Anonymous
Mountville,#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, February 20, 2004
I am an ex-employee of Atlantic Circulation, Inc. During my employment with this company, I held a high position within their office. I terminated my own employment with them after finding some troubling information I had not been aware of, about how the owner was doing business. Since leaving Atlantic Circulation, Inc. and doing some research on requirements for companies of this type I found several things that I believe quite a few unhappy customers may find useful. Magazine processing centers like Atlantic Circulation, Inc. are required to pass your order and information onto the publisher within a certain amount of time, allowing for the "delivery within 120 days". A little research and possible subpeona will show that this is not the case with Atlantic Circulation. Most customers from my experience, did not receive their magazine for AT LEAST 120 days, not within 120 days. In a normal company clearances are run every thirty days to allow for appropriate delivery. Atlantic Circulation Inc. has regularly cleared their orders only every three months. An order that has to wait 90 days just to be cleared, will obviously not be there within 120, infact, delivery would be more around 180 days. In addition, customers are to be notified within 10 days when a magazine selection is not available. In my research, I found that a Civil Lawsuit against another clearinghouse in the 90's for these same violations, ended with the corporation and individuals paying a sum of $10000 in damages to consumers for "Trampling Consumers Rights". By my calculations based on the number of customers ACI has processed orders for, and their business practices, I believe a similar lawsuit against ACI would easily double or triple those damages, based on the amount of consumers involved. I know these are not the only violations ACI is guilty of, however, hopefully, this information may be a start, and helpful to someone. What I can say also, is that the problems consumers have with this company are generally not the salespersons doing, but rather the corporate fat cat, holding your order, because he's blown the money he was supposed to use to clear it.