AtlanticMedia

From: Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC
Date: Fri, Nov 7, at 10:AM
Subject: Fwd: complaint #***
To: *** ***
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ?? ??.
Date:
Thu, Nov 6, at 9:PM
Subject: complaint #***
To: [email protected]
A couple of days ago, the Atlantic magazine contacted me and they offered a credit for a full-year subscription. As they said they had no information of my credit card information, I had to find my credit card statementHowever, it has been a close to a year since I ordered the original subscription, so I could not find it. Hence, I decided to accept their offerThank you very much for your help
Sincerely,
*** ***

November 6, 2014Dear [redacted].We are in receipt of your letter dated October 16, 2014, regarding [redacted]'s complaint over the refund of her subscription to The Atlantic. **. [redacted] states that she had asked that her refund be added to her credit card but instead a check was mailed to her. We would be happy to issue a refund to her credit card and attempted to reach **. [redacted] at the e-mail address and phone number provided. However, we were unsuccessful as the e-mail address bounced back and the phone number was incorrect. Should you have an additional method to contact **. [redacted], please ask her to call our subscription agent, CDS, at ###-###-#### and provide them with the credit card number for the refund.We apologize to **. [redacted] for any inconvenience, Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. -Sincerely,Aretae W.

Review: This company has been calling me stating that I sent in a form to renew with their magazine. The first time they called I told them I did not send a renewal form in and I did not want the product any longer. Weeks later, I received another call from this company threatening to send this account to collections. I again stated I did not send in a renewal request and had stated the same in an earlier contact with their company. This representative of the company stated that I had been getting the magazine all along so I had to take care of this issue or it would be sent to collections. I asked why would they continue to send the magazine when I had plainly stated to them that I did not want to renew and no payment was forth coming to them. The representative stated it was a "bill me later", and also stated, just pay it and you'll be happy, we'll be happy, and everyone would be happy". I stated that no, I would not be happy as I was being forced to pay for a product that I had told them from the very first phone conversation that I did not order and did not want. They are the ones that continued to send the magazine. I paid them what they said was owed, but I felt forced into it. I feel this is poor business and was based on strong armed tactics.Desired Settlement: I would like to be refunded as I had made it clear from the first contact with this company that I did not send in a renewal form and I did not want the product.

Review: I had a subscription to the atlantic monthly magazine which expired nov 2013. we have gotten no fewer than 8 calls since I began recording them (8.28.13) which claimed to be from atlantic magazine demanding/requesting payment for a renewal. besides saying they were from the atlantic when pressed we have gotten company names including atlantic,[redacted] publications,[redacted] and the atlantic magazine billing dept. some have offered me to renew at a great rate, others claimed I renewed, but forgot to include payment and they needed to collect the amount due now. I have asked each to remove me from the call list, but early on said if they had a signed renewal to send me a copy for review- of course I got nothing.

hoping that the idea of filing a complaint with our nc attorney general or the Revdex.com would help, over the last several calls I indicated if I got further calls they are considered harassment and I would have to consider a complaint.

sadly today's (11.22.13) call at 11:28am was too much. the caller identified herself as [redacted] calling for atlantic. she said once again that I had sent in a renewal but had failed to send the money and she needed to collect. on inquiry she finally told me her firm was "magazine association," but would not give me the company's address except "west coast" claiming that to give the address was a "security breach." when I asked for her phone number she just read me mine. she refused to give her phone number. I indicated the many calls we had gotten and my request for no further contact. I indicated that I now had no choice but to file compalint(s) against atlantic, her company-magazine assn, and her by name. at some point she asked if she had called me before; I said no, but she was calling me now in violation of my repeated requests. she eventually hung up on me. because I do not have caller id, and because she refused to give it to me, I can not provide you her phone number.

since the atlantic magazine uses these companies as agents to make unsolicited contacts and who in turn harass me and attempt to essentially, by trickery,deceit, etc., get me to send them money, I think you need to begin with the top of the food chain, the atlantic, and then branch out to its myriad telemarketers.

obviously,we wish no further phone calls from atlantic or its agents on this matter.Desired Settlement: atlantic should discipline its telemarketing firms; order an end to these practices.

atlantic should apologize to us and insure no further contacts.

whatever further censure the Revdex.com finds appropriate.

Business

Response:

December 18, 2013

Dear Ms. Freeman:

We are in receipt of your letter dated December 9, 2013, regarding suspicious telephone Calls received by one of our former subscribers. We understand that **. [redacted] recently received several phone calls where the caller was trying to solicit a credit card number from him for The Atlantic subscription.

First and foremost, I’d like to clarify that these calls do not originate from The Atlantic or any of our approved vendors. Unfortunately, we have been getting customer complaints of this same type over the last several weeks. I can assure you, The Atlantic’s policy is to never ask for or accept credit card information over the phone. We take financial security very seriously and do not have reason to believe any sensitive financial information has been exposed.

Customer incidents reported, such as his, are very much appreciated in our continued efforts to find the source of this fraudulent activity. We are documenting every case reported and investigating each case to help determine who is behind this unauthorized solicitation.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: the various unwanted phone solicitors each claimed they were representing the Atlantic; further, and most importantly, the only way they could have gotten my name and phone number and know that I subscribed to their magazine is by receiving my subscription information from the magazine itself or its agents. To say they are not responsible is both illogical and false.

These people need to "fess up" and do the right thing and not reply to you and me with a stock/boilerplate letter containing only excuses and platitudes, but no answers ( if we were, for the moment, to believe their assertion that they are not directly behind these myriad calls, and if they have been getting these complaints previously as they state, how come their investigations haven't found and corrected the problem in their organization that has allowed this personal information to be used?).

Where I am from, we would say that the answer provided doesn't pass the "sniff test." It simply doesn't smell right.

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

From: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Thu, Feb 20, 2014 at 11:33 AM

Subject: Re: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania in regards to your complaint #[redacted].

To: [email protected]

Revdex.com- I have read your report of your action to close my complaint. I find it to be inadequate since apparently no follow-up report/response was received from atlantic to my previous rejection of their reply. I find no good faith on the part of the atlantic and instead feel that there seems to be clear evidence of deceit and worse. please include in the file that I am not satisfied with your decision closing the matter, nor the outcome of this matter that remains resolved from my perspective. thank you, [redacted]

Review: When I cancelled my subscription of the Atlantic magazine back in August, they wrote in an e-mail that they would give me the refund on my credit card. However, in September I received a check as the refund. I told them about 4 times that it was very inconvenient for me to cash the chcek as I am in Japan, so I offered them that I return the check and they give me the refund on my credit card. Yet, they have never responded to my messages.Desired Settlement: I want the refund on my credit card.

Consumer

Response:

From: Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC<[email protected]>

Date: Fri, Nov 7, 2014 at 10:23 AM

Subject: Fwd: complaint #[redacted]

To: [redacted] <[redacted]>

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: ?? ??. <[redacted]>

Date: Thu, Nov 6, 2014 at 9:13 PM

Subject: complaint #[redacted]

To: [email protected]

A couple of days ago, the Atlantic magazine contacted me and they offered a credit for a full-year subscription. As they said they had no information of my credit card information, I had to find my credit card statement. However, it has been a close to a year since I ordered the original subscription, so I could not find it. Hence, I decided to accept their offer. Thank you very much for your help.

Review: Ever since I received a subscription to Atlantic Monthly magazine via [redacted] (###-###-####) about four months ago, I have received harassing phone calls from sales agents purportedly claiming to be the "billing and processing department" of The Atlantic. I contacted The Atlantic customer service and they admitted that these are agents that are misrepresenting the**elves as members of the staff of the Atlantic. In disgust I canceled my subscription on September 13th 2013. Despite this, I received a call today at 5:07pm today from the "billing and processing department" of The Atlantic. The telephone number was ###-###-####, name of person was [redacted]. When I told him that I was reporting him to Revdex.com, he persisted in calling me and insisted that I had a billing issue, even though I had canceled my subscription. (The previous agent was a certain [redacted] of [redacted] at ###-###-####.)Desired Settlement: 1) I would like an apology.

2) I would like The Atlantic (and other magazines that resort to unscrupulous sales tactics) to control their sales agents.

3) I would like the relevant association of American magazine owners to establish a code of conduct for the sale of subscriptions and to establish a contract template with their sales agents that ensures they sonform to the code of conduct or face a breach of contract.

Business

Response:

December 19, 2013

Dear **. [redacted]:

We are in receipt of your letter dated September 30, 2013, regarding suspicious telephone calls received by one of our former subscribers. We understand that **. [redacted] recently received several phone calls where the caller was trying to solicit a credit card number from him for The Atlantic subscription.

First and foremost, I'd like to clarify that these calls do not originate from The Atlantic or any of our approved vendors. Unfortunately, we have been, getting customer complaints of this same type over the last several weeks. I can assure you. The Atlantic's policy is to never ask for or accept credit card information over the phone. We take financial security very seriously and do not have reason to believe any sensitive financial information has been exposed.

Customer incidents reported, such as his, are very much appreciated in our continued efforts to find the source of this fraudulent activity. We are documenting every case reported arid investigating each case to help determine who is behind this unauthorized solicitation.

Sincerely,