United Readers Service
Reviews and Complaints

If you would just look at the Better Business Bureau about this company, you would see that it is definitely a scam...here's a link...http://www.bbb.org/western-washington/business-reviews/magazine-sales/american-readers-services-corporation-in-bellingham-wa-27028133#ratingdetails

I disagree, this is definatly not a scam! I recieved a call a year and a half ago and spoke with a very pleasant sales rep. I was told that I was entered into the sweepstakes, regardless on my purchase to the magazines. I absolutly love magazines, I buy them at the news stand every week, and can't wait for the montlys. I like to have the option to go to a newstand as opposed to a subsciption, only because I like to read different things. I was hooked when I learned I could switch and change my selection as often as I'd like with out it ever affecting my costs. I like to keep up with magazines, and so does my family. I live in Minnesota, and they sent one to my cousin all the way in in New York, free to me! My magazines come on time every month, and the watch they sent me was lovely. Their customer service representatives practically know me by first name because I switch my selection so often! They saved me a whole lot of money, tax, and gas from the frequent trips I used to take for my needed US weekly, and I get 5 for free. Deal. Their payment plans and options were wonderful, and I never had to leave the comfort of my own home, they walk you through every step. I never miss a statment in the mail. It definatly beats a prepaid presciption, they let me pay it off in time... when I switched my address I made one simple call and they all followed. I really enjoy this service and intend on renewing.

POLO QUEEN SOLUTIONS
303/ 4/ 5 A-Z Industrial Premises,
G.K. Marg, Lower Parel,
Mumbai - 400 013. NDIA.
Board: +[protected]
Fax:+[protected]
Email: info@poloqueen.com

ERP Division
231 A-Z Industrial Premises,
G.K. Marg, Lower Parel,
Mumbai - 400 013. NDIA.
Direct: +9122 [protected]
Fax:+[protected]
Email: sudhir.jain@poloqueen.com

Today I got a call from Russell Brown of USA Collections [caller ID: [protected]] on behalf of United Reader Services telling me that I owed, including interest, $1100 for a magazine subscription from April 2006 that they claimed I ordered over the phone, and that there was an audio recording of the conversation. He said that they had mailed a "final notice" to my home address. I countered that I had not received such a notice so as to have some evidence of being received. He declined to comment on that. They were willing to settle for $499.89 if I paid now. He could not tell me the name of the magazine, or the publisher. I asked for a phone number that I could call after consulting my attorney. He said that they could not give that out until after I paid. Then he threatened to take me to court and ruin my credit rating. I again offered to call him back after consulting my attorney. Again he refused, insisting on payment right now. After several cycles of this, I told him that I would wait for the subpoena. He hung up instantly.

I called my local police and reported the incident. They identified it as a scam and did some checking. They called the phone number and get a dead-end answering machine.

I have also filed complaints with the FTC and Pennsylvania Attorney General.

your all right, USA Collections Agency is a scam. They use all the same information for every person they call, and when you make your payment to "terminate your contract" your actually getting yourself into another contract, and since they have your credit information, they'll be able to target you again in the future. If you'd like to get a hold of your attorney general or lawyer and do something about these crooks heres the information. USA Collections Agency is NOT located in Messina, NY. It is located in Pointe Claire, Quebec, and its real name is a company called "E-Solution" It is run by Ghassan Eraif whose contact number is [protected] and his brother Mohammed Eraif [protected]. The number for the business itself is [protected] the address for the company is 189 Hymus Boulevard in Pointe Claire, Quebec. These people NEED to be prosecuted. Do something to protect yourself.

I just called the phone number given in Save Ranger's comment. Thewoman that answered said that the number I called was for United Readers Service and that the company that was associated with USA collections was United Readers Services with an s at the end. So now I am even more confused because I have been getting phone calls from people saying the are from United Readers Service, USA collections and the first calls said they were from United Global Services. They have given me many scenarios on how I supposedly ordered these magazine(s) but have not been able to tell me what, when or why I never received any bills in the mail. They have told me I made two payments on my credit card but didnt make the final one. They have given me two dates 2004 and 2006. I have looke back through my records to 2000 and have not seen any record of these companies. All I have ever asked for was written documentation on these transactions as I do not do business over the phone which is why we are on the Do Not Call list. I certainly can not afford to go to court in Fla. I'm at a loss . I'm trying to file complaints with the Attorney General and the BBB but they won't give me any information

I have the same complaint. For months a cell phone number of [protected] has been calling my house and telling me I owe $1, 500 for a magazine subscription contract that I did not fulfil. There is no, has never been a subscription and they won't give me any information other than I owe $1, 500.
They said my subscription was through United Readers Services, so I called them. They have no record of me or a subscription, so the whole thing is a scam. I just wish I could figure out how to make them quit calling my house.
I have asked them to put me on their 'Do Not Call' list and the man on the other end said, 'Oh, okay, I will call you back in 5 minutes'.

I get calls daily from USA Collection Agency saying I owe from back in 2006". They called yesterday & I just had had it with these Fu@#%r's and told the gentleman to send me a bill. He replied nasty that they did I probably just threw it away. I asked him how much do I owe he said $499.89 and I said wow I should have a ### load of magazines then. I have told them to Fu@# off daily as it gets to me. They said they have my voice recorded and my Bof A acct. authorization. I told the dumb ### to go ahead and try to get money out of there that acct has been closed for yrs. I dealt with this back in 05' an d had to contact the BBB in New York & report it to the police in New York. Because somehow they got my info and where taking money out of my acct. The best thing to do is don't talk to them. They tell me everyday they will send me to small claims court. It is a scam and if you see the phone # [protected] don't answer it that's what they want. You can call United Readers and see if you owe money.
Good luck people!

My mother has been getting these calls for years now, they don't give you any information unless you become a member, then they say they will give you the number to the customer service department, yeah right. She said that she contacted the better business bureau on them and they said they are affiliated with the bbb. Also... she told them that nothing had shown up on her credit report and she said that she had the credit report right there with her... these guys are the biggest scam artists out there. They kept threatening that they would take it to the courts, for years now they have been making that threat... has she gone to court yet... NO! I answered a few phone calls for my mother and I have gotten nasty and they still call, different people of course! They call from a New york number [protected] but when you call that number they say that the users mailbox can't accept more messages, it doesn't even say a company when you call!

I've been getting these calls also for a couple of months and after having repeatedly told them that I know it's a scam, they are wasting they're time calling me and to please stop they still continued to call. I finally told the last caller to Fu@# off and get a real job and haven't had a call since...guess you have to get nasty? LOL

I have been getting phone calls from USA Collection Agency for about 3 weeks. They told me that I owe United Reader Services $1500 for unpaid magazine subscriptions from 2006. They told me they were willing to settle for $499. I told them that I could not pay because i was unemployed, I then asked if they could send me a bill or invoice and I will try to see if I could scrounge up the cash. They said I could only pay over the phone. I said no. They told me that the next thing I would be receiving in the mail would be a subpoena to appear in small claims court.

I hung up and looked up United Reader Services. I called the customer service [protected]). They told me they had no record of me or any of my home phone numbers. I told them about USA Collection Agency and they said they have gotten several other complaints about that company. They also said that they have no relationship with that company and that I should ignore those phone calls.

I have gone to ftccomplaintassistant.gov and filed a complaint against USA Collection Agency, unfortunately I did not get any of their info like address or phone number.

If you get a call from USA Collection Agency you should definitely file a complaint to the FTC and your State Attorney General. But first try to get their company info like address and phone number.

This crappy, lying company has turned over my so-called debt to a collections agency. When I was first called by this crappy, lying company the man who called said I could choose 6 mags., including the TV Guide, which I would receive for four years. He said that I would receive all this for 3 payments of 39.00. I asked this man twice if my grand total was three payments of 39.90. I even said, 'so, I will be getting all this for around 140.00?' He said 'yes'. Then they transferred me to a fast talking operator, who took my debit card number (dumb me), said something about 24 or 48 payments, I remember thinking, 'boy, they sure break those payments down to small amounts!'(dumb me). Three months down the road, they continued to withdraw money from my checking account...I promptly got a new debit card. A month later the phone calls started. They played me a recording of when I was talking to the fast talking operator. I asked them, 'where is the recording of the lying salesman who called?' Naturally, there is no such recording. Now I have been turned over to a collection for 344.00. AND, by the way, all mag. subscriptions have expired now (one year), and TV Guide expires this spring
I doubt anyone will read this, but I sure feel better!

I have been dealing with URS for almost a year. They have been making harassing phone calls. From the first phone call I have asked them what they are charging me for. They have never told me what or when I supposedly ordered. I honestly don"t know what they are talking about. They have told me that it was over the phone that it was in 2004 and also 2006 and that I had made 2 payments on my credit card and then stopped. I looked back in my records and there is nothing on my credit statements and nothing in my checkbook. When I told them that I don"t do business over the phone and that we have been on the Do Not Call list they insisted th have my voice on tape. When I asked what magazines I supposedly ordered they could not tell me. I said thet I dont remember ever getting anything that I hadn"t paid for and why didn"t they send me anything in the mail. When I asked them to send me something in writing and that I would not give them any information over the phone because as far as I knew they were trying to scam me they hung ujp on me. Now they are threatening to take me to small claims court in Florida. I still am unsure of what they are talking about. can they actually take me to court without ever proving that I ever ordered from them? I think they waited this long thinking that I would not have my records. I tried telling them that I would never order from them because I fell for their scam in the "80 "s and that is why I never do business over the phone. They actually hung up on me that time too.

I have been abused by United Reader Service as well. My economic situation did change and I explained that to URS. They were very rude on the phone and said I still had to pay...I am not able to pay. I explained that we had some unforeseen medical bills. I had filed complaints with them over the past year because I did not get all of my magazines I had paid for...very hard to deal with on any issue. I just asked for a manager name and phone number. Mindy Busick was the service person harrassing me and then she told me to call Stacy Conners at [protected] extension 418 it was a generic person answering the pone and they would not identify what company I was calling. Very strange procedure to me! Do not buy from United Reader Service. They do not provide magazines as ordered and they do not cancel subscriptions when you ask them to due to economic hardship. I agree with prior remark that we as consumerd do have the right to cancel what we do not want or cannot afford. I wish I would have read this complaint board before I ever did business with United Reader Service.

This is ssto address eprice1981's remark.
If you order something you should be able to cancel. If you don't pay they shouldn't send more magazines. If they send after you cancel it's their fault. You shouldn't have to pay for something you don't want. And besides, all of the complaintants said they never signed an agreement or contract with them. You should have the right to cancel what youdon't want and can't afford. Situations change especially with this Economy. People have a hard time putting food on their tables or keep their homes. I really don't think Magazines are on their priority lists right now. Simple solution, Stop paying, they'll stop sending. There are too many loop holes for companies like this one to get away with braking the law. Someone should do something about this kind of business practice. DO NOT CALL means DO NOT CALL. How do they gat away with this?

I've had a service with this company for many years. I have never had a problem receiving my magazines, and I have only been charged EXACTLY what I agreed to pay. People with buyers remorse suck! They try to bad mouth a good company because they don't want to fulfill their agreements with a company so they bad mouth them. Why do people order things and think they don't have pay for them?

I also am in this same boat where they refuse to cancel my order, and I would like to know the UT laws on this! Fraudulent people SUCK!

I'm dealing with this company also and i canceled on time and there still trying to collect money and they said they never recieved a cancelation they convently recieved it later than the 10 day, and only 10 days to cancel, WHAT it took them 2 week to send me my mags. I would like to know the CA. laws on this?

This company says they are legit, but they are far, far, far from that! I sent them an email threatening them I'd file complaints all over the world if I have to and demanded they refund my money.
I received an email from them (quite surprisingly) they would refund my $39.90 and cancel.
I've closed my bank account, saved the email and am waiting 3-5 days. If no refund, I have it in writing, I'll take em down!

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

:
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.

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

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.

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 .

The same thing happened to me 2 yrs ago. It was during christmas time. The lady who I spoke with talked fast about some sweepstakes, that I would get a free watch, and a subcription of the favorite magazines that I choose for 30+ dollars a month for a 2 yr contract. that 30+ dollars a month got a little too much so I had called to see if I could cancell, they said I couldn't since I guess I made an agreement to pay and finish my 2yr contract...but they offered to lower it to 19.99 a month but that I would get less magazines subcription...so I was fine with it.

I recently got laid off, and just today, someone called me from Uniteds readers saying that my automatic pmt did not go thru...I told them that I wanted to cancel since now I didn't have a job and I don't have enough money to pay them and that since my contract was already over 2 yrs. They said that I can't cancel, since they lowered my monthly pmts, I was then put into a 4 yr contract, I tried to explain to them I just lost my job and they gave me some excuse that that they prepay the magazine company and so I am obligated to pay.

I am thinking of just changing my bank acct so that they will not take money out of my acct but can they really put me for collections and scared that it will affect my credit?

I had the manager of Reaqders promise me he wouldn't take the money out until the 1 of Feb. he must have taken it out as we were speaking and now my mortgage payment might bounce. He promised me he would fix my problems with Heartland Inc, also a magazine company, I believe they are working together to cause confusion. I totally feel raped by both of them.
I have NO idea how to stop this from happening again. I need help.
Heartland took 2 payments out at the same time, this is mean and I feel helpless to fix it. Readers Source promised they would stop Heartland from ever taking my money again!
Heartland sent me a sheet with the names of the magazines I wanted on it on that sheet it said I had 10 days to cancel with I did by sending it to them within the 10 days then they called me and said I could not cancel because that time period was only for the original offer.

I was also, unfortunately, contacted by the United Readers group regarding a sweepstakes. I spoke to Summer first, who told me of my great luck at being selected as a finalist. I agreed to the weekly issue, only to be entered to win either the $25, 000 or a brand new Chevrolet Silverado. Summer then told me that, since she was new to the company, her supervisor would be contacting me at a later time to ensure that she was courteous and professional. Approximately 2 minutes later, another lady telephoned and was equally excited to give me a watch, 6 free magazine subscriptions, and entry into a grand prize sweepstakes. It was during this call, and only after I asked explicitly, that I learned of the four year commitment to the weekly publication subscription at $19.99 per month. I was informed that all I had to do to get everything started was pay for my first month's subscription using my debit card and the remaining payments would be billed to me. When I told Ms. Supervisor that I was uncomfortable giving that information over the phone, I was told that the company was in good standing with the Better Business Bureau and given a website to view while we were in-call. Instead of visiting the website given, I looked up the company under scam websites. The supervisor asked me if I was on the website. I told her that I was on a different one and that the people were posting some unpleasant claims against her company. She immediately became defensive and told me that problems only arose when people agreed to the terms and then tried to cancel. I was told that if I intended to pay my bills, there wouldn't be a problem. I then asked if I could continue research on the company and be contacted a few days later. I was told, "thank you for your time, have a merry Christmas." Then she hung up on me. I immediately contacted my financial institution even though I hadn't given any account information over the phone. I hope all ends well.

I have a complaint to is there something we can all do my son got talked into buying magazines he didnt want the guy kept at him and he gave in . I told him to hang up the phone . He gave them his bank card number i made him change it the next day . But they ripped him off took the money out of his checking not one magazine that was in May this is Nove mber 2, 2009 since that date my son told them no not interested they called about 15 times and they are trying to charge him another 49.98 then they said if he dont pay it by november 1 that for him to avoid Finance charges Please remit the amount due by 11/1/09 a payment of 1149.54 will pay your entire balance . They are scamming people is there any place to call to get help sue these con artists I My dad helped me write a letter to them telling them we will go to the attorneys generals office to get bring charges. I dont know if BBB can help i couldnt find a toll free number . I also did the do not call list several times . and it didnt work they call all times of the day in the morning sometimes and other times at night . The readers souce we are dealing the phone number here is [protected] we got a ton of phone numbers from Denver Lakewood colorado 80226

IM SORRY PEOPLE
I was doped into working for a this company through a temp service in Georgia I got paid 6.55 per hour to call you all and sell magazines... here is the catch when we call we say our name and where were calling from so fast most people miss it and then we slow down for the sweepstakes info so people here what they will never win (computers, trips, cars, tv’s and the grand prize of $25, 000 in cash
then go on and say just so you know how you got here each year the major credit card companies V MC DISC and AMEX choose people and we say congratz a lot so people thing they are winning some thing... then next we ask for our survey of the 4 major credit cards which on gives you the best service and when you say I like my visa... we know you have a visa... so we go on and ask for our survey may i ask are you married if you say no then we ask your age cause they only sell to people born between [protected] any older they might die before the company gets its money or younger and the kid will never pay... then we ask what you do for a living and most people tell us... so now we have that you are married or single you have a major cc or debit card and you have a job so you can pay...
next we told them congratz just for participation get that PARTICIPATION you will receive a 3 day 2 night vacation congraz again we will send you a list tomorrow morning of 80 different places to choose from
Next paragraph we go fast again about magazines first 2 are free next one is a weekly of 4 to choose from JET, ESPN, ROLLING STONE or TV GUIDE... and then we throw in 2 of the sellers choice for a total of 5 mags...
we explain they get the VACATION -- 4 complementary magazines and the only one there paying for in the weekly magazine for just 3.99 per week and then say we will send them a list of over 400-500 magazines incase they want to switch them ever...
We were told to go so fast in the telling YOU the price that you didn’t have time to hear what we were saying
And we also asked you to grab a pen
And here is what I was told to tell you

Now Jane do you have a pen and paper there because I have some real important info about the drawing... ok the drawing will be held on a day say like jan1st 2010 and we are giveing away 2000 prizes so do you have and alternate number so when you win we can call you and YOU give us your cell number or your work number or your mom's home phone number ( think we got all these numbers and are now selling your number to other companys) then we say...
I’m a little new here so my awards supervisor is going to cal you back in a few minutes to make sure I was nice and if you could put in a good word for me I get brownie points on the board OKAY and most people were like sure bill ill do that for you and then we give you an order number 5555 any number and our name again bill so then the awards supervisor calls back but all they really are is a capper to CAP the sale

I hope some of this helps the company I worked for was

UNITED READERS SERVICE in flowery branch GA.

phone number there is
[protected]

I am going through the same nightmare. This company called me and told me they were actually another company, Interstate Readers League of Atlanta, and that they needed to confirm my account information. I was a complete ### and went along with it. It wasn't until now, MONTHS LATER, that I realized that I am getting billed for "magazines" from Readers Source. They even claim they are sending me the same magazines my original subscription with IRL. I have reported this business to the Federal Trade Commission, reported it as fraud to my bank, changed my bank account information, and am trying to contact them to see what they want me to do to cancel my account with them. If the want more money, I may just go through with a lawsuit. Someone needs to teach these guys a lesson.

Also interesting: Their two "home bases" are in Lakewood, CO and Lakewood, OH. I confirmed that these towns exist, but it seems like too much of a coincidence.

I received a call on February 2009 from Barbie offering a magazine service. She told me I would have to pay $34.20 every two months for 7 mangazines. I chose the magazines and gave her my credit card to charge it ONLY FOR THE FIRT TIME. Barbie told me I would receive the magazines and the welcome package wihtin two weeks, that did't happen. I called on the third week, and I was told that it would take two more weeks. Eight weeks passed and no magazines or welcome package. I called again and talked to Stacy and she told me to wait one more month! I tried to cancel the contract but I could't since it is supose to be a two year contract and it was not their fault the magazines did not arrive. Aren't they supose to make sure they arrive on time? Not only that, United Readers made TWO fraudulent charges to my credit card, since I did not authorized them to charge it for future monthly payments. I receive one magazine every once in a while and an issue late. I will take legal accions again them for thiefs. BE CAREFUL! Any body want to join me agains them?

I got a phone call in April from a girl who said using my Visa entered me in a sweepsstakes, and that I was a finalist. They already had my phone number and address, and the last 4 numbers of my card. She told me she was new to the company and wanted to go through the information & have me repeat everything to make sure I understood. At first, she told me about some free magazines I could sign up for. Then she said I had the option to get 5 subscriptions at a locked in discounted rate for 2 years. She also told me about a diamond watch that I could get for free if I signed up. I told her I did not want to pay for anything and I did not want any magazines. Then she told me her supervisor wanted to talk to me and make sure that she had done a good job, was corteous, etc. I talked to this woman, who went through everything again. Then I told them again that I did not want any magazines. They thanked me for my time and said they would contact me after the drawing if I was a winner in the Visa sweepstakes.
After that phone call, I called my bank and they told me that Visa had no sweepstakes. I cancelled that card immediately. I never got any magazines, so I assumed everything was fine. Last week, I received a bill in the mail for $34.20 from United Readers. I called the customer service number to cancel, and the woman told me I was locked in for the 2-yr plan, and that if I didnt pay it would go to collections. I got a phone number off of this site [protected]) and told the woman what happened. She said she would check into it and call me back. She also told me that $34.20 was not one of their billing options and she didn't know why I had the bill for that amount. I got a call back about an hour later from a supervisor named Stacy who said that United Readers hires outside companies to call and get new customers. She said she cancelled my account and would find out what company was making those calls. She also said she would credit my Visa $34.20. The number Stacy called me back on was [protected], which is an Ohio area code.
I hope this helps you guys.

Another thought that I just had was... I think they are heartland! They have to be. The same tricks, the same calls. I think they probably change their number and name. I bet that this is how they are never listed as being a "bad" company with the BBB!

Anyone else think the same thing?

They sound like Heartland. Heartland acted like I was taking a survey about my favorite magazines and all of a sudden I owed them several hundred dollars for 5 magazines for 60 months. I had to contact BBB to finally get them to stop calling me 5+ times a day because I wouldn't pay the bill I supposedly owed. I got the call from Readers source and was like... Sounds like another scam! They said that I had 5 magazines that I subscribed to from their companyand I told the guy, that impossible, I paid for the magazines that I do get up front and don't owe anyone anything for magazines. He said that he would have to check what was going on and call me back. This was 4 days ago. He hasn't called back yet.
The number that showed up on my caller ID is [protected]

URS IS a scam. I happen to know the people that run this company, and I can tell you that 100%, no questions about it - this is a MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME. They have a F rating with the BBB and constantly need to change the name of the company in order to "keep it legit.". Do not fall for this scam! The owners have friends in high places - they pay to make their problems go away! Complaints won't help - this is an organized crime ring.

yes i was to contacted from the united readers service inc about me being enterd into a contest and what sounded like a good deal on a magazine for only 40 dollors a mouth. so i did it but i asked her if i could cancel at anytime before agreeing to it and she said yes so i went thougth with it. well about a year with them i didnt any longer want to be reciving anymore magazines from them so i called to cancel well the girl was very rude and told me that i could not cancel and that i had agreed to it and they have it on recording. well i know i didnt record anything with them. well she told me that i couldnt cancel that i was in agreement to say with them for four years and there was no way i could cancel. well i know that the person i talked to in the beging to me that i could cancel at any time. well i told her that id like to hear the tape and she said she couldnt do it well i told her that if she cant let me hear my voice agreeing to it them she aint getting another dime out of me. so i have changed my banking account so they cant get any money from me.. this company needs to be shut down and not aloud to fraud anybody anymore

Watch out United Readers Service is now going by a different name. They are going by Relaible Readers Service when infact they are United Readers Service. I have written a letter to the President, Vice President of URS and I also wrote a letter to BBB, FTC and US postal service letting them all know what type of company this is. They suckered me into this scam too but I am fighting back. I just sent off the letters today and will follow up once I find out what happens. I wrote them saying to cancel my subscription because they had mislead me and lied to me regarding this mag. offer. My lawyer said that because they didn't let me know up front that they have a cancelation policy and because they failed to send me anything in writing then they don't have a leg to stand on. They have violated the telemarketing law by failing to disclose important information ragarding their company. I am fighting back and you should too. I sent the letter to the OH BBB because that is where the company is based out of. They still have the united readers service website and now the new reliable service website looks the exact same (with a few changes to the home page). I pointed this out in my letter to these people as well. Help get this company closed down write BBB today!

I TOO WAS SCAMMED BY UNITED READERS SERVICE, I FELL FOR THE HUGE SWEEPSTAKES GIMIC AND SIGNED UP, AFTER 2 YEARS OF FORTY DOLLARS A MONTH I WROTE AND VERBALLY CANCELLED MY SUBCRIPTION AND THEY SAID OH WELL YOU CANT CANCEL, I TOLD THEM U ONLY HAVE A VERBAL AGREEMENT AND NO CONTRACT IS AIRTIGHT, I ASKED IF SHE WOULD SEND ME A PHYSICAL COPY OF MY "AGREEMENT" AND SHE SAID SHE COULDNT DO THAT SO I TOLD HER IF COULDNT GET ME A COPY OF THE RECORDING THEY WERE NOT GETTING ANOTHER CENT. SO THEY KEPT HARRASSING ME AND CALLING FOR ME TO MAKE A PAYMENT I TOLD THEM EVERYTIME AND TOLD TWO "SUPERVISORS" I WAS NO LONGER GOING TO HAND OVER MONEY AND IF THEY CONTINUED TO CALL AND HARRASS ME I WOULD CONTACT A LAWYER AND PRESS CHARGES AND SHE BLUNTLY TOLD ME THE CALLS WOULD NOY STOP. AFTER THAT THEY BEGAN TO CALL ME WITH THIER NUMBER BLOCKED! EVERY DAY FOR THREE MONTHS FROM 8 OCLOCK AT NIGHT TO WEEKENDS AT 9 AM, IM FURIOUS BUT DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, IVE SENT MAGAZINES BACK AND MADE A COPY OF THE LETTER I SENT THEM, ALSO SPOKE WITH A STATE JUDGE WHO SAID DONT GIVE THEM ANYTHING, BUT THE LAST BILL THEY SENT SAID TAKE CARE OF IMMEDIATLY TO AVOID HAVING THE BILL COLLECTION AGENCY TAKE IT OVER! HELP!

I just received a call from a debt collection company claiming that I owe for magazines from United Readers Service from 2006. They claim that I ordered a woman's package that was around $499 and now I owe $1000 for not paying for the magazines. I have not gotten any magazines from this company and now they say they are going to sue me for the money. They gave me an account number, so I went to the United Readers website and cannot pull out any information. My husband started cursing in the background while I was on the phone with them. They cannot give me any information except that I owe the money. I refused to give them a dime unless they can show me what I ordered! I guess I will be getting sued!

Any solutions?

WoW,
I also got a call from these company called readers source or readers services. Every time I get a call from them they somehow know my name and my address. The first time they called it was some guy who sounded very excited, it was his first day he said. After the survey he told me I had won some watch and FREE magazines. I of course do not believe in such a thing as FREE. I kept listening then that guy told me that i would talk to a supervisor to get my information. The supervisor somehow answer in a second, which really was suspicious. She told me I had won a diamond watch and something else, then she asked me to give her my credit card number. OF COURSE I DID NOT. I told her I wasn't able to find it and hung up. Then I get this calls saying that my account has been paid for them and that I need to pay $1000 dollars in a year. I asked the guy to cancel my account and he said he couldn't do it. I was very mad and also frustrated he told me he had my information, but was not able to give it to me for security reasons. I know it is a scam, but I really would like to know if they do have my credit card number.

Is there anyone here with the same problem?
I would like to know if there is a way to report this company?
It is very frustrating to get this kind of calls!

I too was SCAMMED into this ridiculous scheme of theirs. They promised they would send things and never did multiple times. Finally after years of paying them my contract was up and I was FREE of them... or so I thought. About a year after I paid them off I received a notice in the mail. This is what it said:

----------------------------

Thank you for allowing us to serve all of your magazine needs. Your original service plan is PAID IN FULL and we appreciate the way your service was always handled in a timely manner. Although you may have time left on your current service, we value you as a customer and as part of your original service agreement we will be extending your service for the small amount of: $14.95 per Month

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE, WE WILL HANDLE YOUR ACCOUNT AS BEFORE, ELECTRONICALLY THROUGH YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT. THE FIRST PAYMENT WILL BE PROCESSED WITHIN THE NEXT THREE WEEKS UNLESS YOU NOTIFY US BY MAIL OR PHONE BY SEPTEMBER 19, 2008 THAT YOU DO NOT WISH TO EXTEND YOUR SERVICE. ONCE YOUR EXTENDED SERVICE BEGINS YOU MAY STOP THE EXTENDED SERVICE AT ANY TIME SIMPLY BY NOTIFYING US, Readers Source at [protected].
...
(payment options)
...

Sincerly,
Karen Stephens
Readers Source
[protected]

-------------------------------------

I was LIVID! I called several times but as usual I am NEVER able to get through on that line. I promptly wrote a letter stating that if they DARED to charge me for any service that I would be getting a lawyer! Well they have yet to bill my account, but now I am receiving every single crappy magazine available! So now I am threatening harassment!

The address on the letter was

Readers Source
P.O. Box 1144
Mission, KS 66222

I am going through one now with Readers source and they got my wifes Cell number and calling harrasing. I closed the card they used. They got it a few years ago when my wife signed up. They renewed for $1430.00 for 5 years plan at 39.75 a month. This was done because they asked how she wanted to pay for the subscription they told her they were signing her up for and she hung up. Hanging up on the means to them it is OK to charge me how ever you want. The only reason they didn't take it all at once was they probably tried and found they couldn't because of the limit at one time that was set for the card.
I got them to cancel everything and have it in 2 different letters from 2 of the names they use. Now the person calling seems to be fraud and has the number of the closed account. Seems he triedto use the card and now is dumb enough to try to get my wife to give him another number. Please go file with the FTC so enough people can send these people away and get us a settlement against this company. [redacted] is growing.

Hi kept getting calls from a phone number that I don't have on my cell so I decided to call them today to find out who it was (I'm a curious person). It was from the "United Reader's Service" the person I talked to said that they were calling me because I was one of the finalists for the sweepstakes they were sponsoring for the major credit card companies. She said they were given a list of names of the finalists so they could call them on behalf of the credit card companies and my name was one of them. She went on and on about the prizes but I kept questioning her... I asked her what benefit they got out of this, she said that they work with the credit card companies and for this case they were helping them contact the finalist and at the same time she was given they right to offer an amazing magazine promotion to the finalists... She was having a hard time convincing me so she said to me that by taking this "amazing magazine promotion" they were sending me within a week a diamond watch... I said WOW you guys have so much money that you don't know what to do with it and you are just going crazy giving all these nice gifts away... I said I want to work there (of course I was being sarcastic)... I told her I will think about it... then I called my credit card companies to ask them about this and they told me they are not running any type of sweepstakes and have not contacted at all this company. I called them back and I requested to talk to the same person I had talked to and asked her to remove my name and phone number from their database. I told her that they were just scamming people... She kept saying they were BBB accredited... I told her they are several complaints about the company. She even had the guts to try to convince me. I told her if she didn't remove my name and phone number from the list and I f I got call from them again they'll be in big trouble.

Be careful everyone because once you accept the magazine offer you are obligated to a 4 year commitment!... they don't tell you this right away but she was stupid enough to tell me that one of the reasons why people get so upset is because they want to cancel after a month, a week, or so but they can't because when they accept the promotion one of the requirements is a 4 year commitment (I’m not sure if this requirement is very clear to people or if its buried somewhere in small font). I think I gave her a headache... If you ever have a problem with them don't think twice and go to the better business bureau website and file a complaint (http://us.bbb.org) The phone # they kept calling me from is [protected]. Good Luck!

I recently got a call from them. I didn't agree to any service or give them my credit card information - they never even asked me to. She mentioned it then asked my age and job and said thank you and goodbye.

I'm still contacting them to be sure I wasn't signed up for something that I don't want to be