National Magazine Exchange Began to send me FIVE different magazines I did not sign up for and charge me for it!!! Clearwater Florida

I started recieving mags like forbes, muscle, fortune 500, I did not order these, but I get billed constantly even calls. I am disabled, live on a fixed income. Why would I even order these. They have turned bills over to collections which I didn't need. I was told by magizine exchange that I had to call each mag company and take it up with them. These people have to be stopped. Kitty

You are totally right about the magazines. See, you order say two or three magazines or even renew them at the "1.29 a week" rate, thatz not for each one but for all of them together!!! Well then by the time you are off of the line you are given at least nine magazines but "remember you can change them at anytime at no additional cost" . Yes thatz huge!!! Huge amounts of magazines and you have got to be a huge magazine lover to want all those magazines in your mail!!
The rep giving the extras gets in trouble if they do not send out those extras. Then we have departments that take your complaints about the extras so we oblige you by changing them , flim flamming you into thinking you are having them cancelled but there is no way to do so, unless you do exchange them out for at least something you can live with . Itz a no mercy company. They love elderly people because lawyers have designed a script where people with short term memory loss will actually reorder over and over again despite stating I DO NOT WANT THESE!!! It's sad and should be wrong but that person does get on the phone and on recording allow this to be done to them. Even an educated and non senile person can get roped into it. Mostly because they do want that sweepstakes money. Which in 5 years I have never seen a real winner.
So when the person calls in to complain about all the magazines well, that's what they want. You are given crap magazines you never asked for , like for instance a young magazine for exercising to the elderly, or ethnic magazine to someone not of that race, that way you call in and they can run you through the mill again.
Everything is beautifully orchestrated to snare you into the web, and no matter how smart you think you are , they are smarter. Should this company be outlawed?
Absolutely because they will keep charging you interest and turn you over to the credit bureau and screw up your credit for ever. And if they send you a bill well you are on a taped contract stating they can bill you and they will hound you forever until you pay. One poor soul ended up paying over $700. And again, who is there to monitor that poor elderly person who so desperately wants to take charge of their life, and what's more harmless than magazines and what's more fun than entering a sweepstakes (2.1 million dollars)!!!! Also the company rapes their employees six ways to China.
O well I worked it for five years, and it is just the way it is.
I think that the worst part is no one ever wins that money.
Oh, the consumer and the employees gets the short end of the stick. It's a no win situation. Plus they are forever cancelling your decent magazines you asked for anyway. PIRATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGGGGGGGGGGGG

Why doesn't the Audit Bureau of Circulation stop NME from all this "bonus magazine" aka "free magazine" nonsense that keeps NME in business and rips off the advertisers with higher rates due to pumped up cirulation statistics?

Folks it is the Audit Bureau of Circulation that REGULATES how publishers can claim their circulation statistics (number of mags sold) which increases advertising rates if more mags are sold.

But the truth is "free mags" aren't really sold mags are they??????

Hey Chuck D are you still out there reading all this?

I bet Bill Hood is relaxing in the sun on the golf course or his boat.

What's Scott Brady doing?

Mocking your names does get me somewhere. I and the readers get a small chuckle and sometimes a jolly laugh. I enjoy laughs and high pressure clown salemen like you with funky fake names are a reliable source.

I'm going to contact the publishers in Melanie's original complaint and inform them NME is sending out "duplicate" subscriptions - why would NME do that? - is it so that NME can collect two "bonus" payments from the Pubs? - you see folks NME gets paid like a $5 "bonus" to give these mags away free and duplicate mags = duplicate bonus dollars. Seven free mags will get NME at least $35 more revenue from the publishers - and duplicates = $70. Multiply that times 100,000 and that's how StickyStarch and Flflatulenceboy and Absolutelystupid and their bosses get paid. Haha another chuckle.

Why would the publishers pay $5 to give the mags away free you ask?
Becasue with higher circulaton they raise the advertising rates!

If you think mocking our names will get you anywhere, you're wrong. You are told multiple times throughout the pitch that there is no purchase or payment required to enter or win any of our sweepstakes. So, the sweepstakes is free. There's no other way to say that. We offer you to enter the sweepstakes and then you get mad that we're doing our job of selling you many magazines for $1.29 per week? Are you serious? God, I hope you're not older than me. If you are, I feel sorry for you and whoever was unlucky enough to raise you. Both of you need a swift kick in the teeth.

You have nothing of intelligence to say. All you're doing is flaming and not providing any valid points. Do us a favor and unplug your computer for good. If you think this company will find out who I am from this place, you're sadly mistaken. It's amazing how much false information you can give over the internet. If a Tony Stark works for the NME, then I want to meet him and shake his hand. So, good luck on your whole "border line the law" comment. You can't troll a troll, Johnny.

I think stark is right, but I don't want you people reading this to walk away with the wrong idea. I am not saying you are dumb to give your information out and dumb for buying magazines and dumb for calling, because you put food on my table for me and my children and I appreciate that. We provide you with a service at a low rate and I appreciate that you could appreciate that low rate.

Make no mistake about it, as far as the original poster of the complaint, she is not paying anything more or less for the other magazines that are coming.

Regardless if you get 1 magazine or 10. You only pay $1.29 per week and you're told the rate 4 times before you give your credit card.


Let me tell you why that's a good deal.

Let's say you get sports illustrated because you enjoy that magazine, right?

Okay. Sports illustrated is a weekly magazine. You get one every week, okay?

In the stores you pay between $3 and $5 for each one. Through us, you pay $1.29 a week.

We bill you monthly, for your convenience.

So now you're paying just $1.29 per week for sports illustrated and you're paying less than you would at the store PLUS, you get ESPN, Glamour for your daughter, Martha Stewart Living for your Wife, Seventeen for your other daughter, Boy's Life for your son, Guns and Ammo for your brother, etc... and you're only paying 1.29 per week for all of these great magazines combined. Keep in mind that you're now paying less than half for Sports illustrated and getting up to 10 (now reduced to 7 for your comfort) for the same low price?

How can you beat that?

This is why I say you guys need to listen. Humans typically tune out half of what's being said to them. The supervisor you spoke to told you these words specifically:

"And to make sure you're getting an exceptional value, along with your renewals, I'm including 24 months of service to this magazine, and this magazine."

Then he/she proceeded to include a free portable electronic organizer absolutely free as a thank you for participating. We really give you those free because we appreciate your patience. We know you didn't call to buy or renew your magazines and just thank you for your respect, like Wal-Mart thanks you for shopping.

Then after the confirmation began, after you gave the credit card, you were asked for your permission to bill: "And with your permission, we will process your order that you've authorized us to bill through your visa/mastercard/amex/discover okay? And you have to give us an affirmative YES... not sure, not uh huh, not okay but yes. And you did that. After the call is over, by contract with the magazine companies we tell you that it's been such a pleasure talking to you today that we've included into your package 24 months of service to this magazine that magazines and 3 others. all included in your same low package price.

You are not paying for all the other magazines. You are paying for your renewal of your preexisting magazines. You say you got two? The supervisor asks you also if you're currently getting any of the magazines listed and if you did not say yes, we cannot mark it as a renewal unless you tell us it is a renewal!! Have you even tried calling the customer service department to do anything about it before filing this report? If you haven't, shame on you.

Again, if there was a problem you should have done that first. Secondly, you gave your consent to it all and if you were not listening, why should a reputable company registered with the BBB get backlash because you weren't listening?? That's not fair to the hundreds of employees depending on the place for a job. It's a sales job, yes but regardless if you buy, you're entered into the sweepstakes and you're informed of that at least 2 times.

This clown loon Starch is just on the the border line of the law I think, dude are you sure you want say "Stop being greedly OLD mongers and calling us for a free sweepstakes..." If you think you are right why don't you run right down to your legal dept. and complain about it, see how far you get - probably targeted and fired.

There is no purchase required for sweepstakes and that has been the law everywhere for longer than you have been pooping. You think work is easy, well what you do is sheit work and too bad if you have to listen to people tell you their mind. They DO NOT have to buy your crappy magazines.

Again - SWEEPSTAKES DO NOT REQUIRE A PURCHASE!! gfyStarch

You're completely right. I work there now and talk to about a hundred people a day. These people do a back flip at the chance to win 2.1 million dollars. But, when it comes time to buy something from us AFTER WE HAVE ALREADY ENTERED THEM INTO OUR FREE SWEEPSTAKES, they get pissed off and start yelling and cursing. I make sure I tell them specifically that there is no purchase or payment required to enter the sweepstakes. Somehow, though, SOMEHOW, they think that when I go to sell them magazines, that they HAVE to buy them. These people are morons. All you people that have entered the sweepstakes and gave your number out deserve to have gotten charged for the magazines. The seller tells you everything that you need to know before giving out your information. It's your own fault because you won't pay attention to what is being said.

So, like Flfunnyboy said, if you don't want to deal with this hassle, BUY A LOTTERY TICKET. Stop being greedly OLD mongers and calling us for a free sweepstakes if you're gonna b***h about spending some money TO HELP US OUT, TO FEED OUR FAMILIES to buy some magazines. Go live off your retirement/pension and don't call us. Do a few people that favor.

If I wouldn't lose my job for being rude to you people, I'd have a blast at this place putting you all in yours.

Yeah the duel is on, but you don't have anything to back up anything you say except insults. Adults know this is the behavior of a crybaby. You have the nerve to insult someone you've never met and don't even back it up? Just sitting in you're chair jackin to the oldies, I'll bet. Believe whatever you want to crybaby.

Yeh right - tell us how righteous you clowns are at NME. NME was fined $535,000 by the FTC for their behavior!

Take a long hike off a short pier you moron! you loon! you idot! Go ahead I'm sure you will respond - so spew away! Show the readers what an idiot you are. PEOPLE DO NOT FALL FOR THIS KRAP, DO NOT BUY THESE RICULOUS MAGAZINES

These clowns will force sell a mountain climbing or biking or jogging magazine to a blind grandma in a wheelchair if they can get her credit card number.

Yeh right - you "really" obey the rules, NONSENSE.

In fact don't bother responding for my benefit Flfunnyboy cause I'm not gonna read your spew.

Please don't say you didn't order the magazines... it really is ridiculous and I'll tell you why:
Regardless of what you may believe, there's an active department inside the NME called SALES QUALITY. Lets say that you ordered a package for 4 years, thats the biggest package. The rep that closed the deal gets 6 dollars. Yes, 6 DOLLARS! Now listen carefully: if the rep was caught trying to scam you or taking your card and order without your EXPRESS approval, the rep is fined $12.00 out of their paycheck. It makes no sense whatsoever to try to scam you, the rep actually loses money if they do it. So,
Just like when you make ANY financial transaction: YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT IS BEING SAID! Just because you weren't listening and gave your card out when somebody asked for it doesn't mean you have to give it, and anybody with any sense would tell you you HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT IS BEING SAID!
I know for a fact, no rep can sell you any package without your EXPRESS APPROVAL! You have to give your card number, confirm the address you want the magazines sent to, and in a recorded statement GIVE YOUR PERMISSION TO BILL!
Please don't be dumb and complain the company cheated just because you should have been listening. You are actually taking away your own personal responsibility for your actions and placing your financial well being in another organization without the proper understanding. Case in point:
You go to a pizza parlor, they give some pizzas and ask for your cc number. You don't remember what they asked but you think it was too much. DON'T YOU THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED MORE CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU GAVE YOUR CARD NUMBER?
I hate to pop all the little bubbles on this site, but we are monitored heavily for what we can and cannot say. WE CAN NEVER PROCESS A SALE WITHOUT EXPRESS APPROVAL FROM THE CALLER! Do you understand what this means? People are fired because of this... don't you understand??? Please take responsibility FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS and don't accuse other LAW ABIDING companies of being scams just because you can't control your own spending. IT IS SO LAME I HAVE TO TALK TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU EVERYDAY. Please think.

Melanie please write a letter to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (or ABC) telling your story. The ABC regulates the rules for companies like NME. NME sends magazines to people like you for several reasons. First they get money from you if you pay them. Second the magazines pay NME to "give away" the subscriptions. YES the magazines actually pay NME to give the subscriptions away. The magazines do this because their "subscription base" or number of subscriptions goes up and they can charge the advertisers more money. The higher the subscriptions the more they charge the advertisers. The whole business is a giant scheme to charge the advertisers more money. If you really want to DO GOOD you should write a letter of complaint to the advertisers. The advertisers are getting ripped off and so are we consumers.

Also NME historically has not ruined anyone's credit because they do not want more trouble with the law. NME had to pay a $535,000 fine to the FTC for their bad sales practices. NME wants to avoid more trouble with the FTC.

Folks this IS THE WAY to stop NME. THE ABC should change the advertising rules. LOOK the ABC UP ON THE NET.

Hey Chuck - ya still out there? Hope you had a nice long rest. When you get an energy boost and an itch to do some MORE GOOD THINGS why don't you contact the ABC. I know you have contacted lots of folks. I think the ABC is the way to stop NME. NME lost the USPS business (per the old ripoff postings), can't this scheme with the magazine publishers be stopped?

Isn't our country going down the toilet because of FAT CATS like NME and the publishers taking money they have not earned? Chuck I know you are a Crusader - I hope you have the energy to continue to fight this. I've worked 45 years and thousands of overtime hours and it's all gone with this stock market - I'm just tired. My retirement dream of a triple wide is gone, not even a single wide, now I am looking for a nice warm Winnebago.

I just received car and driver in the mail today!!! I have no intention in paying for any of this!!!! I am irate!!!