One Spirit is a book club that supposedly specializes in publications dealing with spirituality, New Age, yoga, earth-based religions, etc. Etc. I accepted an offer from them last year to order six books for the price of one and then become a member of their club, with an agreement to order four more books over the next two years.
Five weeks later, my "initial" book order was received — first of all WITHOUT one of the books I had ordered. THEN comes a huge bill for shipping (something like $36) for the five books I did receive. That in itself was ridiculous —
I don't know what kind of shipping these people used, but I send shipments of books and other items all the time through my Ebay and amazon.com businesses and have rarely had a shipping bill THAT big for five books, especially sent USPS Media Mail.
So things are already off to a shaky start. And then my life falls apart. A family member is diagnosed with possible cancer (this is July) and the next three months are taken up with doctors, doctors and more doctors. I fell behind on non-essential bills and One Spirit's was one of them. I understand... I'm perfectly willing to pay the $36 shipping I owe them once I realize this hasn't been paid.
I am getting ready to send them the check and an apology when I receive a notice from a collection company (!!!) telling me that since I have not "fulfilled my obligations" to the book club they want me to pay $125!!! For "books that were not ordered under the contract you signed." SAY WHAT? Here I am ready to fess up and pay for my own mistake, and I get a notice telling me that not only have they cancelled my account, but they want $125 for BOOKS I NEVER EVEN ORDERED AND CERTAINLY HADN'T RECEIVED.
To make a long story short, I fired off a Cease & Desist letter to the collection agency along with a check for the $36 I originally had owed. I also wrote a letter to One Spirit teling them they were getting no more money out of me and to not contact me again.
I can understand a company wanting to collect an unpaid shipping bill, or an unpaid bill for services already rendered, but the idea that they wanted me to pay more than $100 for items I never received (and who is to know that ANY of the four books I might have ordered with them would have even totalled that amount...) just galls me.
This is a shame because their merchandise and prices are generally good, but I wouldn't wish this book club on my worst enemy. So much for good karma. Stay away.
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