Scam
Complaint
Lilly
Country: United States
I received a post card from P.R.S. 6025 Sandy Springs Cir Ne #318 Atlanta, Ga 30328 it said that they have good news and to call them at 1-888-279-9221....I called just to see what it was and they kept asking me for my bank information. I would not give them anything, you cant trust people nowadays and not knowing who they were exactly made me edgy. They kept switching me from person to person saying the exact same thing and then trying to get me to pay shipping and handling for my prize. I would not budge and insisted that I was not going to give any information. They then pretty much hung up on me. I called my bank and got all new cards. Just wanted to let everyone know to watch out for this. Apparently no one can be trusted nowadays.
Comments
http://www.milescity.com/forums/viewtopic.asp?fid=23&tid=3309
Similar complaints:
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-888-279-9221
Some report it as:
Caller ID: 8882799221
Caller: Publisher National Sweepstakes
"I've been getting calls on my cell phone from this number for the past week, multiple times a day. I finally called the number back on a land-line and I got a live person. Said they had good news and that I had been entered in some sweepstakes in Atlanta, Georgia.
The evening of the same day I called back, they called me again! They gave me the same story, but this time they said they were going to send me some magazines which would only cost me $3.68 per week. I finally said I had cancelled my credit card and didn't have one that I was currently using. They wished me good luck and hung up."
That would be $191.36 a year for magazines.
BBB shows a listing, but no report comes up.
Note that by getting you to respond to a postcard, and call them first, they have now gotten around the Do Not Call list, if you were on it, since that law allows calling potential customers who have contacted the company first for a period of time regardless of Do Not Call status. Since their 888 number probably captured your phone number, you may receive telemarketing calls shortly. They might even sell your number, on a "sucker list", to other companies who also claim you requested their call, although that would be a clear violation.
You responded to their card, so you are a sucker. You are right not to trust them. Note that they asked for your bank information even before you ever agreed to buy anything. They all say the same thing since they are working from the same script.
General Warning on magazine telemarketers: It is common for magazine telemarketers to make various misrepresentations to get consumers to agree to "contracts". Although they sell their deals by claiming how cheap they are, on a daily or weekly basis, they may claim consumers have signed up for multi-year contracts, in some cases for $700 or more of magazines to be delivered over 3 years or more, which must be paid up front years before actual delivery.
Despite their claims, their prices might be more expensive than ordering from the actual publisher. They have sometimes falsely claimed they are calling "for the publisher", have a special deal with the publisher, are handling renewals for the publisher, or are otherwise approved by the publisher. They have been known to add unordered magazines to an alleged order to jack up the alleged amount, and then when the consumer complains it was not ordered and refuses to pay, deliver no magazines at all yet still send the full account to a debt collector. Consumers have also reported problems receiving what they ordered.
Some states have laws requiring that consumers be given a period to cancel orders placed thru telemarketers. Some telemarketers make sure the order confirmation and notification of that right arrives after the deadline to cancel, and then refuse to cancel, even when there may be errors or additions to the alleged order.
In cases of disputes, telemarketers have been known to attempt to "prove" you ordered something, whatever they claim you ordered, by having edited recordings of you "agreeing" to some alleged order. That, plus having your bank account or credit card number, they figure is enough to get whatever amount of your money they claim you owe.
"...
PRS
6025 Sandy Springs Cir NE # 336
Atlanta, GA 30328-3863
Telephone: (888) 279-9221
Fax: (678) 560-1803
The BBB reports on members and non-members. If a company is a member of the BBB, it is stated in this report.
Principal: Mr. Sherman Jones, Customer Care Supervisor
Employees: 1
File Open Date: September 2004
TOB Classification: Sweepstakes, Magazine Sales
BBB Membership: This company is not a member.
The BBB has requested basic information from this company but has not received a response. As a result, the BBB may not have current information about the company
Additional DBA Names
We Have Good News
Customer Experience
Based on BBB files, this company has an unsatisfactory record with the BBB due to failure to respond to a complaint. However the business has resolved most complaints presented to the bureau.
BBB Definition: unsatisfactory record - A company has an "unsatisfactory business performance record" with the BBB is based on the experiences reflected in BBB files. This file condition results when the company has failed to resolve or respond to complaints, repeatedly failed to respond or resolve issues in a timely manner, failed to resolve the underlying issues for a pattern of complaints, failed to honor their commitment to mediate or arbitrate disputes or honor mediated agreements or arbitrated decisions, failed to substantiate, modify or discontinue false advertising claims that are challenged by the BBB, or failed to discontinue unauthorized use of the BBB name and logo, a Federally protected trademark.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
The BBB processed a total of 25 complaints about this company in the last 36 months, our standard reporting period.Of the total of 25 complaints closed in 36 months, 21 were closed in the last year.
..."
You are probably right that they didn't get it thru your credit reports. Most likely, they got it thru the Post Office, or possibly thru any subscriptions you changed.
In fact, this GAO report goes into the privacy issues around selling change of address information to mailing list updating companies:
www.gao.gov/store1999/gg99102.pdf
Why don't you call your local postmaster and see if the Post Office sells lists of address changes to mailing list companies?
Did some research and came across this crap. I called next morning. They record bits and pieces of the conversation you had to make it sound like you agreed to something of which you really didnt (or perhaps did without knowing the full story). They told me they could not cancel and replayed the recording in which I agreed. I said promptly that the recording was altered and only recorded bits and pieces and. There was no vacation. There was only 40 bucks a month for the next 2 years out my ass to these idiots.
There is a machine in the background that asks you questions, but while it was asking me question the sales rep I talked to during the signup process was making sure to talk while the machine was going so I could not hear everything. They use software so in the recording does not catch the sales rep talking over the machine voice asking you the questions.
After listening to all of this and being told I could not get out of it, because of what I agreed to I simply stated some threats. I said I know there is software out there that can tamper with records and only catch bits and pieces and edit out certain aspects. The lady over the phone said that they did not use such software. I said I didn't believe you. Then she said "but we just listened to the recording twice." Then I said that I did some research, found you guys are pulling [***] out of your [***] and there are forums and complaints all across google about the exact same situation I am, where the recording were not full recordings, etc. Then I said I will not hesitate to take this to a dispute with Discover. She promptly said everything will be canceled.
I then called Discover to check if it was. Since the transaction was only a authorization and not a credit I would have to wait 5 days to see if it will be posted or not. I then made sure to get the id# and name of the discover agent I just called to verify this. I then recalled this PRS [***] company, made sure I got a different representative and asked if my subscription was canceled. She said yes it was. I made sure to get her ID# and name as well.
In 5 days. I will find out if it really was or not. I believe it was, because usually a dollar or so is taken out of your credit line (in this case 3 bucks!!) for an authorization. When I went back and checked my credit line it went from 1275 to 1278, making me believe the authorization was dropped.
Make sure to be forward with them to get out of this. Make sure you tell them you know what is really going on. Make sure to act immediately and not half a year later or YOU WILL OWE THEM THE MONEY UP UNTIL THAT POINT.
The longer you wait, the more it will hurt you.
CAll 1-800-251-7834 for speak to a sales rep of P.R.S. Of course they will play the recording and haggle you, just make sure to be just as aggressive and make sure you tell them you know what is really going on.
They are engaging in fraud. A review of the pattern of other complaints will confirm that this is their standard business practice, in case you had any thoughts that you might have "misunderstood" them.
Always immediatley report all fraudulent or criminal acts to appropriate authorities, and take immediate action to block or recover any funds at risk. Contact your bank immediately to reverse any charges to your checking account or credit card due to fraud, and close and block the account due to fraud, to prevent additional fraud losses.
Contact your local DA's consumer protection unit, your state Attorney General, the state Attorney General of the perpetrator, and FTC, to file ocmplaints.
Do NOT attempt to "resolve" fraudulent practices with companies that employ them. They will take that as a sign that you can be fooled or threatened into paying them off.
Fraud is fraud, it is not business, and it does not create a "contract". Report all fraudulent and criminal activity, including unsuccessful attempts or threats, NO EXCEPTIONS.