I received a call from a guy named albert from an 800 # on my cell phone a few months ago. He stated that because I was a "prefered" visa card holder, that I was automatically entered into a $25,000 sweepstakes and all I needed to do was verfiy some information. After that, he went into this deal regarding a magazine subscription and told me that i would be charged $51 a month for 9 magazines and that I would only have to pay that amount for 1 year, but my subscriptions would continue for the next 2 years after that.
I figured that sounds cool, so I gave him my debit card information and then he told me that i would also be receiving a free "diamond" encrusted watch as part of the deal. I thought like a dummy "hey, that sounds great." So then he asks me about my interests as far as magazines go, and I said I really like hip hop and that I make beats. Hhis reply was "i know someone who is interested in new people trying to make it in the music biz, here's my email (which I provided at the top) and you should email me and I can see if i can get in contact with him for you." And now that i think about it, that sounded kinda rehearsed, but anyways after the small talk was said and done, he said that his supervisor would be calling me to verfiy that everything was ok and that I gave them permission to bill me $51 a month for the next 12 months.
Well this lady gets on the line, and she is rude for no good reason. Sshe tells me that I don't get my watch until I sign a certificate and mail it back to them. I told her that albert said ya'll would be sending it off asap. She apologized and said that was not the case. I just dropped it and waited for my magazines and my watch. Well not only did I never get my "diamond" watch, but my magazines took 2 months to start coming to my house, and I am always a month behind. I only gave calling them up and trying to cancel a small thought until today when I checked my account balance online.
There is a pre authorization for $96 on my account which is making my balance in the negative. The company the debt is from is called marketing consultants of virginia, the same home state as american marketing. The only other direct debt I have comes from my car insurance company, so the only company that has access to my account is american marketing. I've tried their customer service and only got an automated menu that is hard to understand because the voice is unclear. I called my bank and they said I had to fill out a regulation e form and wait for the pre authorization to actually post before any action can be taken.
This is 5 days before christmas, I still have a few gifts I'd like to buy, and I need to keep gas in my car. American marketing has made it so I can do none of that. Any other suggestions on what i can do? Because I read in one guy's case on here that after his bank account closed, they kept billing him and sent him to collections. Is there anyway I can avoid them not letting me cancel and putting me in the same predicament?
Eric
Denver, Colorado
U.S.A.
0 comments