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Prevention Magazine review: fraud and cheating! 22

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12:00 am EDT
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I have been turned over to a collection agency for a delinquent notice on Prevention Magazine. I subscribed last year and was not happy with the magazine it always seemed to be pushing you to get more information from another book they were selling. I did not renew my subscription. Now they say I am past due and have turned this year's "late payment" over to a collection agency North Shore Agency, Inc. which I see has many suspicious complaints. I cant seem to get anyone on the phone, and I cant get an answer online. It isn't a large amount of money so I will probably have to go ahead and pay up just to protect my credit rating but others should be aware of their practices.

22 comments
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Cindy Herb
Newcastle, CA 95658, US
Jan 16, 2023 6:25 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

When my subscription (#[protected]) for Prevention Magazine expired, I decided NOT to renew. I keep getting invoices for renewal that I did NOT ask for! The most recent billing said I must pay by 1/26/23, and "Unpaid Account" is stamped on the billing. I am afraid this is going to negatively impact my credit rating. How do I resolve this issue?

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oromara052
, US
Mar 14, 2020 7:32 pm EDT

Your ads that promote diversity are nothing but hate speech and racial bigotry against whites!
Flooding our border with illegals is predatory migration to murder whites!
I will be boycotting these communist magazines that seek to genocide out and replace whites! Screw you! I wont give my money so you can plot murder against me and fellow whites!

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Brenda Bitterman
, US
Feb 29, 2020 11:17 am EST

I have paid the $36 one year subscription in full! Stop sending me bills! On 11/22/2029 I paid $11.88 with check #1585. On 01/10/2020 I paid $24.12 with check #1594. This bill is paid in full!
Thank you for correcting this matter promptly

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Debbie R
, US
Sep 30, 2019 5:50 pm EDT

I am missing the 12 booklets that were to be mailed as part of my subscription. I ordered in May 2019 and still have not received. I see other similar complaints. How can I get what they promised and so far have failed to deliver?

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Razzack
, CA
Jan 22, 2019 7:27 am EST

On Dec 6, 2018 charged my credit card yearly subscription charge. Where as I am not receiving any magazines since Nov 2018. Nor I was contacted to get my consent to continue my subscription. I have not agreed to renewal therefore I would like to get the refund.
Fatima Razzack

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Kelly
, US
Jan 30, 2009 9:13 am EST

I too received the notice to 'do nothing' AND have my subscription Magazine AUTOMATICALLY RENEWED. I didn't want to keep the subscription, so I called the number they list to cancel - [protected] and just like other consumers, every time I called, it rang busy. And I called literally 45 times! So, I did a search about canceling Prevention Magazine and found this site. That's when I learned that others had the same issue.

I decided I wasn't going to go down without a fight. I located Prevention Magazine's customer service phone # [protected] and called them to cancel. I was on hold for about 8 minutes, but finally reached 'Julie' and was able to rectify this situation. After I was satisfied that my sub had been canceled, I complained to Julie about the constantly busy phone number. She said she'd have someone look into that line. I highly doubt anything will change, but at least if anyone else runs into the same problem and are able to track down this website, they can use the number above to cancel their sub.

BAD, BAD business practice! No wonder magazines are shutting down left and right.

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rubyeva
sutton west, CA
Mar 25, 2014 4:46 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

and to think i cancelled my readers digest for this junk mail mag. and of course they billed me before i even got the free gifts and the magazine sample issue. it's my own fault for paying first, but now i can't get in touch to cancel. they can keep the money, i just don't even want to see this in my mail box to remind me how gullible i was.

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Sandra
, US
Jan 13, 2009 8:43 am EST

I wish I read all your reports before I sent this card they lured me with, honestly I don't even remember if I agreed to subscribe to this pathetic magazine or not, but I do remember they promised to send 3 free reports of interest to me (well, you guessed right - weight loss, etc.), so I thought - $11.98 is ok, I'll read this magazine and cancel if I don't like it.

Instead of 3 free reports they sent me their magazine and free report on diabetics! Thanks a lot! I called them, and waited for my reports, but as you know, what follows - collection agency North Shore in a period of 14 (!) days. Their ( Prevention) invoice was of 12/16/2008, North Shore Agency request for payment was of 12/30/2008.

Like the only thing to do in December, 2008 is to dispute with Prevention magazine and Rodale, Inc. I don't care much about $11.98, but it's a matter of principle - they are scam and I refuse to pay a penny to them.

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joefor People
San Diego, US
Oct 08, 2013 12:20 am EDT

I received the same letter for the services (internet $25) i did not renew. I am going to sue them. It will take me one stop at the local court and clerk will help to fill in the application. I will be claiming $2000 for pain and suffering and fraud. They will send their layer (-$400). Then my case called - I will ask for it to be postponed . The next time their layer comes (-$400). If their layer does not come I will get $2000 by default. They will start thinking about their fraud. Pass this to everyone you know. You can do it to to those scummers.

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Vickimay
Bandon, US
May 27, 2011 3:28 am EDT

Today my 85 year old Dad received a letter from a collection agency stating that he was past due on a subscription to Prevention Magazine that he decided not to renew. He is very scared and upset over this threat. My Mother passed away recently so the timing of this scare tactic is even worse. From reading the complaints online this seems to be standard practice for them. I am going to post my issue here and everywhere I can so others can be aware and not order from this company. What a pathetic way to do business, shame on them.

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crazycerulean
, IN
Mar 04, 2011 11:34 am EST

Yes, I completely support this. I am 100% sure that Prevention are capable of making these kinds of frauds. I had taken a 2 yr subscription in the month of Nov 2009. There was a juicer free with the 2yr subscription plan. I tried mailing them several times. Their customer care is pathetic. The call never gets connected. The mailing facility is worse than the call facility. It's like there's a competition as to which service is more pathetic. I get lame answers each time I mail them. Everytime I get an automated response to the mail which says I will get my 'free gift' within 3-4 weeks from the day I receive their mail. It's been 1.5 yrs and i have still not received the gift. If it is dispatched, are the courier companies gulping it down or it's vanishing. Once, I get an automated response saying the above and then I get the response saying that the free gifts are over and that they are arranging one especially for me ( like hell i believe these fraudsters) and then again when I send a firing mail, they send me the same response saying its dispatched and I will be getting the gift within 3-4 weeks.

It's waste of time to go behind these people. Prevention people don't care about their customers. I even mailed the editor-in-chief and I still didn't get any reply. This shows how much they value their customers.

The wise thing to do is take the issue from the magazine stands than to subscribe if you don't want to loose your cool.

My subscription id is PREV1585185

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Chris
Mequon, US
Apr 01, 2009 1:29 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I received one copy of the magazine and decided that I did not like it. I did not pay the subscription bill. Most magazines just cancel you. I received no more Prevention magazines, but they sent me to collections. North Shore Agency, Inc. I have tried to call them and I get through but then they disconnect me. I called Prevention and they disconnected me also. What"s going on? I believe this is possibly a scam. Chris

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Luna
, US
Jan 31, 2009 12:34 pm EST

We received a copy of Prevention in the mail- to this day I don't know how they even got our information, much less did we want the thing. Since then they've been billing us- it is UNSOLICITED MAIL folks- you should know the law- you don't have to pay for ANYTHING sent to you unsolicited, moreover you don't have to send it back or anything. Of course, this is ridiculous business practices- they MUST have a TON of unsold magazines laying around at the end of the month and figure how can we get rid of these things and MAYBE make some money at the same time. No paper recyclers, no no no, we'll mail it out and try to force the ignorant people to pay for them even though it's totally unethical and illegal. Someone should shut these hacks down.

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Betty Herloski
Webster, US
Jan 12, 2009 9:28 am EST

I subscribed to Prevention Magazine and immediately had my email in box flooded with offers for things I didn't want. I was also sent 'free' trial books I didn't want that I am I to be billed for when the rest of the set arrives. I contacted Prevention Magazine about the emails, but they told me I had to contact Rodale books about the books, a company I did not even agree to do business with to try to sort out the rest. I have tried to contact them, but they do not seem to have a working phone or email - their email is bounced back to me with the tag 'was deleted without being read'. I don't want to pay to return unsolicited material or to be charged for material I did not order.

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Virginia Echevarria
,
Oct 19, 2008 7:19 pm EDT

The same thing just happened to me. A long time ago I purchased a subscription, but have never renewed it because the magazine is really, really second rate. There is very little useable information about health and exercies. Every time a renewal notice came, I threw it out, and now I'm getting dunned for a magazine that I chose not to renew. I am livid. I will definitely print out these comments and send them to the collection company. I will also call Prevention and I will write to the Consumer Protection Agency and lodge a complaint. This will take a lot of time that I don't have, but I hate having people use these tactics. We're all so scared to have anything happen to our credit reports, that we'll do anything, including pay people we don't really owe.

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No thanks Fidelis
lansing, US
Aug 05, 2008 2:16 pm EDT

They billed me for a subscription I didn't even order. I thought they were a reputable magazine, but I guess not. I made a complaint over on /link removed/ too.

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mary
,
Jul 18, 2008 12:49 pm EDT

The same exact thing happened to me today. The lady on the phone at prevention told me that my account hadn't been renewed (why would I want more of their ad only magazine that offers no help or "prevention" of any kind?). I have to call and cancel specifically in order to avoid their fake collection agency scam. It's just a renewal scare tactic! I was SOOOO angry! As if I wasn't already upset enough for subscribing to their useless magazine for an entire year! Now they are threatening me w/ a fake collection notice just to get me back? Well they lost me and hopefully everyone who reads this too! Do not have anything to do w/ Prevention or Rodale!

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George Freeman
,
Feb 14, 2008 10:42 am EST

Same thing happened to us. Prevention's "General Customer Service" number is [protected]. The phone was answered immediately, I explained what was happening, the man was very polite and apologetic, deleted us from the records on the spot, and put in a cancel order to the collection agency. I agree that it is very dishonest to subscribe people this way, but if it is happening to you, call that number and you should be done with it in about sixty seconds.

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Sharon Gremling
,
Feb 06, 2008 1:11 pm EST

A mailer was removed from another magazine with a great advertisement on weight loss which also promised a free 12 month subscription. I sent that in and instead of a free magazine received a bill. Whoever thought to publish that number above, please know I am grateful. I used it today and will have to see if the automated response truly cancels this subscription (which, fortunately, I have received only a billing for).

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Matthew Volk
,
Jan 10, 2008 2:28 pm EST

My girlfriend and I recently recieved notification that we were "overdue" on our payment for their magazine which we never signed up for. Definitely fishy business as they seem unwilling to have any personal contact outside of e-mail with their customers.

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itsaRIPOFF
,
Dec 22, 2007 9:56 pm EST

Don't Pay! It's a scare tactic!

there is a thread over at [redacted] where someone gave a toll-free number to call. The number is [protected]

Also, make it known to EVERYONE you know and as many others even if you don't know them to boycott Prevention Magazine for using such tactics.

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Peter Meulemans
,
Sep 11, 2007 7:34 am EDT

I had exactly the same problem. Wish there was something we could do.

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