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Newsmax Media review: Unauthorized subscription charge 58

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7:27 am EDT
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I ordered a free book from Newsmax, the requirement being I pay the postage and they send me several financial news letters free for 30 days to 90 days. I had a choice of subscribing to one or all of the news letters, accepting one or all of them beyond the free time and then being charged for a subscription(s), OR canceling, on one or all by using the cancel option, ( Remove from email list ), that came with every email they sent me, of which there were many. I used the ' Remove from email ' option on every one of the emails they sent me, over and over again. Now I get a credit card bill for $ 49.00 for a subscription to one of them, Newsmax* Franklin Report. I did not order it. I do not want it. I want it cancelled and the $ 49.00 charge refunded. Please Advise. Thank You, George C. Rietzel.

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Mar100
, US
Apr 07, 2011 3:47 pm EDT

Why I am getting all these charges from newsmax ($220.00) PLEASE STOP. I hope you do not blame anyone else for a badly wrong enterprise but yourself. Please Stop I am not interested in anymore of your books or commentaries. Discuss me. I did try but is not news worthy nor can you learn anything with it.

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rand1952
Plainville, US
Apr 02, 2011 7:42 pm EDT
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I have never ordered anything from Newsmax and would never do so. I have, as many here have indicated, repeatedly unsubscribed from their e-mail and even though it will indicate that you are unsubscribed, the e-mails keep on coming. I have repeated the process at least 30 times and each time it indicates that I was successful but now I have had to place a filter on all mail from the Newsmax dommain in order to keep it out of my Inbox.
And every day, there is a Newmax e-mail in my junk folder.

Yes, where are the contact phone number and emails? I see people indicating they called but they have not shred the contact information here. Where did you find that info? I have repeatedly attempted to find a direct customer service phone number and I have been unsuccessful.

When I see such a grouop of complaints and see only perhaps one posting defendind Newsmax in any way, I'd say there is a problem. So if you have the contact info- how about it? Share please cuz I see a lot of extememly upset people here.

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bilvihur
Kingston, US
Mar 22, 2011 10:13 pm EDT

I was in the same predicament as everyone else. I ordered an emergency radio from them, and agreed to a free, trial subscription to Newsmax, and the Franklin Prosperity Report. As soon as the radio arrived, I emailed them cancelling my subscription. A few months later, I returned their renewal letter marked "cancel". A few days ago, I noticed they charged my Mastercard $49. I immediately disputed the charge with Mastercard, giving the relevant facts and dates. Today, I received a call from Mastercard, saying the case was resolved, I would receive a credit on my next statement, AND they would monitor my account to insure Newsmax doesn't try the same scam again!

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Skellybootle
Oswestry, GB
Feb 26, 2011 2:38 pm EST

I've just noticed a Newsmax subscription debit on my Lloyds TSB statement. I cancelled Newsmax so long ago, I can't even remember when. At least 4 years ago. At my age (80+) and poor health, it's a major pain to track back and see how much Newsmax have wrongly charged me. I CAN'T EVEN FIND A NEWSMAX E-MAIL ADDRESS for SUBS COMPLAINTS. Can anyone help? Stan Kelly-Bootle, UK

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FritzyB
monroecenter, US
Jan 13, 2011 10:01 pm EST
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I called them again 1-3-11. They assured me that their tech department would remove me from their list within 48 hours. I have since recieved 6 new spam messages from them up to and including today. I am going to call them daily at least once till I get off of their spam list. Their solution was to change my business email address, which I have had for over 20 years, and have not had a problem being removed from anyones list until now.

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Willie77
Ladson, US
Jan 13, 2011 9:01 pm EST

Newsmax MUST be investigated as they afe absolute scam artists! Our government got their nands in everything but can't stop these @x*#s.
I am willing to do whatever is needed to get them locked up.
Bill

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FritzyB
monroecenter, US
Jan 03, 2011 3:06 am EST
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Been trying for 8 months to get off of their spam mail mailing list. Unsuscribe link does nothing, tried 27 times, phone calls have done nothing, called 4 times. I never have authorized accepting their spam, or anything else from them. Spam mail now seems to have turned to their cohorts trying to sell something. Aggravating people!

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cepre000
, US
Jan 02, 2011 3:48 am EST

If Newsmax is being legitimate and acting with full integrity, then why does the offer only talk about the FREE BOOK for $4.95 and why do the $99.00 charges that will occur happily ever after only placed in the fine, fine print? I am good at telling if offers are scams, but they got me. And where is the number to call to cancel? How come they don't have a service website? I wrote please cancel on the unopened envelope and mailed back the overpriced reports for months and they have not honored this. They keep charging me. I am very grateful for websites like this one.

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Maria34
Marietta, US
Nov 27, 2010 11:24 pm EST

I deal with Newsmax all the time and never had these problems. Of course they are not open all weekend! Duh! Most people that want something for free forget to read the part ..what they will get along with it, that is not a scam that is just YOU not paying attention to details. Yes, I have had to call a few times to get my money back...however they are a huge company and if you expect them to take care of you that very day and if you think YOU are the person calling them, then you have serious issues. You can call, or email give them a bout 5 days and most likely it will be done. I have had several memberships with them for the last 2 years and as long as you read the information before you click sumbit, then you would not think it was a scam. Start taking responsibility for your own mistakes. I do agree about the excessive emails, however if you call the main office i found that I was taken off those lists within about a week.

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Erik Anderson
Lakeville, US
Nov 17, 2010 6:06 am EST

I ordered a free flashlight/radio and paid shipping, understanding that I would receive a trial subscription to a print magazine. I was also offered email notifications and newsletter subscriptions, which I declined. I set up a reminder to cancel the trial subscription ahead of time.
I began to not only receive the magazine, but print newsletters, and tons of emails. I logged into my account and it showed that I had declined the email subscriptions, but I was still getting them all. I emailed and wrote cancelling the magazine and requesting that all other subscriptions be cancelled as well. I continued to get the spam, and got charged for the subscription. I have contacted them multiple times to refund the money and stop the spam to no avail. The only response that I get is an automated response that they received my email.

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gkamm
Lafayette, US
Nov 08, 2010 11:29 am EST

Has any of these cases been resolved? Did anyone get their money back? I am a student and Newsmax just charged my student mastercard account at school $49.00. Way back in August I made that card accessible to them by paying for a $4.95 shipping charge on a book that was supposed to be free. I never subscribed to anything from these people. I haven't even read the dang book! This is a scam. Please advise.

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Auntie Lisa 2
South Padre Island, US
Oct 16, 2010 6:42 pm EDT

I had the exact same experience. Ordered the "free" book and willingly paid the shipping cost. This was a month or two ago and suddenly now there's this $49 charge for a magazine subscription we didn't ask for! Chase Mastercard was not ready to reverse the charge, but gave me the Newsmax phone number and said I have to call them myself. And of course, they are not open weekends. Ugh. Please post success stories, if any... I'd like to know what you did to get your money back!

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J. DILLWORTH
Kelseyville, US
Sep 12, 2010 2:22 pm EDT

To all readers:

Really great to hear I am not alone against Newsmax. I hope we can mount enough pressure to get them to pay us back.

The credit card companies are also at fault. They need to drop these scamsters or at least threaten to do so.

Tis Sunday. Their customer service is closed. They will hear from me again tomorrow before I complain to the Visa.

I hate it that any company that gets my number can abuse it by selling me stuff I don't want.

J. D.
California

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Carl1POP
Polk City, US
Sep 09, 2010 9:49 am EDT
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Same story here. I ordered a book and paid shipping of $4.95 through Newsmax. They almost immediately billed me $49.99 for a bogus subscription and subsequently billed me another $99.00. I've tried to get through on their Customer Service line but it is clogged with people having the same problem as me. This is fraud pure and simple. Newsmax central message seems to be that politicians are stealing. Appears to me that this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. I'm going to try and file a criminal complaint since the company is here in Florida.

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Andy Halmay
Toronto, CA
Jul 02, 2010 12:28 pm EDT
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Chris Ruddy, CEO of NewsMax, must be in financial trouble or maybe he is trying to win an Oscar for scamming.

I had the same experience with the book and the newsletters. By using the book as a loss-leader they obtain your credit card and then start billing wildly. I received that subscription notice for a tip sheet on gold stock. That was early in June. They were billing $99 on that one. They gave me an option to cancel it which I did the same day.

Next a $49 charge from them for the Franklin Report showed up on my Visa statement this week without any previous communications about a chance to cancel. I called them the same day, June 30, got a nice lady on the phone who said she was canceling it.

I called my bank to day to make sure the charge was credited. Not only was it still there, but on the same day that I spoke to her, they charged $99.00 for the gold news letter which I had canceled by mail a month earlier.

My Visa card is through the TD Canada Trust Bank. I got them on the phone. A young client service man called NewsMax while I waited on the line. He got them to promise to credit both charges. But he told me that he was holding on to their confirmation number and if they don't follow through they can bill all they want, they won't be paid.

I'm a U.S. citizen living in Toronto, Canada. NewsMax is in Florida. It makes it more difficult for me to follow up with the law from here but I hope Clyde Formby makes yards with the Attorney Generals of Florida and Texas and that Brian Manlove gets some co-operation from the FBI.

Ruddy has associated himself with a number of on air personalities from Fox News. Rupert Murdoch should be apprised that his boys are getting hooked up with a snake oil salesman and potential Ponzi. NewsMax needs to be put out of business. Andy Halmay a3n3d3y@yahoo.com

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Brian A. Manlove
Keller, US
Jul 02, 2010 1:44 am EDT

Yet another... CANCEL IMMEDIATELY. I am filing a wire fraud report with the FBI. I want this $49 refunded immediately to my Visa card.

Brian A. Manlove
Keller TX
brian.manlove@verizon.net

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EizabethWJ
West Jordan, US
May 28, 2010 3:00 pm EDT
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I had the same experience. I just received a $49.00 charge on my credit card. I am contacting Newsmax to ask that my money be refunded.

Elizabeth Pearson, West Jordan, UT

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Clyde A.Formby
Meadowlakes, US
Apr 17, 2010 8:07 pm EDT

I too have the same problem as stated by George Rietzel. I have notified Newsmax and the Franklin Report that I want a full refund. As of this date I have not received a reply. If I am not satisfied and a full refund is not forthcoming, I will take it to the State Attorney Generals Office in both Texas and Florida. Clyde Formby