Great American Readers review: this is fraud; no existing number to cancel!!! 71

My Husband was called on his cell phone at work and told of this magazine 'deal' He was so excited to get magazines and the promise of $1000.00 shopping spree and maybe buying a new TV. He came home and told me and I almost fainted. I knew it was a scam when I called the number and they were closed with just a very unprofessional recording. That was at night. Then the next day (today) I called them again and the lady was so rude to me. she wouldn't give me any informaiotn because it was on my husbands account and I wasn't on the account. They have no web presence (website). Duh! That was a big clue. Any reputable company would have a website in this day and age. So instead of trying to go through them I googled and found all kinds of complaints just like ours online. I told my husband to call the credit card company and either reverse the charges or cancel the credit card and get the charges reversed. The credit card company closed that account and opened a new one for him and reversed the charges. Now if those SOB's try and put a black mark on his credit we'll have to deal with that. too. I told my husband he is not allowed to give out any more credit card numbers unless he talks to me first becuase this is not the first scam he got taken by. I suggest to all you guys out there NOT to try and talk to these scammers when you find out you have been scammed but to call your bank or credit card company and have them help you, which they will.

We were trying to be scammed but but our credit card company informed us of the situation so we called and spoke to Monique, Cindy, Alicia, David Michaels and no one could find us or our credit card on file

We are also involved with this company for over $800.00 for magazines we never ordered. My husband cancelled the credit card that they used to charge us for these magazines. they are are calling and sending us bills or want another credit card number. I have filed complaints with the BBB in Minnesota and our home state, filed complaints with the State Attorneys General in MN and our home state. We also complained to the National Do Not Call Registery because our numbers are on that list and the Federal Consumer Protection Agency. All of you guys who have complaints have to do the same things. These agencies have been established to protect comsumers from these unscrupulous people. Please file complaints because nothing will be resolved if these agencies don't know they are doing this to people. If they continue to harrass us with magazines and phone call we will take legal action. I would rather fight these people and give the money to an attorney than to give them $800.00 for something we never ordered. Just an FYI, they also do business as (DBA) Viking Magazine Service, VMS, Blue Whale Production and Great American Reader all in MN except for Blue Whale-comes out of FL.
This is the comment I posted on Viking Magazine Service. Same company, same phone numbers. The call under different company numbers. Check out on this website the complaints under Viking Magazine Service and you will see the same kind of complaints. I just filed a complaint with the Attorney generals Office in MN. If we all do the same--these companies won't exist anymore.

If anyone else is trying to get money back or turn this company into the Better Business Bureau Please let me know...they unfortunatly scammed me too. Please email me at lumpyclumps2003@yahoo.com

Last week they were making calls claiming a person won a $1000 gift card from purchases made using their Visa or Mastercard on Black Friday.

They deduct that money right away. No sooner had my friend called me about that uneasy feeling we were online checking the bank account and it was already a pending transaction...

Christmas time is always a difficult period to understand someone may be evil, but during this recession is especially daunting.

I am sympathetic of all the people who have also been scammed by "Great America Readers" THE BIGGEST [censored] company I have ever had the misfortune of coming across! MY QUESTION IS; WHY ISNT THE B.B.B. DOING ANYTHING TO HELP AND OUR SO CALLED GOVERMENT SHUOLD DO SOMETHING TO STOP THESE ###! PARDON MY FRENVH BUT I AM FURIOUS!

So I just fell for the exact same scam here. They had been calling me for about a week and picked up while on my way back from NYC. The offer seemed amazing and I was overjoyed when I heard it. They told me the rules which the way it seemed that I would only have to pay 49.90 once and that it would be charged at the end of a 20 month period. Next thing I got called by a "supervisor" and unfortunetly gave my CC number away. The 3rd call was this guy guiding me through an automated message system which I think binded me in a verbal agreement. Well I had been riding on the excitment that last few days and finally got their letter in the mail which stated I had to pay 49.90 a month for the next 20 months! That surprised me because that almost equals the $1000 spree that they promised. They also sent me the written realease form to sign and send back. Well after finally getting the exact name of their company I looked them up and came across this page and now worried that by doing that automated message and giving my credit card number I locked up the agreement. I am going to definetly try and lodge a complaint with the BBB and maybe even consult lawyer but I don't know what else I can do. Suggestions would be great! For anyone else who reads this stay FAR AWAY from these ###.

I was contacted too but they made it seem like it was a question concerning which credit card I prefered I thought in general and before I knew it they had me. Talk about schmoozers that can schmooze! Well I grieved over it all weekend after I did the math and realized I was signed up for 800.00 to be taken 40 bucks a month for 20 months.

I just called [protected], I confessed in a very kind, pleasant voice that I felt like I was "taken" and would really like to cancel the agreement. The lady said she understood and though the first payment had been taken from my account already there would be no more taken and a supervisor would be calling me soon to arrange putting that back. I hope and pray it will be that easy and if it is I will get right back on here and post it.

Wish me luck! Schmoozed.

I have had this same problem. Thankfully I have not spoken with anyone at the phone number. I have called backed twice and received the message mailbox is full. I then contacted the BBB and informed them of the problem. I am on the Do Not Call Registry. I did delete my e-mail and personal info. from this correspondence other then my first name.
Here is the response from the BBB.

Lisa,

I have searched that number in my database and I was unable to find any information about that company through that search. I also looked up the name on Google and saw the similar complaints. Unfortunately nothing can be done to stop these calls. If you are not registered on the National Do Not Call Registry I suggest you do that. It may not help with this particular company because it sounds that they are fraudulent. You can also contact your telephone company and block the incoming telephone number. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Thank you,

Nicole Miller
Better Business Bureau, Inc.

-----Original Message-----
Lisa Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 4:33pm
To: nmiller@boise.bbb.org
Subject: Phone Number

Ma'am/Sir,

I have been receiving calls from a phone number in Florida (954)
229-1079 they call at least 5 times a day all day. They do not leave messages on my cell phone. There recording says mail box is full and then the phone goes dead. I went to Ask.Com to find out the name of the business that has this phone number and it shows blogs from others that are experiencing this same problem from the above mentioned number. There was no business name associated with this number listed.

Is there anything that can be done to stop these harassing phone calls? Is there a way to find out the name of the company?

I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

V/R,

Lisa

Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections!

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This happen to me i was fooled I tried to cancel but the lady said it was to late but once i search them and found this I canceled my card. Then I got a call I told them i wont pay them i tried to cancel then they said we have nothing here that says you wanted to cancel. So they told me i will be in touch with there legal department so I changed my number figuring it will just be harassment calls. but I still get letters from them saying about over due bills and magazines that I dont want and the magazine them selves are sending me bills and I dont want them. I dont have the money for this and Im stressed about school. SO If anyones has any information on how I can make this stop I would great. I

This happen to me i feel for it but I try to cancel but the lady said it was to late so i just canceled my card then they called me and i told them im not paying them so they said ill heard from there legal department. But I saw this site and figure it a scam but know I keep getting magazines I dont want and I dont know how to stop it im totally stressed and dont know what to do. Can any one help me cause I'm a broke student and i feel really boned.

Wow. This is so crazy. I'm experiencing the exact same thing as everyone else! However, i got a "deal." I was getting the special offer of 25 dollars a month. I called back the sales person that same day to cancel and he told me I couldn't cancel. So I canceled my credit card instead and filed a dispute to get my first payment back. Then I started receiving phone calls a month later about how my second payment wasn't being processed. I told them I wanted to cancel, but they said I was past the deadline of 3 business days. I also didn't receive any paperwork in the mail that they said I would receive. It's been over a month. They said I would get it in 7 days. The first person I talked to was named Stephanie and she was extremely rude. She told me she was going to add fees to my bill just to raise it and forward it to be processed so it would ruin my credit more and then she hung up on me. I called back to talk to a supervisor and he was just as rude. I called back to get a website and that man started yelling at me to get me to listen to the recording of my phone calls. The weird thing is, they keep claiming that the numbers are only outgoing, but I called the first salesperson back and spoke with him and I called the company back with the number that showed up on my caller ID and they answered. They want to make you feel like you are the crazy one and like you aren't remembering things correctly. When I told them that they were scamming me and I was filing a complaint with the attorney general, they got very rude and started yelling at me. This company is not legit! DO NOT FALL FOR IT LIKE I DID! I wish I would have Googled them before I ordered so I would have seen this site! It's the first one that pops up and it's awesome! anyone who reads it should really remember this all! They are frauds and should all be put in jail...or slapped!

THEY ARE ABSOLUTLY CRAZY! they got me i am young i called the 866 number and asked to cancle they say all they can do is reduce my payments to three more and close the account. i am now not thrilled but at least it will be cancled i made them send me writting of all that. i did find them on bbb they are not accredited i will file a complaint and see if it goes any where

Thank God I checked this! I'm a 19 year old college student with $5 to her name who doesn't know how she's can afford anything but Ramen noodles for the upcoming semester. When they called me, I spoke to a guy named Charles and was SO excited. I had clicked an ad on facebook a few days ago and tried it, but ended up quitting in the end; forgot about it. But tonight when they called I was like WHOOP WHOOP! I'm going to actually get my house put together and some nice clothes for parties and interviews. I gave them my birthday, said I worked on campus, said I had a VISA, on and on, just general questions. They had me sold "You can get Glamour, Vogue, Cosmopolitan..." All for 3.89 a WEEK. It was just to good to be true. Then this Charles character transfered me to his "supervisor" who then asked me questions and such. And I was still all giddy, praising God, thinking LUCKY! And then he was like "Your card number begins with 4?" and I answered, not thinking. Then he said, "And the rest of your numbers". After telling him that I'd rather not risk my whole bank account and ruin my credit for a shopping spree that couldn't exist, the man, Michael, became very suave, and gave me numbers, a town in Florida, on and on. I told him that I would have to check his website out and everything and for him to call me tomorrow. Boy can I not wait for him to call me back! Who are these people, messing with poor college girls? That's just not fair! JERKS!

new # with this mag/1000 shopping spree co. [protected] hung up as soon as I asked for everything in writing wish i could catch these ###, don't know how they live with themselves!

I got a call from them a few months ago. when I realized they were a scam, I cancelled my card and moved to a new bank. They recently called me and said I owe them 700.00 dollars still which i don't have. I'm living on my own and I'm poor. 10.00 dollars an hour doesn't cut it. I don't even have money for food. When I told them I didn't want this, they said I had a legal binding contract that I never was told of. Now they keep harassing me. what do I do to get them off my back with me owing them money?

This company contacted me with the same story. I fell for it. I then began to recieve a bunch of magazinez I did not want or ask for. I never actually stated the magazines I wanted. I then began to receive all kinds of magazines. Their offices would constantly call me about the magazines, I never actually picked up until one day. I wanted to cancel and they were incredibly rude and stated that I had to pay the balance before I could cancel. I asked to speak to a supervisor and she stated the same thing. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, www.bbb.org. Within 6 days of filing the complaint, I received a letter from an entirely different company called Blue Whale, stating my account had been cancelled and my would not be charged. My only problem right now is the letter states the cancellation is as of 00/00/00. This of course does not say anything. I have emailed Better Business Bureau and will call Blue Whale to make sure my account is indeed cancelled. I urge everyone to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau. It is effective and our right as consumers. Much luck to everyone and remember...if it's too good to be true than it probably is not true.

THANK GOODNESS for all of you! My boyfriend was literally giving his number away when I quickly searched the company's name. Because of this sight, my boyfriend immediately stopped and explained that we knew this was a fraud. The man became VERY rude and accused us of only wanting the $1000.00 dollars and then canceling immediately and that he doesn't want people like us representing his company -- how unfortunate!

THIS CAMPANY IS BULL ### RECOMENDED ADVISE NOT TO EVEN MESS WITH THEM PERIOD! iTS BEEN ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF SINCE INITIAL CONTACT HAVE NOT RECIEVED ABSALUTELY NOTHING AND HAVE BEEN CHARGE AROUND 5 TO 6 HUNDRED DOLLARS PLEASE ANYBODY KNOW HOW TO TAKE THESE GUYS OFF THE MAP ID DO SO! MONEY GRUBBEN THEIFS!

I have read the above comments and they are all true. We have experienced the same things as the others. This company claims that you have won a shopping spree however, that is not case. We were sent a bill for $49.90 and and remaining balance of $948.10. When we tried to canceled Chris Marx the owner and manager stated that we were beyond the 3 day period and that cancelation was not going to happen. We requested to speak to someone else. Chris stated that we would just get routed back to him beacause he handles the files. Then he said we could agree to a settlement. Of course we said no. We then search the net and found these complaints. Beware

I have been dealing with this problem myself! I am a 20 year old single mom and when they called me I was on the verge of losing my job, so of course my dumb self fell for it! I made 1 payment of 49.90 and then my bank had cancelled my cards due to a negative balance that was was over due. They would call every week and i tried to cancel and they said i had 14 days to cancel and i was beyond that point. I didnt find out about this being a scam until yesterday...I had told they guy i was going to the bank to put money in and that I would call back and make a payment of 20 or 25 bucks...and they number they gave me was a machine..the guy sail i had till 10pm to call bak b4 they closed for the night, i called at 8pm and it said they were closed...why would anyone be there till 10pm in the first place? for magazines? weird! well i then googles "great american readers" looking for another number and i cam across multiple websites talking about this scam!

9am this morning 6.15.09 he called me talking bout my payments b4 he sent it over to collections...its been like a month and a half...no one send anything to collections that quick! I canceled my comcast and it took them a year b4 sending my past balance to collection, and comcast is a tough cable company and they dont play around with the bills ...anyways, i told him that i tried to call at 8pm last night and said they were closed! I told him I googled their company and found nothing but cam across multiple websites talking about their scam. I told him im not paying them & I am on to their scam. He said if I googled Jesus im sure I would find him as a scam as well! How the HELL can you compare your company to Jesus? Like how dare you!
He said his company has been around for 20 years! RIGHT people gonna pay 900 for 1000 gift card for online where i have to pay for shipping and tax, and what did u give them b4 the internet came out?

About 2 hours later I then called my phone company had my number changed, Called my bank and had my debit card cancelled!

If they were lagit they would have called me back when I hung up on them!
I feel so dumb that I fell for this! I still cant believe it! But You learn from your mistakes and you move on!

What makes me even more mad is that fact they they called me & I explained that I lost my job Im a single mother bout to have to move in with one of my parents because I cant afford my apartment anymore and I really needed to cancel, and they said that wasnt their problem...How can anyone be soo heartless!

The guy I talked to this morning I talked to yesterday, He said he can search my SSN number and see if I have a job and they can call my job and garnish my wages

Im sorry for everyone has fallen for this! Just change your number, cancel your cards and move on with your life! Im hoping this will make it stop..I feel like a total a$$ I dont even wanna tell my parents.

Good Luck to everyone =D

I just got a call from my daughter how is at college and they got her . she is new to these things and is so upset. I have called her credit card and tried to call the number they provide but as you all know they don't answer. you know it seems that the government can bail out all these companys but they cant seem to get these bad people off the backs of innocent people

They called my cellphone telling me I won $1, 000.00 of online shopping spree because my bank (Navy Federal Credit Union) entered me in a contest. They knew the last four of my credit card and wanted to verify that it was me before they sent the money that I won. I believed them. They asked for the full credit card number, name printed on the card, the expiration date, my DOB and my address. They told me that for approximately $3.00 per month, I can get 5 magazine subscription for 5 years, but I have to pay the full amount in 20 months for $49.90/ month. I agreed and they recorded me. I called them back to cancel and the phone that they called me from was disconnected. When I got the letter from them, I called the number and it was a recording and you can't leave a message. I cancelled my card. I called numerous times, and nobody answers. They finally called today (5/19/2009) and they said the card is not working. They tried to get a different credit card number from me, but I told them that I have been trying to cancel for 2 weeks and nobody answers the phone. They rudely said that they just got a new system and that people call and cancel all the time. I told them that I want to cancel and they said they can't because I had agreed and they recorded me. They tried to tell me that they can lower the amount I pay so that it won't go to my credit report and I told them that I had read about their scam and that I'm reporting them. They became very rude and said that because I was being difficult, they were going to add more fees and report me and then hung up.
The following are more numbers that's linked to them:

[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]
[protected]

I am also dealing with them right now. they have taken in total $100 from two different accounts... long story but now my mom is helping me cancel my credit card so those people cant take anymore money. but the thing that really pissed me off was that they said they would put in a claim and then hung up on me! they were rude and disrespectful. i cant believe people actually do this for a living...trying to cheat people with money and credit scores. i wish someone could do something about this.

I am actually dealing with them now. I spoke to them a little over a month ago. They took two payments. Then I cancelled my credit card. They have called numerous times in a day looking for a payment. I finally picked up and told them that I wanted to cancel. They told me that I couldn't. I asked when they called me to begin with if i could cancel. Of course they said that I could.
Today, the ### that I am tried to make a deal with them so this would not go against my credit. I gave them my new number but hung up before they could record me. I talked to my mom who looked up this site. I called my credit card company right after and cancelled my card again! Meantime, they have called me seven times since then!

Well lucky everyone has posted this! They called me today on 4/14/09 and gave me all the same information similiar to all of this. I was a sucker and gave them my debit card number. The idea didn't sit with me for some reason I was blindsided thinking of the shopping spree. I then decided to look this "great american readers" and read of this fraud . I tried to call them back a few times when I got no answerI called my bank and got my card cancelled right away. Then not even 20 minutes later they called me back to try and verify some information. I played dumb and asked them why they needed to run my card now when they said they wouldn't untillI choose my magazines and they gave me some kind of runaround. Then I told them I actually decided to not go through with it and when they asked me why in a VERY RUDE MANNER and I simply told them I was on to them and I know that they are fraud and not to my surprise they hung up the phone immediately! So thank you to everyone leaving these comments I didn't lose any money so I hope if anyone reads this and they call you, you take this advice. It's not a joke.

The same thing happened to me as well. I gave them all my information and was told i would only make one payment of $49.90. On Monday, a manager called me and explained my payment was overdue and that the company was going to file a complaint against me unless payment was made. I tried to cancel the entire thing and he said I could only do so once all payments have been made. He tried to say I could lower the payments with installments and that I could contact the 1-800 number if i had any more questions. The number does not work and the man was extremely rude on the phone when he spoke to me. I wish i had not been so decieved when I first signed up for this nightmare.

Yes, the same thing happened to me regarding magazines. At first, I said I was not interested and tried to hang up, but they kept interrupting me. I was sucked into giving my debit card number and was told that it would be charged $39.90 initially with lower payments after this. However, it is $39.90 for TWENTY months. So, in essence, I have now paid more for things I don't want than if I would have bought them at the store.

Today, I tried to cancel the order and was told that it is not possible to do so because I entered a legally-binding contract. All they did was lower the payment with installments, but I am not able to cancel. This makes me very angry because I just signed up for medical insurance, which I really need and now I have this additional account over my head for things I do not need.
Ella Frye

this customer paid on thier account

I just experienced something similar. the phne number attached to this company is a florida area code [protected]. They are tricky adn if you're not careful you've been conned inot paying 1000 dollars for a free 1000 dollar shopping spree. How that makes anysense im not sure but to hell with them!

I received a phone call in evening today, 1/20/09. They said I have been selected for shopping spree 1000$ free gift certificate. Then they said they will also send 5 magazines, visa-master card company has paid the fees for 60months. And the operator told that her supervisor will call to check her attitude and that conversation ended there. After few min, so called supervisor calls back, explains more detail and they start asking to pay 49$ for the subscription, which is actually around 3$/wk but i have to pay it in advance so i do not have to bother about paying 3$ every week for magazines. Meanwhile, i have been asked for info like my age, DOB, address etc. I asked about their company name which was " Great American Reader'. They said they are in florida. The biggest hint came when they asked my credit card no. I said i am not comfortable giving that. Then lady explained me that they are valid, certified company otherwise Visa and Mastercard will not support them. Still i did not agree to give credit card info. She tried to explain further and meanwhile the lady from the first call start talking rather then the supervisor who start conversation. At that time I realize that something is wrong. When I said third time that i will not give credit card no. they hung up before i complete the sentence. That was the big indication that it was scam and i am realizing now that how slowly i was going to be put in bottle and ripped off of money. I search internet and found this and thought of witting this to aware other people.