I got a call from a restricted number and told I was entered in a sweepstakes and had won a gold watch. The first few times they called I hung up as soon as they asked for money. But for some reason, probably because I noticed that I never got a watch or heard back from the sweepstakes, I decided to sign up for what they were offering. The fact that it was a restricted number should have been my first clue and I should have ignored the call every time, but for some reason I didn't.
They told me I would be getting five magazines but only paying for one. I picked reader's digest and they said that it comes out weekly-which it doesn't - so I would be paying only $4.15 a week or $16.60 a month. I specifically asked if I could cancel at any time and she told me I could, but the free magazines would still come, I just wouldn't have to pay anything. She said they would send me a paper bill at the end of every month and I would be getting a welcome package with my free watch and the magazines I could choose from.
I never got the welcome package or the watch, but I did start getting magazines I didn't want. (elle, cosmo, time and allure, none of which interest me.) Then they started taking money from my account every month in the amount of about $40. I was stuck because I was paying more than I wanted, I wasn't getting what I was promised and I didn't know the name of this company, the phone number to reach them or a physical address.
Not knowing what else to do I cancelled my bank accout the second time they overdrew it thinking that it would be the end of it. That's when I started getting collection letters telling me "You payment check bounced" and demanding I pay the $40 dollars plus a $40 service charge.
There was no way I was paying them all that, so I called the number on the bill and explained myself to whoever answered, if anyone answered at all, and all I got was "hold please while I transfer you" and thirty minutes of music or "I'm sorry, you're in a contract and we can't cancel your account." One day I was talking to some guy and he said he was going to hang up and then called me on a restricted number. I eventually filed a report with the Better Business Bureau but I haven't heard back.
Eventually I just started to ignore all the letters, I figured they can't make me pay anything because they have no signed agreement and I never gave them my social security number. I figured it was a scam and eventually they would give up and go away.
Now they're telling me I owe almost $1000 and they're sending me to a collection agency. I don't know if they're bluffing becuase like I said they don't have my ssn or any other personal information for that matter, but I'm starting to get a little worried because I'm planning to buy a house within a couple years and I can't afford anything negative on my credit score.
My husband says if it gets on my credit score we're getting a lawyer and suing, but I don't know if they did anything illegal. If anyone has sued them before I'm very interested to see how it turned out.
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