- Report: #673577
Complaint Review: Synapse Group - Stanford Connecticut
Reported By:
Steve -
Pleasanton, California, United States of America
Submitted:
Updated:
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Synapse Group
225 High Ridge Road, East Bldg Stanford, 06905 Connecticut, United States of America
Phone:
800-927-9578
Web:
Categories:
Business Rating:
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Synapse Group Magazine Service Center Unauthoized renewals Stanford, Connecticut
This company offers "free" or $2 first-year subscriptions to a variety of popular magazines and then renews them without authorization for high fees. I think I got mine originally through answering a questionaire at Bizrate.com, although I'm not entirely sure. In any case, when you subscribe it says that it will provide you notice of renewal with opportunity to cancel. They do not provide you with either or phone number or a website where you can pro-actively cancel or decline the renewal.
I never received a notice of renewal for the magazine, but I discovered an unauthorized charge of $26 for the magazine (Kiplinger's Personal Finance, in this case) on my credit card account. I contacted my credit card company, which put me on the phone line with Synapse. The customer service representative was rude, accusatory, and unhelpful, but eventually agreed to only a partial refund. The justification for the only partial refund was apparently because I had already received one or two issues of the magazine since the "renewal". I explained that I had never authorized the renewal and had never received a notice from them, but they wouldn't budge. I did get their address, for what it's worth. Also, here's their phone number: 800-205-9198, although it's nearly impossible to get to a live person when you call (my credit card company found I way; I could only get their automated system on my own.).
The credit card company agreed to pay the difference between what Synapse refunded and what they charged me, but I recommend you avoid this company, unless you want to deal with heartburn a year later.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Jessica
Magna,Utah,
USA
Did you call the number on your statement?
#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, March 16, 2011
I received two of these charges recently from the same company. I didn't receive a postcard, but they had an old address on file.
All I had to do is call the number and go through the automated system. I gave them the date of the charge, the zip code, and told them which magazines I wanted to cancel. You do have to listen to a bunch of "But wait - we can do better than the last offer" prompts - just keep saying no, and they'll cancel the magazine and refund the amount to your card. I do agree that what they charged was a bit too much for my tastes, which is why I wanted to cancel.
I also made a mistake on canceling the second magazine. To speak to a representative, just don't answer any of the questions after you call the number. After a few minutes, the system will transfer you to a representative. The representative was friendly and polite, and refunded the amount without much discussion at all.
I do recommend to call the number on the statements. I don't think this company is fraudulent, just trying to be efficient.
Seanmp09
Maine,United States of America
synapse magazine service center great customer service
#3General Comment
Thu, January 06, 2011
This company does not do fraud charges at all!! They do send customers out notices 2 weeks prior to when a customer is going to be charged its a postcard and some people exspect to see a envelope of a bill or some sort but that's not what they send to inform thier customers its a postcard. They do send them and probably you throw it out or something thinking it was junk mail, because they do notify the customers of any renewal charge that will be processed through. Plus when you signed up for the year subscription of the magazine for $2 through bizrate.com you probably didn't even consider reading the terms and conditions that go along with it. People these days are very careless and lazy and don't bother reading any fine print. Believe me i signed up for that same subscription and i did read the terms and conditions and were aware of the renewal notices. When i had to contact the customer service they were really nice and very helpful in going through the cancelation with me. So i don't think you know what good customer services is to begin with anyways since it was your fault in the first place when u didn't read the terms and conditions to what the offer was stating it is on a continous service. People in society are getting careless and taking it out on people who are trying to be nice in what they job is suppose to be aka "customer service" they are their to help not argue and be rude. So i think that all this stuff you saying is bullshit and maybe next don't take an offer on bizrate.com or anywhere for that matter if you can't take your good ol time and read what the terms and conditions state. Maybe next time take that into consideration.
