This is a "heads up" to those living in the Frederick, Maryland area.
Lately there has been a rush of young people conducting door-to-door sales. I've discussed this with a number of people who have said that they've opened the door to teens using variations of the same story. Usually they say that they have "just moved to the area" (which explains why they aren't familiar to you) and are selling magazine subscriptions to raise money for: a) Boys and Girls Club of America, b) a soccer or lacrosse team or c) fundraising for a school or recreation center.
In exchange for having sold a subscription, the salesperson is supposed to get "points" or cash toward whatever charity it is that they're supposed to be representing.
As it turns out, the subscription sales are basically a scam. Apparently the kids get something like $5.00 per subscription sold, if they end up getting anything at all. The prices for the subscriptions are highly inflated and there isn't any real guarantee that you're going to get what you're paying for.
I didn't want any magazines for myself, so I paid to donate a year's subscription of a Disney magazine to a local Boys and Girls club. Is there any proof that the magazine will actually get to where it's supposed to go? Of course not.
The guy that came to my door gave me receipts with a disclaimer saying that the sale could be cancelled within 72 hours (the company is obligated to do this under the law) if I contact the company in writing or by telegram. I know that there is no way that I will ever see this money again. (Two of my co-workers tried to cancel with zero results.)
Unfortunately for me, I felt sorry for the kid that came to my door and fell for the line, but was able to put a stop payment on my check before the company tried to cash it. Sure, it will cost me money that I didn't really need to spend on bank fees, but it'll prevent these scam artists from lining their pockets with my money.
I'm extremely p*d that I fell for this scam, but like anyone else, I was caught in a weak moment. (I have to hand it to the salesman. He was very personable.) Had I done research prior to this little transaction, this never would have happened! I had a bad vibe about it, but went ahead and did it anyway.
I hope that I'm able to stop anyone else from wasting their money. Always remember to follow your intuition!
Andrea
Frederick, Maryland
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