During the last several months, things have been busy around my home. I had a death in the family shortly before my wedding was to take place. One evening when all of these things seemed to be closing in, I recieved the dreaded telemarketing call soliciting for money.
Cosolidated Media Services was on the phone and quite honestly that was the most I got out of the conversation from the rapidly speaking individual. I thought I was agreeing to a TRIAL magazine subscription, so when I gave them my credit card number, I thought I could cancel.
Between reciept of the agreement and the magazines, I went on my honeymoon. When I returned I found my credit card bill for $275.00 for magazines. I immediately called the company to cancel. I spoke with a gentleman who bluntly informed me that there was nothing I could do about it, the ten day cancelation period had ended and I hadn't responded so I would be recieving these magazines for the next SEVEN years and would be charged another 275.00 the next month. I cried, I begged, I became angry. Nothing worked. So I hung up the phone and immediately called my credit card company to cancel the payment and any future payments, I had not recieved any magazines yet, so I felt that I had a right to cancel payment on merchandise I had not yet received. I was told by my credit card company that I had given them my number so unless I called them and they were wiling not to charge, there was nothing I could do.
I have begun to receive the mounds of magazines that I didn't want. I refused to read them. It made me ill just to look at them. I feel helpless. The company has since charged my credit card again and sent me a notice congratulating me on paying my account in full. I now have 12 magazines that I don't want, a $600.00 charge that I can't afford, and, to make matters worse, they have recently called me again and I asked three times if they were trying to get more money out of me to no avail. It wasn't until I got a supervisor on the line that I was told that they were in deed trying to solicit more money so that my magazines would arrive on time.
I am frustrated that this company feels they are providing a service of benenfit to the community when, in fact, they are railroading people into giving them money to be the middle man for magazine subscriptions. I am a newlywed and a teacher. Now I am a newlywed, a teacher, and in debt for the next seven years. Something is not right.