This letter to the CEO of Time Warner describes the rip off I am reporting
Mr. Jeffrey L. Bewkes
Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerTime Warner Inc. One TimeWarner CenterNew York, NY 10019June 1 Dear Mr. Bewkes: What follows is the gist of a report I am writing forusacomplaints.com, and which I intend to share with American Express and otherswho might have an interest in what you are about to read. A few weeks ago I received a mailing notifying me that as avalued TIME subscriber, you have been issued a thank-you reward worth up to$88.00. A copy of my Thank-You RewardNotice is enclosed. A reasonable personwould conclude that $88.00 worth of items from the accompanying brochure wereavailable to me cost free. Naively, it turns out, I thought the offer was genuine. I am, indeed, a long time subscriber. And TIME is, indeed, a venerable, trustedicon of journalism who would never prostitute its credibility by promoting amarketing scam upon its readers. Yeah, sure. I selected four items using a total of $87.88 of what Ibelieved to be my $88.00 in reward credit. I sent in the form and waited for my goodies to arrive in the mail.insomnia has its benefits. Sunday night, May 30, I couldnt sleep, so I went to my computer to dosome internet browsing. I decided tocheck my American Express account online and was surprised to see that on theday before, May 29, a charge of $87.88 had been made by a merchant identifiedas NSS THANK YOU GIFTS EW. I didnot recognize whatever that is, and I did not immediately associate the chargewith the TIME reward matter, but I was certain that I had not knowinglyauthorized such a transaction. Iimmediately notified American Express and they promptly reversed the charge. I was curious about NSS THANK YOU GIFTS EW soI did a little Google research. Thatled me to usacomplaints.com where I learned that I am not the first to bevictimized by your companys TWX Magazines subsidiary and its affiliates. And I will shortly add my report to thosealready on file with usacomplaints.com Please dont insult me further by referring me to themicro-font text on the back of the form. It was clearly written to CYA in amanner intended to be unclear and confusing to the layman. While browsing the internet I spent some time with TimeWarners website. The followingexcerpts were especially relevant: EthicsAtTime Warner, we are committed to fostering a business environment where fair, honest, respectful dealings with each other, our customers, stockholders, competitors, suppliers, government agencies, and communities are everyonesresponsibility. Our unwavering commitment to the highest ethical standardsof business conduct is a core value that is strongly sanctioned at every levelof management. Standardsof Business Conduct OurStandards of Business Conduct stress the importance of abiding by the law, beingtruthful, being transparent in our business dealings, putting the needsof our stockholders, and customers first, and steering clear of excesses andethical lapses. It would be interesting to know how you can reconcile thesewebsite excerpts with what I have described here. But I will be surprised if you see fit to respond to thisletter. It will be easier for you toignore reality than to acknowledge the schlock culture that now seems toprevail at Time Warner. Thanks to the professionalism of American Express I did notlose any money in this shabby deal, but It saddens me that the once respectedTIME magazine, now clearly in its death throes, has resorted to such tawdry, shameful marketing schemes in its desperation to survive. Yours truly, CC: usacomplaints.com AmericanExpress
0 comments