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United Readers Service

United Readers Service review: Cancellation 51

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11:30 pm EDT
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I read several other peoples stories and it all sounds the same. These people are scamming you! I never signed a contract with them and never entered any so called drawing. They say I was entered in because I was preferred. BS to that! I went to get a car and my credit was very limited, so how the heck am I preferred when I have a very small limit on my credit. They'll take your money without you even knowing it and call you asking for all money up front claiming it to be a special one month deal in exchange for a 10% discount. Well they called me offering this month long deal from November 2008 to January 2009. Whats really scary is they had all of my information like my address and stuff. I was told that I could cancel, but am now told I have to pay $200 up front to cancel. So we reported them to our bank and the Better Business. I'm just getting sick of their phone calls calling me in important times in my life like just finding out the gender of our kid. Lets reveal this scam and make it known!

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51 comments
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Coreyzz
Columbia Falls, US
Feb 05, 2024 4:14 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

They called me and some old sweet lady that "just beat cancer and is back at work" talked me into signing up for this magazine service, so I said ok sure I'll take some (didn't figure anything of it, was going to cancel after a few) and when they are asking you these questions to sign up for it the last question that is they sneak in on you is to verify that you can afford the magazines and then that you are locked into a 32-month contract with these people and they want 40 bucks a month for 32 months for magazines that don't even come consistently and the ridiculous magazines they're not even good literally this company is a scam artist that established this company they try to lock you into a contract and by saying that you agree to it you're bound by the law to pay it or it's going to go to collections, that is°°°°° UNLESS°°°°° you were DRUNK when you talked on the phone with them and made that agreement because ***a person that's intoxicated cannot legally enter and agree to a legal contract***

THIS COMPANY IS A COMPLETE SCAM AND WILL CONSUME TIME OUT OF YOUR LIFE TO MAKE THEM GO AWAY THEY DESERVE TO BE CRIMINALLY CHARGED FOR DUPING AND TRICKING PEOPLE INTO THIS CONTRACT,

IN TOTAL IT'S ABOUT $2,000 EVERY PERSON THEY GET TO AGREE TO THIS CONTRACT FOR 32 MONTHS

I have tried talking with them to cancel it because I can't afford it and they absolutely do not care they will keep sending you magazines and keep charging you even though you have no way to pay it and then you tell them that and they still do it they will keep sending you it they that's ridiculous a company that does that

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Mel Palmetto
, US
Jun 23, 2022 7:51 am EDT

Scam this is, indeed. They claimed I had committed verbally to a 1 year contract, then they changed it to 3 years. There is no written contract. Although I paid to get them off my back, I will decline the charges. A few months ago I was in the hospital for 2 weeks and they called so many times, the filled up my whole mailbox which is great when your family and friends are trying to get a hold of you.

I don't know how people work there with any sense of dignity or integrity. This is the worst company I have ever dealt with in my life. Oh, did I mention that I had to stop all magazines after one delivery as my mailbox got too full and my real mail was getting sent back? Stay away, they will wreak havoc on your credit score as well and deny it completely. To operate this way in today's economic environment is a disgrace.

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Maria T. Montalvo
,
Jun 15, 2016 7:01 am EDT

will not cancell my order. We have called several times to cancell, but they wont cancell an dwant us topay for two more years.

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Birmingham, AL
Birmingham, US
Jun 15, 2016 7:01 am EDT

Numerous calls received from USA Collections (Sophie, John, Charles, Joshua, Allen, Lucy) all claiming collectiing for United Readers Service for
"womens package" magazines from 2006 or before... say owe $1500 (or $1600 depending on which caller) and can settle immediately for $499.99.
Some are rude- hang up on you. No one will give address of company... 3 said they were in Massena, NY - no listing there. Callers can not give pertinent facts about what was ordered, when... etc., and one caller told me my last payment was to a credit card ending in 4010 (don't have one with that number; next caller said a debit card ending in 4010 (never have had debit card); and another said was deducted from bank account ending in 4010 (none of my accounts end in 4010. Constant refusal to send any
verification in writing.

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jane pople
, US
Jun 15, 2016 7:01 am EDT

I was supposed to get magazines from this company and they charge me 39.90 a month. I have only received 1 a month. I have contacted them and they will not let me out of the contract. They are rude and I can not get anywhere with them. They send me bills and I do not want to pay but they have my credit card information so either way they will get their money.

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Steve Sanders
Corona, US
Jun 15, 2016 7:00 am EDT

United Reader Service violated the Do Not Call law by calling me in the first place. I was scammed by phone into ordering magazines that I have no interest in reading. They prompted me to answer Yes when I should have answered No and taped the conversation. An outright scam.

I initially listened because they said I won a woman’s watch in a drawing. When I explained that I was on the DNC they said they could call me because I had won a prize. An outright fabrication and not true. When I first called and complained about this perversion, United Reader Service offered to play back the taped message used for authorization, which they did. The prompter was not recorded. When I explained that I did not understand the nature of the order, their response was that it was not their problem and that I was getting a great deal. They indicated that I signed up for a two year service and cannot cancel. I have nothing in writing to that effect.

When I threatened to turn them in for a DNC violation, which promises a $10, 000 fine for each violation, they responded that I was not on the DNC because I had not re-registered each year for the DNC. That is an outright lie. Once on the DNC always on the DNC, but frankly United Reader Service didn’t care. They know that the DNC has no real teeth; that no one is enforcing the DNC and they take advantage of that.

I am 61 and have no interest in Maxim, Car and Driver or Fitness or several of the other magazines for which they are charging me. All I wanted was TV guide, which I am not receiving on a regular basis. This was fraud to begin with and continues to be fraud. Unfortunately, I was remiss in not sufficiently scouring my credit card statement each month and was frankly not aware that they were charging my card monthly.

United Reader Service was authorized to charge the card one time only for the original purchase price of the first two month's service and has been fraudulently charging my card ever since. They have no written proof that I authorized a charge and my credit card company is allowing the charges because I have complained by phone and have nothing in writing that says I have cancelled the service. The credit card company is charging me over limit fees even though the overlimit is being caused by the unauthorized charges, but that is a nother matter. Allowing them to charge with no written authority but disallowing me to stop the payment because I have not provided written proof, is neither ethical nor reasonable.

I have spoken to United Reader Service several times on the phone to no avail and have written instructions to cancel as soon as possible. When mailing manual payments, we have included written instructions to immediately cancel the subscription and not charge our card. They have ignored all such requests. This has cost me over a thousand dollars which I cannot afford due to the economic downturn.

United Reader Service is an unethical company without regard for anyone other than themselves. Whether or not border-line legal, they should not be allowed to continue stealing from the elderly and violating the DNC.

I hope this helps someone else avoid this scam.

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MichaelQuinn 2016
, US
May 13, 2016 4:58 pm EDT

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Hi, I signed up for the readers subscription service on Feb. 22nd. I don't know why I signed up, the lady on the phone was just really nice and I ended up agreeing. I was out somewhere shopping and so I was busy doing other things and they read some 5 minute long spiel and I finally got off the phone. They told me they were Publishers Clearing House, and I knew I had an account with PCH so I trusted the lady. She said they were going to bill me $40 every two months for two years. Anyway, two months go by and I never received any magazines but I did receive something in the mail and it was from this company, and it said they were going to bill me $40 a month. I was charged again on April 4th for forty bucks, and still hadn't received anything. I called the company. The lady I spoke to was very rude and nasty to me, telling me that I can't cancel my subscription and that I was going to keep being billed. She said "oh you signed up for a two year contract and you can't cancel it. Either you pay it or we send you to collections." I told her to remove my payment information and to cancel me from the service. She said I can't do that, so I asked to speak to her supervisior and she said there aren't any supervisors and hung up on me! I called my credit card company, Capital One, and explained the situation. The CapOne account manager was a very nice lady and helped me through and through. She called up the number I gave her and it went directly to the same operator at the "subscription company". The lady from CapOne had me with her on the line and next thing I know this operator is being all nice about it and she's like oh sure Mr. Quinn I'm removing your payment information and you're all set, have a great day! I even told her specifically that I wasn't going to dispute the two times I was charged and that I just didn't want to be billed again. At this point I think everything is settled and go on with my life. Today, May 13th, I get a call from Tanya with Readers subscription service asking me how I'm going to pay my bill. I was very polite and I said thank you for calling Miss but I canceled this service last month. She said no you can't cancel, you need to pay your bill. I politely said, "no miss, this account was canceled last month." She says to me (!), "no MICHAEL, it's not cancelled!" and keeps going about me paying the bill. At this point I got mad and told her this was already disputed with my bank last month and that the matter was handled. She kept being nasty and told me "so don't pay it and we're gonna keep calling you, call you next week." I told her I wanted to speak to her supervisor and she said "I'm your account supervisor" and hung up the phone. (Don't forget, this is one month from the last payment but I'm only supposed to be billed every two months) I called my credit card company and had to block the company through Visa. I spoke to another wonderful lady at CapOne who blocked the whole company so at the very least they can't charge my card again.

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pepperdacat
, US
Mar 17, 2016 7:49 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

hi these people at united readers service r automatically nenewing service without asking they call and demand payment or they get collections involved when will this stop please help

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janjune
, US
Aug 17, 2015 9:26 am EDT

I didn't know I signed up with this company. I kept getting calls from companies wanting me to sign up with them to get magazines. I always hung up on them knowing that it was going to cost me money that I knew I didn't have. Then this year I started getting 5 different magazines. Then last Friday on Aug 14, 2015 I got a phone call from a lady that wanted to know about my magazines. I gave her my debit card number and told her not to put it through till the middle of September. She put it through on Aug 15. I called my bank and got their phone number which was suppose to be for Braden Magazines according to my bank. The phone number I got was a fax machine. Well after doing some searching I got a customer service number and called that. I am getting my money back and canelling all of my $49.99 payments for the next 24 months. Once I told her that the company was a scam and I threatened to turn them over to the FBI she is refunding my money and cancelling my contract. The lady that I talked to said my contract was with United Reader Services and they are not a scam. She told me that I should have my money back in 7 - 10 business days.

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Kenneth Leach
, US
Mar 13, 2015 5:13 pm EDT

They Called And Acted Like I Was Already Getting Mag's From Them. I Told Them That I Was Not Giving My Card Number Out Again.I Said That If I Was Getting Mag's From That They Should Already Have That Information. They Claimed To Be Making Sure That Everything Was Right. I Got A Letter From Today Showing The Mag's That I Would Be Getting And What May Payment's Would Be. I Tried To Contact Them, But They Were Closed, So First Thing Mon. Morning I Will Call And Cancel .

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Zimbo1
Austin, US
Oct 13, 2014 12:04 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I unfortunately was also taken by United Readers. Was told to pay x amount on a monthly basis and after speaking to my husband he requested I cancel as we were unable to afford it. I called several times and they told me was unable to cancel my subscription and reduced my monthly payments (that told me straight away it was a scam). They have made several phone calls to me and I have given them my husband's number to call which they apparently are not happy with. Thank goodness for blocking options on the phones in the States. I continue to receive mail demanding payment to which my trash bin gladly accepts. I refuse to pay for something I do not want and have politely told them on several occasions. There has been no paperwork received with regards to a legally bound contract. It is sad that United Readers cannot respect a customer can change their mind!

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Ajerkyperp
Parma, US
Aug 29, 2014 7:24 am EDT

It comes down to this. I thought it was a scam and a rip off! But I did get a sales call I did agree to it and then changed my mind. The call explained everything. The total cost monthly price mailing info everything. I was also sent paperwork in which I just tossed aside and waited for magazines to come. When it took 6 weeks I was impatient and called to cancel. Though I was told it would take that long. I was then referred to the paperwork which explains I have 10 days to cancel so my time was up. I DID GIVE MY CREDIT CARD NUMBER AND ORIGINALLY AGREED so I stick to my commitment. They will and can play for you the recorded verification of the order where you give them your payment info and address. When its all said and done they get their payments from you they have no way of having your credit card number without your giving it to them. Take responsibility for your actions and carelessness with your credit card or bank information they are a business making money that you the customer agreed to. Simple as that.

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TacSurplus
, US
Nov 18, 2011 5:22 am EST

These people are out of their minds! I got conned into getting a magazine subscription with this company 1 year ago in September. I got this super-great deal for a 1 year subscription(normal is 2 years @ $39.95, or so I was told), only problem is that after the 1 year @ half-price($19.95) subscription ended, they are hounding me and harrassing me, saying that I still owe them money and that it has gone to the collection department. I know what I was told over the phone, as I have a habit of taking notes whenever I have to deal with sales associates. The calls happen from morning until 9:00pm at night, monday through sunday. Whatever any of you do, do not, I repeat, DO NOT get a subscription whatsoever. If you do, you'll be extremely sorry later.

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jwttmt in Guam
Agat, US
Aug 08, 2013 1:40 am EDT

I have tried to cancel my "subscription" with United Readers and I keep getting bills. The charges on my credit card have stopped, but instead I get paper bills now with "Past Due" amounts. I have tried to call them a couple of different times from my house phone and I get the message "The number you have dialed is not answering. The number you have dialed is not available." The number I am using is the one printed on the paper they sent me! I continually receive long distance phone calls on my cell phone, but do not answer it because I do not remember giving that number for me to be contacted at. What does anyone recommend that I do? I have thought about taking it to my local AG Consumer Division. Any advice would be most welcome. Oh, and I do not live Stateside, but in the territory of Guam.

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stephanie gunter
Odessa, US
May 30, 2013 9:43 am EDT

They are PRIMETIME readers service now and the lady said i could cancel -and i called back to cancel because i read the paper work and it wasn't what she said it was - i called back and said this is robbery and a scam there is no way i wold agree for magazines for 6 years and she said she would play me the recording of my agreement, So i asked her to play me the recording of me because she said it was recorded and she was bluffing there is no recording and i have a very sharp memory and i know what i said and i didn't- i have 5 kids and i need to get a lawyer or something i worked very hard to have credit and now its being ruined by a scam!

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dontdoit.com
Hamilton, US
May 16, 2013 12:03 am EDT

I worked for one of the United Readers Service offices in Dayton Ohio, KC Marketing. Let me just say this, This whole entire company is a big scam. Do not give these people your credit card information! I worked with Kc Marketing for almost 3 years the owners name is Carol Wheeler and Kenneth Pack. Carol is bi polar and doesn't know if she's coming or going half the time. The cheat people, so if you get a phone call from anyone affiliated with United Readers Service OR KC Marketing, get their information and report them to the BBB imediately!

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Pdavey
Marietta, US
Feb 15, 2013 5:28 pm EST

My husband just received a call from them a person by the name of Dennis area code 310 don't know if that's Ohio but when i told him that I know it was a scam he gave me the website which I immediately looked up and first thing I saw was a list of complaints My husband told him to cancel luckily they don't have CC# I knew it was a scam from the get go this guy trying to explain that its not

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Jean Raison
East Windsor, US
Nov 12, 2012 7:49 am EST

I don't even know how I ended up mixed up with this. I never ordered these magazines yet these rag magazines just started filling my mailbox. The credit card they were originally charged to had been fraudulently used 2 years ago on New Year's Eve and cancelled and that's when this all started. What a horror this has been. I am one of the millions who are unemployed so why in the world would I agree to pay close to $1500 for magazines that I wouldn't even look at. The selection that was sent to me I wouldn't even line a litter box with that's how trashy they were. The only people who contacted me was the collection group because the card had been cancelled and they claimed to have no information on the order process or how to cancel. They couldn't give me a phone number or any means of contacting United Readers Service. To avoid damaging my credit score I provided them with my new account and only then did I receive via snail mail information of the magazines that I ordered. Strangely enough this order confirmation listed totally different from the magazines that I had been receiving. They wanted to confirm if they had gotten the order correct. Well once again there is a listing of magazines that I didn't pick (I didn't pick the group that I currently am receiving so why would I think that the new listing would be something I picked). I'm sure if you signed up for this it is a great service, but I never signed up for this and no one that I could contact or that contacted me was willing to help me resolve the issue. Hell I don't even read magazines so to me this service is useless.

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d.johnson
Baltimore, US
May 15, 2012 4:37 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Hello I am going through the same thing can anyone help me file a claim. They suckered me into signing up thinkin i won a sweepstakes. If I didnt need to purchase anything for the sweepstakes why would they sign me up for this? I have tried to cancel and they said it was pass my 10 day cancellation but the woman I spoke to NEVER told me that. My email is daniellejhnsn1202@gmail.com someone please help me :(

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Christine Nelson
Lebanon, US
Apr 11, 2012 9:55 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I received a call on 4/11/12 stating that I owed for magazines that I did not order nor did I receive the magazines they told me about. I refuse to pay for anything because they are a scam. You try to call the number that they call from and get no answer. They are saying the magazines are for 60 months. I only ordered Soap Opera Digest which was for 52 weeks for $27.00 which was paid for at the time of purchase and I did not order them from United Readers Service. They were ordered through Family Reading Program through a school function. I am not going to United Readers Service a penny. They are telling me that they are located out of Denver, CO. Something needs to be done to them from harassing people.

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salvador gonzalez
, US
Dec 02, 2011 5:43 am EST

esta conpania es pura mierda no la recomiendo!

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TVG
Renton, US
Nov 29, 2011 7:20 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I just got a call from their collection agency. They wanted to offer me an opportunity to settle for less. I am clueless as to who they are, I don't have a magazine subscription and I don't receive any magazines...The woman said a funny thing..."Did you try to cancel?" No, because I never agreed in the first place. Now, reading the complaints...I get it. She must get a lot of people who say they did and couldn't. I told her to prove it, that I had ordered, she said she didn't have anything but my name. I asked her to tell me what magazines I "supposedly" ordered...she didn't have that. I asked for an account # and when this transpired...she didn't have that either. If these people thing that I'm just going to hand over money...fat chance. I am going to report them to the BBB as soon as I am done here. Good luck everyone. These people are slime.

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sicntiredofscams
Rome, US
Apr 12, 2011 6:32 pm EDT

It isn't a scam but they are crooks! I was told all the same information but only part of my conversation to agree was recorded, the part where you answer yes or no questions. The part of my conversation that wasn't recorded was when I was told I could cancel at any time. When I called back to cancel, because I realized I was paying for more than what I agreed to, they played me back the portion of the conversation that where I agreed. The entire phone conversation wasn't recorded after they told me I would only pay for 2 years and get 4 free and could cancel anytime then they said for "training purposes" they were going to record the call. What a crock! I am not paying these @$$! holes another dime! They are breaking the law when they tell you they are taking you to court and don't file, because then they are using illegal tactics (threats) to receive payment. Only their legal department can contact you on that matter. I closed my bank account and return every magazine that they send me. I have also written letters detailing my experience, phone call and all, to their office. I let them know that I don't want these magazines and wanted to cancel my subscription with their company. I want nothing to do with these people. They still continue to send bills and magazines and I continue to return them and not pay!

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Love URSI
, US
Feb 08, 2011 5:29 am EST

Let me help all of you nay-sayers on here! I am very familiar with United Reader's Service, Inc. and it is a legitimate company that has been around for almost 40 years. There are many companies that create names that seem and sound extremely similar to United Readers but when you are an actual customer of United Readers they will be able to tell you exactly what magazines you should be receiving, they will give you an account number, and if you ask for your account number they will always have it. Most other companies that are pretending to be United Readers will give you an excuse as to why they can't give you the number, i.e. computers are down; I don't have access to that information, etc...If you are really getting a call from United Readers and you are supposed to be receiving magazines from them they will always have your account number. Not too mention, they will know when you started with them. I have been a satisfied customer for many years, and I would recommend them to anyone! Oh and by the way, new customers are really entered into a sweepstakes!

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alf198618
jackson, US
Feb 07, 2011 9:08 pm EST

I had the same problem I got hooked into this deal get mags for four years and only pay for two. Before I knew it I was subscribed. I didn't know I only had 10 days to cancel, and it was day 11. They called me on my cell which was on the Do Not Call list. The monthly amount is horribly overpriced and I had two end up paying for 4 years just to afford it. I am on my last year and plan 2 pay it off this month and cancel. I was promised 6 magazines a month and over time I now only receive one. I hope others will read these reviews before agreeing 2 anything and see how much of a scam this is.

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bubbely
11440 Ebony St., US
Jan 29, 2011 4:50 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I also am having problems with this Company. They called me and I was in a grocery store with 2 elderly people in a wheelchair running around, and it was urgent that I keep track of them. They lead me to believe they were Publisher Clearing house. I had been dealing with Publisher Clearing . They told me I had a close chance of winning bathroom makeover. They knew I needed to go to look for these two people I had with me. They told me someone would be calling me back, and when this person called me back she tricked me into saying ok.

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bogieberger
Henderson, US
Oct 26, 2010 5:45 pm EDT

I am also having these problems. I also had to cancell all my credit cards and have not paid them (URS) for about a year now. They just called yesterday, and said they were taking me to court. They said they have recordings of me agreeing to everything, which they probably do. They said they will add legal fees, court costs, etc. Has anyone been taken to court by them? I don't want to get stuck with a judgement for several times what they say I owe now.

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satisfied customer!
, US
Oct 13, 2010 11:55 am EDT

I dont understand what all the fuss is about. I've been with United Readers Service for 14 years and the ONLY problem I had was lack of receiving my Forbes Magazine for 2 issues about 3 years ago. and they extended my service for three months free of charge... I intend on staying with this company for years to come. After reading these complaints I think people may have been mistaking different companies with similar names? Alot of the claims are completely different with one another, and sound nothing like the company I am with? Maybe, as a suggestion to you all, make SURE of the company you are doing business with--alot of these sound like scams, and I know from personal experience with being with this company for over a decade, United Readers Service LLC isnt a scam; i can gaurantee you i would NOT have been with them continuously as I have?!

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sastified customer
Milton, US
Sep 29, 2010 10:15 am EDT

I have been with this company for many years and have never had any of these problems. I recieve the T.V. guide once a week.. it even comes two weeks early!.. I also recieve Racheal Ray and Good housekeeping( which has tons of coupons by the way) for myself.. along with Game Informer for my son, American Cheerleader for my daugheter and snowboarding for my Husband. If I don't recieve an issue, which only happened once with the T.V. guide, they added 3 extra issues on my order. I absolutely love the serivice.. my family all enjoys the magazines and they come everymonth to my home. They have never charged my card( except the first time when I ordered).. but then again I always send my money order in before the 1st of the month... I don't see what all the complaints are about? Are you all with the same company I am.. united Readers Service LLC in lakewood Ohio? And btw when my paper work came in the mail I had 10 to 14 days to cancel... Some of you are complaining about not being able to cancel... yet u didn't when u were allowed the time. I understand where they are coming from.. if they have actually paid up front ... how can I expect the to pay for my order when i cancel...This service has actually SAVED me money and my children love the magazines coming in and have even learned things from the Cheerleader ones! So ijust wanted to drop a positive note for the company who has serviced me well through the years! Thank you United Readers Service...

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Kimberlee Guillory
, US
Sep 12, 2017 5:51 pm EDT

Dear satisfied, good for you that you've never had this problem. but before you mouth off at these people look this company up, there is page after page of complaints about this company and how its a scam. when they suckered me in I was calling Netflix and somehow they broke into the Netflix phone but at the time I believed I was talking to a Netflix Rep I was told I would receive a 100 gift card just for trying these products and that I could cancel anytime. when we were done I told her the reason for calling and she said I needed to call this number, she gave me the number to call, but the number she gave me was for T-mobile. if you get on line and look this company up all you'll see is one after another complaint about this company. so good for you that you've been lucky enough to not be scammed. So before you make assumptions about how we waited until our trial time had passed to cancel it. we were given 15 days to cancel but if we never received the product then how would we no if we wanted it .

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Stop URS Fraud
Long Beach, US
Aug 28, 2010 11:19 am EDT

Same situation here. They took my elderly father by siphoning $150 out of his bank account before I caught it, and now they are sending him collections letters. I tried speaking to them on the phone twice but they are quite hostile. I called my dad's bank and started a fraud investigations claim. I've called the police and they told me to document everything and consider filing a civil lawsuit. It makes me sad and angry to think of all the people getting taken advantage of.

It seems to me that this is happening to so many people that there must be enough evidence by now to do something about it. I am going to do some research and see what it will take to start a class action lawsuit against this company.

If anyone that reads this wants to join me in this effort, please email me at stop-urs-fraud@earthlink.net.

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Aggravated in NY
Beacon, US
Aug 24, 2010 3:02 pm EDT

I also was taken in on this scam, didn't realize what i was getting into until it was too late. They say 10 days and you can cancel, well the first intro letter and such came almost 2 weeks after, so it was too late. I paid about 3 months of this crap, while trying to figure out what to do about it, i think i got about 8 magazines...far from 6 a month. Anyways i lost my credit card and had to get it canceled so, that ended them automatically charging it. They call like 3 times a day almost everyday. Finally when they called me at 9pm i was fed up, they wanted me to pay money that i owed, i told them i tried to cancel 2 other times, they didn't want to accept that, "we'll take you to collection agency you need to pay the full 24 months cause we pay in advance 4 years" go ahead i told em, hung up and filed a BBB complaint, we'll see how it goes. It is a scam, cause like someone else said on here, if you got a subscription direct from the magazine, (without specials and discounts) you would be paying A LOT less.

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dmob
, US
Aug 17, 2010 7:23 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I agree with all of you! I just now filed a complaint to BBB. The united readers service people called me 3 times and the 2 times they hung up on me when I told them I never signed up for a membership. The 3rd call was from the collection agency! oh ya and I also filed a complaint to the federal trade commission. I hope all this mess gets fixed because I can't be stressing anymore I just had my new born and dealing with a 2 year old..GRR!

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AdventureIsMine21
Davie, US
Aug 13, 2010 12:33 pm EDT

I complietly agree with this! This company is a scam! I was really preoccupied when I got suckered into this one, I was getting ready to get married in 3 weeks and a lady called telling me I had won a prize. I normally hang up right away, but she was nice so I infortaintly gave her a chance to suck me into her scam. Before I knew it I had signed up for 5 magazines that I didn't really want and she never told me that it was impossiable to cancel in the future. It's redundant to pa the publishers up front for two years, also I am suppose to get magazines for 4 years if they just stop sending them then I have no pull because I too was made to pay in advance! I am very angree and they should be shut down!

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zlatka
, US
Jul 14, 2010 10:52 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I filed the complaint to BBB yesterday. Today received a call form their manager, she was tellinh me that I don't understand how their services are great and blah blah blah. Anyway, she said she will cancell the service. It happened only after I filed a complaint to BBB. before theyrefused to cancel this stupid service. Anyway, if you screwed by them just file BBB complaint, that should work.

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nikkoscooter
Manteca, US
Apr 10, 2010 2:12 pm EDT

I agree these people are running a scam. Don't know what to do about it.

Nikkoscooter

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littletiger85
, US
Feb 08, 2010 4:55 pm EST

I have a same problem here. They talked me into this and told me to just pay 68 dollars once. but then they are taking that amount every month.I called them to cancel this they said that I have to pay 330 dollars to cancel it. I called them again, they reduced the amount to 244 dollars. This is clearly a scam right? I have filed a claim to Indiana attorney's office, but if anyone knows what I should do about this, please send me an email to kim23@indiana.edu. Thank you.

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Thomasina White
Mount Carmel, US
Jun 15, 2016 7:01 am EDT

lets take them to court

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Thomasina White
Mount Carmel, US
Jun 15, 2016 7:01 am EDT

the exact same thing is happening to me and I want the jerks to pay for it this has been going on for months and they are ###s, rude, and very upsetting to me

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irritated in Oregon
Vernonia, US
Dec 21, 2009 4:49 pm EST

I have been dealing with this company for more than five years . Now they are threatening to take me to small claims court. Thanks for the info on filing a complaint against them. They tried to take money from my bank account when I was duped into thinking they were U.S. Readers(because they kept telling me they were agents of U.S. Readers).U.S. Readers called me a week after united called to tell me to beware of a company trying to pass themselves of as a division of U.S. Readers. I asked the operator(from United Readers) repeatedly why U.S.Readers was changing my payment amount and style of payment(bank withdrawal instead of check). They never corrected me that they were not U.S. Readers and in fact took $100.00 out of my bank account. I turned them in to U.S.Bank as not having authorization to take the funds. They had to return the funds because they were passing themselves off as another company. This was five years ago, and today their phony collection agent called and told me that if I paid her 500.00 that they would close my account. $500.00 to close an account that I never opened in the first place.When I refused she told me(in a very threatening tone) that they would take me to small claims court for $1500.00 and win. I told her that I was not going to pay anything and to take me to court.

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United Reader Suck ASS
Colorado Springs, US
Dec 18, 2009 7:26 am EST

I am another victim of the telemarketer soliciting for magazine sales via a great prize or sweepstakes contest that I do not recall entering. They called me on the phone and said they were sending me a Womens diamond watch because I'm a preferred credit card holder and the same thing happens to me as it has to all of you. I stupidly gave account info over the phone and now they wont let me cancel. I recorded the telephone conversation when I signed up and this statement below made me believe I can cancel at anytime, but they would like me to stay the full length without cancelling (of course they
would). Here is the statement directly from the recorded call:

"You do understand that we must make a financial commitment to the publisher for the full length of your service in order to garauntee you a frozen price; so of course, you need to stay with us for the full length without cancelling, but don't forget you can change your magazines at any time during the life of the order at no charge. After the tone please state Yes or No"

My problem is that they stated I need to stay with them. Alot of people say they needs things and don't get them, which made me believe they would really like me to stay with them without cancelling. When I called to cancel, they told me they have already paid the publishers and cancelling is not an option. If cancelling wasn't an option, then why didn't the phone call state, "you HAVE to stay with us for the full length without cancelling". My thoughts exactly, they word it to where you believe you can cancel at anytime, then when you try they tell you that you never can cancel. I'm not looking for any
reimbursement, but I just want this cancelled. This is a scamming company that I should have done more research into. They have hundreds of BBB complaints and are all over the web. On another note, the magazines I signed up for never come. I was supposed to get 6 a month and I might get 2-3. Horrible service, no real savings, bad customer service, and a locked in contract that I never knew about? Please, let me out of this mess now...

So what am I doing about it: I filed a formal complaint with the Georgia Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs. Yes, that's right... We as consumers do have rights and your consumer affairs office will help you out. In most states, you can't even legally enter into a contract that can't be cancelled. And because it's phone based, most have to give you a couple of weeks to cancel. All in all, do something about it guys. I just filed mine this morning and will fight this to the end. No matter how much they threaten you, they can't send this to a collection agency because they don't have your SSN... Ahah! You may get "FAKE" calls saying it's a collection agency trying to collect a debt, but pull your credit report, I guarantee you, you won't see it on there. You don't have to pay these folks a penny, but there is one bad thing... The phone calls. So file a compliant and get it cancelled. If you can't, change your bankcard/credit card and change your phone number... I know it sucks, but that'll be the end of it.

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