How this happens:

  1. You discover Boom Cards from a site that is not Boom Learning.
  2. You buy a free or for a fee product that contains Boom Cards.
  3. You click the redemption links to get your Boom Cards.
  4. That link walks you through a series of screens to redeem your cards.
  5. Now you have a Boom Learning account. (Accounts are required to protect the children; we don't let random, anonymous people hang out with kids online; eww!)
  6. We do not have your credit card or other payment information (you gave it to that other site and they don't give it to us).
  7. If you were new to Boom, we credit you for a limited time with having a promotional account that includes free premium student reporting. This is a special freebie for our newbies.
  8. When the special deal expires, you'll get a note that your account is expiring. It will tell you how to stay for free or upgrade to paid. [BECAUSE options are good.]


What should have happened before you did all that:

  1. Your seller had a product listing.
  2. In that product listing was a disclosure that Boom Learning newbies get a special deal.
  3. You read about the special deal and thought "Good Deal".


What sometimes happens:

  1. You skimmed over or didn't read the words about the special deal.
  2. Your seller left out the words about the special deal. [YIPES: This is a big deal. Tell us right away so we can make sure they fix it!]
  3. You go to My Settings or Join.
  4. You see that you have a Basic account.
  5. You realized that a Basic account is a paid account.
  6. Your hair lights on fire: "How did I pay for an account? When will I be charged next?" 
  7. You open the support portal to tell us that you are not happy. [All perfectly understandable. Been there, done that in response to unexpected surprises.]
  8. You send a message. The portal offers you this FAQ. 
  9. Your heart rate calms. 
  10. You take a nice swig of something tasty. 
  11. All is right in the world again; you got a Good Deal you weren't expecting. 
  12. Maybe you should buy a lottery ticket! (Unless you are a mathematician and then you should discuss probability.)