I as well as many of you have been scammed into this company's services thinking they got a great deal or a free prize. I was contacted at work and was asked to do a survey about what I enjoy to read, upon completion I was offered a free gift of magazine subscriptions. I thought I just paid a monthly fee of $2.77 for shipping for all these great magazines and was eager for more information in the mail.
The letter from the company was not exactly what I was expecting. It cost $2.77 a week and a long term cost of $720.00. At that moment an alarm went off in my head to cancel it right away. From personal experience I know they will not contact you back via phone or email. The best way is sending a thorough and even threatening letter to receive a response.
I mailed a letter about 4 days after I received my first bill and received a letter back in the mail from Publishers Business Services saying they canceled my account as requested before the first bill was due.
Included ahead is a copy of my letter. I hope this helps many of you:
To Whom It May Concern:
Re: Account # * *-*
On 6-7-07, I was sold magazine subscriptions I was not fully aware of. I would like to cancel my subscription. I feel the telemarketer was deceptive and the terms and conditions of the sale were not clearly stated.
I was called on the said date at my place of work asking if I would like to take part in a quick survey which I agreed to. Upon completion I was told I was eligible in a free gift of magazine subscriptions. From my understanding I was to pay about $3.00 a month for the magazines. Since I was at work and felt it was a very inappropriate surrounding I tried to hurry to get off the phone. I said yes to the questions not knowing I was entering a verbal contract for a non-cancelable clause. I hung up quickly assuming I would get more information in the mail about the offer.
I later find out after receiving in the bill I received that the cost was $2.77 per week, not month. I also notice that the total cost of the service would come out to a total of $720.00. FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule it requires sellers and telemarketers to disclose the total costs to purchase, receive, or use the offered goods or services. PBS never told me it would cost me a total of 720.00 for all these magazines to be sent to my house.
The FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule prohibits sellers and telemarketers from misrepresenting any material aspect one that would likely have an effect on the consumer's purchasing decision of the nature or terms of the seller's refund, cancellation, exchange, or repurchase policies. If they made it clearly known that I was agreeing to a non-cancelable contract and that I would have to pay a total of $720.00, I would have NEVER agreed to this trial offer. I agreed for them to send me more information in the mail about the offering; I never agreed to a contract. The act says, Sellers and telemarketers may disclose orally or in writing information about material restrictions, limitations, or conditions to purchase, receive, or use the goods or services being offered, as long as the information is clear and conspicuous and disclosed before the consumer pays." Their non-cancelable contract and the total cost of the magazines were NOT clear and conspicuous.
I have tried on various occasions to contact the company to discuss the problem via phone and e-mail. On the website it states 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed and response by the customer care team within 24 hours. It has been at least 48 hours since my e-mail and I have yet to receive a response. Ive left my information over the phone recording 3 times and have yet had a representative contact me as soon as possible.
I am a 19 year old student currently working part-time for $8.50 an hour. I pay rent, cell phone and credit card bills, and my tuition. I can not afford to spend $720.00 on magazines.
I refuse to pay any fee for the service. I have not received any of the magazines yet and would like to cancel before receiving any. I have already contacted the Better Business Bureau of Las Vegas regarding my complaint.included in my complaint was that PBS failed to include an official notice of cancellation or inform me in writing of my right to cancel, connived me into agreeing to a non-cancelable clause in their contract, engaged in false and deceptive tactics to promote their magazine sales, and engaged in fraudulent customer care guarantees on their website.
I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem, and will wait until 7-31-07 before seeking help from the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Please contact me at the above address or by phone at
I personally think that by using laws to my advantage and threatening to report them to state departments hastened the cancellation of my account.
ALSO! Another point you can bring up if they use the whole "we have it on tape" sh peal is by saying that you were not in the right state of mind. I'm studying medicine and I know that doctors engage in their verbal contracts and clauses before performing any type or surgery because if a person is sedated or clearly not in the right state of mind the patient's responses are invalid because the doctor can be held accountable for it. Just another thing to keep in mind while writing your letter.
I hope this all helps.
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