DSS Inc. Direct Subscription Services Inc. ,Magazine Sales, Dishonest, underhanded, fast talking, schmoozing and emotionally manipulative salesmen. Do not trust!!! Pilot Point, Texas
I would like to warn others against the magazine salesmen of DSS. These salesmen are fast-talking, very charismatic, funny, and will try to win you over by telling you they are trying to win a trip to Mexico and they need your help to get points.
I was foolish and allowed a sales rep into my home yesterday because it was freezing cold. His tone changed from over-the-top nice (giving me endless complements and high-fives), to pushy and confrontational when I told him we could not afford it.
He bold-faced lied to me and told me that if I ordered the subscription, as long as I canceled within 3 days, that my check would not be cashed and that he would still win the points to go to Mexico. He was very emotionally manipulative and pushed me hard to just order the subscription and cancel it right away, assuring me that it would help him out, and making me feel like a very bad person if I did not want to help him. I caved and did it, mostly because I just wanted this guy out of my house.
As soon as he left, I read my receipt (which I did not receive until after I paid him and he was walking out my door). In bold, capital, orange letters it read "I UNDERSTAND THAT IF THE ORDER IS CANCELED FOR ANY REASON THAT THE SOLICITOR WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY CONTEST OR TRIP POINTS". In light of that, I feel pretty uneasy about why he was so fervent for me to just order and cancel right away.
He flat out lied to me about the cancellation policy, saying I could cancel online and that they won't cash my check (You must file in writing or by fax and they say the will issue you a company check within 10 business days. I've read complaints from others online that they never received their refund). To top it of, he even FORGED my signature and initials on the receipt, saying I agree to all terms listed on the receipt. The part that he forged my initials on state that if they are unable to cash your check for any reason (that includes if you try to put a stop payment order on your check because you realize you've been scammed) they are authorized to debt your checking account for the full amount of the check, PLUS a $30 fine.
To add insult to injury, I don't think I'd ever see the magazines anyway, due to the fact that the address listed on the receipt is an illegible jumble of 2 different addresses. It looks like he started to fill out the order form for someone else and they changed their mind, and then he continued to use the same order form for me without even bothering to scribble out the old information. The city listed is the wrong city, and the zip code is illegible.
In doing even a very minimal amount of research on online about DSS, you will quickly find that this company is shady to say the least. It is amazing to me that they have not yet been shut down by some authority. In an article posted online on Oct 8th, 2009 by ABC 13 Action News, apparently DSS has a Better Business Bureau rating of "F" and over 120 complaints.