Unsolicited Phone Calls from 800-242-5548 and 800-237-7855
Complaint
Louis
Country: United States
I have been receiving unsolicited calls from this company for more than a year and have never purchased anything form them. They call daily 2 to 3 times a day on my unlisted cell phone which is also on the Do Not Call list. I have contacted the FTC and The Attorney General's Office State of Washington . I have sent the following to the Vice President of their company with no response.
[Name Removed]
American Reading Club
800-242-5548;
800-237-7855
I just received your letter from the Attorney General's Office in Washington. First I want to make it perfectly clear that the person your looking for is not me, I have never lived at the address and secondly I don't know how you obtained my unlisted and on the Do Not Call List phone number. I have never purchased anything from your company and further more if your companies annoying phone calls do not cease immediately I will be filing
paper's through my attorney against your organization. I receive 2 to 3 phone calls a day ,five days a week and sometimes on the weekends at this number, which is a cell phone (on the DO NOT CALL list) and has been for four years. My wife and I have told your operators numerous times there is no Robert at this number and there have been no purchases made by us from your company, EVER!
Most recent Calls
6-
6-5/ 8:08a 1:03p 2:51p 5:36p
6-6 /11:02a 3:11p
6-7 /10:43a 5:07p
6-8 / 11:04a 4:10p 4:23p
6-11/ 4:23p
6-12/ 9:31a 3:08p
6-13/ 1:36p
6-14/ 8:35a 2:18p 3:30p
6-15/ 9:17a 2:21p
6-16/ 9:37a
6-18/ 8:29a 1:58p
6-19/ 8:51a
6-20/ 10:27a
6-21/ 1:21p 4:34p
6-22/ 11:25a 1:19p 3:56p
6-25/ 8:47a 1:53p 2:45p
6-26 8:17a 2:51p
6-27/
9:15a 10:50a 3:06p
6-28/
9:35a 1:51p
7-2/
11:43a 2:48p 4:39p
7-3/
9:09a 11:04a 11:51a
7-5/
8:31a 9:40a 2:09p
7-6/
8:27a 11:03a
7/7
8:26a
7-09
9:58a
7-11 2:53p
7-12 9:56a
7-13 8:48a
7-25 12:06p 2:57p 6:04 p 6:58p
7-26 3:05p
7-27 10:18p
7-30 12:11p
7-31 11:23a
8-2 10:06a 2:39p
8-3 10:09a 12:09p
8-6 10:21p 1:49p
8-7 9:28a
[Name Removed]
American Reading Club
800-242-5548;
800-237-7855
I just received your letter from the Attorney General's Office in Washington. First I want to make it perfectly clear that the person your looking for is not me, I have never lived at the address and secondly I don't know how you obtained my unlisted and on the Do Not Call List phone number. I have never purchased anything from your company and further more if your companies annoying phone calls do not cease immediately I will be filing
paper's through my attorney against your organization. I receive 2 to 3 phone calls a day ,five days a week and sometimes on the weekends at this number, which is a cell phone (on the DO NOT CALL list) and has been for four years. My wife and I have told your operators numerous times there is no Robert at this number and there have been no purchases made by us from your company, EVER!
Most recent Calls
6-
6-5/ 8:08a 1:03p 2:51p 5:36p
6-6 /11:02a 3:11p
6-7 /10:43a 5:07p
6-8 / 11:04a 4:10p 4:23p
6-11/ 4:23p
6-12/ 9:31a 3:08p
6-13/ 1:36p
6-14/ 8:35a 2:18p 3:30p
6-15/ 9:17a 2:21p
6-16/ 9:37a
6-18/ 8:29a 1:58p
6-19/ 8:51a
6-20/ 10:27a
6-21/ 1:21p 4:34p
6-22/ 11:25a 1:19p 3:56p
6-25/ 8:47a 1:53p 2:45p
6-26 8:17a 2:51p
6-27/
9:15a 10:50a 3:06p
6-28/
9:35a 1:51p
7-2/
11:43a 2:48p 4:39p
7-3/
9:09a 11:04a 11:51a
7-5/
8:31a 9:40a 2:09p
7-6/
8:27a 11:03a
7/7
8:26a
7-09
9:58a
7-11 2:53p
7-12 9:56a
7-13 8:48a
7-25 12:06p 2:57p 6:04 p 6:58p
7-26 3:05p
7-27 10:18p
7-30 12:11p
7-31 11:23a
8-2 10:06a 2:39p
8-3 10:09a 12:09p
8-6 10:21p 1:49p
8-7 9:28a
Comments
BBB unsatisfactory, although they appear to respond to some BBB complaints. Kicked out of BBB in July.
Magazines ordered. Nothing ever received. After several months, charges jumped from once per month to, now, twice per month. Still no magazines. Usual claim that no cancellation was possible. No notification of cancellation terms ever received.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/261/RipOff0261689.htm
(*) In both reports, charging bank account of consumer who never ordered anything from them, for the last 10 months. Consumer has no idea how they even got his bank account number.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/251/RipOff0251604.htm
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/251/RipOff0251217.htm
Tried to cancel. Refused to cancel, but added additional magazines to the alleged "contract".
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/217/RipOff0217614.htm
Customer made it thru a 2 year contract, so they just "renewed" it. Claim consumer renewed by phone.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/214/RipOff0214246.htm
(*) Consumer never contacted company, and never placed any order. Company sent bill for $895. Company claimed order was on some credit card number not recognized by consumer. Consumer refused to pay for order never placed. Company still managed to debit consumer's bank account for $50. Consumer had never ordered anything, or provided bank account information.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/213/RipOff0213562.htm
"Welcome packet" that would have provided notification of
how to cancel "never arrived", so by the time consumer tried to cancel
it was "too late". Typical.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/212/RipOff0212863.htm
Misrepresentation of and unilaterally changing alleged "contract" terms:
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/210/RipOff0210956.htm
(*) Appear to have obtained credit card numbers from some other source (other than the consumer). Attempted to be trying to obtain and record order confirmations, by trying to obtain recordings of consumer saying "yes" or "ok" to agree to "cancellable" subscription offers in exchange for a "$25 gas card":
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/194/RipOff0194620.htm
ARC employee responds to consumer complaint claiming to have proof the consumer actually owes the money. Response is almost 2 years after original complaint.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/163/RipOff0163409.htm
(*) Another allegation of an unauthorized credit card charge. Consumer got them to back off with the help of her attorney.
Similar recent "employee response" (again, 2 years late) claiming to have "recordings" of her authorization.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/084/RipOff0084851.htm
Best response:
Warning: Keep them at arms length, minimize contact, and do not expect to resolve anything on the phone. They appear to have gotten unauthorized access to bank or credit card account information, and are reported to be making unauthorized charges, claiming to have recorded "order confirmations".
If they call, tell them simply to put you on their Do Not Call list, then hang up. Print out cell phone records as a record of their calls. Although they may be claiming to be trying to reach someone else, there is no telling how they might try to use phone recordings.
Keep filing complaints via FTC and state AG, including specifically the Georgia AG, for Do Not Call violations.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/02/bookspan.shtm
NOTE: The name of this company is now "NAM" I assume it's for National Magazine something. The addy is 562 Lakeland Plaza Auite 138, [***] GA 30040. The card has a pin# of G09175054 below their return addy. IT's posted with a first class us postage paid permit no 123.
The message on the back of the card reads "Dear Lora, Good news, as a part of your subscription with us, you will be receiving some fully paid magazines. These natinally known titles will begin coming to you in the next few weeks.
We hope you enjoy reading these natinally known magazines. You will never receive a bill. Just read and enjoy.
If you wish to no longer receive these subscriptions or would like to send them to a friend or relative, please contact our customer service department at (800)-237-7855.
Thanks, Elliott Shanahan"
If you did NOT order anything from them, it appears like they are attempting to claim you might have, but blurring the distinction between whether this is an "order confirmation", or an "offer". Their wording also suggests that they may be trying to claim that your failure to reject this solicitation might somehow contract you for some (unknown) magazine order, a version of "negative option marketing". Illegal, and mail fraud, if they try to pull it off.
They may also be wording this ambiguously to get around the Do Not Call list, to get people to call cancelling subscriptions they never had, since one of the exceptions to the Do Not Call list is if a consumer calls first. This gives them the opportunity to try to sell you subscriptions, possibly even thru follow-up calls ("replying to a consumer inquiry"), or possibly claiming that you subscribed in your call to products you never ordered.
Keep the card. If you did NOT order anything, you have no obligation to do anything, and anything they mail to you is, under federal law, a "free gift". It is illegal to send a solicitation or offer, disguised as an order or invoice, and not clearly marking it as an offer. Similarly, it is illegal to send an invoice or bill, for something you never agreed to order. It is also illegal to claim that NOT responding to some offer means you agree to it, unless you previously agreed to such "negative option" marketing, such as by joining a "book club".
If you did NOT order anything from these jokers, and never contacted them to place an order, the safest response is NOT to contact them, but instead to file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector, for violating 39 USC §3001. This card falsely claims you agreed to a "subscription", making it a disguised "invoice", not just an offer.
This looks like the opening gambit in a grab for your money that may use your receipt of this card followed by their sending of magazines to allege that you somehow "agreed" to some "contract", which they might follow up with threats and abuse thru a "debt collector".
Who knows how large a subscription order they might claim you agreed to, and for what magazines? These types of outfits sometimes claim consumers agreed to order $700 or more of magazines, 3 years paid in advance, at rates higher than the publisher, and include magazines never ordered, even when a consumer did order something else.
If they didn't intend it to be a phony "order confirmation", and therefore mail fraud, then let them tell that to the U.S. Postal Inspector.
http://myfloridalegal.com/lit_ec.nsf/investig ... 52573360071970A
"The case file cited below relates to a civil -- not a criminal -- investigation. The existence of an investigation does not constitute proof of any violation of law.
Case Number: L07-3-1117
Subject of investigation:
American Reading Club, Inc.
Subject's address:
5175 Performance Drive, [***], GA 30040
Subject's business:
Telemarketing
Allegation or issue being investigated:
Deceptively telemarketing magazine subscriptions, failing to disclose all material parts of the offer, failing to deliver the magazines ordered, and delivering magazines that were not ordered
AG unit handling case:
Economic Crimes Division in Tallahassee, Florida "
same company, same [***], different name