Jenny
Milpitas,#2Consumer Comment
Thu, June 05, 2003
This is the second time that I have had to deal with this company. The first time was under Consolidated Media and now under Media Outsourcing. Don't try to tell me that it isn't a rip-off though, the first time this happened I was only 20. When they called me they told me that I would be able to renew three magazine subscriptions through them for cheaper than I could through the magazines. When they took my personal information (of which they somehow already knew my checking account number) I told them I was 20. They said that I was too young, that I had to be 21. The person then said that they would lie for me and say that I was 21 so that I could do it. When I got a confirmation call they said that it was going to cost almost $1000 for one year of magazines and listed off a list of five or six magazines, one of which I had never even heard of that I was going to be getting. They wouldn't let cancel the order because they said that it had already gone through. Well, a ton of cancellation calls, four letters of cancellation, a closed checking account, hundreds of harrassing calls at home and at WORK from this company, and a year later they sic a collection agency on me. Well, it only took one letter to the collection agaency telling them that the company that they were representing had committed a fraudulant order by lying about my age without my asking them to got the agency off my back and the debt off my account. And now, four years later, I just got a magazine subscription in the mail for one of the magazines that they had tried sending me before. When I called the subscription services at the magazine they told me that it had been started by Media Outsourcing. When I checked my account online, not only had I been charged, but they had somehow used my OLD, expired, card number that I have not used since I got my new card over a month ago. They will definitly not get away with anything from me this time. I've stopped them before and I'll do it again. I've already filed a complaint with one lawyer firm and you can guarantee that I am not stopping there.
Mike
Tampa,#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, March 04, 2003
Some people out there believe that they are getting ripped off by Media Outsourcing, Cross Media Marketing, Consolidated Media Servies, or whatever you want to call it; it's all the same company. I worked for this company in the past and in no way is it a rip off. Yes, in some of the reports that I have read it seems that people have been ripped off, but they let themselves get ripped off. No one made any one of these individuals buy into the service provided. They did so on their own. When I worked for this company what we said was reviewed by a lawyer and allowed to be read over the phone because it was not against the law. We included all of the fine details that, apparently some people that feel ripped off, didn't bother listening to. In no way what we said was fraudulent; the watch - a free gift for the magazine subscription, and if you didn't want any magazines, hang up or say you don't want them. When you go to the grocery store and a girl scout asks you if you want to buy some cookies you don't get all upset and feel ripped off after they made a profit off of you. In the U.S. we have free enterprise, which means that any one of us can start a business and sell whatever is legal. No one ever sells you something in this world, you get sold. If you understand what that means, then you will never feel ripped off again. Thanks and good luck on reading all of your magazines.