The Southwestern Company ripoff fraudently threatened with credit action for another person's "letter of endorsement" Nashville Tennessee

Do not do any kind of business with this company. This company has multiple complaints against them.
Their claims that Senators, business leaders, etc are bogus.

The people filing these "rebuttals" are more than likely employees. The original reporter needs to go to their AG of their state as well as to the media and expose this "company for what they really are, crooks.

The document he claims is titled 'letter of credit' is in fact called 'letter of endorsement' and says so right on it.

The "letter of endorsement" that you are referring to is actually called a "letter of credit" (and says so right on it).

The purpose of the letter of credit is so a college student (who sells as an independent contractor) can open an account with the company. The purpose for this credit is so that the student can order books from the company wholesale WITHOUT PAYING UPFRONT and then repay the company after the student collects the money from his or her customers.

Keep in mind that the company REBUYS all unsold products from students if they order too much or have customers cancel at the exact same price it originally charged the student (in other words, risk free).

I imagine what happened is you signed a letter of credit for someone who ordered books and then just pocketed all the money he collected from selling them instead of paying the company back for products it shipped him. It's the only way for there to be a negative account.

If you signed a letter of credit for someone who has a negative account, it is not the company that is the ripoff.

In your situation, I wouldnt pay the charges if you DIDNT sign the letter of credit. If you did you should read what you are signing next time. On another subject,without looking more into the company, I also wouldnt start bashing them. I paid for my first house and college working my butt off in the summer providing families with educational books to help their life and their kids better in school. They are the oldest direct selling company in the nation and pride themselves in helping college kids get prepared for the real world.

I ran my own business with them and learned what it takes to be successful in life, career, and family all during college. Most college kids do things during the summer that arent going to further their career. I learned discipline, perseverance, organization, and most importantly confidence while working with them. This company is not a scam and the only reason you "owe" them money is because the person that you either signed it for (or who forged your signature) didnt work and put the principles the company, which have been working for 130 something years, taught them into effect. Just do my research next time, please.

The Southwestern Co. of Nashville, TN is a 151-year-old publisher, of great reputation and honest business practices. They are a very visible company with alumni in business, education, government, and the professions all over America and Europe. Anybody can read all about the whole program at www.southwestern.com. They can even earn college credit, and enviable resums.

If you are getting collection letters, it is because you agreed to guarantee some young person's honesty who then was not honest with them. Or else that young person crookedly used your name without telling you.

They offer enviable business training and experience, at no charge for the training and a full summer of support, and a nominal charge for a sample kit.

The students work 75-80 hours each week, making a brief demonstration of the books to upwards of 30 families per day, and take an order if the family wants them. The student orders from the company, has the books shipped, delivers to the customer, and returns any undelivered books, pays Southwestern the wholesale price, and keeps the difference. Just good old retail sales.

If the student skips out, or will not pay for what they sold (and collected the money for), the company has no recourse but to collect up to $500 from the parents or whoever agreed to guarantee the student's honesty. The kid could rip them off for many thousands and you are only stuck for $500.

How do I know this? I worked my way through college in the 1970s with Southwestern; my wife, hundreds of our friends, and all 3 of our sons have worked with them. One of our boys is ready to leave for his second summer, next month. We have hosted students in the program in our home 6 or 7 summers.

It cannot be true that you have never had contact with the company, UNLESS the student forged your name to the guarantee, then skipped. There's the crook, not Southwestern.