Complaint Review: TIME WARNER - New York New York

This letter to the CEO of Time Warner describes the rip off I am reporting

Mr. Jeffrey L. Bewkes 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Time Warner Inc.

One Time Warner Center

New York, NY 10019

June 1, 2010

Dear Mr. Bewkes:

What follows is the gist of a report I am writing for Ripoffreport.com, and which I intend to share with American Express and others who might have an interest in what you are about to read.

A few weeks ago I received a mailing notifying me that as a valued TIME subscriber, you have been issued a thank-you reward worth up to $88.00.   A copy of my Thank-You Reward Notice is enclosed.  A reasonable person would conclude that $88.00 worth of items from the accompanying brochure were available to me cost free.

Naively, it turns out, I thought the offer was genuine.  I am, indeed, a long time subscriber.  And TIME is, indeed, a venerable, trusted icon of journalism who would never prostitute its credibility by promoting a marketing scam upon its readers.

Yeah, sure.

I selected four items using a total of $87.88 of what I believed to be my $88.00 in reward credit.  I sent in the form and waited for my goodies to arrive in the mail.

Insomnia has its benefits.  Sunday night, May 30, I couldnt sleep, so I went to my computer to do some internet browsing.  I decided to check my American Express account online and was surprised to see that on the day before, May 29, a charge of $87.88 had been made by a merchant identified as NSS THANK YOU GIFTS EW.  I did not recognize whatever that is, and I did not immediately associate the charge with the TIME reward matter, but I was certain that I had not knowingly authorized such a transaction.  I immediately notified American Express and they promptly reversed the charge.

I was curious about NSS THANK YOU GIFTS EW so I did a little Google research.  That led me to Ripoffreport.com where I learned that I am not the first to be victimized by your companys TWX Magazines subsidiary and its affiliates.  And I will shortly add my report to those already on file with Ripoffreport.com 

Please dont insult me further by referring me to the micro-font text on the back of the form. It was clearly written to CYA in a manner intended to be unclear and confusing to the layman.

While browsing the internet I spent some time with Time Warners website.  The following excerpts were especially relevant:

Ethics

At Time Warner, we are committed to fostering a business environment where fair, honest, respectful dealings with each other, our customers, stockholders, competitors, suppliers, government agencies, and communities are everyones responsibility. Our unwavering commitment to the highest ethical standards of business conduct is a core value that is strongly sanctioned at every level of management.

Standards of Business Conduct 

Our Standards of Business Conduct stress the importance of abiding by the law, being truthful, being transparent in our business dealings, putting the needs of our stockholders, and customers first, and steering clear of excesses and ethical lapses. 

It would be interesting to know how you can reconcile these website excerpts with what I have described here.  But I will be surprised if you see fit to respond to this letter.  It will be easier for you to ignore reality than to acknowledge the schlock culture that now seems to prevail at Time Warner.

Thanks to the professionalism of American Express I did not lose any money in this shabby deal, but It saddens me that the once respected TIME magazine, now clearly in its death throes, has resorted to such tawdry, shameful marketing schemes in its desperation to survive.

Yours truly,

CC:   Ripoffreport.com

        American Express