On Dec. Glendale Az., a dark-haired high school-aged boy rang our doorbell to sell magazine subscriptions. He claimed that he was a neighbor from several streets away, and that he played on a very successful soccer team that was going to Hawaii for the playoffs. The magazine subscription sale was the fund raiser that the coach had chosen for them to earn the trip. He also claimed that the magazines were going to be sent to the troops overseas.
My wife, being the kind-hearted person that she is, agreed to help by purchasing subscriptions for the troops. She was also told that part of the money would be sent to one of four foundations: Cancer Research, Childrens Literacy, Diabetes Research, and, I believe, a Childrens Diseases Research Hospital.
The young man was a smooth talker, seeming very genuine throughout the entire encounter. He said that his coach wanted him to offer some kind of service to anyone who purchased magazines from him. He agreed to come back on Sunday afternoon to wash one of our cars. He made friendly conversation, tried to connect with our dogs, and made an effort to say goodbye to both my wife and me.
I felt very uneasy about the entire thing and got online to research the company listed on the receipt. I was upset, but not surprised to find some very negative information about United Family Circulation, including this from the Better Business Bureau:
BBB Rating
Based on BBB files, this business has a BBB Rating of F on a scale from A to F.
Reasons for this rating include:
128
Complaints filed against business
Failure to
Respond to 41 complaints filed against business.
8
Complaints filed against business that were not resolved.
Overall
Complaint history with BBB.
Several complaints state that the sales representative has represented him or herself as neighbors or students trying to earn money for a student in the area. The company states that they do not condone or use this approach in their sales training for these "independent contractors." Consumers should exercise the three-day cancellation privilege if they have been misled.
0 comments