Over the past few months I've received several calls (to a number registered with DO NOT CALL) from an agency wanting to "verify I am receiving the magazines I ordered." My standard answer was, "I didn't order any magazines, take me off your list."
On 15-Jan, I received a similar call from a "Nicole" at "Readers Services" (number on caller ID was 1-800-555-1212) asking the same thing. She said I had signed up for a set of magazines including GLAMOUR, ROLLING STONE, SHAPE, ELLE, and others, for 5 YEARS, and a monthly charge of around $69. I told her I never did that. She said she could reduce it but not cancel it. So she said she put the reduction through, agreed to send me all the details in the mail (she said it would come from Ft Meyers, FL) and sent me to "John" her supervisor.
John asked me to verify my credit card number; he gave me the expiration date of 2013 but none of my cards have that expiration date. He said he could not verify my identity or process the "reduction" without a valid card and without a valid card they would report me to a collections agency. Then he passed me to his "bookkeeper."
The bookkeeper proceeded to ask me a number of questions to put the reduction through. He kept starting the questions over since he was "recording" and my answers "exceeded the time allowed." (I did not want to agree to anything he said!) I finally refused to answer a question about my income; he said he needed a number so I said $100/month. He said he couldn't process my reduction if I was going to "play games." He was very rude about it. At that point I told him I did not have to answer his questions and I hung up on him. I then called my credit card company and learned that they had charged me $59 (though they said the first payment would not be charged until the 1st of next month). I put a freeze on my card and will dispute that charge and any future ones.
Then I filed complaints with the FTC, BBB, Do Not Call, Atty General, and others.
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