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Cooking Club of America / Scout.com review: cooking club of america is a scam! 165

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12:00 am EST
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We had tried the 30-day trial membership for Cooking Club of America and canceled it more than a year ago. Now we received a notice from a collection agency. We tried calling the agency but got a voice mail to pay and no operator ever came to the phone. Then we tried to look for the Cooking Club of America number on the website to no avail. We got their number from the national 1800 directory listing. Someone called Jason picked up the phone and rudely informed us that the membership was canceled. When we asked why we were getting collection notices, we were told that it was a way to get us to subscribe as Life members. He said that we were not going to be submitted to the collection agency and abruptly hung up!
ITS A SCAM...

165 comments
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birdsandpoohs
Buffalo, US
Nov 15, 2011 12:46 am EST

I did not join Cooking Club of America and I got mailings and false billings from Cooking Club of America. Please double check web sites and your emails of bad taste

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alwaysandforever007
Colon, US
Oct 27, 2011 6:03 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am very disappointed with the Cooking Club. When I was contacted with my 'nomination' I was excited, but I use food network or delish to look up recipes, as the collection on the member page is sadly lacking. The free gifts, are not free, and the product testing that we can keep for free do not exist, or are cheap items that share the quality of Dollar Store items. I received a book to look at, and if I opted to keep it, I would have to pay for it. The $100 in coupons that I was promised, are a joke. After waiting to get them in the mail, only to get a card I would have to send in along with a SASE, I received ANOTHER order form to send in, along with processing fees. I am still getting notices to send in another $350 to become a LIFE member, when the "free" gifts that were promised upon my initial sign up have not been delivered months later. I will be informing all those in my social network of these occurrences and advising them to disregard any notices sent to them by this company. A sucker is born every minute, SHAME ON YOU for taking advantage of people. Cooking is an act of love and of nurturing those around us. This company seems to have missed that point entirely. I will not be renewing my membership at the end of the year, to say the least.

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sls2003
, US
Oct 18, 2011 7:50 pm EDT

I had joined for free while back I mean this was years ago I did my research and seem legimate. Well didnt pay for nothing they sent me a cheap grater in the mail they came with a container to shred in...Ok well thats cool thought!Oh ya and sent me some recipe cards with it...Then 30 days later got a bill in the mail saying I owe 14.95 for the products in which they told me it was gift for joining. Well anyways I paid it and cancelled my subscription with them. Then about 6 months later they sent something again and said that I still owe the balance...Well I called a number that was on the bill got a lady and she said oh yes mam we have received that and your subscription was cancelled. Then I asked why was I charged for the gifts when they said it was free when I signed up? She told me that it was to try for 30 days free and after that have to pay for the items...I said no way hung up!And needless to say I kept the freakin items screw them...But I had never got anything in the mail or phone calls from them...

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Fred Hoffman
Hayes, US
Aug 05, 2016 2:39 am EDT

I have been a life member for a long time, at firsr I thought the membership was
good, but now I feel I am a member of this group of complaintee's, perhaps we are not a separate group, maybe we are all in the same boat, I too have received many
books and items that I did not order or want, returned all, now I receive bills for things I did not receive, I have requested many times, Please do not send anything
that I did not order, still I receive these payment/reply forms. I'm tired of it, I should resign, but life membership was expenisive, I will never receive my value
in magazines even if I live to 150 years, every word here is true, I am not afraid to
reveal my idenity F. Hoffman Hayes Va, 23072

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wybo
Coweta, US
Sep 27, 2011 2:52 am EDT

I joined last year and it has cost me 12 books @ 29.95 and a 50 dollar book. I plan to cancel. I feel they have hyped up the promise of testing cooking materials and insure that they send you overpriced books. Then they try to hook you into a lifetime membership with the promise of cheap ### un-coated stainless steel cookware. A good company would follow through with good faith attempts at fulfilling everything that made joining appealing. Personally, if the books were that good they would send a review and give you the option of receiving the book. From the first day i had to keep calling to get the crap they stated i would get for joining. If you like cook its a far better deal to go to a bookstore or used book outlet and look a book over before you buy it and walk away with any postage or promises. Lawrence

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tigger337
, US
Sep 13, 2011 1:54 am EDT

I joined back in April and so far have had no major problems. When I didn't receive the 'free joining' gifts, I sent them an email and within 2 weeks I had them. When I didn't receive the 2nd magazine issue, I contacted them. Sounds to me like they are VERY unorganized. I have the 2 year membership- we'll see how it goes. Also, I've signed up for product testing and so far have received nothing. It's only been a few months. Time will tell! tigger337

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Delores A. Campbell
, US
Sep 08, 2011 2:31 pm EDT

My name is Delores Campbell I have been a member for possibly a month. I was promised merchandise to test and afterwards I would be able to keep the merchandise after submitting a comment . In stead I recieved a box that said " You have an item to test and an item you can purchase at membership fees ". I did not open the box I am going to send it back to the company. I have never known of a company that does not have a phone number to call. I have asked for my refund and a cancelation of my account.

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janetft
San Simon, US
Aug 08, 2011 11:46 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I ordered a couple of cutting knives from them, all i got was an e-mail with an order number on it.

Apparently I'm now a member, but they won't give me my member number, in spite of repeated e-mails. However, they lost no time taking my VISA money.

You have to have a member number to get through their switchboard to cancel membership. Catch 22

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miasmom
Cicero, US
Aug 05, 2011 4:34 am EDT

OMG... you guys have saved me so much time and aggravation. I too thought, hey this sounds fabulous. I filled out my subscription card and stuck it in the envelope. Thank GOD it is still on my kitchen table. I even told my sister to join~ luckily she researched it and alerted me to the MANY sites with negative feedback. I think I may send the postage paid (by them)envelope back with a note inside telling them to go suck an egg. Hey it will keep the post office in business, right?

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turnerbudd
Cincinnati, US
Jul 17, 2011 12:29 am EDT

I just received the introductory "nomination" crap. My first thought was "O.K. who nominated me?" I knew who. I subscribe to a number of cooking mags. I read the material inside and out. Had my husband read it. He owns a media company and knows scam when he sees it. We agreed I'd get the introductory welcome kit and then cancel. But, I thought I'd check out the net before mailing it back. Took me 30 seconds on this site to realize the hook. Thanks! This site was very helpful.

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phylis
Quimby, US
Jul 13, 2011 6:17 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have the same complaint.I sent a cooking book back that i wood not be using to much.and got the same reply from them!they did not recive the book.I will go ahead and pay for it!but it will be the last thing i will accept from them.(I AM A LIFE MEMBER)Becuse i wory that they will send me something as a free gift and thin send me a bill for it.VERY DISCUSTED MEMBER.Phyllis sund-203 west 3ed av. PO box 145 Quimby IOWA 51049

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swangirl
Washougal, US
Jul 04, 2011 10:32 pm EDT

I've been a member for years and have not had any problems. I enjoy the magazine, and have tested a few food items. They used to send me numerous offers to become a "lifetime member", but I did not respond, thinking it was too much money. It sure sounds like a lot of people are having very bad experiences, though. Unfortunate, to say the least.

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Kat W
Hoffman Estates, US
May 06, 2011 7:57 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have been a member since January 2010, and have never had a problem with this company. Yes, the books are expensive but I use them all the time! I have enjoyed the cheese grater, veggie peeler, travel knife, silicon baking mat, and steel soap they have sent to me. I also enjoy the cutting board that came with my lifetime membership. When I lost my job in November, I talked to customer service about postponing my cookbooks. They were perfectly gracious about it so, instead of getting three books a month as I had been, I now get one book every three months. I'm sorry to anyone else who has had a problem with CCA, but I haven't. Just wanted to put out a good comment, to counter-balance the negative ones...

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CCarter2u
Norfolk, US
Mar 25, 2011 8:51 pm EDT

Thank you all for posting. I just got home and a letter was in my mail box telling me to please pay my club dues by 3/28/11. I thought for $1 you could not beat it, but now I see that they are asking me to purchase magazines that I don't want. Because of you all, I was able to stop myself from making a grave mistake. I am sorry to all of you who were lied to and decieved by this company. I will no longer correspond with them.

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dunphyj920
Bordentown, US
Mar 15, 2011 4:47 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I recently received a membership packet. I was very sceptical when reading and noticing the dues. I love to cook and read lots of cooking mags and books. I was also looking forward to trying new things. After reading all these complaints I will not join and if I get anything else in the mail it will go straight to the shredder. And to think they tell you you only have 10 days to respond.
Thaks to all that commented. dunphyj

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Renee Langford
Mauckport, US
Mar 01, 2011 4:25 pm EST

I joined back in Feb. of 08. I cancelled a couple of months later. They kept sending me books and DVD's that I didn't want. I kept calling to cancel and returned all the things that they were charging me for. Today, I received a collection notice in the mail for the remaining amount "owed" to become a life member. I called the collection agency and informed me that they weren't allowed to give me the Cooking Club's number. What do I do? This is going to mess up my credit, but I WILL NOT pay for something that I cancelled. How can I fix this?

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J C Harvey
Jackson, US
Jan 05, 2011 2:28 am EST

I also joined for a year and was sent a product to test. Next thing I know I get all kinds of brochures, etc talking about me being a lifetime member. Don't know wha they are talking about. Then today I get a bill saying I owe 325 dollars. No way. The products they sent were cheesy to say the least and I did not ask to be a lifetime member. Don't waste your time with this scam.

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quickdraw mcgraw
, US
Dec 20, 2010 6:22 pm EST

You should all be aware that any of these "clubs" exist as a marketing tool only, and the main product they want to move is their books. There was a huge stink about all of this many years ago, because such organizations in essence force their members to try to "opt out" of receiving books. In other words, you don't pick and request certain books, then receive them; you are sent books without asking for them, and they try to force you to pay for them. My suggestion is to contact your state Attorney General's office, the Better Business Bureau (the company is, or was, local to Minnetonka, Minnesota), and The Direct Marketing Association of America, which sets rules and guidelines for conducting business through the mail. It also wouldn't hurt to contact your post office as well, as such business conduct may very well constitute fraud via interstate mail. A long time ago, the original owners of the parent company were reputable; I know because I used to work them. Since selling out in the '90s and "expanding" into a million marketing clubs, it would seem that things have changed.

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PastorP
, US
Dec 10, 2010 5:56 pm EST

I received the "Lifetime" letter today. Thought let me see if there are any complaints before I sign up for this. Thanks much for all of your comments. I will not join will just let the current 1 year end. I will send all books back unopened. I did get a book the other day and it was not worth the paper it was written I did return it. Hopefully I will not get any bills. Again thanks for your comments.

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Sergei Witte
Chambersburg, US
Aug 05, 2016 2:39 am EDT

@ Maggie#4. I do not know in which state you live, but let me tell you about Kansas. The comsumer protection law provides that if a merchant sends you items you have not explicitly ordered you may consider them gifts. I once had a problem with a book club membership in which I cancelled when I saw the list of books, other than the cheaper come-ons. My certified w/return receipt letter cancelling my membership was ignored; so I began to treat the books as gifts. When my credit card began showing charges, I called, was told the charges would be removed. I then contacted my credit card issuer, told them of the issue, and they promised to help. Meanwhile I once again sent a certified letter with return receipt. In the letter I included a photocopy of the KS statute covering unsolicited merchandise. The credit card charge was removed forthwith, and I never received anything from the book club again.

Moral: Check with your state's consumer protection office. If you have none, ask a librarian for help in finding consumer protection statutes. In any event call your state representative or senator and briefly give the assistant the details and ask for their help. Usually they will do so, and you would be surprised how quickly a business replies to a letter written on government letterhead.

Good luck.

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scrambledmind
Mesa, US
Oct 11, 2010 10:57 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

THANK YOU ALL!...this 73 yr old lady just loves to cook and kitchen gadgets and really was interested in joining, , but after checking with you people...thought again...NOPE...THANK YOU, AGAIN !

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wendyt
Peoria, US
Sep 27, 2010 4:02 pm EDT

I joined and was sent some cheap "gifts" that aren't really usable for anything (including a plastic cheese grater that falls apart when you use it.) I was sent a book to "review" with a due date of 4 days after I received it. I called customer service and they extended my review period for one month. I sent the book back via their prepaid postage box.
three weeks later I receive a bill for the book. I called and told them I sent it back. The customer service person noted that they had not received it but would postpone my due date another month. They still claim they have not received it. I'm currently trying to find the tracking number for the package. Otherwise I'm out $29 *sigh*
They keep calling about lifetime membership. I have told them I'm not interested.

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rleigh7707
Warren, US
Sep 12, 2010 8:24 am EDT

WOW! Man, O, Man am I glad I didn't send the free trial in. THANK YOU ALL :)

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Widower
, US
Aug 14, 2010 10:38 am EDT

After reading the first page of comments I have come to realize that the positive comments must be posted by employees or stockholders of the Cooking Club. I was all set to join since $12 a year would be a good investment but after reading all the negative comments there is no chance. The measurement conversion chart will come in handy if I ever start using something other than my hand for measuring but I already have bowl scrapers and 3 X 5 cards.

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dphez
Lake Stevens, US
Jul 28, 2010 9:24 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Thank you all for your comments. I'm throwing away my introductory invitation as we speak. My boyfriend is a Chef and I thought this would be a neat thing for him. Thank heavens I looked into it first.

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Peaches 54
Pasadena, US
Jul 19, 2010 11:13 am EDT

WOW I wish I had done a little research on this club. They send me bills for all kinds of things. I cancelled my membership MONTHS ago and still receive bills for products I never recieved. They are the biggest rip off EVER.

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MaishaBrown
Americus, US
Mar 23, 2010 4:53 pm EDT

Well I am not sure, but I do know that I joined and so far I am excited. But after reading all this I'm thinking I might have a mistake. I joined for 24.00 dollars. I hope I'm not wrong about these people. Anyway, yall keep me posted.

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deedeede
, US
Mar 22, 2010 2:15 pm EDT

Can i contact them online to stop billing me?

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TonyL
Logan, US
Mar 02, 2010 9:29 am EST

Thank God for the internet. I received their mailing yesterday, 03/01/2010. When I got to the part where they would bill me for their low membership fee, that immediately raised a red flag. I had never heard of this company, so I typed in complaints against cooking club of america. It did not surprise me that there were so many complaints. I am returning everything back to this company.

I scanned everything I received from them onto my computer. I told this company if I received anything else from them I would be contacting our state attorney general's office about having them barred from doing business in our state (WV).

BEST ADVISE I COULD GIVE ANYONE, ALWAYS DO A CHECK WHEN YOU RECEIVE ANY UNSOLICITED MAILINGS. DON'T JUST AUTOMATICALLY THINK THIS IS A GOOD DEAL, CHECKING FIRST CAN SAVE YOU A LOT OF PROBLEMS IN THE FUTURE.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU, AND THANKS FOR YOUR POSTINGS.
SARAH IN WV

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laurainarizona
Pearce, US
Mar 01, 2010 11:03 am EST

I've been a "member" twice. Once about a decade ago and then I rejoined for a year's subscription and bought one book about a year ago. I cancelled the books and they stopped coming.

When the renewal notice recently came I did not renew. Over the last three months they've sent me four unrequested books and even sent me a "reminder bill" for the first one weeks after they had to have gotten it back. I remember receiving unwanted books the first time I was a member too. None of the books are pre-announced like a book club, so there is no way to choose ahead of time if you want a particular title shipped to you. There is nothing on the box to indicate what the title is. If you open the box, you have to pay to have it shipped back. So, they are obviously betting the odds that most people will be curious, open the box, then choose to keep and pay for the book.

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Kely
Fort Smith, US
Jan 27, 2010 8:30 am EST

I had my acceptance in the envelope ready to mail and thought "maybe I should check them out first". Glad I did. Envelope is being shredded! I don't want there to be any chance of it being found and mailed by someone else. I don't need something like this haunting me forever.

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mcfish
Clearfield, US
Jan 05, 2010 5:51 pm EST

judekazooty: [protected] option 6 to cancel your account. If you don't have your account # you may have to speak to rep. Beware they may ask for your credit card information in order to "verify" your account. DO NOT GIVE IT TO THEM!

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mcfish
Clearfield, US
Jan 05, 2010 5:48 pm EST

Just received an "overdue" notice in the mail from this company..I have never heard of it so I "bing"ed it as well. Glad I ran across this site! I just got off the phone with them asking them to cancel my account...of course they tried to sell to me, but the interesting thing was that the guy couldn't even tell me the magazine, book, or product description. Only through this site and the bill do I know it has something to do with cooking.He kept asking for my credit card information to verify my account...of course I did not give it to them! I asked them to cancel my account and discard the bill. I am in the process of preparing my credit for my first home purchase and stated this and that I wanted to make sure I would not be sent to collections. I asked for the man's name and contact information directly and I was hung up on! I have already contacted my bank to warn them of this, but unfortunately they can't do anything until it is reported to collections. Still working this, but wanted to send out a fresh warning since most of these are older!

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judekazooty
Midland, US
Dec 07, 2009 1:26 pm EST

Entered their contest..recieve a bill..logged on to their site, there was no link available to cancel my membership..so I sent them a message via their contact us..do hope they dont' attempt to contact me further..beware intering these contests..they automatically sign you up for "membership.

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celerygirl
Lutz, US
Sep 08, 2009 1:55 pm EDT

I found their number through Google and called them to cancel my membership [protected].

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Chynna
, US
Aug 19, 2009 2:18 pm EDT

I too was about to mail it out. God is so good because He told me to research it before I sent the card. Thank you God for less headache that I sure do not need in my life

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philla, US
Aug 01, 2009 11:53 am EDT

me toooo and im only 16...now im starting out with bad credit b4 i can even build it...because im not paying 34 dollars for nothing. just like you i signed up for nothing...what should we do?

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Ben Kaeding
Spokane, US
Jul 23, 2009 11:48 am EDT

Thank you everyone for posting. I just called [protected] and spoke to Penny Jasper. She was very nice and let me know that she canceled my order and that if I receive any more bills from them, that I should ignore them . Wish me luck.

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Lea
houston, US
Jun 10, 2009 8:33 am EDT

I called over a yr ago to have my subscription cancelled and also returned to them two books un-opened. Now a yr later, I'm receiving notices from a collection agency (Retreival-Masters Creditors Bureau [protected]). I am so angry at this sorry ### company. Please tell all your friends do not sign up for this club. All they want is your money and don't care how they get it!

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LMK
, US
Aug 05, 2016 2:39 am EDT

I have sent them 2 letters requesting that they not send me anything
else at this time. To date they have totalled ignored what I asked them
to do - or NOT do and I got another damn book today.
I take a black marker and write REFUSED RETURN TO SENDER!
on the box.
What can you say about them, THEY ARE IDIOTS ! I wish I had
never signed up to get the crap they send out. Live and learn I
guess.