Loyalty Marketing Groups, LLC Essential Savings\Business ID 0087097217 Unethical charge to my credit card Stamford Connecticut

  2/19/2015 I discovered that I was billed $16.95 from a company listed on my statement as (ESS SAV 8557671069 STAMFORD CT). I called that phone number to inquire about the charge. I was told this is a magazine reward company that I had taken out on 11/12/2009. Needless to say I don’t remember ever saying yes to the offer and I would like to add that I have never received anything from this company. The customer service personnel that I spoke with was very courteous and told me that I since didn’t know about the subscription I would receive credit for the transactions with in ten business days. At that time all I really wanted was the $16.95 credit on my card. In a review of my credit card statements I found that this charge has been made to my credit card every month since 12/19/2009 that is $1067.85. I realize that I should have caught the charge before now but I didn’t. A rather expensive lesson I would say.

I reviewed my credit card transactions 3/2/2015 and found that I had not received the $16.95 credit. I again called the number on my statement and the customer service personnel I spoke with this time was not courteous. I was told that I had made the agreement so I would not receive a credit. Every time that I would start to say something she just continued to repeat “is there anything else that I can help you with” . I then called our local Bealls Department store where the “transaction” in question was done. I was given another phone number to call. I told the customer service personnel what had happened they were unable to find any of my information in their system. I was told that it was probably the magazine company that was directly billing my card. I was told that I needed to talk with a manager and was given another phone number to call.

The manager was anything but polite. He did say that it was odd that my “membership” was not tied to a magazine but I made the agreement and that was that. I told him that I though it very odd that I had never received anything from the company. He told me that I probably have forgotten that I received a white post card in 2009. I think it very odd that after 63 months and nothing was ever done on my part someone would have made an attempt to contact me. It was from him that I learned that the name of the service was “essential savings”. Until this point I had no idea what kind of service I was to be receiving. My concern is how many other people have and continue to be taken advantage of by this company or companies. I think that what is being done is unethical and I am questioning the integrity of all companies that would allow this questionable practice tied to their names.