Complaint Review: America's Choice Readers

I was contacted in 2004 about magazines I had won. They led me into a agreement to purchase a four year subscription to US News and World report. I tried to back out of this and they talked around it. I tried to cancel this and they never responded to my calls, letters or emails. The magazines rarely arrived, and the monthly bills would show up months late and requesting over $100. I received a threatening letter like many of you, and responding by writing back that I would be in touch with my attorney and that I had requested a cancel. They started to call for payment. I refused to give my card out over the phone. I noticed that each time they called it was the same man and woman's voices using different names. Finally, I received a call from an Erica Kelly who said she worked for the Law Offices of Foster G. Turrin and that she had to law suit claims on her desk for two different companies. American Reader's Choice and America's Choice Readers. She said I owed them $588.43 and that if I didn't send the money as soon as possible then Mr. Turrin would fly from Montana to Georgia to sue me in civil claims court. I told her I am a full time student with no income of my own, and she said they would have the judge garnishee my husband's wages. She said that he would have to pay the $588.43 plus all attorney's fees, legal fees, and travel expenses for Mr. Turrin. I tried to explain that we were not married when this agreement took place, and that it was only made with the one company America's Choice Readers Service. She told me that it was a binding verbal agreement that was recorded. I checked the paper work that I was sent in the beginning and it says that "this program does not involve a contract or an extension of credit but rather a verbal agreement". How binding is this? Can the attoney even come to GA for this? What kind of attorney is so starved for money that he will fly across country to sue for $500? I have done an extensive search for this attorney and his assistant, and there are no records of his practice in Montana. The number he left me is for a cell phone. Is there anything we can do? Befor she hung up, I got her to admit it was a scam, however I didn't get it on tape. Should I try to call back and get her to say it on tape? What next. I don't want to go to court, however I don't want to pay for magazines I never wanted in the first place and tried to cancel.

Georgene
Meansville, Georgia
U.S.A.