- Report: #87122
Complaint Review: CMS Magazine - Atlanta Georgia
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CMS Magazine
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.
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CMS Magazine - Consolidated Media Services - Media Outsourcing - Cross Media Ripoff & Harrassment Atlanta Georgia
In August 2001, I had just received my first credit card and cellphone in my name (I was only 18.) Just a few months of having both I received a phone call from some telemarketing magazine company, congratulating me on a sweepstakes entry (which I had never made, and was also wondering how this company had my cellphone number and name.) I was told I would be awarded a 3 year subscription of 8 magazines of my choosing. The representative told me they would be sending me a packet so that I could choose what magazines I wanted to receive. At this point no charges were mentioned so I kind of shrugged it off with an "Okay..."
The phone calls then continued for several days before one of the representatives mentioned any charges, and it wasn't a representative, it was some supervisor just calling me to see what I thought of the services of one of the representatives were. He told me that another person will be in contact with me within the next two days to get information from me.
Like the super-visor had said, a representative did contact me. Asked me for my credit card # and SS#, for some reason these questions didn't rise a bad feeling or just didn't register correctly (being my senior year in high school I had far many other concerns), but what did I know, I was only a kid. It wasn't till I talked to my mom about it, that I realized what I just did. I went frantic, I didn't realize the: cost, concept, or danger of doing this, till my mom made the realization for me. Especially since, I had absolutely no clue what this company's name even was, no way of contacting them! It seemed like each time they reached me they slurred out a different company name!
I received another call from a representative about a week later (which was readily awaited, I had received a credit card statement in this time with a charge from MOS*MAGAZINE SUBS), this representative was doing a follow up "procedure", so make sure I was still interested in receiving these magazines. Which I was not! Which I explained to her, but she gave me the run around. Then told me I'd have to talk to a supervisor, which I did. The supervisor told me that their not able to cancel subscriptions because it goes threw some other company. I asked for this other company's phone number. Called this "company" and was told they couldn't do it either, that I'd have to talk to yet another company.
Called and was told (yet again) they couldn't do it either, that I would have to talk to a different company, which ended up being the company I started with! I figured, what the hell, I'm going to call them back. After getting into a pretty heated arguement with a supervisor about canceling a subscription that I wasn't even receiving yet, he hung up on me.
I was so frustrated with playing phone tag that I got my credit card company involved and they willingly agreed to blocking charges from "MOS Magazine Subs". I thought this was the solutation to my problem, boy, was I a naive 18 year old.
I didn't hear anything from this Magazine company, nor receive any magazines from, which who I still wasn't sure what their real name was. All seemed quiet, till April 18, 2003. They called saying I owed them $486, that they haven't yet received a payment from me, and they called to acknowledge me that if I didn't make a payment soon, they were going to file with a Collection Agency. I told them to go for it, I had canceled this subscription, wasn't receiving any magazines, therefore, they aren't receiving a bloody penny out of me.
By the next week a Collection Agency did contact me, and I told the woman on the phone my situation. She told me off the record, that she has dealt with this company before and they aren't the (how do I put this...?)... most honest of companies, but that doesn't change the fact that she still had to do her job. My mother ended up getting on the phone with the woman to get as much information out of her about this magazine company as she could. Which wasn't much... Just a phone number that ended the same way as when I had tried contacting someone about my situation at this Magazine company, phone tag. My mom also proceeded to write a letter to this Collection Agency, and also forwarded it to my credit card company for their records (she wanted to send it to Media Outsourcing, but had no address to send it to from the information she got from the Collection Agency representative.)
Things were once again quiet, once again I thought I was home free. Think again... Now the harrassing phone calls have started. Since December of 2003, the more time that passes the more frequent the calls are; threatening me that their going to report me to a Collection Agency again. Now I believe CMS calls my house an average of 3 times a week, if either of my parents answer the phone they don't leave a message, they just hang up the moment my parents say I'm not home (which I'm not at home when they call because I work all day). My parents are getting more frustrated by the day with this company calling the house all the time, I don't even know how they got my home phone number, considering they were harrassing me threw my cellphone up till December of 2003 (when I had the service discontinued because of them harrassing me at college, but that didn't seem to prolong the calls at all!)
I'm more frustrated with this whole situation then I could possibly explain, even more so, now that I know what exact business to complain about and report. I feel like bashing my head against the wall, but in the same think... what kind of company knowingly takes advantage of a kid? How being a few years older and hopefully a little wiser financially, I'm trying to figure out what to do to possibly correct my situation. Right now being 21 and not having much credit to my name, due to age, having $486 dollars in debt to a fairly shady company is going to do me in.
So far I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission today. I don't know if there's something else I should do or not, anyone that knows this company or has been taken advantage of, that may have suggestions, please help me!
Amber
Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Consolidated Media Services
STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!
The phone calls then continued for several days before one of the representatives mentioned any charges, and it wasn't a representative, it was some supervisor just calling me to see what I thought of the services of one of the representatives were. He told me that another person will be in contact with me within the next two days to get information from me.
Like the super-visor had said, a representative did contact me. Asked me for my credit card # and SS#, for some reason these questions didn't rise a bad feeling or just didn't register correctly (being my senior year in high school I had far many other concerns), but what did I know, I was only a kid. It wasn't till I talked to my mom about it, that I realized what I just did. I went frantic, I didn't realize the: cost, concept, or danger of doing this, till my mom made the realization for me. Especially since, I had absolutely no clue what this company's name even was, no way of contacting them! It seemed like each time they reached me they slurred out a different company name!
I received another call from a representative about a week later (which was readily awaited, I had received a credit card statement in this time with a charge from MOS*MAGAZINE SUBS), this representative was doing a follow up "procedure", so make sure I was still interested in receiving these magazines. Which I was not! Which I explained to her, but she gave me the run around. Then told me I'd have to talk to a supervisor, which I did. The supervisor told me that their not able to cancel subscriptions because it goes threw some other company. I asked for this other company's phone number. Called this "company" and was told they couldn't do it either, that I'd have to talk to yet another company.
Called and was told (yet again) they couldn't do it either, that I would have to talk to a different company, which ended up being the company I started with! I figured, what the hell, I'm going to call them back. After getting into a pretty heated arguement with a supervisor about canceling a subscription that I wasn't even receiving yet, he hung up on me.
I was so frustrated with playing phone tag that I got my credit card company involved and they willingly agreed to blocking charges from "MOS Magazine Subs". I thought this was the solutation to my problem, boy, was I a naive 18 year old.
I didn't hear anything from this Magazine company, nor receive any magazines from, which who I still wasn't sure what their real name was. All seemed quiet, till April 18, 2003. They called saying I owed them $486, that they haven't yet received a payment from me, and they called to acknowledge me that if I didn't make a payment soon, they were going to file with a Collection Agency. I told them to go for it, I had canceled this subscription, wasn't receiving any magazines, therefore, they aren't receiving a bloody penny out of me.
By the next week a Collection Agency did contact me, and I told the woman on the phone my situation. She told me off the record, that she has dealt with this company before and they aren't the (how do I put this...?)... most honest of companies, but that doesn't change the fact that she still had to do her job. My mother ended up getting on the phone with the woman to get as much information out of her about this magazine company as she could. Which wasn't much... Just a phone number that ended the same way as when I had tried contacting someone about my situation at this Magazine company, phone tag. My mom also proceeded to write a letter to this Collection Agency, and also forwarded it to my credit card company for their records (she wanted to send it to Media Outsourcing, but had no address to send it to from the information she got from the Collection Agency representative.)
Things were once again quiet, once again I thought I was home free. Think again... Now the harrassing phone calls have started. Since December of 2003, the more time that passes the more frequent the calls are; threatening me that their going to report me to a Collection Agency again. Now I believe CMS calls my house an average of 3 times a week, if either of my parents answer the phone they don't leave a message, they just hang up the moment my parents say I'm not home (which I'm not at home when they call because I work all day). My parents are getting more frustrated by the day with this company calling the house all the time, I don't even know how they got my home phone number, considering they were harrassing me threw my cellphone up till December of 2003 (when I had the service discontinued because of them harrassing me at college, but that didn't seem to prolong the calls at all!)
I'm more frustrated with this whole situation then I could possibly explain, even more so, now that I know what exact business to complain about and report. I feel like bashing my head against the wall, but in the same think... what kind of company knowingly takes advantage of a kid? How being a few years older and hopefully a little wiser financially, I'm trying to figure out what to do to possibly correct my situation. Right now being 21 and not having much credit to my name, due to age, having $486 dollars in debt to a fairly shady company is going to do me in.
So far I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission today. I don't know if there's something else I should do or not, anyone that knows this company or has been taken advantage of, that may have suggestions, please help me!
Amber
Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Consolidated Media Services
STOP! ..before you think about using the Better Business Bureau (BBB)... CLICK HERE to see how other consumers were victimized by the BBB's false or misleading information. Don't be fooled! It has been reported, when there are thousands of complaints and other investigations underway by authorities, the BBB has no choice but to finally give an UNsatisfactory rating to a BBB member business that is paying the BBB big membership fees every year. When a business is reported that is NOT a BBB member, BBB files WILL more likely show an UNsatisfactory rating, then reportedly shake down that company to become a member of the BBB. One positive thing about the BBB is, either way, if a business has an unsatisfactory rating with the BBB, you can be sure, the business is bad. But what about all those BBB member businesses that had complaints filed against them? Consumers never get to hear about them. What about the BBB advertising to the public? Is this a false and misleading perception they are giving about consumer confidence when dealing with a business? Click here to understand more of what consumers and business alike are saying about the BBB. You decide. ..Remember. The BBB membership is not earned, it's paid for!
