First, this company is well aware that they are engaged in illegal telemarketing practices. The Department of Justice first obtained a cease and desist order to stop all illegal telemarketing practices against Media Outsourcing and its parent company, Cross Media Services, in 1997.
On April 30th of this year, the Department of Justice is returning to court to obtain fines against the company and its executivies for violating the 1997 cease and desist order.
Media Outsourcing recently changed its name to Consolidated Media Services to conceal its past, but the executives named in the suit are the same as those named in 1997. Representatives at the Atlanta office will tell you that they are "under new management', but this is nonsense.
By all means, contact the Department of Justice, the U.S. Postal Inspector, the Atlanta Better Business Bureau, and the Georgia Attorney General. They all need to hear from as many people as possible. However, you should also contact customer service for every magazine to which you've been subscribed. Many of these magazines are unaware of this company's track record.
I was told by the representative at Time Magazine that Media Outsourcing was a "preferred provider". We were told by the CMS Atlanta office that it was impossible to cancel because CMS had already paid for four years of six magazines.
I recorded this conversation with CMS and then read the transcript to representatives of each of these magazines. Most of the magazines—Esquire, Rolling Stone, and GQ—were outraged that CMS would claim that the magazine's policy was not to refund money for a cancelled subscription.
These magazines each promised to write a letter to CMS outlining their policy regarding refunding money for cancelled subscriptions, and to send us a copy of their letters.
Don't be put off by magazine representatives who tell you that you must cancel subscriptions through CMS. Demand to speak to the supervisor, and then the supervisor's supervisor. Let these people know that the magazine's reputation is being tarnished by CMS.
If enough of us complain, I'm sure that Media Outsourcing, or Consolidated Media Services, will come off the preferred provider lists of many of these magazines.
Elaine
Bowie, Maryland
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