Can a magazine subscription company get me in trouble?

Question

I got swindled over the phone to subscribe to a bunch of magazines for $30 a month (i never signed anything), gave them my debit card information so they can deduct from it every month.

Lost the debit card a couple months ago, now they keep calling and calling and calling trying to get my new debit card information. But I never answer their phone calls.

anyway, I owe them about $140. My question is.....

Will I get in trouble if i keep ignoring them?

by trouble, I mean, will I get sued or get bad credit?
(they don't have any credit info on me, just a phone number and address)

Answer 1

I had a similar issue with a different thing- I was signed up with Stamps.com for 15.99 a month. I wanted to cancel and told them so on many occasions but they wanted me to call. It seemed like I either waited on hold FOREVER or they were closed when I was around to call so I told them I wanted a physical address that I could send my cancellation notice. They refused to provide that.

I reported my card lost or stolen and so the number no longer worked. They've continued to accrue the 15.99/mo charge but have not been able to collect it. At this point I'm letting it go out of pure spite (after 6 emails telling them I want to cancel I feel I did my job!)

Now they send me a monthly statement saying I owe $109 or something like that- but they can't really do anything else. They have nothing that ties me to a credit card, and they have no information to report to a credit bureau (to report you they need your social security number). So, all they can do is continue to send me statements. Waste of their money and time, but I don't really care.

As far as whether or not they can come after you- no. I'd have to see some pretty solid evidence to the contrary. If you owed money to your bank because of this- the bank could go after you, but the magazine place is essentially screwed. Only thing they can do is deny you your magazines and keep hounding you for the money.

It's a little like Columbia House or BMG- they can do nothing to your credit, just harass the daylights out of you until you pay. Sometimes that's enough!

If you made it clear you didn't want the magazines anymore and they kept sending to you anyway, learn 1 lesson from this- buy with a credit card that is backed by a credit company. Real credit cards (not debit cards unless you use BofA) can actually FORCE them to stop and reverse charges if your efforts to get them to do so have failed. Most companies do not want a charge back (when a credit card company forces a refund) because they get fees on top of the money they owe you, so often times getting the credit card company involved can be all the help you need in a situation like that.

I think you've learned your lesson, now you know not to sign up for anything like that over the phone (or otherwise) again!

Just a PS- be wary of any free trial magazine subscriptions that are offered to you when you buy something. You don't consciously give them any information but they charge the subscriptions to your card that you used when you paid. Sneeky!

Answer 2

Hey, if you dont want the magazines, then just tell them. You never signed anything, which is good, but the fact that you gave them your credit card info is basically you telling them, sure, i'll subscribe, here is my payment. If you are saying you lost the card and cancelled it before they could charge it, then i wouldnt worry about it. If you have'nt received any magazines, then dont worry about it. Just call the company or whoever is sending you the bills and ask that they cancel all subscriptions and that you are not going to pay for anything. There isnt anything they are going to be able to do to you unless you have been receving the magazines for a long time and have never paid, in that case, you probably will be responsible for paying the bill.

Answer 3

Yes, they can report it to one of the major credit bureaus as well as send it to a collections agency - both will damage your credit.

You can file a complaint with your state's Attorney General's office or with the Better Business Bureau, stating that you never agreed to anything.

If they DO send it to a collection agency you will have your complaint against the company to help hold up your end of the argument - that you never agreed to this.

You could also call and let the major credit bureaus know that you were swindled and you want to make sure the company doesn't get you in trouble.

Answer 4

It is a good thing that they don't have any paper you have signed and not even your credit info...but I would give you a suggestion to pay off them $140 which you owe them and stop the subscription. Also get a proof that you have paid them what you owe..

Answer 5

while i grew to become into in college I used to do the mail for my dorm (i grew to become into an RA and it grew to become into one greater project). probability is the persons working there don't have the time to thieve your a million Cosmo out of the one hundred Cosmos that arrive. additionally, there are fairly some subscriptions that arrive for persons who moved out and not in any respect replaced address or canceled .. so there are lots of loose magazines for persons to take. the topics on it being tattered and previous due is many times because of the fact the placed up place of work supplies to the campus mail center and then they distribute it to the dorms, and then a mail man or woman places it on your mailbox.. so it quite is like 3 greater beneficial steps that are probable not achieved very effectively. additionally maximum college's don't have somebody to do the mail on the weekends. So if it arrives previous due Friday to the campus mail center, it won't be allotted till Monday and then upload an afternoon or 2 for the time it takes to reach on your dorm and then the mail man or woman to distribute them to the mailbox. as an occasion once I had netflix in college it it might take approximately 4 days to acquire a sparkling action picture, while in my off-campus place of living it takes sooner or later from while it quite is sent. yet, I do agree which you ought to a minimum of inquire with the placed up place of work, campus mail or your construction supervisor. possibly IF somebody is doing some thing incorrect then they are able to a minimum of placed up some style or warning.

Answer 6

Actually, the balance is $167.99. And now that I know you're email address, I can find out who you are. Haha- you shouldn't have bought porn over the phone. I am going to get my money.

Answer 7

They are going to send you letters saying how they are going to bring th law into the situation i think you should confront them before the situation goes to court

Answer 8

both.. they have recording of ya voice anyway to prove it was you

also the fact it was delivered to u for some months..

pay it... or it will cost u far more in the future..

Answer 9

sure you can get in traouble if you do nothing about it. if you know you did nothing wrong report it before it esculate