Complaint Review: Periodicals-US Magazine Service

After several cell phone calls of "unknown", "restricted" and 800 numbers I got fed up and started answering each one, most turned out to be collection agencies looking for someone else who must have had the same number in the past but a few were for me. The first was someone from "Publishers ______ _____" (it was mumbled and I never did catch it right)...Saying that I had won a $1000 shopping card from my preferred status with Visa and Mastercard. I said "I don't remember ever entering anything like that." and they said that my card company had done it for me...So I said "No thanks, go ahead and pick someone else." And hung up. That was a few weeks ago.

Two days ago, I received yet another "Unknown" call. This guy said that I had won a free diamond studded watch with a "real diamond at the 12' o clock setting" and two free magazine subscriptions with no purchase necessary due to my preferred status with "Publishers ______" who represent Visa, Mastercard, etc...He then told me I would recieve 3 additional subscriptions to magazines of my choice but that they would like me to cover the charges for those three. Lots of congratulating me on winning the watch and being eligible to enter into a sweepstakes to win some money. He asked me where to send the watch and asked for an alternate phone number if I won the money and stupidly I gave him my info. He then said his boss would call me to check and see if he was nice since he was new and to put in a good word for him. So I hang up and 1 minute later another guy calls me and asks about the other guy and then wants me to verify my information and my card information since he wants to make sure that it all matches what was entered. Then he says that everything has checked out and to expect a release form for my new watch in the mail in about 4 days and explains that I'm going to get 4 years of subscriptions to 5 magazines of my choice for $16 a month. And I'm thinking to myself that that's not a very bad deal...I could afford that...He then tells me to have a great day and I'll get one more phone call just to verify my info one more time and pick out which magazines.

So, another phone call, and a woman wants to verify my info and asks which magazines I want and oh by the way we are recording this. She then rushed through that "I understand the payments will last for two years and the last two years will be free and I will be unable to cancel unless the payment has been paid in full unless it's within the next 3 days." And I agree and that was that.

The next day, I check my bank account online and 49.81 is pending for PERIODICALS...Which is not what I agreed to. I called my bank and unfortunately they cannot stop that payment but will file a dispute once it goes through and they have canceled my card at my request to stop this company from trying to withdraw further funds.

I have called this company and asked to cancel because they are withdrawing more than was agreed upon, and the lady said that it was just what was authorizing but that only $33 would be withdrawn and that since I want to cancel that they will place a refund for me but that refunds only go through on Wednesdays so next Wednesday I will see my refund on my account. She then said that my account is canceled and when I asked for a confirmation of cancellation she said they would send one in the mail. I just hope that my account really is canceled and I receive no bills from this company and that my refund goes through. After reading all the negative reports about this company, I hope they don't lose the recording stating I have 3 days to cancel and I hope they don't "forget" I called and canceled.