Unsolicited Phone Calls from 800-242-5548 and 800-237-7855

ComplaintsUnsolicited Phone CallsAmerican Reading Club

Complaint

0
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

Comments

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  • 0
    Idiot
    I'm a teenager, so it's not like I can pay all of this money (especially for things that I do not receive). They called me, and since I had never dealt with companies over the phone, I got a little flustered (as I was trying to be polite and not hang up). I ended up giving this man (Richard) my credit card information. I feel like an idiot now, after doing research.
  • 0
    Idiot
    ALSO, get this.

    The dude that claims to be the man in charge of this whole thing also claims to rent out helicopters.
  • 0
    susan
    I was called by the ARC and didn't understand fully what I was getting into. They blurted a whole bunch of things out and verified my credit card number was right. I am a full time college student with child. I can not afford to make these payments. They now tell me I am two months behind and owe the company almost 500 dollars and that they will take it down to one year at 250 if I can pay that amount in full and told me I had 72 hours to do this. I was contacted by a J.Boyd at 1-800-242-5548 and he explained that I was not in cancellation period even though I went and cancelled (tried to!) several times. They told me I had 1 to 4 days after the phone call to cancel. I was never fully explained that. Now they tell me if it goes into three months over due it will go into a FRAUD case. I don't need that on me right now.  I don't know what to do. they won't let me cancel, I can't pay , I don't want to be in fraud situation, etc...
  • 0
    anonymous
    he does lol, i use to work there.
  • 0
    Tim C
    Today Tuesday March 23 American Reading Club now North Atlanta Magazine Corp. called me to make a payment I told them that I have try to cancell everytime they called they sent me to the legal department and now they are going to try to charge me with federal charges of stealing magazine I told them that have the magazine and I do not want them.They say to stop all these problem I can pay 750.00 dollars and avoid a 250.00 legel fees.
    Im 23 and need help with these problems
  • 0
    tj
    "they sent me to the legal department and now they are going to try to charge me with federal charges of stealing magazine "

    "stop all these problem I can pay 750.00 dollars and avoid a 250.00 legel fees."

    They are [***] you.

    They are running an fraudulent telemarketing extortion racket.  The original pitch is made just to get you thinking you agreed to something, so they can later change it into whatever they want and demand a lot more money.

    So they want you to pay them $1000 for magazines you never even got?

    Would YOU sell anyone what you later claim costs $1000 without getting a signed contract?  No normal business would.

    File fraud complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, the Georgia Attorney General, and the U.S. Postal Inspector.
  • 0
    tj
    "if it goes into three months over due it will go into a FRAUD case"

    It was a fraud case the moment you picked up the phone.

    " They now tell me I am two months behind and owe the company almost 500 dollars and that they will take it down to one year at 250 if I can pay that amount in full and told me I had 72 hours to do this. "

    That seems to be what they really want:  free money for "cancellation".  A few magazines are just props in this con game.

    You are dealing with a scam.  File fraud complaints with FTC, your state Attorney General, the Georgia Attorney General, and the U.S. Postal Inspector.
  • 0
    tj
    "I stupidly signed up thinking it was a good deal"
    The sales pitch is deceptively constructed to look like a good deal.  You've got to hook them in first.

    "I thought it was 3 payments of 74.80 a month for the 60 months of magazines, "
    It probably was.  If that was for 3 magazines, it would about match typical publisher's prices.  

    Isn't it amazing that even though so many consumers are just as confused about how the original offer turns out to be many times more expensive, they haven't done anything to change their sales scripts to avoid such "misunderstandings"?

    "NOT 15 payments of 74.80 a month.  "
    That's why they always leave out the total price, so they can later make up a new version of what you agreed to.

    "Also their welcome package only had like one magazine that I actually ordered."
    They don't care what magazines you ordered.  They don't make money from selling magazines to willing customers.

    "They call me yesterday stating that if I don't settle for $900 they would press fraud charges against me because one, read one, of the payments bounced because i keep most of my money in my savings. "
    It's time to extort payment for the whole phony "contract", even for years of magazines you haven't yet received and never will.

    And no, this is no "accident".

    "I filed a complaint with my states attorney general and the BBB and will be filing with the FTC soon."

    Good.  If they call, tell them that.  And file a mail fraud complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspector.
  • 0
    tj
    Or file file complaints with your state Attorney General and the Georgia Attorney General.

    They are reported to back off when you tell them you have filed AG complaints.
  • 0
    JG
    After not receiving any magazines, I tried cancelling my account. The operator I got a hold of told me I couldn't cancel. I cancelled my credit cards and got new ones. Now I am receiving letters threatening my good credit if I don't pay. Can they really do anything?
  • 0
    Linny
    I had an account for $20 a month then three months later they uped the the amount to $42 and I have only received one magazine.  They sent me a letter stating that they would charge $20 for 30 months and then a letter saying $42.  On the terms of the letter it says prices will not increase so they screwed themselves.  The second letter in itself is breach of contract.  They wanted my social for a long time I never gave it to them just a debit card number which I have canceled.  Let them try to take me to court I pray they do because I will get more than a measly $1,000 bucks from their company.  I have already spoke to my attorney!
  • 0
    tj
    They are making up their scam terms based on what they think they can get out of you.  

    File a fraud complaint with FTC, your state Attorney General, and the U.S. Postal Inspector.
  • 0
    CGH
    I had them call me too first thing in the morning! They were going on and on and told them no I was not interested over and over, they began telling me about a free trial offer and how much the savings would be and what I would get... They said i could cancel in 3 days and would send me a letter out  to do so, I too gave them my card info and what an idiot i am for that!!.. I could not call to cancel because no one answered and it was voice recordings and no one to talk to about cancellation.. I did not get a letter for 2 weeks and it was nothing i asked for and they too offered to take 350$ pay off and or send me to criminal court..for a criminal offense.. My mother called and they had her in tears on the things they were threatening to do.. My account has been closed and we dont know what to do.. Our attorney said to look them up and find anything like what i found here today and to either pay them off so they dont file you as an criminal offense or to look them up and find anything fraudulent or a scam about them and if we could then we may have to go after them on a civil matter... I just want to know if they have done anything to any one as far as court or a judgment... I have not received anything from them and they have things listed that were not even ordered.. Its sad they are doing this to us all and hope there is a way we can all get them back and to have them put out of business..
  • 0
    Curt
    I keep getting their mags in mail and I keep sending them back it is impossible to get in touch with these pieces of garbage. They can be very thankful that I can't get my hands on them. I hope that one day someone rips off their faces like they are others money.I just write on the mag didn't order and give it back to the mail carrier after I make a copy of the mailing label.And make sure you contact the Attorney General's office in your state.The SCUM will fall soon enough.
  • 0
    julie
    I am on the National Do Not Call list and this company called me anyway. After speaking with 4 different people including the general manager, I was not able to determine where they got my information from. Therefore I am posting here.
    The general manager, if you wish to complain, is Chris Clement. His direct line is 770-403-0123
  • 0
    Tired of the BS
    They go by several names. ARC, A R C Inc, North Atlanta Magazine Services, American Reading Club, American Reading Club Inc., North Atlanta Magazine Corp all at the same address and that's only what I have found so far. The BBB has given them an "F" rating because of all the complaints about them. I filed a complaint with the FTC today.
  • 0
    JeMiGra
    wow, i am certainly in the same boat as many of you. im 20 and i was originally hooked because they made me believe that they were talking about some subscription i already had. they EVEN repeated the last four digits of my bank card at the time! i was 18 or 19 at the time and i had no idea what they were talking about...*should have been my first clue* anyway they still call me and ask for payment, which i cut off about 3 months ago. and after reading this, i refuse to give them anymore of my money.
  • 0
    Susan coop
    I just found out by my bank that I owe this North Atlanta Maz.Com.some $80.00. What should I do?
  • 0
    tj
    Since when does your bank tell you that you owe some company?

    You either write a check to someone, or authorize payment, or you don't.

    Companies may fraudulently claim you "authorized" a charge, but in that case you dispute the charge as fraudulent through your bank, close the account to block additional fraud, and file fraud and theft complaints with FTC and your state Attorney General.
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