International Magazine Service Of Northern California
Fraudulent & deceitful

After agreeing to subscribe to a few magazines with my bank debit card, I found that additional money had been taken by an affiliat company (Family Health Care). When I first called to say I had not authorized this payment, I was told the service would be cancelled.

However, the next month, more money had been deducted. I contacted my bank and told them that this was an unauthorized deduction. They did not allow any further deductions. I contacted the company again & was told it was too late to cancel. When I vigorously complained, I was told that as a customer accommodation, they would cancel the service but would not issue a refund.

I immediately filed a complaint with the California Dept. Of Justice and the WV Dept. Of Consumer Protection. After a few months, I received word from both agencies that the company refused to respond. I then filed a formal complaint with the Chamber of Commerce in Oakland, CA (which covers Santa Rosa). About a month later, they forwarded me a letter from the company which said the matter had been resolved months ago.

I immediately wrote the Chamber of Commerce again and in a 5 page letter detailed everything and said the matter had NOT been resolved. My next step was going to check out the Federal Dept. Of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. However, I then received a letter from the Chamber of Commerce that included a letter from the company explaining that I would receive a full refund (which I did).

However, I was not compensated for the postage, copying costs, time, etc., that it took to get the problem corrected. I did not ask for it, but it should have been offered. My yearly commitment to IMS has since run out. I have received nearly a dozen phone calls telling me how great a customer I am and they want to extend their service and offer me "free" magazines. The first couple of times, I politely declined. Then I firmly told them no the next couple of times. Then I told them I had not had a good experience, did not want to be contacted by them, and requested to be put on their do not call list.

I was told I needed to contact the main office, which I did. When I got the next call, I complained about being contacted. They said they didn't have any record of my name on their do not call list & referred me to the main office. When I called (again), a most disagreeable man said there was no way this could have been done since that service wasn't done at that facility. When I gave him chapter & verse about who & when I called, he repeated that it was impossible and referred me to their sales office.

When I called THAT number, I was told that I WAS on their do not call list. The young lady said she would have her supervisor check into it & let me know what was going on. That was 3 weeks ago & I'm still waiting for the call. Thankfully, I'm not holding my breath while waiting.

If you are owed a refund by these people, document EVERYTHING. Write down who you talked to & when. Write your local Consumer Protection Agency/Dept. Of Justice or Chamber of Commerce and keep with it until you get what they owe you. Part of what I demanded from this company was a written statement that this account was closed. When I finally got it, the email address was for a magazine sales company. My BELIEF (not proven fact) is that Family Health & IMS of N.ca are being operated by the same people and are basically one & the same.

Company: International Magazine Service Of Northern California
Country: USA
State: California
City: Santa Rosa
Address: 375 E. Street (PO Box 4209
Phone: 7075711005

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