Phone caller identified himself as working for the subscription department of The Week. To check validity I asked him when my subscription was to expire. He had the correct date, so I agreed to renew on the phone. Soon after I got a renewal notice in the mail from The Week. The charge was more than $50 less than what I'd agreed to. I phoned The Week to complain. Service rep gave me the name of the company (Bay Area Readers Club), said they were a contractor not part of the company, gave me their phone number, and encouraged me to call.
Woman who answered immediately offered to issue a credit for the excess amount. I asked for an email confirming the credit and she sent it from a private email address (Danielle Scaramuzzo), Credit showed up on my credit card account, but the company never forwarded my $150 payment to The Week. I phoned the company again, found that phone was not in service. I emailed the woman who confirmed my credit. The message didn't bounce, but I got no reply. My subscription expired.
I am currently disputing the charge with the credit card company. I'm sure I'll win. I have all the information the credit card company asks for. But I've wasted a lot of time tracking down the company information and owner's name and I want to warn others: Don't subscribe to anything over the phone, even if you think it's legitimate. Wait for the mail subscription form.
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