Complaint Review: KLMN Readers Services Inc.

An energetic and well-spoken young man rang my doorbell, then knocked repeatedly until I opened the door. I was apprehensive, but he was a smooth talker and played to my generosity and desire for justice and racial reconciliation. He told me his name was "Quarteds Wilson", that he was an independent contracter, and that he had recently been accepted to the University of Washington, where he was going to go in the fall. He told me that buying a subscription to a magazine would help him get a scholarship to the university; since I'm a student who's completely dependent on scholarships and financial aid, I sympathized with him and felt like I should share some of the blessing I've received thanks to my hard work with him. I'd always wanted to subscribe to a particular magazine, so I told him I'd buy a subscription. He told me it would cost $52, since this magazine is a "weekly" magazine (I knew it came every two weeks, but I let it slide; that's still $2 an issue, which seems like a reasonable price), plus $10 for shipping and handling. He had some old-fashioned receipt slips, and worn paper sales materials, but I chalked that up to being outside all day. A few things rang some alarm bells, though: first, I made the check out directly to him, putting KLMN Readers Services in the subject line; second, he told me I was the tenth person that day who had subscribed to this particular magazine through him, and that he'd sold several cooking magazines to the girls next door in our duplex. Those numbers seemed unlikely, since it was only about 2 o'clock that day. Then a few days ago, the check was cashed, so I went to my bank's website where I can view copies of the checks. Turned out Quarteds cashed the check at a payday loans company, Check 'n Go, so the check copy had no information about his bank or any connection to KLMN Readers Services. So either Quarteds took the money without telling KLMN, or KLMN hired him knowing that he can basically do whatever he wants with the money. If this was an aboveboard company, their salespeople would NOT be cashing their checks at payday loans companies; there would be accountability and transparency. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt, and my travels abroad have taught me that most people's intentions are good. But I feel duped and deceived, as well as out $62 that I could be using to pay for my wedding. It remains to be seen whether I'll actually receive my magazines (he told me it'd take 6 to 8 weeks), but I'm not holding my breath. Disappointed with humanity.