Complaint Review: Consolidated Media Services--CMS

Consolidated Media Services--CMS called saying they're rewarding me via my Credit Card Company and offered me 68% off of magazine subscriptions. They offered a 4-year service and the amount of all the magazines they started me with was about $58.16 per month. This works out to $697. 92 for 11 months and the 36 months thereafter is already paid for. Sounded like a good deal so I said yes and they sould send everything to me in writing!

I have been receiving calls from CMS saying (they never say what company they are calling from) what a great customer I am and when they finally get through their 5-10 minute litany of comments, while I try to get a word in edgewise, and going over your agreement--again--they try to get even more money out of you by extending your subcription for another one or two years! They're so sneaky about it that they don't tell you there's an additional cost they only want to here you say "yes or yeah" just enough for them to have a record of this compliance on tape.

So, I pointedly asked "are you saying, you're asking me to pay even more for any of the subscriptions than I already am?" Off they go into the speedy talk of well it's a great bargain, yadda, yadda. Then I would toss more direct questions at the sales person. I'd ask who do you represent? What's the name of your company? They'd tell me that they only pick up the phone for a lot of companies who use their services? I said "what the hell does that mean?" The sales person would get angry and exasperated which fed my anger to a point where I started shouting... I finally told them "No, means, NO!

The calls were frequent for about the first 4 months and have deminished to every other month. The following calls thereafter I get angry and tell them to desist contacting me and to let my subscription expire as originally agreed upon. If they wish to communicate with me they can do so--in writing. It's been several months and I still haven't seen anything from them, in writing.

Another company "MOS" aka Magazine Source also uses the same techniques associated with CMS. I just assumed it was CMS whey they called as they announced themselves as the "publishing company who sends you your magazines." Hmmm, their techniques sounded so similar. They asked if I liked my magazines and if I would like to continue they'd send me two more free subscriptions "just for staying with them." So, I assumed it was CMS and said just keep my subscriptions as they are...nothing more, nothing less. And she said okay.

Little did I know it was another similar company. I just about had a fit when I received a bill asking for payment for my newest magazine subsciptions!

I HAD ENOUGH! and contacted my credit card company and told them this sharing of their customers information should not take place as the companies they have agreements with aren't always displaying good marketing practices and should be stopped from having access to people's credit information as they start out saying "I'm so and so from your _____ Card company and would like to offer you...." This is misleading! People normally trust their information to their credit card companies!

To date, the MOS company has cancelled my subscription and CMS is currently, unable to debit the credit card associated with that contract at this time as they have not yet provided anything in writing to me asking for authorization. Nor will my credit card company help them in anyway, as I've already told them to opt-out sending my information to any third parties they are associated with.

Lesson-learned: Never, ever say yes to anything over the phone unless it's a familiar and trusted source. Get everything in writing before making a decision even if the company has an association with your credit card company. Or you can always just hang up the phone.

Judy
Waipahu, Hawaii

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