America's Choice Reader Service deceptive and possibly criminal business practices Great Falls Montana
Like others, I was contacted on my cell phone and offered a $1,000 gift certificate with the purchase of some magazines. Since I enjoy reading magazines, I agreed. I chose some magazines and gave my credit card information for payment. I spoke on a recording to agree to the purchase, but was not informed that I could not cancel the subscriptions.
Suddenly I was being charged over $50.00 a month for my "discount subscriptions". When I called ACRS to stop the subscriptions I was told that they had paid the magazine publishers up front and they could not cancel my subscriptions. They agreed to lower my payments to $42.94 a month but I still have over $400.00 to pay off. In all I will have paid almost $900.00 for my free $1,000 gift certificate that I've never received.
I've tried a total of three times to cancel the magazines but they haven't budged. In addition to Ripoff Report, I've also filed reports with my credit card company (no help so far from them) and the Better Business Bureau. Surely there is a government agency that regulates the telemarketing industry that I can contact and try to get some satisfaction.
Luke
Denver, Colorado
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Luke
Denver,Colorado,
U.S.A.
America's Choice Readers Service resolution
#2Author of original report
Tue, July 24, 2007
After filing reports with the Montana and Colorado Better Business Bureaus and the Colorado Attorney General's office (I live in Colorado), RipoffReport.com and the Troubleshooter.com websites, I received a letter from America's Choice Readers Service's Senior Accounts Manager, Dale Lindsay, stating that ACRS was canceling my magazine agreement and alluded to canceling the remaining debt. Although I still believe that ACRS violated the law by soliciting me on my cell phone, I am pleased with the outcome. I only wish I'd gotten tough with them sooner so I wouldn't have lost so much money to begin with. I hope that ACRS follows through with their promise to cancel the agreement.
I recommend filing BBB reports in Montana and your home state and contacting your Attorney General's office as well. It worked for me.