Complaint Review: North Shore Agency Inc.

A 1-year subscription to Home and Garden magazine was entered and paid for by me through a High School Fund Raiser. The next year come around and I signed up for Met. Home. and did not respond to requests for renewal for HG in any form.

This weekend, March 23, 2003 I received a notice from North Shore Agency in Westbury, dated February 28, 2003, stating they were a collection agency and demanded immediate payment of $19.97 for an additional 12 issues.

I immediately notified them in writing that I would not be paying this collection and that I would forward the letter to Conde Nast(the publisher) boycotting all the magazines that they publish and to my State Attorney. I requested the only contact I wish to receive is a written apology from all involved.

I called the telephone number on the notice and it gave no opportunity to speak to someone - only 3 or 4 alternative choices. Interestingly, one of the choices was "I did not subscribe to this publication".

I am sure many people receiving such a notice would be threatened into paying for something they did not order to avoid any bad marks on their credit report.

This appears to be a misleading way of obtaining subscriptions, and should be brought to the public's attention.

Cherie
Minnetonka, Minnesota
U.S.A.