completely no strings attached, but these are usually in the minority. Most companies usually require you to enter some sort of personal information before you can secure the free trial, this being your e-mail address at the very least. This can be done relatively safely as long as you are given the option of opting out of being contacted and stopping your details from being sent on to a third party company. Often, free trials are advertised by companies, when in fact a more accurate description would be a free first month where by you will have to opt out after the limited free period so that you are not charged, or in the worst case scenario committed to a lengthy contract.
Read the terms
Carefully read the terms and conditions of a free trial as each one will differ in each circumstance with the content and length of the free trial the things to look out for. Some will last for a fixed period anywhere between a few hours and a month, at which point either the service becomes inaccessible or you begin being charged for it. Some free trials will run differently and may expire after certain usage limits are hit.
Set a reminder
Make sure you are fully prepared when taking out your free trial. The best piece of advice I can offer is that you set a reminder on your PDA, phone, computer or calendar of the free trial period and when you need to make contact with the merchant. The company offering the trial will never contact you to remind you it will expire if it runs into a paid contract, and no matter how much you think you will remember, it is so easy to forget and could be a costly mistake.
There you have it, there are many good free trials out there to enable you to trial a product or service before committing to it, just make sure you read the small print in the terms and conditions. Large, established brands do act relatively transparently and should make it easy enough for you to opt out before running into a payment period, but this is not always the case, so do be aware of this next time you take out a free trial.
Authors bio is coming up shortly.
