Contrix Inc.

I recently received the following from Magazine-Agents, a Contrix company.

"Dear DAVID,

We regret that we have been unable to process payment in the amount of $39.99 for your Harper's subscription renewal that we notified you of recently due to our inability to get authorization to charge your credit card.Our recent attempt to charge your VISA ending in 5270 was declined by your bank. We will attempt to charge the card again on 12/23/2018.

In order to prevent  service interruption, please verify your payment information for accuracy or provide an alternate credit card using our subscription manager which can be accessed via the link below."

This subscription price is more than twice what Harper's Magazine charges me. My subscription doesn't expire until 2022. I have no idea why this company has chosen to obtain, by fraudulent means apparently, an old credit card number connected to Harper's, nor do I know why they continue to do so. For several years Harper's has had to publish warnings concerning this company. I have never purchased a subscription of any kind from this company. The card they cite was compromised earlier this year. This message is proof that they have purchased that hack. They should be investigated, fined, and put out of business.

David E. Steiner, Ph.D., Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.)
www.davidesteiner.com

Review: This company sends out mailers stating that your magazine subscription is due to expire and will automatically renew unless you contact them by phone or online. They give you an automatic renewal date of less then 30 days unless contacted. They stated that my subscription expired Dec. [redacted], 2014,when in fact it does not expire until April of 2017. They also charge $5 more then if you renew with the magazine directly. Evidently at some prior time, I must have fallen for this scam, as they evidently have my Credit Card number. In calling their representative you must go thru multiple voice recordings and having to impute Renewal ID numbers etc.... all in an effort to dissuade you from talking with a representative.Desired Settlement: They remove my name and all credit card information from their files.

Business

Response:

When [redacted] originally purchased the subscription he agreed to the terms of our Safe Renew program that are clearly stated on check out prior to purchase and in the receipt:

“Safe Renew Offer: As an added benefit you will receive uninterrupted service and delivery of Street Rodder and your subscription will be automatically renewed at the lowest publicly available rate on our website. You won't be bothered with any renewal notices in the mail; instead, you will receive a clearly marked reminder at least 45 days before your credit card is charged. You may opt out of the automatic renewal program at anytime by contacting customer service.”

We realize that someone might not read this for any number of reasons and that’s why we send a renewal notification card and allow the customer to opt-out (or opt back in) at anytime during the lifetime of the subscription term as we guarantee your satisfaction. The confusion here seems to be stemming from the fact that [redacted] placed two separate orders for Street Rodder in 2013, which stacked at the fulfillment house, leading to the later expiration date of April 2017. However, because they were technically two separate orders in our system, one was set to expire December *, 2014 which is why he received the renewal notification in the mail. We have corrected this in our system to reflect the correct expiration date (April 2017), and I can confirm that the renewal order has since been canceled which removes the subscriber from the safe-renew program. You will not be automatically renewed unless you turn the feature back on in your account. It’s completely yo ur choice.

The price we have is the lowest possible price given to us by the publisher. While we try, and are usually able to have our prices match the price of purchasing a subscription through the magazine directly, the publisher is free to change their price as they wish, and it is the customers’ choice whether or not to purchase a subscription with us. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.

Again, we apologize for the confusion/inconvenience but we do pride ourselves on running a business that is open, honest and guarantees 100% customer satisfaction. We are constantly looking for ways to improve customer communications and your comments are helpful in that endeavor.

Review: I have been receiving subscription renewal messages through email and by mailbox (physical address). I have tried to contact [redacted] by email and phone to cancel my subscription but they still send mesubscription renewal email messages and bills in my mailbox. They do not return my emails and give a fake customer service phone numbers when I try to cancel my Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day subscription service.Desired Settlement: I would like my subscription canceled. My account number is [redacted]. I believe they are practicing deceptive practices. I have already filed a complaint with the federal trade commission. I have also read numerous reports of horror stories of people being deceived through advertising and lack of customer service.

Business

Response:

[redacted] is NOT a customer of ours.

The publisher of this publication has numerous outlets where they have authorized their products for sale but you must contact the publisher or the original vendor for customer service and we are neither in this instance. Contrix Inc. [redacted] is a destination website for nearly 1000 magazine titles but you have to have originally ordered from us directly for customer service assistance. This persons’ name, address, email address, and phone numbers do not exist in our database so they never placed an order with us. Furthermore, we do not send bills of any kind (physical mail or email), as she is saying she is getting bills in her mailbox. To order from us you must pay with a credit card upon ordering and this person has never ordered from us nor has anyone ordered for her.

We would suggest she contacts the magazine publisher directly for each publication as they can tell her where the subscription was originally purchased and file the complaint correctly.

We consider this to be a closed matter as it relates to Contrix Inc.

Very poor customer service by [redacted] and promises not kept.
My stepson bought and paid for in full a magazine subscription to Hot Rod Magazine - it was paid for in full the week prior to December [redacted] in 2015 - a Christmas Gift. I still have not received the magazine and it is now March [redacted], 2016.
I have called the customer service line at [redacted] and they said they would investigate it and get back to me in 7 to 10 days. That time has past and no one has called and still no magazine. I think this is absolutely he worst customer service there is. My wife orders many items from [redacted] and it's delivered in 3 days. How long should it take to get a magazine?? [redacted] is terrible with their customer service commitments

Review: I received a post card in the mail from Magazine-Agent. The post card read: "this subscription is enrolled in our automatic renewal program to insure hassle free uninterrupted service. This is a reminder that your subscription will be extended on the terms outlined above and will be charged to your [redacted] on file. If you do not wish to continue, please cancel your service before November **, 2015 using the directions below and no charge will appear." In larger letters below it states: "if you do not wish to be renewed please call ###-###-#### or visit us online at [redacted]."We do receive the magazine they referred to but I did not recall requesting an automatic renewal. When I used the phone number to cancel, the automated call said to enter my subscription # used on the front of my card. I did but was then told "thank you for your renewal." I then got on line and was not able to reach anyone. I later called back using the phone number given and could not connect.Desired Settlement: I wish to NOT have this subscription to Handyman renewed by this company. Renewal ID[redacted]

Business

Response:

[redacted]Complaint ID# [redacted]Customer Information:[redacted]Message:Our

customer is [redacted] at the same address which I assume is related to the complainant.

Going forward I will refer to [redacted] as our customer.A subscription was originally placed for [redacted] to The Family Handyman through our subscription agency. When this order

was placed, the customer agreed to the terms of our Safe-Renew program that are

clearly stated on the subscription order page prior to purchase and in the

receipt which can also be turned off or on at any time by the customer by

logging into their account or calling customer service. However, we realize

that there is a possibility a customer may fail to read these terms, we send

out a reminder post card via USPS prior to renewal (the post card mailing [redacted] is referring to) with the option to call our toll free number or use a

convenient website and remove their subscription from the renewal program. Our

records show that the customer did indeed call the number on the post card on 11/**/15

and successfully removed his subscription from the automatic renewal program.

It seems as though the customer may have misheard the recording that stated

that he had been “successfully REMOVED” rather than “successfully renewed,”

which I believe is where the confusion and this complaint is stemming from. We have confirmed and he has indeed been REMOVED

from the automatic renewal program and we assure you that his subscription will

not be renewed by our agency unless he wishes to do so manually. We sincerely apologize for any

confusion/inconvenience over mishearing the recorded script. Our

business has grown over the last 17 years thanks to feedback from clients such

as yourself. We hope that you are satisfied with the resolution of your

complaint and want to thank you for taking the time to provide us with your

feedback.Kind Regards,Guy H[redacted]Vice President of Operation[redacted]

Review: This company, which is also an alias, "magazine agent" has tried to lure me in for my subscription expiring.

This time it is 8 months away. In the past I've seen as much as 2 years!

I have written them before about this with a promise to cancel should they try this garbage again.

The current Consumers Report tells of this same problem & laws are being passed to stop this.

[redacted] needs to investigate & remedy this, including an apology.

I expect a reply via e-mail as telephone "lies" are difficult to prove.Desired Settlement: An apology, a stop to this 3rd party's false promotions, maybe a subscription period without charge & without the harassments.

Business

Response:

[redacted] is NOT a customer of ours. The publisher of this publication has numerous outlets where they have authorized their products for sale but you must contact the publisher or the original vendor for customer service and we are neither in this instance. Contrix Inc. [redacted] is a destination website for nearly 1000 magazine titles but you have to have originally ordered from us directly for customer service assistance. It is possible he found our agency mistakenly while searching online for [redacted] customer service but this persons’ name, address, email address and phone number do not exist in our database so they never placed an order with us. In reference to her being harassed for renewals or payments, we do no outbound calling or bill mailings so this also could not be from our company as to order from us you must pay with a credit card upon ordering and this person has never ordered from us nor has anyone ordered for him (in the case of a gift subscription). We would suggest he contacts the publisher for [redacted] directly as they can tell him where the subscription was originally purchased and file the complaint correctly. We sincerely apologize for any confusion and regret that we are unable to help with subscriptions that were not ordered through our agency. We consider this to be a closed matter as it relates to Contrix Inc.

Review: On about May *, 2015, [redacted] took $39.99 from my bank account for a one year renewal of [redacted]'s mag. 1--I renew directly with [redacted]'s; 2--@$14.57/year; 3--sub expires in six months. I looked "my order" up on their website and found that they were going to send the issues to my street, but not to my house number, which is [redacted]. Instead they promised to send them to #[redacted], which is, frighteningly, the last four digits of my bank account. I called my bank and they cancelled the payment and shut down my ATM card.Desired Settlement: This has all the earmarks of identity theft and fraud. I have never dealt with these people before, nor will I ever. I am dying to read how they got into my bank account in order to charge me $40.00 so I could have six months of double issues and six months of a renewal (worth about $7.50 to me). Oh, wait...actually they were going to send them to someone who lives 24 blocks away!

Business

Response:

The customer originally placed a renewal order for [redacted]’s through our agency on 6/*/13, for 12 issues for $14.97. When this order was placed, the delivery information associated with the account could only have been entered into our system by whoever placed the order, whom we are assuming was [redacted] as it is his credit card information and email address that are linked with the account, both of which seem to be correct as he has since signed into his account and made changes to his address as well as canceled the subscription in question. When we contacted the publisher about this matter, they informed us that the delivery address that was originally entered in our system, that the customer states was incorrect, was being mapped to the address that he states is correct, which indicates at some point, he updated his address directly with the publisher and his subscription should have been delivered as expected. Since the address was updated directly with the publisher, this could have resulted in the outdated/incorrect address still showing up in our system, but it is ultimately what the publisher has on file that determines where the subscription is delivered to, so there should not have been any issues with delivery. When [redacted] originally placed this renewal subscription, he agreed to the terms of our Safe Renew program that are clearly stated on the check out page prior to purchase and in the receipt. Under these terms, he was recently charged for the renewal of his subscription, for $39.99, which is the current price the publisher has authorized us to sell the subscription for, which can be seen on our website. On 5/*/15 [redacted] signed into his account and canceled this renewal order and, per our 90 day money back guarantee, we issued him a refund for the entire purchase price of $39.99. At this time, he also updated his address in our system to the correct address that had been listed with the publisher. We sincerely apologize for any confusion/inconvenience but we do pride ourselves on running a business that is open, honest, and guarantees 100% customer satisfaction. We are constantly looking for ways to improve customer communications and your comments are helpful in this endeavor.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here] It is not true that I ordered a subscription from contrix.com in June, 2013. I have for several years had a subscription directly from [redacted]'s. I renew it for one or two years at a time in November. I have no contract with contrix.com nor have I ever had one. I logged into their website, using my email and credit card info as it required so I could find out what they were up to. The address they had on file is "[redacted]" on my street. I have never lived at that address. That number is, frighteningly, the last four digits of my bank account, which they had just dipped into and attempted to get $39.99. Since I had never dealt with them, I had no "Safe Renewal" agreement with them. [redacted]'s has never had this false address on file, and I have never "updated" my address with [redacted]'s. After further investigation, I have found that contrix.com also fraudulently took $14.97 from my bank account on 5/*/14.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Business

Response:

As we explained in our previous response, the only way that [redacted]’s information (the incorrect address as well as the correct name, credit card information, and email address) was from [redacted] or someone ordering the subscription on his behalf. Because his email address and credit card information all seems to be correct, it seems that possibly when the order was placed, the customer simply made an error when entering in the delivery address (from time to time, as with anything, customers do make mistakes and accidently type in incorrect or incomplete addresses). We do not have access to any of our customer’s bank account numbers so the fact that the incorrect address contained numbers from his bank account number lead us to believe further that it was simply a typo on behalf of the customer. When this renewal order was placed, the terms of our Safe Renew program are clearly stated in the check out prior to purchas e and in the receipt: “Safe Renew Offer: As an added benefit you will receive uninterrupted service and delivery of [redacted]’s your subscription will be automatically renewed at the lowest publicly available rate on our website. You won't be bothered with any renewal notices in the mail; instead, you will receive a clearly marked reminder at least 45 days before your credit card is charged. You may opt out of the automatic renewal program at anytime by contacting customer service.” We realize that someone might not read this for any number of reasons and that’s why we send a renewal notification card and allow the customer to opt-out (or opt back in) at anytime during the lifetime of the subscription term as we guarantee your satisfaction. The charge made to his card for $14.97 on 5/*/14 was for the automatic renewal of his subscription from the order he originally placed on 6/*/13 (per the terms of our Safe Renew program). Despite the term of this renewal being entirely served out, we are happy to refund him the full amount. At this time, we have canceled and refunded him for the most recent renewal (renewed on 5/*/15), disabled the Safe Renew program for his account, and refunded him for the previous renewal of his subscription that has already served its term (renewed on 5/*/14). If the customer has any further requests we are more than happy to try and solve them! We thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and regret that the custo mer did not notify us of his dissatisfaction sooner. We sincerely apologize for any confusion and inconvenience.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

The problem with the company’s narrative is their premise that I (or someone on my behalf)placed an order with them. This never happened. Until I saw that they hadtaken my money through use of my credit card, I had never heard of thesepeople, never dealt with them in any way.What is a more believable explanation is that someone hacked my credit card and bank account info (I had used that card atTarget). That is why I have filed a police report and why I am continuing to pursue this. The only beneficiary ofthis transaction is the company who used my credit card.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: I never ever subscribed any magazines. Suddenly in year 2014 I started to receive a lot of bills for magazines and some magazines I don’t need this magazines. I don't have space in my apartment to keep this garbage. I never ever will pay for garbage. I spoke with post office, Revdex.com .I called in [redacted] tell account number and ask don’t send me magazines and bills. They ask me my name, address but I never ever gave my information.Desired Settlement: Many bills, I believe from one center. I ned stop do this

Business

Response:

[redacted]

The response is as follows (original complaint attached):

[redacted] is NOT a customer of ours.

The publisher of Men’s Health magazine has numerous outlets where they have authorized their products for sale but you must contact the publisher or the original vendor for customer service and we are neither in this instance. Magazine-Agent.com is a destination website for nearly 1000 magazine titles but you must have originally ordered from us directly for customer service assistance. This persons’ name, address, email, and phone number does not exist in our database so they never placed an order with us. To order from us you must pay with a credit card upon ordering and this person has never ordered from us nor has anyone ordered for her, as she might be receiving a gift subscription.

We would suggest she contacts the magazine publisher directly using the contact information supplied on the invoice she included in her complaint.

We consider this a closed issue.

Review: I ordered a 50 issue subscription to "The Week" on Nov. **, 2015 for my parents. I did this online through Magazine-Agent.com. After the "6-8 week" wait period (which is a ridiculous time period) they still did not receive the magazine. I called customer service twice. First time was told to wait another week. So, I waited 2 weeks. Called again today (1/**/16) and was told they will issue a "[redacted]." In several days?!? Are you kidding me? In this electronic age it shouldn't take this long. What a disappointment. At this rate, I think the best resolution is to provide my parents another few months of magazines because no one should have to wait almost 3 months for a magazine order. I can provide my confirmation number upon request.Desired Settlement: Can my parents please receive an additional 3 months of "The Week" magazine for the unnecessary wait? I placed my order on 11/**/15 and my parents have yet to receive it as of today, 1/**/2016.

Business

Response:

When [redacted] originally purchased the subscription to The Week, delivery information for the magazine was stated clearly on the order page. Included in this information is that the 6 to 8 week delivery periods are not a warranty, and are simply the standard industry lead times and while every effort is made to expedite orders, occasionally subscription orders may not be received for longer. Once we have sent an order to the fulfillment house, it is out of our hands and can take up to two weeks before the publisher processes the order, at which time it is added to their next production cycle. This particular order was made on November **, 2015, and we sent the order to the fulfillment house on December *, 2015. Publishers ask to allow two weeks for them to process orders once they receive them, which this order was. We also wish the delivery times were shorter, but unfortunately, this is standard operating procedure in this industry. In reference to [redacted]’s request for the subscription to be extended for 3 extra months, we have spoken to the publisher, and because the issues have been sent out and none have been returned so far, the most they can extend her subscription by is one month. To make up for this difference, we have issued her a refund for 2 months. The next issue they should expect to receive is the February **, 2015 issue and the expiration date on this subscription has now been pushed back to 1/**/2017. We sincerely apologize that their subscription has not been delivered as expected. Again, we sincerely apologize for any upset/inconvenience this may have caused. We are constantly looking for ways to improve customer communications and your comments are helpful in that endeavor. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved. Thank you very much for providing your services. They are very much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Review: My problem is that [redacted] (the agent I used for my subscription to The Week) misled me about the start and end dates for my automatic renewals and failed to provide me with any useful explanation or assistance until I had called and spoken with numerous representatives (see timeline below). When I signed up with [redacted] on February **, 2013, I got an online confirmation saying that my subscription would start March **, 2013, and end March **, 2014. When the actual renewal occurred, two weeks had been trimmed. The same thing happened again at the next renewal, so I called [redacted]. After numerous calls, I was finally told that the publisher, not [redacted], sets the renewals. [redacted] could see about duplicate copies I had received (see below), but the publisher determined the subscription expiration date. A call to the publisher confirmed the end date was, in fact, February **, 2016. Thus, the confirmation I received from the agent,citing an end date of March **, 2016, was misleading and inaccurate. Over the course of my subscription/renewals with this agent, my subscription has effectively be reduced by almost a month.

[Timeline: On December **, 2014, I renewed my subscription to The Week. The agent's online record (manage.[redacted]) shows the Start Date as Tuesday, March **, 2015, and the end date as Tuesday, March **, 2016. However, the label on the magazine showed an expiration date of "[redacted]." I called the agent, speaking with [redacted] on about February ** and again on February ** requesting that the expiration date be changed from February *, 2016, to the March ** date shown on my record. Meanwhile, I was receiving two copies of the week, obviously indicating that the renewal had been activated before the prior subscription (also made with this same agent) had expired. On February **, I got an email response which made no sense, so I called again, speaking with [redacted] on February **. It was [redacted]'s last day, but she assured me that she would fix the problem, and I would receive an email confirmation the following Monday. The email I received on March * said the publisher had extended the subscription to cover the duplicated issues and my subscription would now expire February **, 2016. On March * I called again, spoke with Julie, who told me that the expiration date was not, in fact, determined by this agent but by the publisher. This was the FIRST indication I had received that the dates quoted on my renewal confirmations from this agent were not, in fact, accurate renewal dates. Nowhere on any of my order confirmations (all available on the agent's record of my transactions), in the FAQs that accompanied my initial subscription purchase, or in the emails I received prior to the March * response is this information provided. I have made screen shots of my renewals from the agent's records, going back to my initial subscription submitted February **, 2013 with a start date of Friday, March **, 2013 and an end date of Saturday, March **, 2014.]Desired Settlement: I would like the expiration date of my subscription changed to March **, 2016, as shown on my renewal confirmation.

Business

Response:

The expiration date we post in our customer’s accounts and in receipt emails is simply an estimation based on average standard lead times for the publishers. The expiration date that is printed on the customer’s magazine is the actual expiration date and is set by the publisher and depends on the actual start date of the subscription. For the same reason that we ask customers to allow a 6 to 8 week delivery time, the timing occasionally varies depending on how long it takes the publisher to process the order. In terms of [redacted] subscription, it seems that her original subscription possibly started serving slightly earlier than our estimated start date, which would have lead to her subscription ending slightly sooner than our estimated expiration date. However, when she manually renewed her subscription through our agency, for some reason the publisher had two separate accounts for her subscriptions, so instead of stacking on the end of her current subscription, her renewal order started serving on top of her original subscription, resulting in the duplicate issues she mentions, also resulting in her subscription expiring earlier than expected as the duplicate issues she was receiving were actually the beginning of her renewal subscription. We have since contacted the publisher and had the two orders combined, and the publisher has extended her subscription to cover the duplicate issues, and her new (and correct) expiration date is February [redacted], 2016. Because this is technically the correct expiration date, the publisher is unable to extend her expiration date further to March **, 2014 as she has requested. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience and have issued [redacted] a refund for 12 issues (roughly 3 months worth), to make up for issues she feels she is being shorted, as well as for the inconvenience. Again, we apologize for the confusion/inconvenience but we do pride ourselves on running a business that is open, honest and guarantees 100% customer satisfaction. We are constantly looking for ways to improve customer communications and your comments are helpful in that endeavor.

Watch out! Registered for this website under the mistaken impression my subscription to a magazine was through their company (based on THEIR advertisements). Later found that the subscription was directly through the magazine.

Tried to have my account on their website closed. They claim my account doesn't exist because I have not subscriptions. Doesn't seem to matter that I can login to my account and they would be very happy for me to enter all kinds of personal information.

There is no email or snail mail information available at all, either on their website or through customer service. They told me "nobody will use your information".

Review: The order for Mopar Muscle Magazine subscription was placed though [redacted] on NOV [redacted] 2014. [redacted] advertises that I should receive the first issue in 6 to 8 weeks (I also received a card in my mail stating 6 weeks time frame).

After waiting for 8 weeks I called customer service and opened a case. Shortly I have been notified that my subscription dates have been moved and now I should receive the first issue by mid February 2015. Customer service rep. said there was a problem with subscription at Mopar Muscle and they moved the dates, and there is nothing they can do. The [redacted] at [redacted] suggested me to call Mopar muscle and figure it out (why??? I paid [redacted] directly I expect them to figure out the situation). Anyway, I called the Mopar Muscle and found that [redacted] placed the order two weeks later from my order date (Nov [redacted]), which caused another delay in my subscription start date. Also, the subscription dates have never been moved...

I talked to the [redacted] at [redacted] and suggested they to send me a back issue (or two) that I am missing and they refused to do this. All they could do is issue a full refund and cancel the order...

Basically, the information [redacted] provides on their web-site and in the card is not true. We are facing a business that is lying to their customers and this is not acceptable.Desired Settlement: I would like [redacted] to send me the back issues that I am missing (starting with January issue) or to do a full refund and keep my subscription active (complementary subscription). If they advertise 6-8 weeks time frame - they should stand behind it, and if they can not - I expect to be compensated for that.

Business

Response:

When [redacted]s subscription was originally purchased, delivery information for the magazine was stated clearly on the order page. Included in this information is that the 6 to 8 week delivery periods are not a warranty, and are simply the standard industry lead times and while every effort is made to expedite orders, occasionally subscription orders may not be received for longer. Once we have sent an order to the fulfillment house, it is out of our hands and can take up to two weeks before the publisher even processes the order, at which time it is added to their next production cycle, which can take more time. This particular order was made on November *, 2014, was sent to the fulfillment house on November **, 2014. Publishers ask to allow two weeks for orders to be processed once they receive them, which this order was. We wish the delivery times were shorter as well, but unfortunately, this is standard operating procedure in this I ndustry.In reference to [redacted]’s request to be sent back issues, as it is stated on our order page to “please note that your subscription ultimately starts when you receive your first issue, not when you place your order,” so unfortunately, it is not as simple as sending him missed issues, as his subscription has not technically started yet. We apologize that his subscription has taken longer than he expected to start, and for this inconvenience we will be happy to issue him a full refund, while keeping his subscription order active. Again, we sincerely apologize for any upset/inconvenience this may have caused. We are constantly looking for ways to improve customer communications and your comments are helpful in that endeavor. Please let us know if you have any further questions

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: Guidepost Magazine was ordered for a gift in Oct. 2013. Recipient has not received first issue to dateDesired Settlement: I would like 12 month subscription to be honored. The subscription was to be delivered to [redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I ordered a magazine subscription for my parents in 2012. This company auto renewed the subscription, which I did not want to do. They owe me a refund of $24 on my credit card. I have called to talk with someone (calling ###-###-#### & choosing the option to discuss a current subscription) and the phone rings and rings and rings. No one ever picks up and there is no other options (leave message, etc). When you call a minute outside of their work hours, there is a message saying to call back during business hours. But during business hours, no one ever picks up the phone. I want to cancel this subscription and I want a credit. I did not ever give them the right to auto renew this subscription (I am assuming it was somewhere in the fine print when I first bought the subscription) - anyhow, I am annoyed that this is their practice and I want a refund. My parents no longer like this magazine and no longer want to receive it. I will also be contacting my credit card company to dispute this charge, however I want to ensure that Contrix refunds this charge and that they do not charge me for this again in the future. I want them to delete my credit card information from their records, and I want it in writing that they have done all of this.Desired Settlement: I want a refund to my credit card, and a letter from them explaining the refund and that they have deleted my credit card information and will not be charging my credit card again for this in the future.

Consumer

Response:

I received an email from this company today letting me know they are issuing a credit back on my credit card.

Review: I received a postcard from magazine-agent regarding a magazine I no longer wish to receive. I followed the directions on the card to cancel the auto-renewal, only to have it renew the magazine. I attempted to use their website to cancel the subscription, but there is no option to cancel, despite the instruction in the FAQ, I attempted to edit my credit card referenced on the postcard, only to have the website inform me that they have no credit card on file.

Deception seems to be the order of the day for this company, certainly not what I would expect from someone doing business with the Boy Scouts. They do not exhibit any form of integrity, ethics or consideration for honesty in their dealings.Desired Settlement: I no longer wish to subscribe to the magazine, I want my credit card credited with the dishonest charges and to nver hear from them again.

Consumer

Response:

I received notification that the magazine renewal has been cancelled.

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I ordered a magazine in November of 2015 as a Christmas present. I was guaranteed the magazines arrival by January [redacted] of 2016 and my credit card was charged in November when I placed the order. It did not arrive on January [redacted] so I contacted magazine agent and they said it would arrive by January [redacted]. It did not arrive on the [redacted] so I called again and they then said it would arrive on march [redacted]. They told me I should try calling the publisher to see what was taking so long. I called the publisher (national geographic) and they told me that they never received an order from magazine agent and that I wouldn't even be receiving a magazine. I called magazine agent back again and they told me that there was nothing they could do, that I could wait until march [redacted] to see if it comes and if not I could ask for a refund. I feel like this is a possible scam as national geographic claims they never received an order and magazine agent collected my money right away. As this was a Christmas present I would like to receive the magazine as soon as possible.Desired Settlement: I would like the January issue of the magazine delivered ASAP.

Business

Response:

When [redacted] originally purchased the subscription to National Geographic En Espanol, delivery information for the magazine was stated clearly on the order page. Included in this information is that the 6 to 8 week delivery periods are not a warranty, and are simply the standard industry lead times and while every effort is made to expedite orders, occasionally subscription orders may not be received for longer. Once we have sent an order to the fulfillment house, it is out of our hands and can take up to two weeks before the publisher processes the order, at which time it is added to their next production cycle. This particular order was made on November **, 2015 and we sent the order to the fulfillment house on November **, 2014. Publishers ask to allow two weeks for them to process orders once they receive them, which this order was, as it was processed by the publisher on November **, 2015. Due to the timing the order missed the cutoff for printing of the January 2016 labels, pushing the starting issue of the subscription to be the February issue, which the customer should receive by March *, 2016. We also wish the delivery times were shorter, but unfortunately, this is standard operating procedure in this industry. The term of this subscription is 12 issues which if the subscription starts with the February 2016 issue, will expire with the January 2017 issue. In reference to [redacted] request to be sent her first magazine this month, as it is stated on our order page to “please note that your subscription ultimately starts when you receive your first issue, not when you place your order,” so unfortunately, it is not as simple as sending her the missed issue, as her subscription has not technically started yet. She can still expect to receive her full subscription and we sincerely apologize that her subscription has taken longer than she expected to start. Again, we sincerely apologize for any upset/inconvenience this may have caused. We are constantly looking for ways to improve customer communications and your comments are helpful in that endeavor. Please let us know if you have any further questions.