Complaint Review: National Magazine Exchange NME

Anyone who defends SDP clearly has no conscience. This company drained the life and peace of mind out of me as they turned up the heat on us employees, and forced us to become overly aggressive and harrassing to our poor customers. I couldn't take it, as I don't believe in treating customers like this, and quit. In my opinion, working there is torture for anyone who has morals and ethics. For those marketing sharks who think deception and endless rebuttaling customers is ok, you people only care about the almighty dollar and not about the customer. That is why people quit from SDP in droves, and they have to be constantly hiring new "suckers" until they figure out just how horrible it is to work there. Everything is justified by supervisors and trainers, who basically tell everyone to "wrestle the money out of the customer's pocket" and "the customer has YOUR money, it's your job to claim it", etc.

After consistently breaking the rules and not reading the script, my customers liked me. I quit for a much better job, one with morals. Maybe that's why the new employer is constantly praised, and SDP is constantly..complained about. Good riddance to SDP and I, too, wait for it to be boarded up someday. If you get that little "official notice" in the mail, just say "no" and throw it out. Contacting the company puts you on their mailing list, and risks your information being sent to other companies for more unwanted promotions. It's not worth it to enter the contest. If you do enter, tell them you don't have a credit or debit card or they will never stop bothering you with rebuttals and pitch you like you wouldn't believe. Just hang up. Just my opinion.

I am going to say this sdp or nme is not a ripoff for any one who does sales knows how it works buyers are liers what thay do is called a impulse buy almost all sales are a impulse buy just look at home shopping thay do the same thing you call them and thay sell you something.

anyway you think nme or spd is a ripoff that is why they have audit and a QD department to go over the sales you have to say 1 of 3 words ok,yes or alright if you say something like yeah thay have to say can i take that as a yes so you tell me what is wong with that o ya they have to go over billing atlest 2 times 1 time befor they ask for card# and at the end in conformation.

if you do not want the mags why do you give out your card# hello ya you give your card# and you say you do not want mags ya right there buyers are liers the funny thing is when they call customer service and say off the wall staff like someone stole my card but i do not have a police report ya right buyers are lies one more time i can go on and on but it will take to long so you tell me are buyers liers that is just how sales works about 90% of the jobs are sales related in some way.

that is why sdp or nme have been doing this for over 20 years and sdp or nme was not all that bad of a place to work for just that sales is not for the weak and any one in sales will tell you that.

o ya about the {BBB} that is not all true i run a place that was part of the BBB as long as we paid to be part of them we had no complaints but we stop being part of them we a lot of complaints how does that work.

ps thank you ripoff report for leting me speak

I understand I am "under investigation." I have not heard back from you. I think you people ought to be "under investigation." I've never worked for such sorry excuses for human beings in my life. I pray for the day when I drive by the office, and find it boarded up. That way the elder citizens of America can get a break from the strong-arm tactics you encourage your employees to utilize.

As a history major at a private university in Tampa, I am deeply offended that the likeness of the Statue of Liberty is being utilized to lure citizens to phone in, only to be hammered into submission by your agents. I found the job humiliating for a man of my educational background, honor role status, and my regular placement on the Dean's list for academic excellence. Try as you might, you can't take away the educational merits that I have achieved, or the drive that I possess to become the best teacher I can be. After some contemplation, I realize that I was simply over-qualified for the job. The magazine pusher position should be reserved for the ignorant, uneducated, ill-informed members of our society, who will actually believe the things that you tell them in your daily "morale-boosting" e-mails. The people you attract are the result of dragging a $100 bill through a trailer park, ex-cons, ex-hookers, and ex-junkies.
Consider this a formal letter of resignation, as I would rather shake a tin cup than work for the likes of you.

Quitting this job is the biggest "Weebah" of them all! Rah! Rah! Rah!

Marc Pelicino
Convict Number xxxxx

Hey Larry, you really shook these loyal soldiers up! I wish you "the very best of luck"! Remember all of the victims these scumbags have run over on their way to the bank! "That's exactly why we want you as an inmate!" When my college experience concludes, I too hope to make the world a better place. These people can't even SPELL 'college'! They thought reform school was a form of higher education!

Let's hope the odds of closing this outfit is better than "1 in 50,000,000". "It is just our way of saying thank you for stealing people's money". "So, what do you like? Sing Sing, Attica, Corcoran?" "Are you currently getting any warrants now?" You soon will be! "Most crooks get locked up for 48 months because that's what saves the american people the most money!" "How do I pay?" That's a good question. What I do is lock you up, then throw away the key! "Now, it gets even better...."

Hey sarah, how does it feel to be a corporate scumbag? You and Greg should get together, hold hands, and jump off a bridge! If I ever see you in the building, I will badger YOU until you cry!

Larry or whoever cares-
The above statement by Larry is completely false. In fact its the worst lie on this web site. He sounds more like a customer than an employee... did you work there or what? He did work there and was fired for fraud . See when you commit fraud you get fired. The idiot is lucky he didn't go to jail especially since it was not his first offence. We NEVER ask to verify someone's cc # we tell them straight up the billing.

If they are to dumb to understand that's not our fault. Its obvious that you have the lie/bullshitting skills to be a politician are you really one? I think not! A politician would be to busy to waste there time on this web site May be you need to come back to Tampa and actually go to that college you were talking about and actually attend. What college was that again? Next time you post something like that for the world to see be sure and check your spelling =)Just because you are a fast-talking slime ball doesn't mean the rest of us are.

You would know the definition of a bum you have been one since SDP fired you. Please don't continue to apply back at SDP/ NME we told you several times we will not hire you back. I would hate for you to be wasting your time. Don't bother responding, this web site is for people that actually have concerns not bored losers like yourself. Go fix a pot hole in Utica
Oh and Jamie have you ever worked in sales before? You should be thankful SdP taught you something. You were with the company two weeks you were not even out of training and you don't even know what the hell you are talking about. Get a life! Tell them like it is Greg

Larry or whoever cares-
The above statement by Larry is completely false. In fact its the worst lie on this web site. He sounds more like a customer than an employee... did you work there or what? He did work there and was fired for fraud . See when you commit fraud you get fired. The idiot is lucky he didn't go to jail especially since it was not his first offence. We NEVER ask to verify someone's cc # we tell them straight up the billing.

If they are to dumb to understand that's not our fault. Its obvious that you have the lie/bullshitting skills to be a politician are you really one? I think not! A politician would be to busy to waste there time on this web site May be you need to come back to Tampa and actually go to that college you were talking about and actually attend. What college was that again? Next time you post something like that for the world to see be sure and check your spelling =)Just because you are a fast-talking slime ball doesn't mean the rest of us are.

You would know the definition of a bum you have been one since SDP fired you. Please don't continue to apply back at SDP/ NME we told you several times we will not hire you back. I would hate for you to be wasting your time. Don't bother responding, this web site is for people that actually have concerns not bored losers like yourself. Go fix a pot hole in Utica
Oh and Jamie have you ever worked in sales before? You should be thankful SdP taught you something. You were with the company two weeks you were not even out of training and you don't even know what the hell you are talking about. Get a life! Tell them like it is Greg

Larry or whoever cares-
The above statement by Larry is completely false. In fact its the worst lie on this web site. He sounds more like a customer than an employee... did you work there or what? He did work there and was fired for fraud . See when you commit fraud you get fired. The idiot is lucky he didn't go to jail especially since it was not his first offence. We NEVER ask to verify someone's cc # we tell them straight up the billing.

If they are to dumb to understand that's not our fault. Its obvious that you have the lie/bullshitting skills to be a politician are you really one? I think not! A politician would be to busy to waste there time on this web site May be you need to come back to Tampa and actually go to that college you were talking about and actually attend. What college was that again? Next time you post something like that for the world to see be sure and check your spelling =)Just because you are a fast-talking slime ball doesn't mean the rest of us are.

You would know the definition of a bum you have been one since SDP fired you. Please don't continue to apply back at SDP/ NME we told you several times we will not hire you back. I would hate for you to be wasting your time. Don't bother responding, this web site is for people that actually have concerns not bored losers like yourself. Go fix a pot hole in Utica
Oh and Jamie have you ever worked in sales before? You should be thankful SdP taught you something. You were with the company two weeks you were not even out of training and you don't even know what the hell you are talking about. Get a life! Tell them like it is Greg

Bum? Fraud? Go sell some more of those books. Feel good about yourself?

Bum? Fraud? Go sell some more of those books. Feel good about yourself?

Looks like he has nothing better to do with his time. I wish I had a shovel right now because it's getting deep in herrr. What college in Tampa Larry? "We" all know you're full of yourself. Quit being a bum.

Jamie's account of her experience with SDP/NME is an understatement. I thought she was actually being nice.

I worked for this company while attending college in Tampa. I was releived of my job for NOT giving the required 3 rebuttals to a "no".

When someone calls in to enter the sweepstakes they are asked what 3 magizines they like. After picking three that they "like", they are quikly told to hang on the line for a supervisor and tranfered to a salesperson. At this point the salesperson asks for their creditcard number, if the customer says they don't want to buy anything, the salesperson replies with "we only need to verify that you have a valid creditcard". And once they get this piece of vital information they proceed to "slam" them through the sale proccess, talking so fast and leaving these customers dumbfounded at the conclusion of the call. These customers, most of which are senior citizens, are totaly unaware that this total package is costing them nearly $500.

I truly hope that something can be done about the loopholes in the law that allow people like Bill Hood to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers.

Since my employment at SDP I have finished school and entered into the political arena here in New York State. I hope that one day I will have the oppurtunity to pass legislation to stop this travisty.

Jaime-Thank you

Like so many others that have been ripped off in the past I am a bit leary of contests touting "no purchase required". There have been attempts to scam my money in the recent past when I looked into some of those "work from home" offers for some extra cash. They all sounded wonderful on the surface then the skeptic in me took over.

I started doing research prior to letting dreams of wealth cloud my judgement which led me here and to your post. Thank you for being so honest and making your experience public.

I took your advice, I entered the contest. told the woman answering the phone I didn't have a credit card. She passed me off to another individual(and bad actor)quoting a well rehearsed dialouge still offering me subscriptions with the bonus of a ladies watch.... I just kept saying NO. The attempt was made to pass me off yet again with the bait of "hang on the line for the next operator for the opportunity to enter yet more contests". At that point, I just smiled, and hung up.

thanks Jaime.... I'll be grinning all day now.

Jaime-Thank you

Like so many others that have been ripped off in the past I am a bit leary of contests touting "no purchase required". There have been attempts to scam my money in the recent past when I looked into some of those "work from home" offers for some extra cash. They all sounded wonderful on the surface then the skeptic in me took over.

I started doing research prior to letting dreams of wealth cloud my judgement which led me here and to your post. Thank you for being so honest and making your experience public.

I took your advice, I entered the contest. told the woman answering the phone I didn't have a credit card. She passed me off to another individual(and bad actor)quoting a well rehearsed dialouge still offering me subscriptions with the bonus of a ladies watch.... I just kept saying NO. The attempt was made to pass me off yet again with the bait of "hang on the line for the next operator for the opportunity to enter yet more contests". At that point, I just smiled, and hung up.

thanks Jaime.... I'll be grinning all day now.

Jaime-Thank you

Like so many others that have been ripped off in the past I am a bit leary of contests touting "no purchase required". There have been attempts to scam my money in the recent past when I looked into some of those "work from home" offers for some extra cash. They all sounded wonderful on the surface then the skeptic in me took over.

I started doing research prior to letting dreams of wealth cloud my judgement which led me here and to your post. Thank you for being so honest and making your experience public.

I took your advice, I entered the contest. told the woman answering the phone I didn't have a credit card. She passed me off to another individual(and bad actor)quoting a well rehearsed dialouge still offering me subscriptions with the bonus of a ladies watch.... I just kept saying NO. The attempt was made to pass me off yet again with the bait of "hang on the line for the next operator for the opportunity to enter yet more contests". At that point, I just smiled, and hung up.

thanks Jaime.... I'll be grinning all day now.

Jaime-Thank you

Like so many others that have been ripped off in the past I am a bit leary of contests touting "no purchase required". There have been attempts to scam my money in the recent past when I looked into some of those "work from home" offers for some extra cash. They all sounded wonderful on the surface then the skeptic in me took over.

I started doing research prior to letting dreams of wealth cloud my judgement which led me here and to your post. Thank you for being so honest and making your experience public.

I took your advice, I entered the contest. told the woman answering the phone I didn't have a credit card. She passed me off to another individual(and bad actor)quoting a well rehearsed dialouge still offering me subscriptions with the bonus of a ladies watch.... I just kept saying NO. The attempt was made to pass me off yet again with the bait of "hang on the line for the next operator for the opportunity to enter yet more contests". At that point, I just smiled, and hung up.

thanks Jaime.... I'll be grinning all day now.

Poul,

The laws you are referring to regard Outbound phone calls, where the Company calls the Customer. In this situation, the Customer has in fact called the Company.

This simple difference, Customer called Company, changes what is and is not allowed. This would include the customer saying no and/or using rebuttals.

If you want to debate the laws, you will need to read them first.

Not hard to remember the truth? Well, this one appeared to slip your mind pretty fast:

"The Truth ..I see you didn't want the magazines. That's perfectly fine."

So since consistency is so easy to you, tell me again: Do you think that you/NME are selling magazines to customers who don't want them?

And regarding rocket science: Which part of "no" is it you don't understand? In some states you're actually required by law to understand the word "no" the first time you hear it from a customer, hard as it is. So tell me, did you respect the first rejection from customers calling from the "no rebuttal" states?

That's two questions for you (you can disregard "Not hard to remember the truth" and "Which part of "no" don't you understand" - then you have two questionmarks left to identify the questions I'm talking about). For both, the answer is either "yes" or "no". See if you can manage that.

If the answer to the last question happens to be "no", then please explain why a polite salesman like you don't respect when a customer rejects, even when it is required by law.

"Well, who's to blame for the capitalistic government then - you wouldn't happen to support it?"

The taxes taken out of my paycheck every week help support it. And from what I've seen in the last election, the vote I paid for didn't even count. So I accept no blame for the current government.

"We are trying to reach you regarding your $1,000,000 sweepstakes ID #123456789" is the actual full sentence. We have copies of it on the bulletin boards. The mailer is legally compliant, it does not say anywhere on the mailer the recipient has "won". It's a real sweepstakes, new winner every year. Want in, call the number. I can't enter because I am an employee.

"1) After almost 20 years in business, NME never realized like you that most Americans don't know the details about what constitutes a legally binding contract?"

Call any number you see on any informecial on TV and order something with your Credit Card, guess what, it's a legally binding contract. This isn't rocket science. It's just business, like Wal-Mart, except there's no greeter at the door to hand you a shopping cart.

"2) NME does know - you make profit on binding unknowing customers to contracts?"
Why would someone give me their credit card number over the telephone after I offered them 5 magazine subscriptions? Why would they say YES 4 times during a recorded telephone conversation when asked if recording was OK, the magazines were OK, the billing payments were OK and using their credit card was OK?
That's a critical part of a legally binding contract, it's called "Consent".
Plus, they have seven days after they receive the Confirmation Letter in the mail to call us back and cancel.
If this is "unknowing", what is knowing?

And any company that doesn't generate profit goes bankrupt, that's Business 101. I suppose you think Wal-mart doesn't make a profit either.

"NME specifically does NOT want unhappy customers."
I have been a Billing Supervisor in the Renewal department and New Orders department. I can assure you, the customers receive all magazines ordered and are also offered discount renewals. They even get to change their magazine choices for no addition charge.

"I guess you don't share that view since you find it perfectly fine to sell people things against their will. "
As I stated above, the customer gave consent and a credit card number, how is this against their will?

"So far your quotes have at least been consistent."
Because it's not hard to remember the truth.

The truth - yes, tell us about it,

Greg,

If anything, your educational status helps to understand that you are irresponsible. Would you claim that a computer scientist can't get by without putting ethics aside, and the capitalistic government is to blame? Well, who's to blame for the capitalistic government then - you wouldn't happen to support it?

Now if you'd claim that you/NME are not putting ethics aside, that's where you should try to help simple folks like me to understand. Because somehow we got that impression.

First, a quote of yours:
"This goes to show America is full of stupid people."

NME sells magazines, generating sales by sending Americans a personalized 'Important Delivery Letter' with the first line reading "We are trying to reach you regarding your $1,000,000". As a result, a lot of people call unknowingly that they are actually calling a salesperson who wants to sell magazines. Is this happening because:

1) After almost 20 years in business, NME never realized like you that America is full of 'stupid people' who could misunderstand?

2) NME does know that America is full of 'stupid people' and knowingly mislead them to generate sales traffic?

A second quote of yours:
"The reality is most Americans don't know the "law", specifically business laws. When you make an agreement over the telephone to buy something and the seller tells you the call is being recorded, you have entered a legally binding contract."

NME teaches salespersons that 'Buyers are Liars' and that they can't take a simple 'no' for an answer. They are trained to aggressively pursue the goal: Obtain a 'yes' from the customer and proceed to the billing. As a result, 'stupid people' enter a contract to buy magazines they don't want. Is this happening because:
1) After almost 20 years in business, NME never realized like you that most Americans don't know the details about what constitutes a legally binding contract?
2) NME does know - you make profit on binding unknowing customers to contracts?

To help you answer the last one, here's another of your quotes:
"The Truth ..I see you didn't want the magazines. That's perfectly fine."
So it appears you're well aware and that you don't care. The only question is: Does NME share your insight - and your opinions? In this respect, I believe you represent your company very well. But maybe our other inside employee in this forum, Kimberly, can help shed some light here.

So far your quotes have at least been consistent. Here's one that could really use some explaining:
"NME specifically does NOT want unhappy customers."

I guess you don't share that view since you find it perfectly fine to sell people things against their will. Or maybe you never suspected that customers could be unhappy paying for something they don't want? And the rest of NME never realized it either?

Please explain how these things are connected to yours and NME's high ethical standards - unless you actually think it's not so ethical after all. In that case explain some more about how it's everybody else's fault.

The personal insults are not appreciated. You don't know me or how intelligent I am. I am a college honor student, if that helps you understand. By the way, the people we sell magazines to call us, we don't call them and they can always hang up the telephone.

I am very polite on the phone and explain the offer in simple english for simple folks, much like yourself.

The Do Not Call list will have absolutely no effect on this company. People call us, we only call people who have already made a purchase. Read the Do Not Call list laws and you will understand.

Blame my interest in earning money on the Capitalistic government in place in the United States. I don't earn money and I am left to starve, have my car repossessed and live on the street.

The reality is most Americans don't know the "law", specifically business laws. When you make an agreement over the telephone to buy something and the seller tells you the call is being recorded, you have entered a legally binding contract.

Why don't these same folks complain when they buy hundreds of dollars in junk jewelry from a TV shopping network???

Jamie,

thank you for quitting that job and for letting people know about it. I am disgusted to see that the only response in this forum has been from salesmen with lack of conscience and that their word has been left as the final.

Greg and Lawrence, I'm sure you think you've done a great job when you've talked persons into buying magazines that they don't need, regardless of the means. Specifically, the means are to annoy, harass and lie to thousands of people and waste their time until some of them give in, and you must be incredibly stupid if you are not aware of that. Of course you are, and you think it's all justified because "it's business". You even appear to feel good about it. The simple fact of the matter is that you are irresponsible, disrespectful and careless persons who only think of own benefit. There is no excuse for that, and I don't know if anybody can ever trust your intentions. I sure know I wouldn't.

I hope that the new donotcall-list will put you and your kind out of business. Greg, a job at McDonalds would be a leap forward for you. Currently, money is the value you have in life, and a lesson about respect and honesty would do you good. But I expect that as long as you have your freedom, you'll never know. You simply don't possess the intelligence (yet Lawrence manage to look even worse).

That something is possible doesn't mean that it's right to do it. It doesn't even make it right that a lot of other people do it. In this specific case that only means that there are a lot of irresponsible persons out there who think they are justified for one reason or another. If your acts are dishonest and disrespectful, YOU are responsible and nobody else. So for the salesmen, consider what you're doing. And for those who get harassed: Hold the very person that harasses you responsible for his behavior and let him/her know that it's not acceptable. Because it appears that a lot of Americans can't see that far.

Jaime you are a p***y,there's noyhing wrong with being assertive and thats what you have to be to work at SDP. I'm am also a former employee and must say selling magazines is my pleasure.How can
you say sdp is more shady than McDs at least they tell you what you're getting. You dont find condoms in with magazines unless its some porno. So quit being a p***y like Greg.

Greg,

Just to clarify, I will not use my full name on this forum because I have not yet received my final paycheck from SDP, and choose to remain annonymous until then.

Obviously you are a happy SDP employee and will defend their practices despite the numerous complaints that they have received, so I will not waste my time arguing with you about the matter.

I have to laugh at your remark about my "having fun at McDonalds" becausE I already have a job doing legitimate work for a legitimate company making more money than I would make ripping people off at National Magazine Exchange. Come to think of it, if I HAD to choose between working at McD's or going back to SDP, I'd happily take McD's because I have alot more respect for that company. But like I said before, if YOU are happy at SDP then that's all that matters and I wish you luck.

J, nice first name. You don't work for them anymore, why do you care if others see your first name?

Anyway, what J doesn't understand is Sales. Whether someone is selling on the telephone or in person, like a car dealership, the salesperson is always taught to not give up on the first "no" a potential customer utters. Buyers are fickle.

"Buyers are liars". It's a popular saying because people who realize they are being offered a sales pitch often use a "lie" as an excuse not to even listen to offer. Lots of liars buy from me too, it's great, I just laugh when they finally realize we have the lowest guaranteed prices.

Oh, by the way, saying you don't have a credit card won't avoid being offered a magazine package. J clearly doesn't understand the business. Have fun at McDonald's J . . .