False Delinquent Account Billing

ComplaintsCollection AgenciesGOOD HOUSEKEEPING MAGAZINE/BILLING

Complaint

0
Renee Howe
Country: United States
Yesterday I received a notice entitled ÏNVOICE FOR SUBSCRIPTION SERIVCES, dated 01/24/13 for a Good Housekeepting magazine subscription ($8.97 - Acct, No. 0257336099).  

This renewal was NEVER ordered.

The letter received with the invoice -- from the Credit & Collections Department in Harlan, IA -- includes the following excerpts:  "Your delinquent account with us has been brought to my attention for collection"...
Ä review of our files shows that you have failed to respond to our numerous requests for payment."

All of this suggests that this INCORRECT bill for a renewal subscription which was NEVER ORDERED,
that our excellent credit rating could somehow be improperly lowered.  WE WANT TO PRESERVE OUR
EXCELLENT CREDIT RATING, without paying a bill which WE DO NOT OWE.

We will appreciate knowing (a) if this message will be forwarded to the collections department; and
(b) what -- if anything -- we should do to prevent our credit rating to be erroneously downgraded because of an INCORRECT BILLING.

Thanks for any assistance!

--RENEE HOWE
 PO BOX 171
 ERSKINE, MN 56535-0171

Comments

  • 0
    tj
    They are "chicken billing", using the implied threat of credit damage over this "delinquent account" to "encourage" you to renew.  

    It commonly shows up in consumer complaints particularly against Hearst publications, often reported in associated with Playboy or Good Housekeeping, or sometimes associated with deceptive "sweepstakes" offers where the consumer entered but didn't notice that the fine print signed them up for a "trial offer" that supposedl converted to a "subscription"

    Sometimes, they employ a marketer/collection agency, Sunrise Credit Solutions, to send the letters, further implying "you better pay to renew", when it's straddling the fence as to whether it's a collection letter or a solicitation.

    It's a step beyond the other aggressive magazine "sales" tactic: sending you a renewal bill a few months after your last renewal was paid, when you have almost a year before the next one.

    Cointact the magazine directly to notify them that you did not renew.  
    They aren't going to damage your credit if you don't renew.
    They will just not send more magazines until you do.
    Reportedly, they will just quietly go away.

    If you get a letter under the name of a collection agency, like Sunrise, you can send an FDCPA dispute to invoke your federal dispute rights, but these guys generally go away if you just send them notice you are not renewing.

    If you have further problems, you can file complaints with your state AG, the US Postal Inspector, or BBB.
  • 0
    pjj
    SCAM            SCAM             SCAM    - - - Hearst Corporation - - -

    I HAVE ALSO received a BILL from Subscription Services Department stating -

    When you ordered your subscription with the convenience of being billed later, we fully believed you would send payment upon receipt of your invoice.  Since we have no record of your payment at this time, YOUR GOOD STANDING WITH US IS AT RISK.   (!!!!!)

    You can resolve this matter quickly and easily by returning the subscription invoice with your payment - - -

    MY RENEWAL WAS NEVER ORDERED

    WE ALSO WANT TO PRESERVE OUR
    EXCELLENT CREDIT RATING, without paying a bill which WE DO NOT OWE.

    Oh yes, quickly and easily !!!  You are TAKING MY MONEY FROM ME when I do not owe you any money!!!!!   - - -AND ACCUSING THAT I DO NOT PAY MY BILLS

    I have stopped my subscription and will NOT take the magazine again!!!!!
  • 0
    tka8fan
    I am having issues with Good Housekeeping attempting to get them to stop sending renewal notices to my 89 year old mother.  Two YEARS I have been sending back their renewal notices trying to get my mother's name removed from their mailing list.  I have emailed their customer service department several times and received a response that mom's name would be dropped.  Short weeks later, another renewal notice was received.  I called that time and was told her name had been removed from the mailing list but that some notices were already in process to be mailed.  There was a short reprieve of about three months but last week another notice came.  Mom does not want this magazine any longer, but with her increasing dementia, it is very possible she would send the response back without knowing what she is doing.  I try to intercept the renewals before she gets them, because she has made it clear she no longer wants this magazine.  Isn't there some legal recourse for harassment of the elderly again these companies?
  • 0
    Rose Marie Barilla
    I never renewed my subscription. How dare you tell me I have a delinquent account. Please answer
  • 0
    Nancy Thomas
    The reporting to the appropriate authorities for the threatening and aggressive manner Good Housekeeping solicits renewals needs to be made.   I am receiving letters from CREDIT & COLLECTIONS DEPARTMENT for "PAYABLE UPON RECEIPT.  DO NOT SEND CASH.  Your delinquent account with us has been brought to my attention for collection.  'Subscription Suspended for Non-Payment', that's what our records reflect.  When we agreed to bill you later, we anticipated that you would forward payment upon receipt of our invoice.  A review of our files shows that you have failed to respond to our numerous requests for payment.  Take a moment now to settle your obligation with us and we will promptly reinstate your subscription."   I have lost respect for Good Housekeeping - this is certainly not a "seal of approval" practice.  It is more of a bullying practice
  • 0
    me wallace
    same old story...... not ordered refuse delivery 15 times keep getting mag. and bill .   shove IT !
  • 0
    Shirley Hunt
    I never ordered any of this mess
    I ain't paying
  • 0
    KayCee
    Got a FINAL NOTICE in the mail today, asking for $7.97 for 13 issues. Excuse me? I never ordered or received Good Housekeeping in the first place! Scammy McScammerton!
  • 0
    Ruth
    I have tried calling, mailing the notices back at my expense- still getting these "fake" renewal bills. I am not paying for something I don't want  -magazine is thin with mainly page after page of drugs and their warnings about those drugs- very few articles and none of them worth reading- magazine and bills are going in the trash
  • 0
    Verenisse
    I got the same thing everyone is talking about, I’m obviously not going to pay for something I never subscribed for, but will it affect my credit or anything ?

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