- Report: #155404
Complaint Review: National Magazine Exchange - N.M.E.
| National Magazine Exchange - N.M.E. 16120 U.S. 19 North
Clearwater, Florida U.S.A. |
|
National Magazine Exchange - N.M.E. Scam Ripoff mailer scam through Family Circle Clearwater Florida
*Consumer Comment: Better Business Bureau Rating Says It All
*UPDATE Employee: Really, you just seem disgruntled
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: IMO - NONSENSE ms. dagirl4u420 Tell the whole truth.
*Consumer Comment: Seems fine to me
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: They were fined $550,000 by the Federal Govt. Maxine IMO is an idiot. Thousands think they were scammed.
*Consumer Comment: 3/15/2011
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Do You Really Want to Work For This Company?
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Four rebuttals - OUCH!!!!!
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Badgering vs SEMI badgering
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: P.S. - unwilling to be a victim of company abuse and harassment
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Newest pitiful defense - Bringing down corruption has become not only my avocation, but now my profession.
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Another EX employee speaks out
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: explain this!! 400% employee turnover EVERY YEAR?
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Only the paranoid find it a rip-off
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: Claire - Maybe you know
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: not such a good deal
*Consumer Comment: I love my mags!!
*UPDATE EX-employee responds: To Frances
*Consumer Comment: Dont see any malace in this company
Does your business have a bad reputation?
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Corporate Advocacy Program™
Then the representative, Lance, told me if I signed up for 3 magazines (Elle, Better Homes & Gardens and Metro Home) then he would give me a free diamond watch (mens or womens) and $40 to go towards gasoline. I decided to hear him out and he passed me to his "supervisor" for more info and the supervisor went on to offer me a SECOND diamond watch and a free organizer and two more magazine subscriptions for free if I agreed to pay $1.29/week for the three first magazines.
All the alarms went off in my head that this was a scam so I checked out this website and saw the other complaints against this company. I hung up on the "supervisor" Patrick and hurried to write this report now. I just hope that they don't start sending me bills or magazines like it sounds like they've done to others. I am worried they may have recorded my voice saying "yes" to something and cut and paste it. I hope California Law will protect me because I am for sure not paying these scammers a penny! I don't care what happens to my credit.
So thanks for everyone sending out the warning reports!!! You may have helped save me from a scam. :) Thanks and God bless!!!
Miss
Cant Tell, California
U.S.A.
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 08/29/2005 05:10 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/National-Magazine-Exchange-NME/Clearwater-Florida-33764/National-Magazine-Exchange-NME-Scam-Ripoff-mailer-scam-through-Family-Circle-Clearwat-155404. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
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Search Tips#1 Consumer Comment
Better Business Bureau Rating Says It All
AUTHOR: tykeisom - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, September 17, 2011
This company does not have a D- rating with the BBB because they give good service and are reputable!
Before doing business with any company, check them out through several sources. There are a lot of ripoffs out there!
#2 UPDATE Employee
Really, you just seem disgruntled
AUTHOR: lbs2240 - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, September 03, 2011
Anyone can hang up once their name is recorded, and still win the sweepstakes. It is not a scam because people receive the products that are ordered, the magazines, and the worth of the FREE gifts is irrelevant. You have to say YES in order to receive a bill. We have a very meticulous methodical quality department, and we are VERY legally on the up and up. A fraud is defined as "Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain." there is no deception, all information is given, therefore there is no scam here, since a scam is defined as a fraud.
NME has been around since 1984, if it was truly a scam and many people were hurt by it as many of you have stated, then it would have been shut down far before 1989 at the latest. The only ones who seem to be so hurt are the ex-employees, all of the customers on this site for the most part seem fairly satisfied with the service, I don't see the harm here. Everyone gets what they want lots of people have jobs, and 1 person every 2 years wins 1.1 million dollars or more in the case of the 2010 drawing. No one is ever forced to get magazines, they all said yes of their own free will, we don't have the power to take that away, no one does.
#3 UPDATE EX-employee responds
IMO - NONSENSE ms. dagirl4u420 Tell the whole truth.
AUTHOR: James - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Friday, April 22, 2011
Not everyone has the many many hours to spend changing things and doing paperwork like you. And you have not heard the last of them. They will hound you to renew those subscriptions. They will call and call - because you are a customer they can call.
And those watches cost about $1.28 from Asia and the pda is also a $1 JOKE - so BFDelite. They only send those to get your SIGNATURE on paperwork for legal reasons - you didn't mention to the all the folks reading this that you had to do paperwork and sign it to get that KRAP.
The complaints against this company are REAL. The huge fines are real. And there are states where they can not do business. If it's as good as you say you are the unusual exception. Admit that you have spent lots of TIME doing paperwork.
You are right about one thing - they do get paid by the magazines to literally give the subscriptions away - that way the magazines can charge their advertisers higher rates.
#4 Consumer Comment
Seems fine to me
AUTHOR: dagirl4u420 - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Friday, April 22, 2011
#5 UPDATE EX-employee responds
They were fined $550,000 by the Federal Govt. Maxine IMO is an idiot. Thousands think they were scammed.
AUTHOR: James - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Folks this place does not like negative publicity. If they will not refund your money when you want it then change your credit card numbers and charge them back. If you threaton to complain to the attorney general, FTC, BBB, etc. etc. they should leave you alone - including their collecton agency. Tell the collection agency that you cancelled or did not order the magazines.
#6 Consumer Comment
3/15/2011
AUTHOR: Maxine - (United States of America)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
#7 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Do You Really Want to Work For This Company?
AUTHOR: the_news - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Now that I've had a fair trial run as an actual employee of NME, I can bring to you some of the facts anyone looking at NME as a potential employment, better consider it strictly a temporary position and don't expect any longevity or job security with NME because of the rate that the company goes through its people on a daily basis.
On a daily basis NME recruits dozens of prospective employees and trainees, as several training classes are held every weekday and they accommodate several training classes simultaneously. That in itsself is an alarmaing rate of new recruits constantly coming in the door every day for training, but that's the volume of potential hirees and trainees that get pumped through there on a daily basis. Many don't make it out of their second week of training and I have seen in my first three weeks of employment and training there, so many people get booted out of there. I was one of the fortunate ones who did make it to the sales floor, bringing in an average of 7 or 8 sales a day during my regular shift, but that didn't matter to the company at all.
If you're thinking the reason why I was dismissed is perhaps because of a felony charge, you're wrong, because I carry no felony charges or adjudications. Clean record.
Aside of that, whilst during my employ there, I stayed scripted, follwe all the rules, got lots of positive feedback from my trainers and team leaders, everything looked rosy until someone from the downstairs office decided to pull the plug on my employment for no legitemate reason. You see, in Florida, an employer can terminate you for whatever reason or for no reason at all, and it's legal for them to do so.
A word to the wise to anyone who might consider signing up for employment with NME, just know that it's going to be only temporary, just ride the tide and while you're at it still keep looking for work because bottom line, NME isn't going to keep you for very long, so as they can continue to keep the new recruits flowing into the company and the rest of the company's employees flowing through the system and eventually out the door. It's the dreaded revolving door system that offers a false sense of job security and that kind of business hurts our economy and abuses the people who choose to work there in their quest to work for an honest living.
I wonder if perhaps the reason they keep the volume of new recruits and employee inventory flowing thru is because of some clause that dictates if they keep an employee beyond X-number of days or weeks the company has to file some kind of document or submit to some sort of fee? There has to be an underlying answer to why NME chooses to go through so many job-seeking people and just use 'em up and discard us as if we were paper towels.
#8 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Four rebuttals - OUCH!!!!!
AUTHOR: A - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, June 12, 2006
Next SDP/NME will demand infinite rebuttals if the caller doesn't hang up.
Wouldn't it be interesting if SSA recruits visited this site during training or transition?
#9 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Badgering vs SEMI badgering
AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Saturday, June 10, 2006
So to you people out there, if you are still fools enough to call these jabroni's because you still believe you can get something for nothing, don't blame the employees for "badgering" you, after all where else can a person work, follow the rules, and still get punished for it?
By the way a personal thanks, Eileen and I found that $50.00 we received very handy. But, Kathy Margaritondo, I STILL don't understand why our apps were rejected in such a summary manner, before we were escorted out of the building. Robert Moravek would have looked at them for a minute or so before putting them in the shredder.
#10 UPDATE EX-employee responds
P.S. - unwilling to be a victim of company abuse and harassment
AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, May 22, 2006
#11 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Newest pitiful defense - Bringing down corruption has become not only my avocation, but now my profession.
AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, May 22, 2006
As to me, I will continue to spread my opinions, I don't care one damn bit who likes it or doesn't, Right Bill? Right, Robert Moravek? Right Vicki Stidel? JC?? Want to play for the bad guys? Your choice, your consequences. And "K" if you think you have the balls or the brains to call me to task, have at least the guts to use your first name. Mine is Chuck DeNova.
Want to be useful? Persuade your masters to clean up their act. The magazine deal was ALWAYS reasonable, their methods however could use "serious review". Be part of the solution, not the problem.
By the way, as you are OBVIOUSLY a part of the "inner circle", secret handshake and all...WHO WON THE SWEEPSTAKES????
#12 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Another EX employee speaks out
AUTHOR: A - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, May 22, 2006
#13 UPDATE EX-employee responds
explain this!! 400% employee turnover EVERY YEAR?
AUTHOR: A - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Monday, May 22, 2006
#14 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Only the paranoid find it a rip-off
AUTHOR: K - (United Kingdom)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, May 21, 2006
I can say that chuck is a long-time embittered ex-employee that has not worked for the company in years and might be better off keeping his opinions to himself when they are just that...opinions.
I am a highly honourable person and would never scam someone and never did. Yes I was a persistent salesperson like the best are but I never forced anything out of anyone or closed a deal that wasn't solid. I am sure that there are some employees (as in every business) who try to take shortcuts to make their numbers look better and unfortunately those few make the other 500+ honourable employees look bad.
True that you can't change your magazine for ANY magazine in the world because if that publishing company hasn't agreed to do business with NME then we can't sell something we dont have. However, I used the subscriptions every year as an employee and got fantastic discounts on magazines for friends and family that they liked and wanted. Many of them very high priced magazines normally.
This company is only a good deal if you like to read magazines but since most of middle america has left aside their reading of books in favour of the magazine this company continues to do a steady business.
If you didn't order them, don't pay and send the magazines back if they come marked "return to sender" (that costs you nothing to do) This way you aren't liable for the bill.
However, if you do love magazines this company is a joy to work for if you are an honest and upright person... makes you kind of wonder why Chuck is an EX employee doesn't it? (I left cause I moved to England)
#15 UPDATE EX-employee responds
Claire - Maybe you know
AUTHOR: Chuck - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, April 30, 2006
I'm happy your one time experience with this company was positive, consider yourself one of the lucky few.
#16 UPDATE EX-employee responds
not such a good deal
AUTHOR: A - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Sunday, April 30, 2006
I couldn't be happier with the service. I used to subscribe to these individually and was paying a lot more. I am really starting to doubt what I read about companies on this site. None of it seems to be true.
Tell the truth - for $1.29 a week for only a one year suscription did you get 6 mags, and $40 in gas, and two cheap watches, and the cheap PDA? I bet not. If you buy 4 years they can afford to give you that stuff. But 4 years is $268 total (1.29 x 52 x 4 = 268) and they can give you 2 cheap watches from asia and what is really 4 gas rebates at $10 each per month and a nightmare to redeem (it is well known that less than 10% of these types of gas coupons are ever redeemed due to the paperwork - so thats really only $4 per sale - not much if the sale is $268).
By the way - did they offer you something popular like People magazine - I think not. If they let you switch the mags than everyone should call in and ask for People or something expensive like Martha Stewart Living. Give it a try - switch to People and Martha and report back to us all.
#19 Consumer Comment
Dont see any malace in this company
AUTHOR: Frances - (U.S.A.)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, February 21, 2006
She was as sweet a person that you would want to talk to, and I could tell she was really interested in what I wanted as a customer. She was not pushy at all, because I hate pushiness and I would have known it if she was for I am a salesperson myself and I try to treat others as I would like to be treated. I got my mail from the ivoice today and I only have 2 more payments of 22 dollars and some odd cents each and they will be paid for a whole year.
Also, I like it because if I dont like the magazines that I ordered all I have to do is call them and they will exchange them for another one I might like. She said I could do this as many times as I want for no extra charge! I am also entered into the sweepstakes. I dont see how anyone could offer any fairer deal than this. I dont understand the ripoff reports but it would seem to me that any one can 'just say no' . Besides, I called them, they didnt call me. IF you buy these magazines at a newsstand you will pay considerably more for them as a whole. My opinion so far is-nope,not a rip off at all. Lets give credit where credit is due.

